Actual cycling expenditures prove how cheap cycling can be ~ Better By Bicycle

Summary: Utility cycling can be very inexpensive and much cheaper than using a car or public transport. To prove this point, I regularly update this post to accurately track all of my personal cycling expenditures. Once you have the essentials (which in total have cost me $765), I estimate the required, yearly running costs can be less than $100/year.

cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo shared by bici Clasica

Details:
1. The first table lists prior expenditures dating back to 2009 when I bought my first hybrid bike. It details the lessons learnt and why these expenditures are no longer required. It should be clear what type of expenses (and mistakes!) can readily be eliminated. Eliminating the mistakes and poor choices and doing my own maintenance saves me around $500/year.

2. The second table lists all expenditures for my essential equipment ($765 in total) plus any other equipment I have elected to buy and is in use. The links are to the actual products bought. If I was starting from scratch as a utility cyclist, this is the essential, value-for-money equipment I would need to obtain to make the most of cycling for transport. This table should be referred to along with the post: > Essential gear for cycling and what type to get

3. The third table lists yearly maintenance costs for my single speed bike. As you can see once robust versions of the right type of essential equipment are obtained, ongoing required bike costs are minimal. This is especially the case for single speed bikes which are very low maintenance and where the drivetrain lasts a lot longer. For my single speed bike, the yearly maintenance costs are around $100/year. I can do all yearly maintenance myself and will only need to use a bike shop to replace the bottom bracket (every 4-5 years).

Prior expenditures no longer required

Item	Expenditure	Current Status
Puncture Kits	$15 / year	No longer required due to puncture-proof tyres
Tyre Liners	$30	No longer required due to puncture-proof tyres
Regular Services	$100-150 / year	No longer required due to using a low maintenance single speed bike and performing most maintenance myself. Only replacement/repair I can't do myself (e.g. bottom bracket) will be needed
New wheel	$100	Wheel fully-buckled due to being out of true from riding over bumps. Future wheel failure much less likely as current bike has stronger rims and I can true the wheels myself
Wheel Truing	$36/year	No longer required due to purchasing spoke adjuster to true wheels myself
Replaced Stolen Bike & Equipment	$500	New bike was stolen due to being locked up with a cable lock. Risk is now almost negligible as I always use a U lock.
Replaced Hybrid Bike	$600 for Hybrid bike	Bought a single speed bike to replace worn out first hybrid bike (24 speed) after 2.5 years. Quote on new Chain ring, Cassette and Chain was $150 (parts & labour)
Tubes	$20 / year	No longer required due to puncture-proof tyres
Cheap Bike Lights & Batteries	$40 / year	Tried various cheap bike lights which broke or are no longer in use. Decent USB-rechargeable bike lights now in use
Cheap U lock	$15	Cheap U lock failed to open after 6 months due to rust and grit. Now use Kryptonite U lock.
Insurance	$115 / year	I've never had insurance and have always self-insured. If I did get limited insurance it would have cost at least $115/year via Bicycle Victoria membership.
Smartphone handlebar holder	$8	Bought one on ebay but it turned out to be too large and cumbersome for use.
Saddle Bag X Tech saddle bag	$10	Lasted from Sept 2010 to Mar 2014. Ultimately the zippers and fabric broke. Replaced with Topeak Aero Wedge Medium which seems more durable.
U Lock Kryptonite Keeper 11S lock	$18	Used from June 2012 to Mar 2014. Did not wear out but I replaced it with the Kryptolok Series 2 as the Keeper's cylinder seemed to be a point of weakness for theft attempts.
Annual Savings:	~$500/ year	Eliminating the mistakes and poor choices and doing my own maintenance saves me around $500/year. Most cyclists will save much more by eliminating these unnecessary costs.

