Is Cycling Free?

I often hear that "cycling is free" when talking about the benefits compared to a car. But that isn't really the case is it. I tried to find out just how much I would spend on "Bike Fuel".

Follow me:
Instagram: nicthedoor
Twitter: nicthedoor

0:00 No, cycling isn't free
0:12 Disclaimer
0:26 Food is bike fuel
0:34 Bike Mileage, Calories per KM
2:06 Cost per KM
2:44 Electric scooter costs
3:02 Gas costs per day
3:22 Driving calories burned
4:06 The final numbers
4:35 The big picture
5:26 Conclusion

Is Cycling Free?

[nicthedoor]

I am not known for my math skills so please forgive me if it doesn't check out. 😬

[eepynicky]

i get really peeved whenever people talk about food cost as fuel, i don't eat more on days that i ride my bike. the cost of food when driving is the exact same. obesity rates in car dependant countries prove that people still eat a lot when they're not physically active.

[MyLifeIsABikePath]

You could literally buy a 10k bike, ride it for a year, throw it in the trash just to buy a new one AND STILL come out financially on top compared to buying a new car in America lmao

[BigCrowRidesBikes]

What about E-Bikes? I believe, it depends on the type of e-bike, but let's try on my example. I'm currently riding e-assisted bike, where roughly 2/3 of the work is done by the battery (that's just my riding style, to commute and exercise at the same time. you can use more assist, if you want to). I live in Tbilisi, Georgia, which is quite a hilly city, about 300m of elevation between lowest and highest settlements. Charging my 300 w/h battery costs about 0.10 GEL / 0.03 USD and it lasts about 50 km, before it needs to be recharged. That's quite cheap for me 🤘

[DagaenGolomb]

Only includes fuel costs? The extraneous costs of an automobile are far higher than the other two modes. Some could argue sunk cost, but most scale with use: insurance (more miles --> higher risk --> higher premium), depreciation, wear & tear, etc. So it's not a sunk cost already owning a vehicle, since most costs are linear and not static (like registration). That's not even including the actual purchase price, which is far higher than for biking or scooting, and also scales linearly (more driving ---> more miles --> need to buy another car sooner/more often). You mention them but don't quantify in comparison. I don't think the ending of "less wear, societal benefits, etc." is really helpful unless quantified.

[spiderpickle]

The cost of food as fuel is an odd one to consider, honestly.
Potato chips are often thought of as junk food, but when you're burning calories doing things like cycling those chips will do well to keep you from bonking. 600 calories for less than $1.50 from the dollar store for some chips. As long as someone is eating well to begin with, it's not hard to add some quick cheap calories as cycling fuel.

[jaro]

1kg of oats is $3 CAD, which is about 3, 800 calories. $0.00079 per cal, or only 2.7c/km. It all depends on what you fuel yourself with. But good video.

[zedlyfe]

The cost of fuel is not the only cost of driving though. The average american spends USD$12k a year of car costs (the car itself, insurance, maintenance, gas, parking, etc...)

[TKSSLCHN]

I was curious about the total costs with everything included, and the automotive club of Germany (ADAC) thankfully provided just that for hundreds of different car models.
They estimate typical car ownership cost at around 500-1500€ per month for common models, or roughly 50-150 cents per km (but of course it can go much higher for luxury cars). This includes fuel, maintainance (including oils, tyres etc), value depreciation, insurance, taxes, 250€/year for cleaning, and 200€ for parking and minor expenses.

So this sums up to 6, 000-18, 000€ per year.

I'd very roughly estimate my expenditures on my own bike at 500-600 km/month like this, trying to err on the higher side:

1. Initial cost: 1200€. I'll assume a lifespan of 12 years until it loses all value.
=> 100€/year

2. Parts that require frequent replacement:
a) Inner tubes: replace both every 4 months (2000 km), so 3x2=6 tubes per year. 6x5€ = 30€/year.
b) Brake pads: replace both every 4 months => 6x20€ = 60€/year
c) Chain: replace every year for 40€ => 40€/year
d) Chain lube and cleaning products => 20€/year
=> 150€/year

3. Parts that only rarely need replacement:
This gets much harder to estimate - some components may survive all 12 years, others not. But I think it's reasonable to put this at around 50% of the bike's original price, so 600€ over 12 years. For example:
1. New pedals for 40€
2. Derailleur replacement for 80€
3. Single wheel replacement for 100€
4. Two sets of LED lights for a total 120€
5. Replacing the outer tyres for 100€
6. A lock for 60€
6. ...and 100€ more for various stuff like cables, paint, hyraulic brake bleed kit etc.
=> 50€/year

Total: 300€/year or 25€ per month.


