Will gas prices impact your mountain biking?

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sspomer
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Boise, ID US
Edited Date/Time 7/10/2022 9:20am
figured it's a topical question considering many of us have to drive to the trails and/or drive far to go somewhere special. maybe gas prices already are impacting your rides or trips to ride?

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Gas Prices Will Have An Impact on My Mountain Biking

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6/16/2022 1:04pm
It’s certainly going to impact travel planning as I am already questioning the value of driving to the world up in July. Granted it’s not that far, only about 7 hours from Asheville to Snowshoe, but my broke college student ass cringes every time I have to fill up my taco’s seemingly bottomless fuel tank.
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TEAMROBOT
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Los Angeles, CA US
6/16/2022 1:17pm Edited Date/Time 6/16/2022 1:18pm
Very lucky to have riding nearby and a Prius with a bike rack, so gas prices don't affect this decision for me. If I still lived in Portland and drove a V8 Ford van, I might feel differently. When I was in Portland, other than our quirky little illegal spot at Riverview, mountain bike rides were a minimum of 75 minutes away.

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Falcon
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Menifee, CA US
6/16/2022 1:30pm
This same question was raised in VitalMX. I said "no" at the time, but that's because I ride MX maybe once a month, and the fuel is only a small part of the expense. To ride MTB at my local trails is really only about 10 miles away, but to do it every weekend.... well, it's worth looking at. That's 10x2x4 miles per month.... 80 miles, or about three gallons. $18. Not enough to quit driving to the trails, but if I had to drive farther, it would be an issue.
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mntnmrtn
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NA, BC CA
6/16/2022 4:14pm
Unfortunately, it sure does. The closest trail network is 25 mins from where I live and it's 22$cdn/ride. The spot where I preferred riding is 80-90mins away and the same price to go riding. Last year I went twice a week sometimes, this year it will probably be once a month. 40$ gas + 22-25$ for a day ride has gotten too expensive for my income. I've been riding for 26 years and it's sad to realize that only the wealthiest will be able to afford to go riding while I won't.
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boozed
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AU
6/16/2022 4:34pm Edited Date/Time 6/16/2022 6:53pm
The price of natural gas is skyrocketing here but I don't see how that's going to affect my mountain biking...

Yeah, I know, I know, sorry.
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6/16/2022 5:16pm
TEAMROBOT wrote:
Very lucky to have riding nearby and a Prius with a bike rack, so gas prices don't affect this decision for me. If I still lived...
Very lucky to have riding nearby and a Prius with a bike rack, so gas prices don't affect this decision for me. If I still lived in Portland and drove a V8 Ford van, I might feel differently. When I was in Portland, other than our quirky little illegal spot at Riverview, mountain bike rides were a minimum of 75 minutes away.

Was just about to say now I’m in se pa I have a few good riding spots within a 20 mile radius and one that’s a legitimate 5 minute pedal from my home. But if I still lived in Portland it would be a problem.
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big b
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harrisburg, PA US
6/16/2022 6:32pm
I have a trip planned from Pa to Colorado and then Moab. Its been about 9 years since I've done the Whole Enchilada. I don't care if gas is $10 a gallon. I'm going!!
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t-rick
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San Diego, CA US
6/16/2022 8:31pm
big b wrote:
I have a trip planned from Pa to Colorado and then Moab. Its been about 9 years since I've done the Whole Enchilada. I don't care...
I have a trip planned from Pa to Colorado and then Moab. Its been about 9 years since I've done the Whole Enchilada. I don't care if gas is $10 a gallon. I'm going!!
Enjoy! I was just in Moab 2 weeks ago for the first time. Burro Pass was closed, but still had a great ride on the Enchilada Trail starting at top of Hazard County!
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metadave
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CA
6/16/2022 8:57pm Edited Date/Time 6/16/2022 9:20pm
ti does a bit for sure, in Calgary its currenlty on the low side of canadian gas prices at 1.91/L (7.23/g i think for the US peeps) so between my wifes 3.6L Jeep and my Pathfinder and Frontier's 4.0L engine's so our shits thuuuuuusty, but with Golden, Fernie and Panorama 3h away, its really only affecting anything past Kamloops (aka Squamish and Whistler) so yes a bit, but nothing major.

