question for daily commuters bike/car

[kiggles]

hi everyone,

i soon will be graduating from uni with a physics bsc degree (hopefully). So next thing is probably a job. Now i have very little money and either a paid job/ PHD or funded masters is the plan. but ideally a nice job. after having many jobs since the age of 15 i plan to aim for a comfortable job (9-5) or well paid one.

i have applied for a job i would particularly like although the pay isn't great 21k before tax. the daily commute is 60 miles each way. This means 3 hours a day commute roughly £250 a month in fuel. I plan to live at home as despite petrol is still the cheaper option. but taking into account of the £250 *12 fuel is a massive chunk out of my wage of probably around £16k after tax leaving around£13k. although i have done all these sums not really sure what i am gettting myself into with a long commute.

as i dont drive at the moment will be done on the bike. could some people just list the distance they have to travel to work via car/bike, rough amount spent on petrol a month. and if possible (if it wont offend anyone) the percentage roughly of the amount they earn used/wasted on fuel.

as i am more then sure i could probably apply for a more local job which is crap, work less hours (including commute time) and end up with more money in pocket.

daily millage: 120
roughly monthly fuel bill : 250
commute time a day est : 3 hours +
percentage of monthly wage loss est: 20-30%

[ravingdavis]

Seriously don't do it.. Your not taking into account the cost of maintainance, tyres etc. Also commuting that distance on a bike can be dammed hard work when you consider the conditions you will be riding in.. It's in the negatives around here at the moment and black ice is a plenty. You will learn to hate your bike and the tool that you now see as something fun will turn into a simple workhorse that will loose its pleasure.

Live closer, and get a house share and start making friends and setting up life closer to where you work.. You will be happier and your work performance much better.

[Sabarius]

+1

I used to have a 40min commute which was fine to start but day in day out it really grinds, particularly on Friday afternoon when you're knackered - and that was in a car with the radio on.

I now live 10mins away and the difference is immeasurable, I leave a 6 and I'm home by half past, if you're not careful you'll risk burning out.

Some more sums for you...

3 hours per day = 720 hours per year (inc. 4weeks hols) = a whole non-stop month every year just commuting! Surely no job is worth that.

[ian505050]

20 mile a day
120 pound a month
1.5 hours
15% of wage in petrol

Don't forget tyres, tax, insurance, maintenance, hit and run damage, this stuff costs a fortune. My best advice is buy a horse and use it to get to work

[ian505050]

Don't do it, too much stress.

[missyburd]

Firstly, you'll be a graduate, and as cynical as it may seem, don't expect to walk into a job no matter how good your degree turns out to be. Everyone has the same plans when finishing uni - either work or travel - and it's not certain you'll be able to do either, sad as the facts may be. Not that I'm saying it's impossible, just that it's not a guarantee, far from it.

I've applied for a job 30 miles from my current home with a plan to move at least 10 miles closer to cut the commute down if I get it, a commute which will be on the bike. Although 30 miles is not far by many peoples' commutes, it's not great and not what I want to spend all my spare doing. I do a 10 mile commute at the moment which is thankfully quick and easy (not through towns and cities) but I know how quickly a 30 mile one will start to grate on me. I don't want my bike to turn into a tool as ravingdavis says, but it's only a shortish contract for this job if I got it so not so bad. I very much enjoy riding it but as my only transport I'm not sure it will keep that way :(

That's me seriously considering a commute half the one you're looking at doing. I'd consider the flatshare option, you can live fairly cheaply in a nice home with similar minded folk, so you not only get your independence but you won't be tired out and wishing for something else all the while. Certainly worth considering anyway.

And good luck with the job, really hope it works out.

[Runako]

+1

I used to have a 40min commute which was fine to start but day in day out it really grinds, particularly on Friday afternoon when you're knackered - and that was in a car with the radio on.

I now live 10mins away and the difference is immeasurable, I leave a 6 and I'm home by half past, if you're not careful you'll risk burning out.

Some more sums for you...

3 hours per day = 720 hours per year (inc. 4weeks hols) = a whole non-stop month every year just commuting! Surely no job is worth that.

Where did the other 20 minutes go? Swift one down the pub ;)

To the OP, +1 all the above. I will only add an example on tyres & insurance. Insurers normally ask for estimated mielage to assess risk. You are looking at approx 2,400 miles a month or 27,000 (+-). Maybe enquire as to whether this type of mileage will affect premium.

Also, you're looking at 1 - 2 sets of tyres a year (depending on how you ride). So even with an economic tyre, an estimate could be £160 -£170 fitted.

This doesn't account for any additional riding you want to do and there is very little point IMO to buy a bike just to ride up and down a motorway.

It may still work out cheaper than driving - and its fair to say that the bike will be less comfortable than a car - but won't be the cheapest way to get to work, although you have a bike to enjoy as opposed to going by train for instance.

So it is do-able and you will learn an awful lot if you stick with it but it will be hard work (and more expensive than you think).

[missyburd]

Alternative...get yourself a 125, great on fuel but then you will have to weigh up the pros and cons of not enough power. Will you be commuting in the city i.e. lots of filtering or bimbling along country lanes? Will you need to turn up in a suit?

[ravingdavis]

Have a look here:
http://www.spareroom.co.uk/

When I went into my first job after graduating uni I used this site to find somewhere to live.

Just to throw this idea into the fray... I think it is cheaper for me to commute in my car than it is on the bike (at least not much difference), I get 45mpg car vs 55mpg bike BUT my cars service intervals are 20k miles v 4k for the bike and the tyres last a hell of a lot longer on the car than the bike too! This doesn't take into account the comfort factor!

