So I saved a $1.68 today by riding my bicycle to work

[omgwtfbyobbq]

What, what?

[Bill in Houston]

Heh heh heh.

[Snax]

My next vehicle upgrade will be this. I'm thinking that it will need to be paired with a cheap cruiser however to keep from weighing down my 'good' bike.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Damn that's expensive! $1000 for an electric motor? Why not get two 1200W scooter motors and run a fixed/free wheel flip-flip hub? More power at a third of the price...

[omgwtfbyobbq]

They must make a killing off of each one sold! Of course, they've "gotta make a living", even if it means ripping people off.

[Snax]

Actually I don't believe $1000 to be too expensive considering what's involved in labor and materials cost to build something as slick. Hub motors are about as simple as it gets, and the brushless ones will last longer than any brushed scooter motor. (I've looked at other brushless motor options and the cost savings just isn't there.)

I also want something that retains as much the appearance of a regular bicycle as possible since our idiotic local laws limit electric assisted bicycle top speed to just 20MPH! Cripes, that's barely faster than I pedal on the average day.

Besides, if I do anything custom, it's going to involve using an E-tek motor and require vehicle registration.

[white90crxhf]

Originally Posted by smithenhiven

I decided that I'm going to ride my bicycle to work as much as possible this summer. My initial motivation to do this was to get back in shape, and to prepare myself for the "Pittsburgh MS150" (which is a 150 mile bikeride that benefits Multiple Sclerosis) Then I thought about the money I'd save since I won't be driving my car.

My round-trip from home to work and back is 16.8 miles, and my Accord gets right around 30 mpg, gas around here is right around $3.00/gallon, so I figure I just saved $1.68.

So if I ride to work 4 days a week (although I work 5 days a week, but I'll give myself one day per week off incase the weather might be bad, or I need my car to transport stuff, or if I just don't feel like pedaling to work) for the next 16 weeks, assuming gas stays at $3/gallon this summer (which it most likely won't), I'll save around $107, plus I'm sure I'll drop a few pounds in the process.

you're actually save more than just gas money. each mile you drive you're spending money on tires, struts, oil, starter, alternator... and on and on.

[Snax]

Now, sell the car, use the money equity to pay off debt, and pocket your insurance money. Biking to work is currently saving me over $500/month in those terms.

[korax123]

If i lived closer then 15 iles to work I would bike to work atleast a couple days a week. But screw doing 30miles a day thats a little much for me.

[Perrymason]

Feels kinda wierd ... i put a digital meter on my bike and was quite shocked.
i used to drive to work which was 5 K away took me 15- 20 mins a day on average.... biking takes me 10-13 mins... did the math and i was actually geting a higher average speed and quicker time not to mention that going to work was all uphill...turns out that it was the idleing time that was killing my drive to work since on my bike i could just scoot through red lights and such.

now i'm looking to convert/rebuild a 1956 mini to electric
should be interesting ... this site has totally given me some amazing info... time to put it to the test .... if the guy that owns the mini will let me put it back together

cheers from toronto