Cost of Biking

This is a photo of an actual gas station in Chicago taken a couple of days ago. Yesterday's news reports indicate that the average price per gallon of gas in the Chicago area is about $3.23. (How this station can get away with 50 cents more is beyond me, but that's another story.)

I tooled around with some numbers, and came up with a comparison chart of what it might cost you to buy a nicely equipped bike. Now, as a retail store, of course we want you to get the premium package. But we realize that not everyone can or wants to. And the last thing we want is to discourage people form riding, because they think they can't afford to.

Anyway, let's assume that you drive an average car with a 20 gallon tank, and you refuel once a week. At the current gas prices, the premium bike package would cost you about six months of driving, the medium package about 3 months, and, if you are scrappy, you could pay for your bike in about a month. The annual cost of fueling your car: $3,360. As another point of comparison, using public transportation will cost you about $900 per year, if you use the 30-day pass.
I understand that analogies like this are somewhat academic. Although many people forgo the use of car entirely, most folks will make a choice between the car and other modes of travel based on the weather, their mood, the length of the commute or the number of items they need to carry.
Naturally, we hope you choose the bike more often, and that's why we like put the cost of buying one in perspective.

Comments

[audrey]

The premium at the station very near my house was $3.99/gal.
I made it 6 months this year on half a tank of gas by biking. I'm not sure if I'll do that well through the winter, but I'll try.

[Justyna]

That's fantastic. I'd love to hear more stories like this. As for winter biking, it's totally doable, especially on dry days. I plan to write a post in the next day or two on cold weather biking. I hope you stay tuned.