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Active stats - costs of cycling v other transport options

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    "

    I am a self-confessed data geek. With this mild obsession in mind, I decided to embark on a wee 2015 project. I want to record my bike movements so I can see how much physical activity I do, how many miles I cover and the spondoolacks I have potentially saved in comparison to running a car or using public transport full time.

    Maybe this little project will encourage more people to cycle. It could help to show the bike as a perfectly viable alternative to cars for getting around Edinburgh for folk with similar lifestyles to me. Hopefully it will be interesting. Who knows?

    "

    https://clairecycles.wordpress.com/2015/01/30/the-2015-bike-experiment-january-edition/

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. Claire
    Member

    Thank you for the link! I am beginning to think my 2015 experiment may need a spreadsheet... :)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. ARobComp
    Member

    Dave of this parish did some similar analytics, but I think it's a good idea that it's repeated because Science!

    Good stuff and well done keeping track of everything.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. Claire
    Member

    Alex, I'm hoping that as I am just a regular lady it might encourage some folk to take to two wheels if the cost savings are considerable...

    Also, it means that I can just use my extensive stats to send people to sleep when they start getting on at me for riding a bike instead of being "normal".

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. ARobComp
    Member

    OH NO you've revealed my real name. ;)

    Yeah - when people ask me why I cycle instead of being normal I just scream "PRIMARY POSITION", pull out a handy folding bike and speed away at roughly 5 times the speed, but for the same effort, as walking.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. Claire
    Member

    Haha! :) You forgot the part where you point at your muscled legs and say "how d'ya like them apples?".

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. Beano
    Member

    @Claire - I 'started' doing something similar (comparing costs) in the summer last year. I'd always commuted by train to my work from rosyth to Waverley and used to buy an annual season ticket (now £1440).

    I thought to myself that I could 'surely' buy a bike on C2W scheme and plenty kit for the same cost and i'd be fitter to boot!

    Unfortunately I've let the cycling slip a bit with the bad weather and have only managed a handful of days cycling in January (mainly I lack experience and snow tyres). I still think I am running at a loss (since June 2014) at the moment but I fully expect to claw huge 'profits' once the C2W payments stop and the summer comes.

    BUT...

    I truly don't know if the costs of my 32 mile daily commute will favour bike or train. From the guys on this forum who have done it for years I think the bike takes a fair pounding and there isn't much left of the bike after a while!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. chdot
    Admin

    "I truly don't know if the costs of my 32 mile daily commute will favour bike or train. "

    But it will be useful to find out.

    'Cost' will also be affected by whether all/none/some maintenance is done by you or shop(s).

    Of course you should add in the extra food!

    BUT

    How to cost/value the views/fun/independence/sense of achievement/fitness etc?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  9. Claire
    Member

    @beano You have a much longer commute than me, from outside of town. I'd imagine the bikes take a proper pounding doing that mileage every day. I have a six miler each way so way less distance and cost.

    It might be close for you cost-wise if you've got to take the train instead of the bike. Once the weather turns it will be a different story though!

    RE fitness, values, independence, achievement, etc. These are all massive bonuses; I'm not sure how you would equate that to a financial cost. What I do know is that I am healthier, happier and have learned so much, met so many lovely people and discovered so many brilliant sights since I got on the bike. You could even say that's priceless? :)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  10. Beano
    Member

    @Claire/chdot - the not-financial things, as you say, I cant measure.

    I am enjoying it and had a lovely ride in today. people say to me how can you do it? how can you be bothered to jump on your bike after work and cycle for over an hour home?

    I can't answer that other than I seem to enjoy the cycle home more than I would sitting in a tin can with a bunch of miserable commuters.

    One down side though...mrs beano is now saying...if I hear one more word about that damn bike...I think I may have caught the bug haha

    Posted 9 years ago #

  11. BurntOut
    Member

    Since I moved to Fife, I’ve kept a spreadsheet with various info, including how much I’ve saved by not taking the train and how much I’ve spent on bikes, parts and other kit. I reckon it’s fairly accurate. Just had a look and, sad to say, although I’ve been doing this since October 2005 and I’ve done 37,722 miles, on balance, I've saved a ‘grand’ total of £302.47. (Actually, if I deducted everything I’ve spent on cakes, Snickers and bananas, I’m probably still in the red.)

