The bicycle is a marvel of simplicity in engineering. A device that then could be bought new for $250 multiplied your walking speed by a factor of 4. Compare that to a car that might then cost $5,000 new that could multiply your average speed by a factor 12 on the same local commute. By the way, that is generous. My average speed on my current local commute according to my car’s computer is actually 29 mph.

As far as cost per mile, well I use to enjoy a 70 mile round trip ride to a neighboring town and back on a nice Saturday. I discovered the cost in fried pies and sodas required to keep my bicycle on the road on this journey was almost exactly the same as the cost of gasoline for the same trip.

Back in those days, when the weather allowed, I also commuted 7 miles (one way) to work. Really, bicycle commuting isn’t practical given this country’s notion of personal hygiene without a shower and a locker containing work clothes at your place of employment. At one place I worked back in the day, a genius (really) from an Eastern block country, considered riding a bicycle the normal preferred method of commuting. The powers that be kept him locked up in a backroom where the customers would not be offended by his body odor.

If you are young enough and healthy enough to enjoy a bicycle, go for it. Not as a proof of your frugality, but as a joy. One of my many regrets is not riding across the country or riding the length of US 1 on my bicycle when my heart, knees, and back made it a real possibility.

By the way, you bicycle riders out there, stop at stop signs (I didn’t) and stay out of the middle of the road, especially on narrow country roads with blind curves and short choppy hills. You will live longer.

I have a friend who is completely paralyzed on one side- he gets around on a recumbent trike pretty handily. I can find out where he got it if you are interested.

I have impaired balance due to old child abuse, and would love a multi-speed cargo trike for stability. The problem? Theft risks. Anyone have any ideas on how to secure one without garaging it? Atlanta’s close enough that thieves could make a few quick benjamins on one just by cutting cables.

Best solution for city dwellers–purchase extended-cab truck cash for hauling family and heavy loads, insure for liability only, and use bike for everything else. Failing that, rideshare or carpool and use bike for primary transport. I’m a small-town woman, would use bike in town and find an unemployed/underemployed person who needs gas money for longer errands.

The summers are very hot and dry in Eugene- biking was much cooler than walking, and I never needed a change of clothes for my job- which was retail, dealing with customers, etc.

I think if you don’t want to bike, you shouldn’t, but if you WANT to bike and the weather intimidates you, it may be worth researching the gear. I happened to love biking and also happened to be broke during that time, so I made it work, and it worked great. These days, I like to walk more than bike, but I also drive- it’s easier with 2 kids, and I’m older and lazier than I used to be…

I walk to do many errands (can’t bike – two small children and roads around here aren’t safe enough for a trailer). I do it in almost any weather except pouring down rain (misty or foggy – just wear a jacket!), and I mainly do it because it’s way more interesting and feels more “productive” than an hour spent on a treadmill at the gym.

Not that long ago, our culture biked and walked almost everywhere because cars were pretty expensive. As a community, we were in much better shape (not going to argue the health aspect, since those days were also before many vaccines, antibiotics, and modern surgery).

Do you really save all that much time by driving for errands (I “bundle” my walking errands, too) if you also add in the time you don’t need to spend at the gym?

The latter – time – is something I think is often overlooked. Our time isn’t free, and saving a dollar or two on gas might not be worth the potentially significant extra time required by biking. I think it’s better to look at biking from a health/excercise standpoint, as long as the roads/paths are safe.

I never ran the number for driving a car, since I don’t have a drivers license, but with the above assumptions we are talking double the savings of public transportation.

The risk of injury is higher of course with that many kilometers on highly trafficked roads and with varying visibility levels. This might be included in the cost-benefit analysis, but to me the exercise and freedom cancels out the risk.

I have a work vehicle, so I just do my errands in that, which makes this super easy for me. I will buy some panniers eventually. I also have friends to work on my bike for me, so repairs will probably cost me parts and a six-pack.

I recently compared the cost of riding my bike vs driving my car vs taking transit. If I’m a bit disingenuous, transit costs more than my car. But biking most places, and paying for the bus only a couple times a week, plus one cab ride, is much cheaper. Since I can almost walk anywhere as fast as the bus gets there, and can definitely bike (even though I’m still walking up the hills) faster, this is such an easy decision for me.

In writing this comment, I realized that having work done cheaply is a big part of my cost savings, with any vehicle. I recommend cultivating some kind of support network if at all possible.

I agree that some of these comparisons (such as insurance) Trent is making would make more sense if you were talking about replacing your bike with a car. One little thing that is cheaper on a bike- you don’t pay for parking if you go downtown. A bigger thing, if you do actual bike touring: much much easier to find lodging when you can fit your bike into your tent, or just pull it off road into the woods.

The biggest savings comes if you can drop the car altogether. Our household (two parents and a 3-year-old) survives just fine with no car. In a city with a half-decent transit system it is not that hard to survive on foot, bike, and public transit. We either get our groceries delivered or carry them home with us on the bus or on the bike.