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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? |
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Commuting by bike not cost effective?
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. |
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Commuting by bike not cost effective?
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 |
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Commuting by bike not cost effective?
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 |
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