6 ms·

Let's be honest, 50 Euros per person is a drop in the bucket compared to the subsidies governments give to other modes of transportation.

by zymhan 6y ago

hk__2 6y ago
> Let's be honest, 50 Euros per person is a drop in the bucket compared to the subsidies governments give to other modes of transportation. And that’s largely sufficient. Having a bike doesn’t cost a lot per year: according to the FNAUT (Fédération des associations des usagers de transport), on average, bikers spend ~€0.21/km. An air chamber costs €5; an air pump (one-time purchase) is €10.
- simlevesque 6y ago
  Don't buy cheap air pumps. Those things need to be strong to last. They handle a lot of pressure. A 10€ air pump will break at the first fall and most have small bases so they tip easily. And when they break you must buy a new one. If you really use it, a 25€ pump will cost you way less over as little as 3 years.
  - new2628 6y ago
    I bought a pump for 5€ and we have been using (4 people) it regularly for around ~10 years. I know, inflation.
  - markus92 6y ago
    If you need to put 8 bars in your quick speedy bike? Absolutely. For a simple urban commuter bike? No difference, you aren’t going to put in more than 3,5 bars in those fat tires anyways.
    - Too 6y ago
      Commuting with 8 bars is way more convenient than 3.5. Having the right pressure is much underrated. On my way to work i roll by lots of other struggling commuters without even pedaling, looking at their poor almost flat tires. Bike pump is one of those items where you will be happy you invested a few extra bucks, a good one lasts a lifetime and you will enjoy it every time you use it, instead of being frustrated to have something that is just barely good enough. I used to have a bad one and it was so frustrating i only pulled it out once the tires were desperately flat, got a good one and now i regularly pump up my tires because it's so effortless.
  - hk__2 6y ago
    Fair enough; I just wanted to point out that it’s cheap to own a bike.
- zymhan 6y ago
  I agree. I think it's a small amount for the government, that will still be a meaningful amount for the recipient.
- tomcooks 6y ago
  You can save further by patching air chambers with other air chambers, or better yet fit a ring of old air chamber between you tire and the air chamber, creating a thicker wall that it's harder to penetrate by debris, glass, nails, etc. You can get your tires pumped for free at most bike shops, gas stations, public bike repair stations. Use your saved up 50€ for beers or better yet give it to someone else so she can buy a bike!
  - aidenscott2016 6y ago
    Is 'air chamber' the literal translation from French? I like it better than 'inner tube'
    - wutwutwutwut 6y ago
      I like it less because I am super confused what they are talking about.
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
    - tomcooks 6y ago
      Camera d'aria in Italian. Câmara-de-ar in Portuguese. Cámara in Spanish. And so on and so forth.
    - hk__2 6y ago
      That’s what my friend Google Translation told me
  - loeg 6y ago
    Inner tubes are like $1.50-$2 and with some commuter-friendly tough tires like Schwalbe Marathons or Conti Gator-skins you probably avoid most punctures to begin with. I would not recommend shoving a second inner tube in your tire, that will probably not seat well and may adversely affect handling. Real tube patchkits are also very inexpensive, there's no reason to bodge something together with old tubes.
danieldk 6y ago
But then biking is cheap. When I was a student, I would buy a bike at a used bike shop for ~80 euros. They would last me a year and I would bike almost daily to the university, to go to friends, or go out at night. Besides not having incredible amount money, bikes are stolen on such a regular basis that it wasn't much use buying a more expensive bike. Maintenance costs were very low. Every now and then I had a flat tire, buy a new inner tube for 3 Euro and you are done. Later when I did my PhD I had the same second-hand bike for years. Though, I would usually bring the bike to the store to get a flat tire fixed, which would usually cost 10-20 Euro. Now that we have enough income, I usually buy a new bike for ~700-800 Euro every two years or so. But even then it is very cheap compared to car ownership or even public transport. Plus much healthier. The biking infrastructure in The Netherlands is exceptionally good. However, if I was in an another country (I lived in Germany for ~5 years), I'd rather have them invest the N * 50 Euros in bike lanes. Because I think in many countries the problem is not the cost of owning/maintaining a bike, it's just that the infrastructure is bad compared to that for cars. I lived in what is considered to be a 'green' city in Germany with a Green mayor and all, and the cycling infrastructure pretty deplorable.
koheripbal 6y ago
It's not per person. It is per REPAIR JOB. Big difference.