    Not doing it for the money, then!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  12. Claire
    Member

    @burntout Is that due to a bike and parts obsession? :) One month in and I'm already up £60, so I figure I might come out with a healthy wad of cash if I keep my cycle chic clothing obsession in check...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  13. BurntOut
    Member

    Claire - I would say I'm fairly thrifty, but it includes two bikes, a lot of clothes and many wheels, chains, cassettes, chainrings, brake pads etc etc as well as quite a number of tyres. (I have a bit of a thing about nice tyres, although I'm stockpiling all the old ones for life after the oil crash - I figure I might not be so picky when the cost of rubber goes through the roof.)

    You could say I got all that stuff for free.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  14. newtoit
    Member

    @Claire

    I started about 6 months ago, with my alternative being the bus. I could not say that I have saved money overall, but the enjoyment of it and the health benefits can't really be quantified. I'd love to completely abandon the bus but circumstances (and my unwillingness to go out in the rain...) don't really allow. I'm often at clients' sites and they are not always as well equipped with showers, decent locking facilities etc so I end up bussing it in then.

    Perhaps if I treat my bike as being capital and presume a 3 year life then it's £10 a month, in which case I am (just) saving money.

    Unfortunately don't think I will be saving much going forward as I seem to be catching the bug for kit, accessories etc - eyeing up jackets, bags, pannier racks, pannier bags, more lights, spd pedals, the list goes on. Some necessary admittedly, when I get back on the bike I will need a jacket as my fleece isn't fantastic for a Scottish winter! I also seem to go through brake blocks rather quickly!

    Still, it will be a very interesting exercise to see, as I think often a high level estimate that people make doesn't really take into account all of the actual costs.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  15. Claire
    Member

    @burntout - All those free goodies! Yes, if you look at it that way your bike habit is self-supporting and causes you no financial woes. If only I could look at all the lovely Rapha items and see "free" against the price tags. I hope I don't end up spending all my imaginary cash on £250 jackets or some such nonsense...

    @newtoit - I think cost savings will depend on lifestyle also. I am totally Edinburgh-centric, go out all weathers and am properly miffed at having to spend £15 on bus fare this month due to weather apocalypse. I've not accounted for any purchase costs of a car either; if you factor that in then there's a massive win for the bike already. I've got about all the accessories you can think of now, so I'm hoping that, other than a set of waterproof panniers that I know I need to buy, I should be okay kit-wise this year... Famous last words, ha!

    If you account for things like massage/physio for bike-related injuries or niggles that could eat into any potential profit also. But then, being fat and unfit are considerably more dangerous and cost more long-term.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  16. CycleCommute.CC
    Member

    Up to end of last year I had spent almost exactly £2k on bike stuff (including everything - bike, parts, clothing, repairs, etc.).

    My alternative commute is driving so I only factor in petrol costs as I need to keep the car anyway. Savings over the life of the bike have been just under £1.5k

    Just had a big repair bill this month so I am about £1k in the red now, but hopefully that will see me through most of this year. Undoubtedly I will be unable to resist topping up my gear though.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  17. BurntOut
    Member

    Claire - if I was in Rapha, I'd definitely be in the red!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  18. Dave
    Member

    As people are demonstrating, it's not as simple to compare the costs of different methods of getting to work as you might think.

    In the simplest case you can displace a second car which you'd only own for the commute. The cost of our actual car is £2124pa excluding fuel. Fuel for my current commute would be ~£600pa for a total of £2700 or so.

    I dislike the bus experience enough that I would choose to spend that much on a budget second car if I was unable to cycle, so far so good.

    As soon as you start thinking about the bike side of the equation there are some massive grey areas. My commuter is 3.5 years old and cost me £700 to build up. I've probably put a couple of hundred on it in parts so it's looking massively cheap compared with a second car.

    However, if I total up everything I spend on cycling-related stuff it comes to a lot. I have one bike which cost me more than our car did (which tells you just as much about the kind of cars I like!) and most of its mileage is summer commuting. Unsure how to do the accounting really.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  19. Claire
    Member

    It's fair to say that this cycling malarky can be expensive if you really get into it. I am only comparing my own behaviours to public transport and my previous car ownership, plus I don't think I'm at the extreme end of the bike spectrum.

    You could easily just buy one half-decent hybrid at a cost of £250, plus a couple of additionals through the year (maybe £80 max for a helmet, lights and a lock?) and just cycle about in your regular clothing if you're commuting and doing utility cycling. For the first year and a half of cycling I rattled about on a perfectly fine but old school £80 second-hand job from the Bike Station and only had the very basics accessory wise. I still don't do any sport-specific clobber at all when I am pootling around the town.