Expenditures that were required (essential equipment plus optional in active use)

Item	Expenditure	Current Status
Low Maintenance Utility Bike - Fuji Declaration 2012	$380	In use since July 2012
Bike Trailer	$100	In use since July 2012 (attached to old hybrid bike)
Floor Pump, Valve adapter - Tioga floor pump	$8	In use since June 2011
Hand Pump - Cell mini pumps	$7	In use since June 2011
Chain Lubricant - Pedros Go lube - Pedros ChainJ Wet Lube	$9 + $12	In use since June 2011
Puncture Repair Kit - Cell puncture kits	$10	In use since June 2011
Multi Tool - Cell multi tools	$10	In use since June 2011
Helmet - Fiction Skate helmet	$26	In use since July 2012
Saddle Bag - Topeak Aero Wedge Medium	$24	Replaced original. In use since Mar 2014
Long-fingered gloves - Cell Sport lightweight gloves	$10	In use since June 2011
Single Speed Spanner - Tobe single speed spanner	$9	In use since May 2012
USB Rechargeable Front Light - Moon Mask Front Light	$40	In use since May 2012
USB Rechargeable Rear Light Moon GEM 3.0 rear light	$28	In use since May 2012
Spare Tubes - Xtech Tube 700 x 25/32C	$10 (for two)	Spare since May 2012
U Lock - Kryptonite Kryptolok Series 2 + Krypto Flex cable	$52	In use since Mar 2014 (Replaced Keeper 11S lock as its cylinder was a weakness)
Bicycle Computer - Sigma Sport BC 1009 - Ventura 14 function	$13 $7	June 2012 - Nov 2014 In use since Mar 2015
Adjustable Bottle Cage - Topeak Modula Ex Cage	$10	In use since June 2012
Rear Mudguard - Zefal Swan mudguard	$20	In use since June 2012
Spoke Wrench	$8	In use since Sept 2012
Car Bike Carrier - Bike Rider car bike carrier	$60	In use since Feb 2013
Puncture-proof Tyres - Schwalbe Marathon Plus	$75	In use since April 2013
Puncture-resistant Tubes - Schwalbe road tubes	$27	In use since April 2013
Rain Jacket - Route7 rain jacket	$35	In use since July 2013
Replacement Brake Shoes - Shimano BR-1055	$13	In use since Dec 2013
Smartphone Holder - Finn handlebar holder	$20	In use since Dec 2013
Chain Tool - Topeak Universal ChainTool	$11	In use since Mar 2014
Comprehensive Tool Kit - Bike Hand: Tool Kit (YC-748)	$139	In use since Dec 2014
Bike Repair Stand - Bike Hand: Bicycle Repair Stand	$99	In use since Dec 2014
Shoe Covers - Cycling Deal Shoe Cover	$3	In use since Dec 2014
Frame Triangle Wedge Storage Bag - VENZO 600D Frame Bag	$11	In use since Dec 2014
Total Cost of Essential Equipment: (Excludes Bike Trailer and Car Bike Carrier which aren't essential, duplicates like tubes and tools and OpEx costs like lubricant)	~$900 ~$1,140 with tool kit and stand

My Fuji Declaration 2012 with main equipment attached

Single Speed Maintenance - Predicted Costs
- Below are my estimated maintenance costs for the single speed bike I ride. I do 3,500km - 4,000km a year. I do not need any yearly maintenance from a bike shop and do it all myself with the tools that have been bought. The yearly maintenance is minimal (~1-2 hours per month) and includes (in order of frequency):

- Pumping up the tyres
- Wiping the chain and gears of dirt
- Applying chain lubricant and then wiping the chain down
- Wiping and tightening brakes
- Tightening or adjusting the rear wheel bolts and chain tension
- Checking wheel "true" (alignment) and using the spoke wrench to fix if needed
- Replacing brake pads once every 1-2 years
- Replacing the chain every 4-5 years (will use tool kit)
- Replacing the brake cables every 4-5 years (will use tool kit)
- Replacing the bottom bracket every 4-5 years (will use tool kit)
- Replacing the chainring and freewheel cog every 8-10 years (will use tool kit)

Item	Expenditure	Current Status
Brake Shoe replacement	$13 / year	Front set replaced after 18 months
Chain Lubricant	$10 / year	In use since 2012
Chain Ring replacement	$35 every 8-10 years	Original since July 2012
Freewheel replacement	$15 every 8-10 years	Original since July 2012
Chain replacement	$15 every 4-5 years	Original since July 2012
Bottom Bracket replacement	$20 every 4-5 years (inc service charge)	Original since July 2012
Tyre replacement	$75 every 4-5 years	Schwalbe Marathon Plus in use since April 2013
Replacement of other essential equipment	~$15 / year	Only replaced Saddle Bag and U Lock so far.
My Annual Maintenance Costs:	~$100 / year	In 2014 my direct maintenance spend was $0