In the fall of 2010 I sold my car, a 2007 Nissan Versa hatchback, and replaced it with...nothing.
I flew off to Southeast Asia, where I lived for two years on the cheap as a self-employed wandering vagabond. After arriving I made due with a few cheap rented Chinese junk bikes to get around, but by the time 2011 arrived I wanted something with gears.
I found a Scottish expat in Thailand who was willing to sell me his 2009, barely used Kona Dew FS (reviewed here by someone:
http://tinyurl.com/bmjrqm8 ) for $400. It was originally $850 (Yes, I can see the chastisement coming. I could have gotten something cheaper, but I really like this bike).
Anyway, since then I've ridden it hard. I took it on the imposing Samoeng Loop (
http://tinyurl.com/cl3uf3j), a 100km, beautiful, leg-busting journey through the incredibly steep mountains of northern Thailand. The hardcore road bikers balked when they saw I was doing it on a hybrid, and although it took me a few more hours than them, I made it.
I also use it for all local transportation. When I needed to travel around Asia I took it apart, put it in a cardboard bike box picked up from the local bike store, brought it on the train with me, and reassembled it at my destination.
I only eat raw fruits and vegetables, which means I consume a quantity of food which staggers the average individual. To save money and time I buy in bulk directly from wholesalers (not Costco, but the actual wholesalers which supply the supermarkets), which shaves about 30% off my food costs. But how do you lug home a 40-pound box of bananas, a 30-pound box of oranges, a 3-pound bag of greens, and tons of huge 15-inch watermelons?
A bike trailer, of course. I bought a nice bike trailer used for $50, which has more than paid for itself).
After more than two years using this for all local transportation, and bringing it back to the US with me when I returned in the summer of 2012 (I paid $60 to ship it back - I know, very unmustachian) and averaging 3-15 miles almost every day, I noticed that the chain the the rear derailleur were very worn. My disc breaks, which are the fancy type a bit out of my area of repair expertise, also needed to be cleaned and adjusted.
All told, the total tune up and part cost for two years of transportation was $160, not counting the oil I've been using on the chain all along. The mechanic told me that the bike frame and the rest of the parts were solid, and with although a few parts might go on me here and there, it would carry me for another 20 years, easy.
It's going to be the end of an era, though. I'm buying my first car since I sold my versa back in 2010. A little $1,000 geo metro from 1995!
I've decided to go on a long-term road trip across the United States in the fall, and I needed something cheap, gas-friendly, and reliable to drive. My friend who is selling it to me is teaching me to drive manual. Never fear, though, I've got a bike rack, and my Kona Dew will be coming with me.
Anyway, I don't claim to have done this in the most intelligent fashion.
Mistakes:1) Paid more than I needed to for a bike.
2) Chose a model with fancy features like disc breaks which require repair/replacement knowledge which is beyond me.
3) Actually chose to ship it back to the US, when I could have resold it for most of its value in Asia and bought something cheap here
But given that the average person in the US is paying $10,000 a year for their cars, a grand total of less than $700 ($160 if you count maintenance/parts alone) for two years isn't too shabby.
But what's more, I really love my bike. It's so versatile, and I don't mind having paid more for it, or for shipping it around.
I intend to be riding it for a long, long time.