    Unfortunately, I do have a bit of a habit with cycling-specific gear that is masked as regular clothing; this is never very cheap. But if I curbed that habit (or didn't have it at all) the bike is looking to be massively cheaper as an option for transport and fitness.

    For me, I hasten to add. Totally appreciate it's nothing close to one-size-fits-all! That's part of the joys of the humble bike - it fits people in so many different ways and has such a wide range of benefits. Cost savings is only one of them.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  20. Claire
    Member

    Maybe I should also note any non-essential spends too then... To see whether I really am saving any money. Hmm! Being more aware of my bike-spending behaviour might also help my wallet, haha! :)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  21. wingpig
    Member

    I wear cycle-specific clothing all the time, outside of work, increasing the usage-return on the investment therein. The reinforced knees of Endura Humvees are ideal for scraping around after children, the large rear pockets are ideal for carrying two snoutsworth of hankies, the zippy pockets are idel for ensuring that money and cards are safe from falling-out and the zippy hip pockets likewise for phone and keys. I buy a new pair every few years and rotate them. Similarly loose-fitting bikewear-tops can be employed at all times of day and all conditions.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  22. paddyirish
    Member

    Tried to quantify and found it almost impossible. On top of all the points above, there is silly stuff like showering at work rather than home - saves money, but on the other hand, I wash my cycling kit in Nikwax tech wash as I found normal detergents trashed it... that costs.

    Stuff received from Santa doesn't count in my costs - right?

    Will try to quantify it but it will take time...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  23. Claire
    Member

    Santa's presents definitely don't count! Birthday money or gifts are also excluded. Sadly, gifts to yourself from yourself will probably have to be accounted for...

    It would be fab if more folk wanted to take this wee project on - would be interesting to compare notes at the end of each month! :) Sounds like lots of forumites already keep an eye on their spend/savings.

    @wingpig if you wear cycle gear as your regular clobber then the spend isn't cycle-specific! I'd have to add up all my charity shop buys as an outgoing otherwise ;)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  24. gembo
    Member

    @paddyirish, nIkwax tech wash, adds up. I use a tablet of non bio from the co-op but make sure no fabric conditioner involved and use the acrylic cycle on the machine. Seems to work, tho noticed my most worn base layer which is merino now has thumb hole and another thumb hole next to it on the right hand sleeve. But it does not owe me anything.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  25. chdot
    Admin

    https://clairecycles.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/the-great-2015-edinburgh-bike-experiment-february-edition/

    Posted 9 years ago #

  26. Baldcyclist
    Member

    I must do better in March in relation to train spending, I've already spent £120 in 'discretionary' bike bits spending so far in March....

    I don't compare against car cost, or gym membership because if I didn't cycle I wouldn't go to the gym, and even though I do cycle I run a car, and would in any event.

    I'll probably just be reminded again that spreadsheets, and recording cost is bad!..

    Posted 9 years ago #

  27. Claire
    Member

    @baldcyclist I figure everyone's lifestyles are different so it's hard to directly compare costs. However, it's still interesting to see!

    The £120 discretionary bike bits will definitely be eating into your figures... I am up £130 odds year to date now but am being very sensible with the cycle chic obsession. It could all be lost on one jacket ;)

    Finding my spends curbed and behaviour changing as a result of monitoring my spend too.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  28. Instography
    Member

    People only seem to consider cycling as transport (offsetting car or public transport costs) or fitness (offsetting gym membership) but it also has a huge hobby or leisure component. Since it's a common comparison, why not consider the bike as offsetting that set of golf clubs or club membership? That chain could be six golf balls. People who have hobbies spend a lot on them. In your experiment you should be allowed to write off some of the costs of cycling as the cost of having a leisure interest that sometimes involves buying stuff.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  29. chdot
    Admin

    But my 'hobby' is collecting bikes.

    I daren't do a spreadsheet...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  30. Baldcyclist
    Member

    Regarding the hobby element, that's the main reason I included a mandatory, or discretionary tag, to try and account for that too.

    In some respects you could argue that in Feb, £7 of my hobby spend was offset against my travel 'saving'. If you took the £27 off that I spent on the rack pack, then I made a £7 travel saving over the month.

    Knowing roughly what my 'project' spend will be this year, I predict that I will break even by May, and will save hundreds over the year. I think my travel saving over the year will more than pay for my component addiction.... In previous years I have given up on recording spending as I always seem to spend a lot at the start of the year.

    Posted 9 years ago #

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