# How many $'s do you save by riding instead of driving?



## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

For my wife and I it's fairly low. We both have cars (mine is a large SUV) that we need so can't forego either and thus have the depreciation, insurance, and taxes regardless. So for me it's purely mileage which I've calc'd at about $0.42 / mile for fuel, maintenance, and mileage depreciation. This year I rode about 850 miles that otherwise would have been driven so roughly $370 savings.


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## onrhodes (Feb 19, 2004)

May be easier to just use the federal reimbursement rate of 55.5 cents a mile. 
Have you looked into your vehicle insurance that if you drive less than "X" number of miles a year they may give you a break. My insurer gives me a slight break since I drive less than 6,000 miles a year (or so they claim). Last year I only drove 3,700 miles.
My commute to and from work is 9 miles. So I figure every day that I bike i save about $4.50. If you missed tolls, parking meters, etc it could even be more than 55.5 cents a mile.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

I'd have to get another car, so it would be much more than that. Even if I didn't, parking where I work would run more than $1000 a year.

However, that's not a real fair comparison, because I wouldn't drive if I didn't cycle -- I'd take public transportation. Monthly bus passes, with a small subsidy from my employer and the tax break I get buying it with pre-tax payroll deduction, would run about $300 per year. Net out the small yearly cost of bike maintenance, etc, and I probably only "save" $200 per year.

Of course, I should then put in the value of the exercise, maybe the gym membership I'd probably get if I didn't get daily exercise commuting.

Bottom line: There's some $ saved, but the bigger benefits are to the body and mind.

I probably ride about 2000 miles commuting each year.


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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

JCavilia said:


> Bottom line: There's some $ saved, but the bigger benefits are to the body and mind.


+1

If the only reason I cycled was to save $370 a year, I'd give it up. There are easier ways to save $7.12 a week.

But, since I took up cycling, I no longer see a shrink and take anti-depressants. I also am able to keep my blood glucose levels down to borderline pre-diabetic. My cholesterol is better than everyone else's in my family, and they're on special diets and take statins daily. I have seven more months to go, but I could become the first male in my family--in several generations--to make it past 55 without a heart attack.

At my doc's yesterday,

She: "I don't know why you keep coming back. You're the healthiest patient I see."
Me: "It's because you keep saying come back in six months."
She: "Okay. See you in May."

That's why I bike commute.


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## felton (Mar 29, 2012)

I sold my truck($415 payment gone, save $150 on gas, and cut the insurance in half to $42 a month). My wife stays at home and we now only have one vehicle. I ride about 25 miles to work most days to get some extra milage and then 10 miles home. I still get my long rides in on one of my days off and drive her car once a week to drop off uniforms. It has been a big savings but the extra riding is very nice also.


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## brady1 (Aug 18, 2011)

JCavilia said:


> Of course, I should then put in the value of the exercise, maybe the gym membership I'd probably get if I didn't get daily exercise commuting.
> 
> Bottom line: There's some $ saved, but the bigger benefits are to the body and mind.
> 
> I probably ride about 2000 miles commuting each year.


Same here pretty much. I once tried to figure out roughly how much I saved by commuting, which is about 2 to 3 times a week, 25 miles round trip.

There's really so much to take into consideration other than just gas money saved. I agree, the biggest benefit is not being an overweight, out of shape slug.

Sometimes I almost think I lose money by commuting. If I didn't ride to work so much I probably never would have purchased a lot of the gear I have...(fenders, extra jacket, spare gloves, lights, etc.) Totally worth it though.


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## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

Parking is $7 a day, mileage is 14 round trip. So at 50 cents a mile I'd say I save $14 a day. I didn't drive once in 4 months but say for posterity that I ride 3.5 days a week I'd be in the $2500 a year range before I factor in the health and mental benefits.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

My mileage is pretty low, about a 2.5 mile commute right now. So how much I save by driving is about $2.50 a day or $12.50/week according to the Feds and $40-$50/week on parking. I'd probably pay more on my insurance too if I insured my car as a daily driver, and for the extra miles, although that might be rolled into the Feds' rate.

For what I'd pay for parking, I could have a bicycle stolen every quarter and still come out even. Or, only a little behind after buying another $70 lock each time.

Of course, I could just take the bus. I've already paid for a bus pass as one of my student fees and can't opt out. Oh well.

The bike costs something too, of course. I haven't really tried to guesstimate my COO on commuter bikes, and I haven't had this one that long. But between the initial purchase price, finding cracks in Trek's stupid rear wheel, and breaking SRAM's stupid shifter, I've already had to replace a few parts in addition to the rack and fenders I moved over from a previous bike when I broke it.

I think the bike saves me some time, but I don't believe it actually saves me any money with my current use.


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

My partner and I both bike commute so it means we only have one car, which doesn't get driven a ton. So, less wear on one car and no second car. That's a real amount of cash with there, definitely thousands a year. I'd love to be car free again, but I need it just often enough for work and want it just often enough to play that it stays.

