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A penny saved is a penny earned. Cycling will save you more money because you don't need a gym subscription and you don't have to pay car registration, parking

A penny saved is a penny earned. Cycling will save you more money because you don't need a gym subscription and you don't have to pay car registration, parking, fuel, repairs, license fees, accidents or mass transit tickets. On top of that you can zone out which is healthy and gets you in the mode for thinking (assuming you are programming at work), you don't need to sell your bike when you move cities/continents (staying geographically flexible = massive opportunity for profit), and you don't need an apartment or job with a parking space.

dpcan 10y ago
I think there's a difference between the drive to work and a commute. A commute means that you're in your car maybe 45 minutes to 2+ hours each way every day. So, biking probably isn't a viable option - especially in areas where it's winter-like temperatures 6-8 months out of the year.
- 6DM 10y ago
  It can depend on your location too. If I commute by car, it can take 1 - 2 hours. By metro 1 hr but I've had a few times take up to 2 hours. When I go by bike, it's a consistent 1 hr 15 min.
  - Cerium 10y ago
    I wish the California Bay Area was like that! Here it takes me 30 minutes to drive with traffic, 15 without, 40 to ride bike, 1.5 to 2 hours by public transit.
- kqr 10y ago
  Well. Assuming you'd otherwise have to spend 60 minutes in the gym, you can take 30 minutes longer on your one way trip and still come out even. Winter temperatures are no biggie. You just do what you'd do anyway: put on more layers of clothes. Now, snow and ice on the other hand...
schoen 10y ago
> you can zone out Another commenter worried that your advice might not be universally applicable because of weather, but I'm worried because of traffic. Whether you can zone out on a bike commute probably depends on what country you're in, and hence whether your bike commute involves a protected cycle path vs. dodging heavy car traffic. I've seen cyclists commuting in Utrecht and in São Paulo, and the former could probably zone out, while the latter would be taking a major risk if they did.
- ryandvm 10y ago
  By "zone out", I don't think he means vacantly ogle the scenery. He's just advocating turning off the music/podcasts, disabling phone notifications, and just driving. I often do this when I find my base stress level rising. You just watch the road in front of you while you turn things over in your head the whole time. We're well into idle speculation territory here, but I think this sort of mental garbage collection is a necessary and underrated exercise. It's something that people are unknowingly depriving themselves of when they insist on constantly signal jamming their brains with Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Feedly.
DINKDINK 10y ago
>Cycling will save you more money because you [...] don't have to pay [...] accidents... You certainly still can get hit while riding your bike. The cost to repair your body (hospital bills) is often much high than to repair a car (body shop). Regardless, I still enjoy cycling to work.
- paulddraper 10y ago
  Of course, in either case, the at-fault party pays the bills.
  - sbov 10y ago
    Cyclist usually isn't lucid to give their account. So the cops interview the car driver. Guess whose at fault? I've had this happen to more than one friend, despite other witnesses. One currently fighting a $200k medical bill because insurance thinks the driver will cover it, drivers insurance pointing at the police report saying they aren't at fault, etc. It might work out in the end, but its a lot of pain and uncertainty.
    - paulddraper 10y ago
      > Cyclist usually isn't lucid to give their account. Then you give your account later. Drivers aren't in a good position to discuss particulars when they're strapped to a gurney in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.
      - tarboreus 10y ago
        My understanding is that the initial police report can carry a lot of weight in these situations. The fact that you weren't lucid on the scene also suggests that you may not remember the event, whether that's true or not.
    - j_s 9y ago
      Helmet cam(s)!
baddox 10y ago
You probably won't save much money unless you can completely eliminate all your car expenses. Food calories per mile and fuel cost per mile will likely be similar, with most crude estimates showing food being more expensive. Obviously there are many variables to play with here, but it certainly isn't obvious that switching from driving to cycling will save money.
BlackjackCF 10y ago
If you do cycle, please please invest in a helmet-camera rig. I've seen so many close calls with cyclists.
dbg31415 10y ago
> A penny saved is a penny earned. Arguably living close enough to bike to work, and not take a freeway, means you spend a lot more on rent / mortgage.
bsvalley 10y ago
I can't unfortunately. I have to drive to work there's no other ways for me to get there.
spearmint 10y ago
Only if you think weight control is the only reason to go to a gym, or that cardio is the only component of being physically fit. Working out your muscles regularly is very important, and if you have the image of a gigantic roided bodybuilder in mind, lose that preconceived notion. Working out is both healthy and fun, and becoming "too big" takes years and years of very hard work.

dpcan 10y ago

I think there's a difference between the drive to work and a commute. A commute means that you're in your car maybe 45 minutes to 2+ hours each way every day. So, biking probably isn't a viable option - especially in areas where it's winter-like temperatures 6-8 months out of the year.