I'll add, that the best trails near by are 45 mins away at moose mountain, so 2x50km plus shuttle gas for a few of the laps, its a quarter tank in the truck, so about 30$. TBH, if you look it up, moose is basically a user supported back country bike park/shuttle hill complete with $90k machine build jump trail, so its worth it, but it still hurts a bit....

Not me:

Flight66
https://www.trailforks.com/video/61792/

T-Dub
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkYKavrSvtc&ab_channel=Top2BottomMTB
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parnifel
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CH
6/16/2022 10:52pm
I think prices in general will be affecting us all..here in Europe (I live in Switzerland)...due to the war in Ukraine, COVID and other circumstances, things have gotten pretty expensive.
The usual weekend getaways, for example Finale Ligure is a 4 hour drive and the gas, shuttle prices have literally sky rocketed - around a 20%-30% increase which makes things even expensive for us against the euro. Luckily we have enough trails around where I stay but who doesn't like Italy right?
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Oz_Taylor
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SE
6/17/2022 12:06am
big b wrote:
I have a trip planned from Pa to Colorado and then Moab. Its been about 9 years since I've done the Whole Enchilada. I don't care...
I have a trip planned from Pa to Colorado and then Moab. Its been about 9 years since I've done the Whole Enchilada. I don't care if gas is $10 a gallon. I'm going!!
Here in Sweden it's $9 a gallon for petrol and $10 a gallon for diesel.

The worst part is that 65% of that is tax. Crazy.
Eoin
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FR
6/17/2022 12:18am Edited Date/Time 6/17/2022 12:20am
Indirectly and long term it will affect things:

I already ride an ebike, which allows me to access 3 different loops without taking my car in a reasonable amount of time, i'd say even before high gase price I reduced my car usage by 50% for mtb rides.

Last week I rented an electric van, I was really worried about the range, but it turns out you can easily do 2hours of mountain roads out and back on a 75KWh battery in a heavy van loaded with gear. I definitely see myself getting an electric van/minivan in the next year which would affect my riding from the point of view that I would be restricted to a closer area than my current diesel minivan. That being said I very rarely drive more than 1.5hrs to a trail (I live in the Alps...)
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Alexptdmg
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Mesa, AZ US
6/17/2022 4:34am Edited Date/Time 6/17/2022 4:35am
big b wrote:
I have a trip planned from Pa to Colorado and then Moab. Its been about 9 years since I've done the Whole Enchilada. I don't care...
I have a trip planned from Pa to Colorado and then Moab. Its been about 9 years since I've done the Whole Enchilada. I don't care if gas is $10 a gallon. I'm going!!
t-rick wrote:
Enjoy! I was just in Moab 2 weeks ago for the first time. Burro Pass was closed, but still had a great ride on the Enchilada...
Enjoy! I was just in Moab 2 weeks ago for the first time. Burro Pass was closed, but still had a great ride on the Enchilada Trail starting at top of Hazard County!
For future plans, Burro pass always open to commercial shuttle after July 4th. It s a permit thing. There is only so many people that can be officially dropped off up there, and sometimes it shuts down early for the same reason, but usually because of snow! 9 years! That s gonna look different! Enjoy.
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puddings
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GB
6/17/2022 4:47am
UK rider - Local spots (within hours drive) not expecting it to impact my riding too much but longer road trips to Wales, Lake District and Scotland will be reduced - go from 1 or 2 a month down to not planning to due any trips during June, July or August.
As well as the fuel cost this is also because post lockdown, UK hotel and campsite prices are significantly higher with less availability, in part driven by the cost of running the places increasing but also because a lot more people having home vactations - will save my cash for some autumn trips
jeff.brines
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Grand Junction, CO US
6/17/2022 4:53am
Just took delivery of a Tesla (that I financed) just so I could ignore this (douchebag alert!!!).

