Bicycles are, as far as I'm concerned, the most perfect mode of transportation ever invented. They offer, quite literally, a free ride. Consider that even walking has a cost associated with it, and then consider that cycling is up to five times more efficient than walking. Many often regard bicycles as toys for children and weekend warriors, but I discovered its utility as a young adult. Not quite ready to take on the financial responsibility of a car, I spent three month's worth of bus passes on a nice bike that became a reliable principle mode of transportation for a good three years, as I said goodbye to long bus stop waits, transfers, and general slowness from multiple stops and indirect routes. The money saved went towards my first car.
Today, my car has become a necessity. I don't apologize for owning a car, but my daily drive from Oshawa to Toronto has become so congested, I actually get home half an hour earlier if I take the GO train and TTC subway. It's not exactly cheap; using my Presto card, I pay $8.39 on each GO train trip, and $2.65 on each subway trip. That's $22.08 per day, or $88.32 per week for my typical 4 day work week. By contrast, I would pay $40 a week in gas and $32 a week in parking, totalling $72 if I took the car. Of course there's insurance and maintenance, but these are the costs of owning a car which I would pay regardless of whether or not I took public transit. I used to prefer to drive in because of the cost advantage, but now the traffic has become too much. I'm paying a $16 premium because I enjoy riding the train (I've always loved trains), I enjoy not dealing with the stress of crawling along the Don Valley Parkinglot...er, I mean Parkway, and I enjoy getting home a little sooner.
Last year, I brought my road bike to Union Station and kept it locked up there so that I could ride it to my job. At this time, my schedule required me to be in Toronto 5 days a week, so the savings quickly added up; $26.50 per week, $114.83 per month. More than the savings, I also benefited from the well-being that came from the nice bit of exercise before and after work.
This solution was not without its problems. Daily riding requires regular maintenance, but I could not take my bike on the train during peak periods. This meant that, if I did not catch a train home prior to 3:30pm, I had to wait until after 6:30pm. There was always the threat of theft or vandalism. Other than that, it was a fine solution for getting through downtown Toronto.
My next experiment was with the Bixi bike bicycle sharing system. In short, I'd pay $5 for 30 minutes of use. An annual subscription is a much better deal at $97 (plus tax), but I wanted to test the system out before committing. I soon discovered some unfortunate flaws. First, the bikes have three speeds, which are slow, slower, and even slower; presumably to accommodate for the weight of this heavy duty bike. One day, I arrived to find no bixi bikes available at my station, forcing me to walk to another station further away to get a bike. Another time, I arrived at my destination station with no place to put the bike, because all the spots were full. Once again, I had to go to a more distant stop. Then there's the liability; if something happens to the bike while I'm using it, I could be on the hook for up to $1,000. On the plus side, the bikes were easy to adjust and very comfortable to ride, and represent a great alternative for someone who doesn't get much physical activity in their daily routine who only need it to make short trips and don't want to bother with bike ownership. As for me, I wanted to explore other options.
After further contemplation, I considered a basic cruiser. A single speed bicycle with a coaster brake. Without gears or cables, I reasoned that such a bike wouldn't require much in the way of maintenance, and therefore I could leave it locked up at Union Station for extended periods of time. I started by checking Craigslist and Kijiji, only to find a lot of overpriced crap and tons of child bikes. I browsed various web sites, and decided to see what Costco had to offer. That's when I stumbled upon what might be the perfect bike for me: A folding bicycle.
A folding bicycle seems to be the perfect solution. I can take it with me on the train during rush hour, and bring it with me to my job, because it folds up and becomes small. That takes care of bringing it home for maintenance during rush hour whenever I need to, as well as eliminating the threat of theft and vandalism. At $139.99 plus tax ($158.99, shipping included), I would need to ride this bike in lieu of 60 subway rides, or 30 work days, or 7.5 weeks for this bike to pay for itself. It has full fenders, so I should be able to ride it when it rains. Costco has an excellent return policy, so if it turns out to be complete crap, I can return it for a full refund. I ordered it on Tuesday, and it arrived today. I can't wait to try this experiment out!
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