Today was my day off, so I rode halfway to work, checking out the route and working out the bicycling muscles. It was probably about eight miles, mostly on the Midtown Greenway. I stopped by Ace Hardware on the way home to pick up a couple bungees and a hacksaw, which I needed to finish installing the rack. That was $15. Overall I've spent about $850 thus far. I think that's all the money I need to spend until winter comes around, which isn't very far away. At that point I'll need fenders (well, I'll probably need fenders sooner than that), aggressive tires, maybe a single speed drivetrain (so as not to ruin my fancy drivetrain in the harsh weather), and probably some clothing.
My savings on gas alone will be about ten cents per mile. Based on that I'd have to ride to work 531 times in order to break even. Hmmm... But that doesn't include the cost of repairs to the car, and I'm hoping to get part-time insurance, but I'm not sure how that works. And I'll be riding to more than just work.
Of course I'll be in good shape too. It's hard to quantify the savings on health care.
Pictures to come soon.