I know, financing a depreciating asset sounds like poor math but gas in my truck + ICE cost to maintain is a lot more than financing cost + taxes on a new car + depreciation factor. Electricity in Idaho is almost free, so that's nice too. (for those paying attention, the right call would be "Brines, just go buy a prius or even an outback...your math only works at 17mpg)

What gas prices is impacting is my willingness to load up the old diesel truck/camp+trailer and drive any kind of distance, or even bring that rig anywhere at all. Crazy to think, but at 10MPG over 1000 miles of driving I'm spending $500+. That literally will get me a hotel room for a few nights and I drive the car.

Semi related, parts are killing me as I'm starting to see increases and gone are my days of discounts/hookups/working for a shop/being a very hypocritical influencers etc. I raced XC yesterday and the tab of broken parts (fork damp + tires) was just under $500. Ouch.
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Alexptdmg
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Mesa, AZ US
6/17/2022 5:01am
Just took delivery of a Tesla (that I financed) just so I could ignore this (douchebag alert!!!). I know, financing a depreciating asset sounds like poor...
Just took delivery of a Tesla (that I financed) just so I could ignore this (douchebag alert!!!).

I know, financing a depreciating asset sounds like poor math but gas in my truck + ICE cost to maintain is a lot more than financing cost + taxes on a new car + depreciation factor. Electricity in Idaho is almost free, so that's nice too. (for those paying attention, the right call would be "Brines, just go buy a prius or even an outback...your math only works at 17mpg)

What gas prices is impacting is my willingness to load up the old diesel truck/camp+trailer and drive any kind of distance, or even bring that rig anywhere at all. Crazy to think, but at 10MPG over 1000 miles of driving I'm spending $500+. That literally will get me a hotel room for a few nights and I drive the car.

Semi related, parts are killing me as I'm starting to see increases and gone are my days of discounts/hookups/working for a shop/being a very hypocritical influencers etc. I raced XC yesterday and the tab of broken parts (fork damp + tires) was just under $500. Ouch.
Man you can buy a lot of gas before financing that car! Specially if you own your truck out right.
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derelict
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Northern of, VA US
6/17/2022 5:24am
VW wagon with a rack. Getting around 30- 32 mpg highway. It will not impact me too much. I might make more around the neighborhood road bike rides but that is probably more laziness and not wanting to load up than influenced by the costs of anything.
derelict
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Northern of, VA US
6/17/2022 5:26am
Just took delivery of a Tesla (that I financed) just so I could ignore this (douchebag alert!!!). I know, financing a depreciating asset sounds like poor...
Just took delivery of a Tesla (that I financed) just so I could ignore this (douchebag alert!!!).

I know, financing a depreciating asset sounds like poor math but gas in my truck + ICE cost to maintain is a lot more than financing cost + taxes on a new car + depreciation factor. Electricity in Idaho is almost free, so that's nice too. (for those paying attention, the right call would be "Brines, just go buy a prius or even an outback...your math only works at 17mpg)

What gas prices is impacting is my willingness to load up the old diesel truck/camp+trailer and drive any kind of distance, or even bring that rig anywhere at all. Crazy to think, but at 10MPG over 1000 miles of driving I'm spending $500+. That literally will get me a hotel room for a few nights and I drive the car.

Semi related, parts are killing me as I'm starting to see increases and gone are my days of discounts/hookups/working for a shop/being a very hypocritical influencers etc. I raced XC yesterday and the tab of broken parts (fork damp + tires) was just under $500. Ouch.
Alexptdmg wrote:
Man you can buy a lot of gas before financing that car! Specially if you own your truck out right.
Yeah, that math does not check out. >$40k plus interest rates? It will be YEARS before you come out ahead on just sticking with your ICE vehicle that you already own.
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jeff.brines
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Grand Junction, CO US
6/17/2022 6:59am Edited Date/Time 6/17/2022 7:06am
Just took delivery of a Tesla (that I financed) just so I could ignore this (douchebag alert!!!). I know, financing a depreciating asset sounds like poor...
Just took delivery of a Tesla (that I financed) just so I could ignore this (douchebag alert!!!).

