Recently I need to buy a new car.  After years of service, we decided a van was no longer necessary so I began to look at fuel mileage.  I always thought and said that riding a bike doesn't save much money, as the gasoline savings was eaten up by maintenance, new tires, extra Krispy Kream donuts to fuel me, and bandages for my torn hands and knees.   And at 20 mpg, it takes over 3 days for me to recover a gallon of gas on my 6mi/day commute.



However, when I really measured the mpg my car was getting by filling the tank, driving only to work and back in autumn weather for 4 days, I discovered I was getting not 20 but under 8 mpg.   That means per week, I was burning 30/8 3.75 gallons of gas.  By riding I save enough to buy two Starbuck lattes /week plus a cream filled chocolate covered donut.  Even my new car, a hybrid, gets only about 26 mpg on this route.



The reason of course is the very bad gas mileage a car obtains when it is warning up.  This post is just a note to realize that your commute in by car may be costing you more than your might think.  Yet another reason by bike in cold weather; the colder the more you save.





-jam



"Christmas is Christ's revenge for the crufixation"

                           -Unknown

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