Single speed bikes

[Senor Chevalier]

When I decided to buy a bike to pedal to work each day (5 miles each way) my mental arithmetic was pretty straight forward and plain wrong. Bike up front capital cost versus saved ongoing oyster card payment.

The reason this was dead wrong is I had missed at least ?100 per year in maintenance from the equation:

6 month service, including new chain and cassette, several flat tyres, gears need retuning / adjusting etc etc, replaced brake pads etc, etc.

I'm only in year 2 and maintenance costs will increase as the bike gets older (haven't changed the wheel rims yet but soon).

I would think ?100 - 150 per annum would be average for a daily commuter like me. If I rode my bike as a courier where I was doing say 5 x the miles, then this cost would be considerably higher.

Now clearly the single speed is not going to fix the puncture issue but many of the other costs would be saved or reduced.

With the added opex, suffice to say cycling is still massively NPV positive and much more fun.

I agree that cost may not be a major consideration for many but I can see how it would be in some cases. It would be wrong to think of cycling as a free mode of transport.

[womanofdulwich]

I think you need to factor in the cost benefit of not going to a gym both in terms of time- and money. Keeping fit for ?2-?3 a week is pretty good.

[malumbu]

Daily use of a decent bike (?500 plus) would be at least ?100 for a standard bike shop service (consumables and labour)

A new wheel every year or so (say ?100)

Pair of tyres and inners (?50)

Brake blocks inbetween service (?15)

So ?265 before you even think about gears.

I need new chain rings, casette and chain once a year - cheapest Campag would be around ?110

Twice a year if you are a courier and you can understand the attraction of single speed.

Irrespective of the health and well-being benefits, and savings, once you get hooked on your bike you are hooked and you only want the best for your beast. Dunno what your opinion is based on Heugenot - suspect you are just being provocative.

Now what really get's my goat is those of you in your twenties on lovely racers wearing plimsols, flip flops (yes you do see them in summer) or other soft shoes, peddling on the middle of their feet rather than the ball of the foot (soles). Wasting so much energy and buggering up your body at the same time.

[binary_star]

Malambu - bit off topic, but Brockley Bikes do a good general service for ?40 (they do my bike for that and that was over ?500):

http://brockleybikes.com/?page_id=360

Full services starts at ?80. Can't fault them, they've always done a really good job.

[Huguenot]

"I need new chain rings, casette and chain once a year - cheapest Campag would be around ?110"

The rest are independent of gears, yeah? Wheel, brakes and tyres?

So 2 quid a week - less than the cost of half a pint? Come on, you're not making a bicycle decision on that basis?

How much extra did you pay for your tight shorts?

It's just COOL to be single speed ;-)

I'm only teasing - so don't get stressed!

[Senor Chevalier]

Fixed gear also saves pads and wheel rims, but as you say this saving is then generally applied towards budgie smuggling shorts so net net....

[prancing scoble]

have you seen this

http://www.lfgss.com/post2640076-3938.html

I thought singlespeed is just a broken road bike.

[Huguenot]

I'm secretly chuffed that the zen of single speed cycling also treated the Jamaica creation myth with the contempt it deserved.

So to all you cyclists I say 'HA!'.

[maxxi]