> Let's be honest, 50 Euros per person is a drop in the bucket compared to the subsidies governments give to other modes of transportation.
And that’s largely sufficient. Having a bike doesn’t cost a lot per year: according to the FNAUT (Fédération des associations des usagers de transport), on average, bikers spend ~€0.21/km. An air chamber costs €5; an air pump (one-time purchase) is €10.
Don't buy cheap air pumps. Those things need to be strong to last. They handle a lot of pressure. A 10€ air pump will break at the first fall and most have small bases so they tip easily. And when they break you must buy a new one.
If you really use it, a 25€ pump will cost you way less over as little as 3 years.
Commuting with 8 bars is way more convenient than 3.5. Having the right pressure is much underrated. On my way to work i roll by lots of other struggling commuters without even pedaling, looking at their poor almost flat tires.
Bike pump is one of those items where you will be happy you invested a few extra bucks, a good one lasts a lifetime and you will enjoy it every time you use it, instead of being frustrated to have something that is just barely good enough. I used to have a bad one and it was so frustrating i only pulled it out once the tires were desperately flat, got a good one and now i regularly pump up my tires because it's so effortless.
You can save further by patching air chambers with other air chambers, or better yet fit a ring of old air chamber between you tire and the air chamber, creating a thicker wall that it's harder to penetrate by debris, glass, nails, etc.
You can get your tires pumped for free at most bike shops, gas stations, public bike repair stations.
Use your saved up 50€ for beers or better yet give it to someone else so she can buy a bike!
Inner tubes are like $1.50-$2 and with some commuter-friendly tough tires like Schwalbe Marathons or Conti Gator-skins you probably avoid most punctures to begin with. I would not recommend shoving a second inner tube in your tire, that will probably not seat well and may adversely affect handling.
Real tube patchkits are also very inexpensive, there's no reason to bodge something together with old tubes.
Nah; I buy them shipped internationally for that price. (This doesn't help on the environmentalism angle, but IMO the impact here is pretty low, especially if it offsets car miles.)
Please let me know where you get such amazing prices, because with wiggle you have at least 8$ plus in shipping within the UK (where they are located). I can only imagine outside EU.
I also believe you are wrong if you think that sourcing internationally is anywhere within the "low impact" range.
Wiggle delivers free to the US on orders over $60 USD; I throw tubes in with other orders when my supply on hand is below, say, a half dozen. If don't know about their policies to the UK or EU markets.
Even with $8 in shipping, if you buy 8 tubes that only adds $1/tube. Usually still well below shop prices, which can be as high as $7-8/tube (although less obviously so at $2.80 than their former price of $1.50).
> I also believe you are wrong if you think that sourcing internationally is anywhere within the "low impact" range.
I guess we have different ideas of what that vague term means, and that's fine! For what it's worth, the entire bike part ecosystem is international. The vast majority of bike frames are made in China and Taiwan; Shimano's parts are made in China, Malaysia, and Singapore; and very few brands (Look; I don't know of any others) make frames in North Africa, which is relatively local to the EU but not the US market.
Inner tubes are also made in Taiwan/China. Unless you live in Taiwan, there is international sourcing going on somewhere in the supply chain.
And that’s largely sufficient. Having a bike doesn’t cost a lot per year: according to the FNAUT (Fédération des associations des usagers de transport), on average, bikers spend ~€0.21/km. An air chamber costs €5; an air pump (one-time purchase) is €10.