Having only bike as commute?

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elton_t

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How practical and saving money is it to have just the bike for commute?

I am wondering if I should sell my car and just keep the bike, it will keep my running cost down (gas, insurance and repairs). The only thing that concerns me is during rain, I will be taking bus, and in the winter, public transit takes over completely. So only 8 months of riding.

Maybe once a month, I will also go rent a car or Zipcar to run some errands or to pick up large items.

What do you guys think?
 
When I got my license, I sold the car and have been using a bike as daily transportation ever since for 10 years now. I'll ride in the rain and in the cold, so good gear is a must. Car rentals when needed work perfectly and I use the TTC (or walk) when there is too much snow on the roads to ride safe. Living downtown - this is very possible and works really well, especially having good hard cases on my bike to transport stuff.
 
I would say yes if work and play is close to home,no if a long commute is what you are doing daily.
 
I have been using my bike for commute all year round and find it quite practical if you don't mind paying for the appropriate gear and accessories.
 
I agree. As long as you have the proper gear and opt for a rental when needed. Good to go!

D
 
Some decent rain gear will go a long way. it's really not all that bad riding in rain, except for having to turn your head to blow the raindrops off your visor. Usually rains on my way home though and not to work.

Also don't forget about luggage, you can do all your grocery shopping with those things.

Oh, and start dating a girl with a car!
 
I commuted by bike when living in South Korea. I was only a 10 minute ride and winters were warmer there than here (average 5-10°C). I'd bus or taxi (super cheap) when the weather was really rubbish. But I loved commuting.

Now back in Canada I find that it's much easier to just subway in. I work an hour away but I'm right on the subway on both ends. Much easier to jump on the subway and nap or listen to a podcast or read than fight traffic here. Especially since I can't filter like I did in Korea.

I'd say go for it if it's a short commute and you're on a street where you can use the parked car lane safely to get by traffic. Also keep in mind the maintenance cost per km of your specific bike; it can really add up if you decide to commute a long distance every day.
 
Is largely depends on the length (or complexity by TTC on a bad weather day) of your commute and the type of work you do. It's much easier to do if your job doesn't require suit and tie attire.

I find that I'm largely able to commute by bike in the summer but in the winter and fall I resort driving.

Working at a place that provides ammenities like showers and lockers also goes a long way.
 
Ah yes the suit and tie dilemma. Definitely makes things a bit more difficult to pack shoes and not get your suit wrinkled (unless you just wear everything underneath). My attire is semi-casual at work so it's not a problem for me. Also don't forget to invest in a good laptop backpack if you need one for work, make sure it has space for a drink/thermos, lunch box, etc. IT sucks to have to carry a bunch of things into work (backpack, tank bag, gear, etc.)
 
I do it; good gear is a must!

TTC when its too bad out.

As for suit and tie I've heard of people grabbing an aerostitch roadcrafter and it fitting nicely over suits.

If you had some quality luggage (givi or similar) you could carry shoes etc around too!
 
Worth it if you work downtown. Free parking and cheaper gas. A 250 would be ideal for communiting to the city.
 
elton_t said:
How practical and saving money is it to have just the bike for commute?

I am wondering if I should sell my car and just keep the bike, it will keep my running cost down (gas, insurance and repairs). The only thing that concerns me is during rain, I will be taking bus, and in the winter, public transit takes over completely. So only 8 months of riding.

Maybe once a month, I will also go rent a car or Zipcar to run some errands or to pick up large items.

What do you guys think?
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As you can see from the responses, it can be done. In fact, I would say you'd be better off that the average suburbanite who is tied to just one practical transportation option; their car.
 
Julz said:
Worth it if you work downtown. Free parking and cheaper gas. A 250 would be ideal for communiting to the city.
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This. The free parking really makes riding in to work economical if the alternative is to drive but let's face it, realistically the bike is only a viable option 8 months of the year and sometimes you do need a car. I'd say if you live downtown and can get anywhere by public transit than go ahead but anywhere outside of the downtown core you need a car for things like getting groceries.
 
elton_t said:
How practical and saving money is it to have just the bike for commute?

I am wondering if I should sell my car and just keep the bike, it will keep my running cost down (gas, insurance and repairs). The only thing that concerns me is during rain, I will be taking bus, and in the winter, public transit takes over completely. So only 8 months of riding.

Maybe once a month, I will also go rent a car or Zipcar to run some errands or to pick up large items.

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...


I think the biggest savings will come from insurance. If you still own a car, but you're commuting with your bike, then you're not saving any extra gas money compared to if you sell the car since you aren't driving it, same goes with repairs.

If you look at the price of insurance per month, and determine how often you would need a zip car per month and determine what savings would be assoicated with that, then I think you'd be able to live with the bike only.
 
I daily except for the really slippery days in the winter. On those days, I take the TTC to work.

It's definitely doable depending on your lifestyle. There will probably be cost-savings, depending on your personal stats and living situation.

For me, it just made sense to stop driving.
- Car insurance = expensive (even compared to bike insurance)
- Was only driving 4-8 weeks a year (winter)
- Single, no kids
- Live on the subway line
- Work: shower + wardrobe at the office, work takes care of transportation for off-site meetings
- Groceries and other stuff are all within walking distance

Funny enough, since the metropass is so expensive nowadays.. comparing the cost of riding (commuting only: insurance, maintenance, parking and fuel) to riding the TTC (metropass each month), riding ends up being cheaper by a sliver. However if I were to forfeit my work parking space I'd qualify for a $50/mo metropass rebate ... but I'd still rather ride :)
 
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Well I commuted yesterday for the first time. It was a balmy 5degrees and I was heading south from Barrie to Vaughan so I figured it would get a little bit warmer as I went. The weather idiot said it wasnt supposed to rain. On the way down it was fine, I did start to involuntarily shiver at about 100km/h when on the longer highway stretches and my hands were very cold but that was okay. I went down Yonge st to Newmarket then down Bathurst the rest of the way.

Coming out of a meeting at about 4:30 I saw that it was pouring rain, I quickly looked to the weathernetwork and it wasnt raining in Newmarket or Barrie so I figured I would be fine once out of the city. I was wrong, It poured cold COLD rain the entire way. Things I discovered on the ride home - My visor fogs if I breathe, my overpants are waterproof but not in the areas of the knees, crotch or butt - AT ALL, my gloves stain my hands black when wet. On a positive note I found that I can ride in the rain I have more traction than what I thought I would.

I might wait for warmer weather before riding in again ;)
 
I daily commute with my bike in the summer. We have two cars in my house, my wifes and mine. I park my car in the summer and remove insurance. Most insurance companies do this for cars, it saves me about $700/year since the car is only fully insured for 5 months of the year. For the other 7 months I just have fire and theft.

So my vote is keep the car, park it with fire/theft and put it back on insurance in the winter. A bike won't save you much money, maintenance is much more frequent and critical so you tend to do those regularly. You'll probably detour allot and burn up your fuel savings on enjoyable rides with friends or alone.
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