I bike commute ~90% of the time, the rest of the time I have to drive due to meetings at multiple locations and such. So, I save on a 16 mile round trip ~4.5 days a week.

I save some real dollars (some of which I spend on bicycles...), and as others have said, I gain lots of health and sanity.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

cycling provides no monetary savings for me. 

I don't commute or run errands on my bike. I ride for fitness and the joy of riding. hell, I even drive to the neighborhood groc store that's 0.5 miles from my house.

adding up all cycling-related expenses for this year probably comes to $2500...new wheels, saddle, pedals, computer, jerseys, shorts, shoes.

so, riding is a money-loser, not a money-saver.


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## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

Scott B said:


> we only have one car, which doesn't get driven a ton.


I think we'll see a lot more of this. Here (Twin Cities) realtors are seeing an increasing number of families desiring to live in communities with good cycle facilities so that they can only have one car. That's $500/mo or more in extra spendable income. 

My son and his wife are considering selling their one car since it only gets used about every couple of months now and they think it'd be better to rent one when they need it.


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## AndreyT (Dec 1, 2011)

I commute by bike most days of the week. While it does result in very significant reduction in frequency of my gas station visits, all bike-related stuff that I keep buying seems to compensate for that  Every time I buy something bike-related it feels like "OK, now I have everything I need, so let's just ride and enjoy the money flow from gas savings", but next week an urgent need for something else arises...


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

InfiniteLoop said:


> I think we'll see a lot more of this. Here (Twin Cities) realtors are seeing an increasing number of families desiring to live in communities with good cycle facilities so that they can only have one car. That's $500/mo or more in extra spendable income.
> 
> My son and his wife are considering selling their one car since it only gets used about every couple of months now and they think it'd be better to rent one when they need it.


I can't imagine living in a place where I *had* to drive. I'll pay more in rent in exchange for being able to bike most places, most of the time. I think more younger people (I'm 28) are making choices where to live in part based on transit options, that's a trend that's going to grow.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

If you're like me, the more you ride, the more justified you feel buying bike related goodies. 

I figure riding probably costs me about $100 per year.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

It costs $15/day to park at the metro and ride the train in. That's $315 a month. I get a $125 subsidy and have to pay the remainder myself. I never exhaust the subsidy (they take the residual back at the end of every month). So I'd say its a savings of $190/month to me, slightly more to society. Frankly, saving money is just a minor benefit to me. I like bike commuting. If the metro were free and bike commuting cost $15/day, I'd still do it as much as I could. 

Other people think its great -- I'm being green. Hell, I'd still do it if it involved huge smoke stack fumes.


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## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

pmf said:


> I like bike commuting. If the metro were free and bike commuting cost $15/day, I'd still do it as much as I could.
> 
> Other people think its great -- I'm being green. Hell, I'd still do it if it involved huge smoke stack fumes.


But, but, but... You mean all cyclists aren't uber greenies mainly because they can't afford a private jet like Al Gore?


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## rmsmith (Feb 15, 2007)

onrhodes said:


> May be easier to just use the federal reimbursement rate of 55.5 cents a mile. --sniped-- If you missed tolls, parking meters, etc it could even be more than 55.5 cents a mile.


The federal government likely stepped on the reimbursement number, so it's probably safe to pad that by 1/3, so it's likely more accurate to use 74-cents per mile.


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## timeless (Jun 2, 2007)

Opus51569 said:


> If you're like me, the more you ride, the more justified you feel buying bike related goodies.
> 
> I figure riding probably costs me about $100 per year.


I think you are a little low on that number. But this is a quote of truth.


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## shoemakerpom2010 (Apr 25, 2011)

I'd look at it as not having to buy another car with a car payment and just driving my paid off car very little. If I have to drive any distance I use my van that has a warranty. New car payment alone is probally $300 a month and insurance on top of that and say tires every other year plus the fact that my cholestoral has plummeted along with my high blood pressure. I say its hard to put a number on good health.


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## SlowJoeCrow (Sep 3, 2009)

Since I took the plunge into bike commuting after we junked our second car, some of my savings come from not buying another car. I use light rail for most of my commute and with a monthly ticket that works out to $3 a trip, compared to $5-6 per trip for gas plus operating costs so my commute is a little bit cheaper. On the other hand I get exercise and a chance to catch up on my reading instead of fuming in traffic. I also don't have a car payment or insurance, although I do need a new rain jacket.


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## tom93r1 (Jul 19, 2009)

I commute about 2000 miles a year on the bike saving those miles from my 22mpg car. That saves a few hundred in gas, tires, etc. But when I add up all the crap I buy for my bike I am pretty sure I spend lots more than that.


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## jim brewer (Nov 24, 2012)

For me, the biggest savings was in gym fees. About $6.00 per visit all in. Today It would be more like $8.00. My commute was pretty short, so the gas was pretty inconsequential, really. But it was just enough that I could skip the gym. I was able to skip buying a car for my teenager. Maybe I would have done that, maybe I wouldn't have. So there was that savings. 

