Commuting by bike not cost effective?

This weekend I biked the 12 miles to work to see if it could be done.
It took around 1 hour and a half, however, I noticed this is really
not going to save me any money. The reason is the cost to replace my
1000 calories burned will be more than the $3 gas it costs me to get
to work.

I can see the benefits if you are over-weight and need to lose
weight. But someone if just fooling himself if they think they are
saving any money by biking, no?

wrote in news:1185210053.584439.204400@
57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com:
This weekend I biked the 12 miles to work to see if it could be done.
It took around 1 hour and a half, however, I noticed this is really
not going to save me any money. The reason is the cost to replace my
1000 calories burned will be more than the $3 gas it costs me to get
to work.

Very unlikely that you're burning 1000 calories in 1.5 hours at less than
10mph.

writes:

But someone if just fooling himself if they think they are
saving any money by biking, no?

I save a lot of money by biking to work: my wife and I don't have
to buy a second car, maintain it, insure it, and put gas in it.
There are many reasons that it is convenient for us to have one
car, but a second car would be an unnecessary expense.
--
A bicycle is one of the world's beautiful machines, beautiful machines
are art, and art is civilisation, good living, and balm to the soul.
--Elisa Francesca Roselli

wrote:
This weekend I biked the 12 miles to work to see if it could be done.
It took around 1 hour and a half, however, I noticed this is really
not going to save me any money. The reason is the cost to replace my
1000 calories burned will be more than the $3 gas it costs me to get
to work.

I can see the benefits if you are over-weight and need to lose
weight. But someone if just fooling himself if they think they are
saving any money by biking, no?


First stop thinking about it as the /money/ saved in fuel for your motor
vehicle.
Second I don't think you are going to need to replace those calories
that you do burn. And I don't think it's 1000
Third think of it as an investment in your long term physical health.

Just A User wrote:
Third think of it as an investment in your long term physical
health.
I agree with this, however, even if I burned just 500 calories, that
is basically 2 sports drinks which typically cost $1.50 each at my
cafetaria..

I just found it somewhat surprising that biking to work really would
not save me any money and that gas is quite cheap for what it does.

wrote:

This weekend I biked the 12 miles to work to see if it could be done.
It took around 1 hour and a half, however, I noticed this is really
not going to save me any money. The reason is the cost to replace my
1000 calories burned will be more than the $3 gas it costs me to get
to work.

I can see the benefits if you are over-weight and need to lose
weight. But someone if just fooling himself if they think they are
saving any money by biking, no?


Not driving a motor vehicle saves you more than just gas $$$, a fact that you
would soon realize if you would have a real go at cycling.

wrote:
Just A User wrote:
Third think of it as an investment in your long term physical
health.
I agree with this, however, even if I burned just 500 calories, that
is basically 2 sports drinks which typically cost $1.50 each at my
cafetaria..

I just found it somewhat surprising that biking to work really would
not save me any money and that gas is quite cheap for what it does.


Well what I was trying to say, is I don't think you need to refuel your
body right away. And to avoid paying $1.50 from your cafeteria keep
somethings in your locker / desk at work. You can get cheaper fuel for
your body.

In article . com,
says...
This weekend I biked the 12 miles to work to see if it could be done.
It took around 1 hour and a half, however, I noticed this is really
not going to save me any money. The reason is the cost to replace my
1000 calories burned will be more than the $3 gas it costs me to get
to work.

Unless there's something unusual about your bike or your geography, it
seems unlikely that you'd burn 1000 calories on a 12 mile ride.
Especially at that slow of a pace.

The slowest pace I have numbers for is 12mph. At that rate, assuming
you weigh 200 lbs, you'd be burning around 41 calories per mile, or 492
for the 12 mile ride. That's under 1000 calories for the 24-mile round
trip, assuming you boost your speed significantly.

It also seems unlikely that adding the equivalent of a stick of butter,
or a cup of rice, to your daily diet would cost $3.00 unless you buy all
your food at expensive restaurants with small servings.

Also, your car's variable operating expenses include more than fuel,
e.g. tire wear, engine maintenance, oil changes, insurance, etc.

And the financial benefits of cycling include more than the fuel you
save. For most people, regular exercise will mean lower health care
expenditures and less work missed due to illness.

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Updated Infrared Photography Gallery:
http://www.phred.org/~josh/photo/ir.html

On Jul 23, 10:00 am, wrote:
This weekend I biked the 12 miles to work to see if it could be done.
It took around 1 hour and a half, however, I noticed this is really
not going to save me any money. The reason is the cost to replace my
1000 calories burned will be more than the $3 gas it costs me to get
to work.

I can see the benefits if you are over-weight and need to lose
weight. But someone if just fooling himself if they think they are
saving any money by biking, no?

As others have pointed out, there seem to be some problems with your
numbers. First, biking at 8 mph (from your data) doesn't burn that
many calories. Second, you're omitting all but the gas cost from
running your vehicle. The IRS figures more like 40 cents per mile, or
closer to $5 for your one-way trip. Third, it would be silly to
replace those calories by buying expensive stuff. If it's just
calories you want, eat bread & jelly.

But more important, your rationale is really a rationale for never
exercising at all! By your logic, nobody should ever use their
muscles - they should just lay around in front of a TV (or computer!)
and get some sort of power assist any time they needed to move their
body. Aside from the absurdity, the problem with that strategy is
that you'll likely send your medical bills through the roof. Just one
quadruple bypass will eat up any "savings" from your strategy.

So the point is, your body needs exercise. You can get it by jogging
on a treadmill in your basement, or by lifting heavy weights and
putting them down again, over and over... or you can get your
necessary exercise by doing something practical - getting to work.

Furthermore, if you are smart enough to exercise, you save time by
having your bike commute replace your car commute. Time in a car is
totally wasted, and then basement exercise time is wasted. Get your
exercise on the way to work. Save time overall.

Finally, there's a lot to be said for experiencing the world by being
out in it, instead of seeing it through glass.

See http://www.bicyclinglife.com/NewsAnd...philosophy.htm

- Frank Krygowski

wrote:
This weekend I biked the 12 miles to work to see if it could be done.
It took around 1 hour and a half, however, I noticed this is really
not going to save me any money. The reason is the cost to replace my
1000 calories burned will be more than the $3 gas it costs me to get
to work.

Errr, it costs far more than gas to keep a car on the road. I hope
you're calcuting it at the IRS rate. I think it's $0.45 a mile
currently. Your costs will vary up or down depending on a host of
factors of course.

I save vast amounts of money by biking to work because it means my
family doesn't need a second car. Plus I get exercise that I would not
get otherwise (I have a sedentary job). I would have to get a gym
membership or something similar, and the amount of wasted time would be
large.

I can see the benefits if you are over-weight and need to lose
weight. But someone if just fooling himself if they think they are
saving any money by biking, no?

Not really, but it can of course vary case by case. In my case, and
many other people I know, it can save a lot of money. I save even more
because I can do all my bike maintenance myself. Something that cannot
be said (without great expense) of most modern automobiles.

Though, really I ride because I like cycling and I don't like to drive.
Among other reasons.

--
Dane Buson -
In my experience, if you have to keep the lavatory door shut by extending
your left leg, it's modern architecture.
-- Nancy Banks Smith