But then biking is cheap. When I was a student, I would buy a bike at a used bike shop for ~80 euros. They would last me a year and I would bike almost daily to the university, to go to friends, or go out at night. Besides not having incredible amount money, bikes are stolen on such a regular basis that it wasn't much use buying a more expensive bike.
Maintenance costs were very low. Every now and then I had a flat tire, buy a new inner tube for 3 Euro and you are done. Later when I did my PhD I had the same second-hand bike for years. Though, I would usually bring the bike to the store to get a flat tire fixed, which would usually cost 10-20 Euro.
Now that we have enough income, I usually buy a new bike for ~700-800 Euro every two years or so. But even then it is very cheap compared to car ownership or even public transport. Plus much healthier.
The biking infrastructure in The Netherlands is exceptionally good. However, if I was in an another country (I lived in Germany for ~5 years), I'd rather have them invest the N * 50 Euros in bike lanes. Because I think in many countries the problem is not the cost of owning/maintaining a bike, it's just that the infrastructure is bad compared to that for cars. I lived in what is considered to be a 'green' city in Germany with a Green mayor and all, and the cycling infrastructure pretty deplorable.
Maintenance costs were very low. Every now and then I had a flat tire, buy a new inner tube for 3 Euro and you are done. Later when I did my PhD I had the same second-hand bike for years. Though, I would usually bring the bike to the store to get a flat tire fixed, which would usually cost 10-20 Euro.
Now that we have enough income, I usually buy a new bike for ~700-800 Euro every two years or so. But even then it is very cheap compared to car ownership or even public transport. Plus much healthier.
The biking infrastructure in The Netherlands is exceptionally good. However, if I was in an another country (I lived in Germany for ~5 years), I'd rather have them invest the N * 50 Euros in bike lanes. Because I think in many countries the problem is not the cost of owning/maintaining a bike, it's just that the infrastructure is bad compared to that for cars. I lived in what is considered to be a 'green' city in Germany with a Green mayor and all, and the cycling infrastructure pretty deplorable.