Unless you wrench it yourself, there is a fair amount of expensive maintenance on a bicycle, on a per mile basis.


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## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

jim brewer said:


> Unless you wrench it yourself, there is a fair amount of expensive maintenance on a bicycle, on a per mile basis.


Really? A well made city bike, on average, shouldn't require much more than some adjustments and maybe tires and a chain about every 10 years. Most breakage happens within the warranty so is no cost. Once past warranty and mfr defects have been taken care of, 10 or 20 years of zero maintenance is relatively normal. And this is for a bike that's left outside all year.

For my road, commuter, and mountain bikes I don't know that I spend more than maybe $75/year/bike and that's having a bike shop do most of whatever needs doing.


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## jim brewer (Nov 24, 2012)

*Well, how much per mile? what about the stuff you forgot*



InfiniteLoop said:


> Really? A well made city bike, on average, shouldn't require much more than some adjustments and maybe tires and a chain about every 10 years. Most breakage happens within the warranty so is no cost. Once past warranty and mfr defects have been taken care of, 10 or 20 years of zero maintenance is relatively normal. And this is for a bike that's left outside all year.
> 
> For my road, commuter, and mountain bikes I don't know that I spend more than maybe $75/year/bike and that's having a bike shop do most of whatever needs doing.


Well, for starters, how much do you ride? On a per mile basis your seventy five bucks may not be all that great. Second, are you keeping careful records? its easy to forget the few bucks spent here and there along the way. A Continental Gatorback tire costs maybe 45 bucks. A quality car tire costs maybe twice as much but goes 50K. The Continental Gator won't do that. A quality tune with a minor part replaced costs around one hundred bucks in my area. Do you do that yourself? Fine, but that's my point. 

My mountainbike/commuter had a broken chain, a broken hub, a couple of new innertubes and a new cassette. That was for a commute of about eight miles roundtrip. ( But also some recreational use). That doesn't include things that would come under the heading of upgrades, but are real expenses, like panniers.


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## velocanman (Jul 15, 2011)

I actually calculated this a few months ago when I was commuting almost every day. I save about $4 a day or $20 a week by riding my bike to/from work.

It's really not a very big cost avoidance but there are obviously many other advantages to cycling. Mostly I started because we had our first baby 18 months ago and I just can't make the morning or evening training rides anymore. 

I have to go to work, and I wanted to ride my bike, so I figured I might as well combine the two.

Knowing that I only save about $80 a week keeps me frugal on the bike expenses, too. Nothing but cheap and durable tires, tubes, chains, etc. for my commuter bikes.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

I am sure that I save a lot of money bike commuting, even though I also spend a lot on bike gear. I bike commute most of the time, 30+ miles/day year-round. I should easily top 5,000 miles by the end of the year, which at the federal reimbursement rate would be at least $2,750. I also save money in other ways:
- $15/month parking fees
- $75/month membership to the YMCA
- $50/year low mileage reduction for car insurance

All of that totals up to nearly $4,000 a year. Even if I spend half of that on bike gear, I am still way ahead -- and the spread gets better whenever gas prices go up.


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## Dave Cutter (Sep 26, 2012)

Being retired.... sorta makes me commuter-challenged. But I am still compelled for some reason to calculate savings based on my reduced driving. And I do manage to cycle a few errands that I would otherwise drive if I wasn't a cyclist. 

But realistically cycling is for me a hobby and a sport. I deserve a hobby or two. And I need the activity of a sport as well as the interests of a hobby or two. I love cycling and it's a part of my chosen lifestyle. I could always figure a way to live cheaper and spend less... if that was the meaning of life.


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## MagClyde_II (Nov 27, 2012)

I'll WAG at about $400 a year.


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## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

Dave Cutter said:


> I could always figure a way to live cheaper and spend less... if that was the meaning of life.


Ah, economics meets philosophy  My son and I had a several hour ongoing conversation about this and how it fits in society as a whole as we followed our wives around NYC last Fri.


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## Dave Cutter (Sep 26, 2012)

InfiniteLoop said:


> Ah, economics meets philosophy  My son and I had a several hour ongoing conversation about this and how it fits in society as a whole as we followed our wives around NYC last Fri.


I didn't mean to philosophize. I know many of us cycle for completely different reasons. I don't know of any of the reasons to be... wrong. 

If I was looking for cheap transportation I think... I'd ride a cheap bicycle.. or find a way to work from home. If I wanted cheap exercise I'd jog... or just jump rope. Watching TV is pretty cheap for entertainment... if thats all I needed. 

Cycling isn't always the cheapest thing I do but it is almost always one of the most enjoyable things I do. And on top of being a heck of a lot of fun cycling helps keep me fit, healthy, and entertained. And from time to time I save a gallon of gasoline or two. I can think of worse things to spend a few bucks on.


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