6DM 10y ago
It can depend on your location too. If I commute by car, it can take 1 - 2 hours. By metro 1 hr but I've had a few times take up to 2 hours. When I go by bike, it's a consistent 1 hr 15 min.
- Cerium 10y ago
  I wish the California Bay Area was like that! Here it takes me 30 minutes to drive with traffic, 15 without, 40 to ride bike, 1.5 to 2 hours by public transit.
kqr 10y ago
Well. Assuming you'd otherwise have to spend 60 minutes in the gym, you can take 30 minutes longer on your one way trip and still come out even. Winter temperatures are no biggie. You just do what you'd do anyway: put on more layers of clothes. Now, snow and ice on the other hand...

schoen 10y ago

> you can zone out Another commenter worried that your advice might not be universally applicable because of weather, but I'm worried because of traffic. Whether you can zone out on a bike commute probably depends on what country you're in, and hence whether your bike commute involves a protected cycle path vs. dodging heavy car traffic. I've seen cyclists commuting in Utrecht and in São Paulo, and the former could probably zone out, while the latter would be taking a major risk if they did.

ryandvm 10y ago
By "zone out", I don't think he means vacantly ogle the scenery. He's just advocating turning off the music/podcasts, disabling phone notifications, and just driving. I often do this when I find my base stress level rising. You just watch the road in front of you while you turn things over in your head the whole time. We're well into idle speculation territory here, but I think this sort of mental garbage collection is a necessary and underrated exercise. It's something that people are unknowingly depriving themselves of when they insist on constantly signal jamming their brains with Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Feedly.

DINKDINK 10y ago

>Cycling will save you more money because you [...] don't have to pay [...] accidents... You certainly still can get hit while riding your bike. The cost to repair your body (hospital bills) is often much high than to repair a car (body shop). Regardless, I still enjoy cycling to work.

paulddraper 10y ago
Of course, in either case, the at-fault party pays the bills.
- sbov 10y ago
  Cyclist usually isn't lucid to give their account. So the cops interview the car driver. Guess whose at fault? I've had this happen to more than one friend, despite other witnesses. One currently fighting a $200k medical bill because insurance thinks the driver will cover it, drivers insurance pointing at the police report saying they aren't at fault, etc. It might work out in the end, but its a lot of pain and uncertainty.
  - paulddraper 10y ago
    > Cyclist usually isn't lucid to give their account. Then you give your account later. Drivers aren't in a good position to discuss particulars when they're strapped to a gurney in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.
    - tarboreus 10y ago
      My understanding is that the initial police report can carry a lot of weight in these situations. The fact that you weren't lucid on the scene also suggests that you may not remember the event, whether that's true or not.
  - j_s 9y ago
    Helmet cam(s)!

baddox 10y ago

You probably won't save much money unless you can completely eliminate all your car expenses. Food calories per mile and fuel cost per mile will likely be similar, with most crude estimates showing food being more expensive. Obviously there are many variables to play with here, but it certainly isn't obvious that switching from driving to cycling will save money.

BlackjackCF 10y ago

If you do cycle, please please invest in a helmet-camera rig. I've seen so many close calls with cyclists.

dbg31415 10y ago

> A penny saved is a penny earned. Arguably living close enough to bike to work, and not take a freeway, means you spend a lot more on rent / mortgage.

bsvalley 10y ago

I can't unfortunately. I have to drive to work there's no other ways for me to get there.

spearmint 10y ago

Only if you think weight control is the only reason to go to a gym, or that cardio is the only component of being physically fit. Working out your muscles regularly is very important, and if you have the image of a gigantic roided bodybuilder in mind, lose that preconceived notion. Working out is both healthy and fun, and becoming "too big" takes years and years of very hard work.