Cycling is one of the most cost effective forms of transport in the world.
Photo: David Bocking
Driving costs 40p per mile (according to the AA) while in Sheffield a there and back bus ticket will cost about £4. Whereas if you cycle 4 or 5 times a week, it’ll cost you less than £1 every day you cycle.
So cycling is not free, despite what some enthusiasts might tell you, even though it’s a fraction of the daily cost of driving or taking the bus.
No matter what machine you use it will wear out, and a bicycle (as a machine for transport) is just like a car or a bus; the tyres will wear out, the brakes will need replacing and all the metal bits that drive it forward will get tired - and that’s why you should always remember that cycling is not free, and every local employer should honour the 20p / mile cycling allowance set by the government!
Let's consider someone riding 5 days a week for about 6 miles per day, with that sort of mileage and depending on where you live you will probably need to replace your brake pads at least once a year, your tyres and drivetrain once every two years and your wheel rims (depending on type of brakes used) once every 3 years.
(Obviously this is a generalisation and different products have different lifespans and your riding style can contribute to the wear and tear.) Then throw in punctures and regular service costs.
The view of our bicycle mechanics is that you should base your cycling expenditure on £1 per day of use. So someone using their bike 5 days a week, who wants to keep their bike running smoothly (without any ‘oh no!’ moments when your bike grinds to a halt as you try to set off at 8am on a January morning for an urgent meeting) should expect to spend about £260 per year on maintenance.
Keeping your bike checked out with a bicycle mechanic helps keep you in control, with regular lubrication and cleaning keeping your components running well and last longer.
Many of our customers recognise all this, but feel that maintenance of their bike can be a drag, either because they’re short of time, don’t have the expertise themselves, or frankly, would rather be doing something else.
So we came up with our unique Russell's Bicycle Club. For £11 a month, we service your bike twice a year, and give it the required tweaks and adjustments all year round.
That's half the cost of your annual budget for a 5 day a week cyclist, with plenty left for good quality bicycle products like puncture resistant tyres and rust resistant chains, to keep you happy and riding without stress. (And for much less than 40p / mile in a car, or £4 a day on a bus).