Bicycle or Motorbike for the Rural Round? The Daily Distance at Which the Faster Machine Starts Paying
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Whether a rural postman should ride a bicycle or a motorbike is usually argued from purchase price, but the honest comparison is annual: the motorbike carries a fixed annual penalty of USD 370.0 in depreciation, maintenance and insurance, and repays it only through the rider's time, valued here at USD 1.50 per hour, saved by travelling at 28 rather than 12 km/h. The repayment is complete at a crossover round distance of 31.4 km per day. At 20 km per day the bicycle still wins, costing USD 758.33 a year against USD 892.19 — a difference of USD 133.86; by 40 km per day the motorbike is already ahead, and at 80 km per day it is ahead by USD 574.57. Below the crossover the motorbike's speed is being bought and not used; above it the bicycle is spending the rider's hours to save the machine's cost. SIMULATED, NOT MEASURED.
Author: Aldred, William Alexander
Language: English
Subfield: Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225734043
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