The daily "I cycled to work" thread

The daily "I cycled to work" thread

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oyster

12,577 posts

247 months

Tuesday 19th June 2012
quotequote all
I keep a track of all by bike spend.

In 2010 I was 'up' £620 versus train season ticket to work.
In 2011 I was 'up' £750.
In 2012 I will be 'up' approx £200.

So over 3 years I will actually be £1,570 better off from cycling INCLUDING buying a nice new hybrid and all my weekend cycling thrown in.

If I only counted the cost of commuting and not leisure/weekend/race cycling then the amount saved would be even greater.

It's a no-brainer.

Gizmoish

18,150 posts

208 months

Tuesday 19th June 2012
quotequote all
Incidentally - I've started using this http://www.samsung.com/uk/london2012/samsung-hope-...

£1/mile to charridy mate (max £26/day) for the next few months.

Riding saves me £4.80 on-peak each way - £10/day!

andy-ski

78 posts

189 months

Tuesday 19th June 2012
quotequote all
I'm about 11 kms from the office, and go most days by bicycle. I had a few weeks off due to a strange knee condition (bakers cyst) but back happily cycling now.
It's especially nice where I live in Somerset, and you sometimes get other speedy cyclists to keep pace with - as exiting as driving quickly with other cars I find.

I think I'll actually sell my car soon and go to one car with my wife - so that will certainly keep me in profit / pay for new bike and specialist Retul bike fit to dodge any future ailments :-)

The outlay for kit surely pays off - shorts, jackets, lights, pedals etc... last for years.

I'm about to start using Strava to track my times and performance - FREE and entertaining ! smug

Edited by andy-ski on Tuesday 19th June 13:58

shouldbworking

4,769 posts

211 months

Tuesday 19th June 2012
quotequote all
I'm on to a loser today. 2 tubes mashed, £5 for a new tube and I suspect it will lead to at least one new tyre too

AyBee

10,522 posts

201 months

Tuesday 19th June 2012
quotequote all
shouldbworking said:
I'm on to a loser today. 2 tubes mashed, £5 for a new tube and I suspect it will lead to at least one new tyre too
And then you calculate it for the week...

okgo

37,859 posts

197 months

Tuesday 19th June 2012
quotequote all
I save £15 a day by cycling.

The only time I get the train to work I make sure I can expense it, so I save in the region of £2000 a year (cost of a 1-6 travel card).

andy-ski

78 posts

189 months

Tuesday 19th June 2012
quotequote all
oh, I forgot about ditching the gym membership. I'll manage some crunches for core strength and push ups for upper body, for free.
I'll be in a 911 by the end of the year, without looking like I'm having a fat midlife crisis.

BTW thanks for the link to Velominati.com biggrin I'll have to re-mount my tires Rule #40

JQ

5,691 posts

178 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
quotequote all
Been at it for about 8 weeks now on my MTB sporting slick tyres. 15 mile round trip into Manchester City Centre every day saves me circa £3.50 per day in petrol and has resulted in me losing a stone in weight - still a fair bit to go though.

We're moving offices this weekend, so it'll be interesting to see what the new facilities are - showers and storage.

Sparta VAG

436 posts

146 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
quotequote all
Car costs £3 a day in petrol.

Been cycling in for about 6 weeks now, takes me about 35 mins to cycle in and about 30 mins to cycle home (uphill all the way in, downhill on the way back).

Started cycling as part of a weight loss/fitness regime that I started in October. Found I didn't have enough time with work to fit in the gym/running as well so decided to combine the exercise with my commute to save time. Noticed a big boost in rate of weight loss.

The bike was an old 1980s Falcon racer I bought for £50 from Ebay. Have spent about another £100 on wheels, tyres and a new freewheel so a true budget machine that'll have paid for itself in under two months with fuel savings.

Highway Star

3,573 posts

230 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
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I too am only saving about £3 day in petrol, but have started cycling in after having a stopped a while ago due to a back problem.

Am using my bog-standard old Dawes MTB with big knobbly tyres and I choose to stick to country lanes rather than the NSL main road, so my journey is about 11 miles one way.

I just need to get around to refurbing my old 80s Fuji racer I picked up living in the States years ago for $20 to make the journey a bit quicker.

Kermit power

28,634 posts

212 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
quotequote all
Today is the first time I've ridden in since coming off my bike in the pissing rain on Monday morning last week and taking a chunk out of left knee, bruising the inside of the other and straining a bunch of ligaments in my left shoulder.

In the interim, I've had to come to the office on three occasions, otherwise known as £55.93 before tax in train fares. irked

Just to add insult to injury, I got in to realise I'd left my shoes at home, 16 miles away. furious

So I'm now another £64.99 down. frown

Still, on the plus side, Cycles Dauphin on Boxhill deserve yet more praise for sorting out the jammed front shifter on the bike and not charging me a penny, despite my having been honest and told them I'd stuffed it. If anyone wants to buy themselves any shiny bits from a very, very nice bunch of people, they come highly recommended! smile

ccr32

1,968 posts

217 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
quotequote all
Have been inconsistently cycling in to work for the past few months now since going on the C2W scheme here - the saving is now £6.20 a day in (PAYG) tube fares, though I haven't yet bothered to work out how long it would be before I have paid off the price of my bike as I am always buying shiny bits for it or new clothes etc. so I am doomed to be in the red forever!

Still, it's well worth it when the weather is as it is today smile

Gizmoish

18,150 posts

208 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
quotequote all
I've been in and back six times now, twelve trips is 240km or so and £60. I bought the Lycra, I now have two long sleeve tops and two short sleeve, a waterproof, and long and short tights.

Apart from tyres and tubes and baby wipes (to clean it)... That's everything I need to spend now.

AyBee

10,522 posts

201 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
quotequote all
Gizmoish said:
I've been in and back six times now, twelve trips is 240km or so and £60. I bought the Lycra, I now have two long sleeve tops and two short sleeve, a waterproof, and long and short tights.

Apart from tyres and tubes and baby wipes (to clean it)... That's everything I need to spend now.
Shall I tell him or are you guys going to...? hehe

louiebaby

10,651 posts

190 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
quotequote all
It was / still is pissing it down this morning, so I didn't bother. Hopefully the weather will be good tonight as I'm supposed to be picking the road bike up on the way home.

(It might not be on the way home and might involve an hour long thrash through Richmond Park and Wimbledon.)

Gizmoish

18,150 posts

208 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
quotequote all
AyBee said:
Shall I tell him or are you guys going to...? hehe
hehe oh, believe me, I know...


jr6yam

1,303 posts

182 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
quotequote all
I cycle the 12 miles work when the weather is ok; people at work think I'm
some kind of superhero, and go on about how fit I must be! laugh

XitUp

7,690 posts

203 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
quotequote all
louiebaby said:
It was / still is pissing it down this morning, so I didn't bother. Hopefully the weather will be good tonight as I'm supposed to be picking the road bike up on the way home.

(It might not be on the way home and might involve an hour long thrash through Richmond Park and Wimbledon.)
I cycled in, despite the rain. When I got home I was putting my bike away and thought "well, the garage is open..." so got out my axe and saw and decided to chop down a tree.

Balls like space hoppers.

S10GTA

Original Poster:

12,645 posts

166 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
quotequote all
Got soaked tonight frown

louiebaby

10,651 posts

190 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
quotequote all
Good fast ride home from the bike shop. Hoping for a lot more dry mornings and evenings you I can let the bike pay back what I've just spent on it...
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