robi2106's Journal: (Mirror) Bicycle Commuting: Day 4 & 5 - More Gear, More $

My de-wimp-ifying is progressing slowly but surely. I biked in to work two days in a row! A first for me. Also impressive is that I got in to work before 10am both times which means I biked some time around 9am and it was in the 50s. Not exactly biking weather either with morning temperatures in the mid 50s with mild winds.

I have determined that I need actual riding clothing because my running outfit is just not meant for cold weather and wind. That outfit just feels like cheese cloth when faced with blustery weather and temperatures in the mid 50s (even in the sun). I smell some clothing upgrades in the future.

Speaking of clothing upgrades, I returned the helmet and the ill-fitting biking shorts for $69, but then purchased a wind proof jacket for $25 (chah-ching), summer riding shirt for $35 (chah-ching-ing), and padded bike shorts for $40 (chah-ching-ching-ing). Net expenditure of $31 which equals my planned accessory purchase for 2007-Q1. Next on the list is an odometer / calculator which could run around $30 with tax. That item is on sale through the web site so I'll probably buy it today (chah-ching-ka-ching-a-ling-a-ring-ding) Assuming I limit myself to one $30 purchase each quarter, I will break even in the Third Quarter of 2008 which is only 1.5 years from now.

Eventually I'll have all the gizmos and doo-dads possible so after 3 years of buying a new toy / item each quarter I'll assume that droops to $10 or so and replacement costs will increase from $30 / year to $60 / year.

I will be saving anywhere from $115 to $170 each quarter or $38 to $56 each month. That is as much as having the home phone line (on the low end) or a cell phone plan (on the high end). And now that I look at the numbers it does make me want to cancel the home phone which costs $35 / month and reduce my cell plan.

So what are you spending money on that could be eliminated?

Good for you!

[R3d M3rcury]

My roomate got me hooked on bicycling last year. Nowadays I bike to work a couple of times a week, I usually do a longer ride (ie > 25 miles) on the weekends, and I bike around town to get my errands done. The car exists for bigger errands, getting to work when the weather is less than pleasant, and evening travel.

On the clothing front, one thing that I bought are the arm [nashbar.com] and leg [nashbar.com] warmers, which I can wear with my short-sleeved bike shirts and shorts. This way, you don't have to buy two wardrobes for w

shorts at work?

[robi2106]

Not happening. Contractor for state agency. Boss'es boss wears suit & tie and I'm lucky to get away with what was my formal Hewlett-Packard dress (but over here is business casual).

and while a bicycle GPS would be nice, I would have to not buy anything for 5.5 YEARS in order for my new equipment stipend to have enough funds to put towards that item. Not gonna happen. Now if I were to consider that purchase as a throw away "fun item" then that might make more sense. But economically speaking, that w