I would say that the main limitations of this calculation are:
1. It assumes doing all maintainance yourself.
2. It doesn't include tools.
3. It doesn't include additional gear and clothing (like helmets, gloves, backpacks, high vis clothing...)
3. It doesn't include the cost of renting a motor vehicle or using public transit for trips that cannot be done by bike.
4. It doesn't include the possibility of theft.
5. It doesn't include calories. I will consider calories offset with health benefits in this case. And frankly I believe I'd eat almost the same and just be overweight if I didn't cycle.

If I add my expenditures for other transit, tools, gear, and risk of theft, I'd say it's feasible to double that to 600€/year or 50€/month. So that keeps it at 10% of the typical ownership of a fairly cheap car.
So for people who can get by without needing other modes of transit that often, this is super cheap.

[zensenpai]

I literally traveled for over 40 miles mainly on a clif bar and a gatorade. I probably had another fuel source but all in all, it would've costed me $4-$5.

Though, it would depend on conditioning and what bike one is riding. In my case, it was a road bike.

[iamsemjaza]

In the USA, we tend to be over-caloried anyway, so it's not a loss, so much as removing excess from the body.

[visualpun]

The bigger picture is that majority of cyclists still own a car. They may be saving gas when using a bike for some trips, but they still are paying for insurance and maintenance, etc. If you are a parent with tween kids, using a bike isn’t very realistic. You will still use a car for larger grocery runs. You will use the car if the weather is bad. If I have a Honda Civic, should I even consider one of those popular $3000 e-cargo bike and the gear and clothes I need to ride it year round.

Lots of people cycle in SF, CA where I live and work from home, but not enough to make a difference in congestion or road wear and tear from what I’ve observed.

[scottbradentx]

Cycling is "Free" in the sense that, in some places, speech is free... religion is free, self defense is free. Very few places regulate bike riding. In the US, one can go almost anywhere... no license, no registration, no insurance required. That's the important kind of free.

[Jorgytonton]

It depends on how many calories are in gas

[HuyLe-qcjc]

Revenue Canada and most companies have done the cost per km driven analysis already to accommodate people why drive their own vehicles for business. Revenue Canada allowance rates:
For 2023, they are:
68¢ per kilometre for the first 5, 000 kilometres driven
62¢ per kilometre driven after that
but that rate includes fuel, maintenance, depreciation, and insurance.

Insurance is a topic that you might want to cover. People like to think that there isn't any insurance needed for bikers compared to cars. But what they really mean is that bikers are self insured which has many implications. I am talking about health and property damages that may occur to yourself and to others in an accident. And if you get into an accident with a car, then the car insurance companies and their lawyers are going to go after you.

I think that self insured is fine if you are a casual and recreational biker. If you are a commuters, then you really need insurance which isn't available in general.

[ManunKanava]

No need to go to the gym due to biking, in the gym you just consume your fuel with no efficiency

[theepimountainbiker]

Forget cost of food for fuel vs fuel. Laval U did a study how much taxpayers subsidize public transit vs private cars vs cycling. Transit was lowest at less than $0.01/km a person. Bike was $0.09/km a person, cars, $9.80/km a person, THATS JUST THE INFRASTRUCTURE TAXPAYERS SUBSIDIZE NOT COST OF OWNING A CAR 😮 it just makes sense financially for a city to encourage cycling.

[HellCatLeMaudit]

Because, obviously, when you are not going to commute by bike today then you don't have to eat. This is why car owners don't eat. They use gasoline to move their cars. Gasoline is certainly a more efficient fuel than pizza.

[rmalabed]

It would be really interesting if any research has been done on how these different modes of commute actually impact food consumption/costs in practice. While it doesn't make sense to completely dismiss the cost of the fuel we use to power a bicycle (calories), it seems far fetched to think that the calorie intake of a car commuter and a bike commuter are in proportion to the # of calories burned. I certainly eat more on days that I ride as an all-day activity, but I'm not cognizant of any change to my diet for normal commute distances.

[psocretes]

I'm not an accountant but I know how they think. You should deduct the health benefits from the cost analysis to get a truer overall cost of using a bike. Health benefits do have a price. How much would a gym cost for instance for the same benefit?