You can rent a car for less than that! And in many cases, much less than that. My last car rental was something like $30 a day.

A bike, even the fanciest one you can think of, costs far less than even the most basic car, so it’s not the upfront cost that makes a bike rental expensive.

Is it insurance? The driver/rider usually covers that, so that shouldn’t be part of the fee.

Liability insurance? Is a bike rider more likely to be injured than the driver of an automobile? I wouldn’t think so. And again, the customer’s insurance should pick up most costs there.

Maintenance? Motor vehicles often require more expensive maintenance — oil changes, tune-ups, tire rotations, etc. — than bikes do.

Is it solely a matter of volume? More people renting cars than renting bikes, so the costs of purchase, maintenance, and administration are amortized over a larger number of transactions? Perhaps, but I’d think that the lower costs of buying and maintaining a bike would more than offset that.

So why are bike rentals so darned expensive? I don’t get it. Do you know?

Image courtesy the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center.

The Frugal Cyclist will help you save money by bicycling, and save money on bicycling.

Bicycling saves you money in a number of ways:

• Transportation: Riding a bicycle is — short of walking — one of the least expensive forms of transportation there is, particularly compared to a personal automobile
• Health: Bicycling can make a big difference in your health, helping to keep your weight down, improving your fitness, and prolonging your life.
• Time: In many situations, riding your bike to work or for errands may actually be faster than driving a car. And if you count the time you’ll save by not having to go the the gym to get your workout, the savings can really start to add up!

But while bicycling itself is quite frugal, some of the necessary gear is not so cheap. The Frugal Cyclist will help you save money by:

• Helping you select the right bike: The cheapest bike is not necessarily the least expensive choice, nor is the most expensive bike always the best. We’ll help you sort this out.
• Helping you find the right gear: Like the bike itself, finding the lowest-priced gear is more complicated than just finding the lowest price. You’ll also need to consider quality, capabilities, weight, durability, and many more factors.
• Do it yourself (DIY): Once of the great things about cycling is that many aspects are just not that complicated, and you can save a great deal of money — and get exactly what you need — by building things yourself.

These are just a few of the themes we’ll be exploring at The Frugal Cyclist. So stay tuned!