This week we have been discussing the Specialized Turbo and why we feel that it would be a great addition to your bike stable!
Today we are going to get down and dirty and discuss the cost of the Turbo and how much you can save if you use the bike for a commuting instrument instead of your vehicle or public transportation. In Buffalo, there is not as large of a downtown work presence compared to most major cities but I am going to be using it as "The Scenario" because that is where I work and understand the parameters of what it takes to drive to work and also ride to work. The scenario below might not meet your criteria but hopefully it provides you with some good information to make a solid decision from!
I work by the Main Place Mall and our employer offers parking for $81.00 a month. There are less expensive options and also more expensive options as well but I will be using that number. My round trip mileage is roughly 40 miles. I work 5 days a week downtown and Saturday's at Tom's (and conveniently enough the mileage is approximately the same but parking is cheaper!) so I am going to use 6 work days a week.
This Particular Calculator gives you a daily cost difference. I actually prefer this because it takes real scenarios into account (tires/tubes on the bike and tires on the car as well) and gives you the option to include public transportation cost if you utilize it in anyway as part of your commute.
Using the parameters above it shows a daily car expense of $6.64 and a daily bike expense of $1.49 for a savings of $5.15 x 20 days (5 days a week x 4 weeks) = $103.00 a month that I would be saving. I need to add the $81.00 for parking now to get a total of $184.00 saved monthly. I am not going to be foolish and pretend we commute 12 months a year in Buffalo but with this bike you could probably get away with 7 months minimum and possibly 8 so we will use 7.5 months for a total annual savings of $1,380.00.
The Turbo has a MSRP of $6,000.00.
Yesterday we highlighted a rack/fender/light set up that had a MSRP of $300.00
This would put the total to $6,300.00 + 519.75 (tax) = $6819.75
If you included the bike fee for the 5 years you would need to add $2,145.00 dollars to the price of the Turbo for a total of just under $9,000.00. If you ride the Turbo for 5 years you would be ahead and the Turbo would still be valuable and working.
Now let's say you drove to work daily and paid $20,000 for your car. You would have $1,912.32 in vehicle expenses annually plus parking of $972.00 for a total of $2884.32. The price of your vehicle which after interest would be close to $25,000.00. You would be around $28,000 in the same period.
You would need to have alternative transportation for the winter months but I am sure you could find a very reliable vehicle with the $19,000 difference you would have left over or even use Public Transportation.
The initial cost might be higher than your typical commuter bike but the Turbo is not typical and I believe it would give you greater service as a commuter bike because wind, hills, and general overall weather conditions would not be as big of an effect on you with the electric assist that the Turbo provides! I find that I generally need that 1 day off a week from commuting to recharge and also because life happens but during the nice months I shoot for 4-6 days a week commuting and feel that I save quite a bit of money at the end of the year. I have found free parking downtown as well so I never pay for parking.
With all of these savings I am honestly contemplating a Turbo but I truly would miss the effort aspect of commuting. I could see it being an add in to my current commuter line, but I don't see it being a daily one just yet. But that is just me. Trust me there are days I would be wishing for a Turbo such as yesterday. I had to work, then get to Cheektowaga to drop some paperwork off by the airport, head over to Tom's to pick up some accessories for a build I am working on, and then headed home. It ended up being a 54 mile day and the last portion I would have gladly Turbo'd my way home!
Here is a carbon footprint calculator to show you the environmental benefit to commuting if that is important to you as well.
Time to start planning your winter training so stop by and sign up for our Fall or Winter Race Series. Slots are filling up fast so don't delay!
Come check out our Clearance Bike Selection. Size limited to stock only on these great prices!
Tom's Pro Bike Service
3687 Walden Avenue
Lancaster, New York 14086
Phone: (716)651-9995
E-Mail Us: tom@tomsprobike.com