[Sir Trev]

My 60 mile round trip is annoying enough, and I work from home twice a week to make it more bearable.

+ another 1 to all the above. The sheer time wasted commuting will drive you nuts. Oh, and don't forget to factor in a trip to the petrol station every single day you go to work...

[metalangel]

I did nearly a month commuting 106 miles each way for training. Entirely motorway/dual carriageway but it was still hell. Yes, that's nearly half again as far as you've got but even 60 miles is too far to want to do every damned working day of your life if you can help it.

[kiggles]

was worried about this to be honest and trying to give myself reasons to want to do it. i have done 60 miles round trip for work every day which wasnt too bad. But at the same time its not easy to find a job, and money is hard to come by and maximising savings is my prime goal. meh just gona have to see what comes up i guess

[yorkie_chris]

Buy an XJ900.
60mpg, 10,000 miles out of tyres, no chain and sprockets, 250 miles to a tank :)

[Dave20046]

I agree with DavingRavis, advised my housemate more or less the same a couple of months ago which he ignored...he now does a 70 miles round trip every day for a bit over minimum wage. Just mad.

[fizzwheel]

I'd move closer to work or find a job closer to your parents house if I were you.

Liz works 3 days a week, her commute is 60 miles each way, we put more than £250 a month into the car on fuel to get her to work and back.

The commute wore out our Ford Focus and it really did end up with alot of wear and tear on it, it also racked up the milleage on her SV and it used to go through consumables i.e. tyres very quickly.

Its hard in the winter to keep on top of bike maintenance and you wont feel like spending your weekend / evenings doing it and then then bike will get away from you and you'll end up with a big bill.

That sort of milleage IMHO its cheaper in a car.

I had to go to Bristol each day a while ago for a training course, I was driving up and down the M5 each morning and evening and by the end of the week I was ready to kill somebody. I'd not do that again by choice. I like my 2 mile journey to work each day.

[Nobbylad]

I commute 80 miles a day on the bike mostly and have done for getting on 4yrs now.

It's a PITA in winter/cold/wet and if you're even thinking about it, then you HAVE to buy some decent Goretex gear, so factor in another £5-750 from the off.

I've been through about 4 different sets of textiles and the Goretex stuff is the only stuff to keep me thoroughly dry, regardless of conditions.

In the summer, I absolutely love getting on the bike and blasting to work. Even though I've been doing the same commute for the last 10years, it never gets boring on the bike when the weather is good and there's daylight.

If I'm using the bike solidly throughout the week, I end up spending around £50-55 p/w in juice.

[The Idle Biker]

All depends on what other options you have. Sometimes you just have to take the crappier less convenient jobs first and then take things from there. It can be tough getting a first job and I wouldn't worry too much about the costs and time involved if it gets you on a career path of some sort.

I do concur with the the comments from a few on here that 3 hours commuting, which is what I do, will suck the life and soul from you if you don't enjoy your job. Don't be too fussy just get on with it and start getting experience, while keeping an eye out for something better.

[L3nny]

When I lived at home I had a 50 mile round trip to work each day. I did it in a Golf GTi which I loved driving and it was on some nice roads. It took me about 40 mins each way but after a stressful day it was a good way to unwind.

The only downside was the cost of the petrol but I was still living at home and it was still cheaper than getting my own place.

Commuting through the winter on a bike would be a bit of a chore so you would probably want to do it in a car but if it's one you can enjoy driving then it's not too bad.

If you get the job and you think you'll like it take it. If the commuting becomes a pain then think about moving or look for another job.

[Bluefish]

My opinion , fwiw, is would this job lead on to better things, if so a little bit of sacrafice may be worth it in the long run, if yes go for it, if not then get a job closer to home.

[thefallenangel]

I use to have a 15 mile round trip to work which was done on works time and on days left me finished round the corner from my house. Now it's 80 mile round trip plus extra driving on times (up to 250 mile days) and i don't drive for a job. Driving is crap. I don't pick up any fuel bills, maintenance etc . . because it's a works vehicle but i would swap my left leg to go back to a closer depot. Hereford is gods s*ithole. Either drug dealers or stuck up farmers and now i live in Newport but it's more real world and is closer to Cardiff and Bristol. I work for a good company though is the only reason i stick it and will end up back down in Wales eventually.

[timwilky]

I spent a year doing a 280 mile commute. I ended up in hospital, my blood pressure had gone seriously through the roof and I was vomiting blood.

2 weeks later I finally got out. Stopped commuting and changed my job. Even bought a bike for the first time in 25 years.

you may think yourself young and invincible. But commuting is a killer. I wasn't seeing my family, leaving home at 5 in the morning and not getting home until after 9. Grabbing a takeaway, shower/bed and start again.

[embee]

Just repeating what everyone has said.

I've recently finished a 5-6 month contract, close to 40mls each way every day. A very easy route, but the time added to the day and the tedium of it really grinds you down. Because it was a limited time and the pay was good I put up with it, but wouldn't do it full time.

60mls each way will make for very very long days, then take off the costs from your net pay and you'll find your effective hourly rate will be pretty mean.

I'd choose to work for a lower hourly rate still, if it meant not doing the long days. I do appreciate that jobs don't grow on trees these days, but think hard, and if you really have to do it then a car is way less demanding than by bike I reckon.

[Jake.L]

I'm currently commuting 50miles each day and its taking a sizeable amount out of my wage, around 20% and thats just petrol and not counting in insurance and maintence.

I agree with the others on here that a long commute will after a while really get to you and frustrate you :smt086