Let's be honest, 50 Euros per person is a drop in the bucket compared to the subsidies governments give to other modes of transportation.

by zymhan 6y ago

Let's be honest, 50 Euros per person is a drop in the bucket compared to the subsidies governments give to other modes of transportation.

hk__2 6y ago

> Let's be honest, 50 Euros per person is a drop in the bucket compared to the subsidies governments give to other modes of transportation. And that’s largely sufficient. Having a bike doesn’t cost a lot per year: according to the FNAUT (Fédération des associations des usagers de transport), on average, bikers spend ~€0.21/km. An air chamber costs €5; an air pump (one-time purchase) is €10.

simlevesque 6y ago
Don't buy cheap air pumps. Those things need to be strong to last. They handle a lot of pressure. A 10€ air pump will break at the first fall and most have small bases so they tip easily. And when they break you must buy a new one. If you really use it, a 25€ pump will cost you way less over as little as 3 years.
- new2628 6y ago
  I bought a pump for 5€ and we have been using (4 people) it regularly for around ~10 years. I know, inflation.
- markus92 6y ago
  If you need to put 8 bars in your quick speedy bike? Absolutely. For a simple urban commuter bike? No difference, you aren’t going to put in more than 3,5 bars in those fat tires anyways.
  - Too 6y ago
    Commuting with 8 bars is way more convenient than 3.5. Having the right pressure is much underrated. On my way to work i roll by lots of other struggling commuters without even pedaling, looking at their poor almost flat tires. Bike pump is one of those items where you will be happy you invested a few extra bucks, a good one lasts a lifetime and you will enjoy it every time you use it, instead of being frustrated to have something that is just barely good enough. I used to have a bad one and it was so frustrating i only pulled it out once the tires were desperately flat, got a good one and now i regularly pump up my tires because it's so effortless.
- hk__2 6y ago
  Fair enough; I just wanted to point out that it’s cheap to own a bike.
zymhan 6y ago
I agree. I think it's a small amount for the government, that will still be a meaningful amount for the recipient.
tomcooks 6y ago
You can save further by patching air chambers with other air chambers, or better yet fit a ring of old air chamber between you tire and the air chamber, creating a thicker wall that it's harder to penetrate by debris, glass, nails, etc. You can get your tires pumped for free at most bike shops, gas stations, public bike repair stations. Use your saved up 50€ for beers or better yet give it to someone else so she can buy a bike!
- aidenscott2016 6y ago
  Is 'air chamber' the literal translation from French? I like it better than 'inner tube'
  - wutwutwutwut 6y ago
    I like it less because I am super confused what they are talking about.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
  - tomcooks 6y ago
    Camera d'aria in Italian. Câmara-de-ar in Portuguese. Cámara in Spanish. And so on and so forth.
  - hk__2 6y ago
    That’s what my friend Google Translation told me
- loeg 6y ago
  Inner tubes are like $1.50-$2 and with some commuter-friendly tough tires like Schwalbe Marathons or Conti Gator-skins you probably avoid most punctures to begin with. I would not recommend shoving a second inner tube in your tire, that will probably not seat well and may adversely affect handling. Real tube patchkits are also very inexpensive, there's no reason to bodge something together with old tubes.

danieldk 6y ago

But then biking is cheap. When I was a student, I would buy a bike at a used bike shop for ~80 euros. They would last me a year and I would bike almost daily to the university, to go to friends, or go out at night. Besides not having incredible amount money, bikes are stolen on such a regular basis that it wasn't much use buying a more expensive bike. Maintenance costs were very low. Every now and then I had a flat tire, buy a new inner tube for 3 Euro and you are done. Later when I did my PhD I had the same second-hand bike for years. Though, I would usually bring the bike to the store to get a flat tire fixed, which would usually cost 10-20 Euro. Now that we have enough income, I usually buy a new bike for ~700-800 Euro every two years or so. But even then it is very cheap compared to car ownership or even public transport. Plus much healthier. The biking infrastructure in The Netherlands is exceptionally good. However, if I was in an another country (I lived in Germany for ~5 years), I'd rather have them invest the N * 50 Euros in bike lanes. Because I think in many countries the problem is not the cost of owning/maintaining a bike, it's just that the infrastructure is bad compared to that for cars. I lived in what is considered to be a 'green' city in Germany with a Green mayor and all, and the cycling infrastructure pretty deplorable.

koheripbal 6y ago

It's not per person. It is per REPAIR JOB. Big difference.