Bicycle Economics
I have talked on occasion about wanting a new bike. Last week, I did the deed and purchased one (the power of Mastercard). Even a cynic like myself has now come to appreciate the economics of bike ownership.
Schwinn mountain bike: $250
Bike lock: $40
Pump & pressure gauge: $30
The fuzzy feeling I get while saving the planet: Priceless
2 Comments:
I love turning environmentalism into economics, it makes those that feel even smarter when they are helping the environment. Let's take a particular instance: the gas mileage of your car is 30 miles/gallon. And also say you drive 20 miles a day. You fill up your car after you use ten gallons. This means you fill up every 15 days. Now consider the price of gas. Let us say $2.10. I think this is a very low price for right now, but hey, if the saudis raise their production, maybe prices will drop (yeah right ...). So every time you fill up you spend $21. And then avoiding the calculations, this means that if you ride your bike 20 miles a day for 225 days (based on the prices you listed in the original post), your bike has now paid for itself. And you feel more fit too!
Riding 20 miles a day is pushing it!
I think I might be able to handle 5 miles a day, minus rainy days (25% of the year), below freezing days (50%) and lazy days (10%). So, I am guesstimating, I will pay off the bike in 17 years.
But, as I said, the fuzzy feeling is priceless.
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