Biking is a great way to commute to work.  This year as a way to stay in shape my DH started commuting into work, a 8 mile one way bike ride, once a week.  He hates being grimy and sweaty, but hasn’t much extra time during the week to work out.  So he combines gas savings with working out.  During the summer from April to October/November I try to bike 3-4x/week.  This saves me on my bus fare and keeps me in shape for the summer.  But that’s the obvious frugal benefits to biking to work.

But many people who are trying to start our biking go out and buy an expensive bike.  The truth is getting started with biking, it’s better to buy a cheap bike and see if you stick with it.  I personally got my current bike in 2002 for $125. It’s a Schwinn Hybrid.  You don’t need a $400-500 Trek Hybrid.  That’s for serious bikers.  And you don’t need a road bike, a hybrid or mountain bike is perfectly acceptable to use.

So don’t get oversold.  Here’s the thing, will you really be using the bike a lot? Or is it only occasionally?  Do you think you’ll ride your bike for years or is it a fad?  And if you aren’t a serious biker, do you really need the lightest bike out there?

The difference between my Schwinn Hybrid and Trek Hybrid is the weight of the frame.  Yes I’d love a newer Trek Hybrid, and I’d go faster.  But my bike works great for cheap.  Plus if it gets stolen I won’t cry over it, which is how I lost my previous bike.

Also you don’t need the fancy biking shoes or clip in bike pedals.  While they are awesome to use and definitely help with biking, their needed really only on road bikes.  And road bikes are not good commuter/fun bikes.  They are very delicate and easy to damage on potholes, curbs, etc.  I would never buy a road bike unless you are a SERIOUS biker because though they are light, they are extremely expensive and can be difficult to ride.

So if your starting out in hopes of saving money?  Stick a to $100 bike.  You can get $50 bikes from Walmart or Target and they are great too.  Our roomie is a serious bike racer with 2 road/racing bikes, 1 mountain bike, and his daily commuter from Target.  Consider he bikes 365 days a year in Canada and still rides $50 bike on most days, don’t spend more.

Biking is meant to be fun and save you money on your commute.  Not cost more for only a short duration hobby!  I hope you enjoy biking, and keep these tips in mind when you are shopping for a biking and deciding to commute into work.