I know, financing a depreciating asset sounds like poor math but gas in my truck + ICE cost to maintain is a lot more than financing cost + taxes on a new car + depreciation factor. Electricity in Idaho is almost free, so that's nice too. (for those paying attention, the right call would be "Brines, just go buy a prius or even an outback...your math only works at 17mpg)

What gas prices is impacting is my willingness to load up the old diesel truck/camp+trailer and drive any kind of distance, or even bring that rig anywhere at all. Crazy to think, but at 10MPG over 1000 miles of driving I'm spending $500+. That literally will get me a hotel room for a few nights and I drive the car.

Semi related, parts are killing me as I'm starting to see increases and gone are my days of discounts/hookups/working for a shop/being a very hypocritical influencers etc. I raced XC yesterday and the tab of broken parts (fork damp + tires) was just under $500. Ouch.
Alexptdmg wrote:
Man you can buy a lot of gas before financing that car! Specially if you own your truck out right.
derelict wrote:
Yeah, that math does not check out. >$40k plus interest rates? It will be YEARS before you come out ahead on just sticking with your ICE...
Yeah, that math does not check out. >$40k plus interest rates? It will be YEARS before you come out ahead on just sticking with your ICE vehicle that you already own.
Wow, thanks to the failings of higher ed I have to derail this to show some very (very) simple math.

Truck I owned - sold for $21K (owned outright)
Tesla: $71K (all in)
Down payment on tesla: $21K
Amount Financed: $50K
Rate on loan: 3%
Term 60 months
Cumulative interest year 1: $1400
Interest per month: $117
Total Interest on the loan: $3,908

Gas I was paying per month in truck: ~$400
Oil/Other fluid Stipend (for ICE) per month: $50
At current rates how much gas/oil would I burn over 60 months: $27,000'
Amount it costs to run the Tesla the same number of miles per month (roughly $35)


As you will see, $450 is more than $152; $27,000 is a lot more than $6,400

The smart people would go "wait, what about depreciation differences" or "just go buy a subaru and run the same math". This is the real argument as to why to not buy the tesla. F-150 w 150K @ $5+ a gallon vs Tesla however...its not even close
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kcy4130
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MT US
6/17/2022 7:38am
Jeff.... did a tesla salesman help you with these calculations?
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jeff.brines
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6/17/2022 7:44am
kcy4130 wrote:
Jeff.... did a tesla salesman help you with these calculations?
Ha. I don't even know if they have sales people? But yeah, you are totally right, I got swindled. Math is just like...my opinion man.
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matmattmatthew
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Fresh Prince of Bel Air, MD US
6/17/2022 7:47am Edited Date/Time 6/17/2022 7:48am
While I wish I could buy an EV, I'm a custom home builder and use my Full Size truck (tundra) on a daily basis. The only current full size EV Truck is the Ford Lightning and they have a 3 year wait list. So I'm stuck with my gas guzzler for the foreseeable future.

As far as how it's impacted my riding, I'm lucky that my local trail system is only 2.5 miles away. Even before gas shot up I tried to make at least 50% of my rides from my house, that amount will probably increase now. My big decision will be whether or not to make my annual fall trip to Pisgah for 5-6 days of riding. The last 2 years I used about 3 tanks of gas in the Tundra, 1 to get down there, 1 while I'm there and 1 to get home roughly 100 gallons total. With that cost being about $500 this year I'm going to have a tough decision.

The last few years I also did a summer trip to Kingdom trails, I've already nixed that trip.


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kcy4130
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MT US
6/17/2022 7:58am
Jeff... uh... what's the payment on that 50k loan? Is it perhaps $898.43 a month for 5 years... Not saving money for a while.
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jeff.brines
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Grand Junction, CO US
6/17/2022 8:12am Edited Date/Time 6/17/2022 8:25am
kcy4130 wrote:
Jeff... uh... what's the payment on that 50k loan? Is it perhaps $898.43 a month for 5 years... Not saving money for a while.
Hahaha. Guessing you weren’t a finance major? In order to calculate “savings” you need to be able to parse “principal” from “interest” then factor in a depreciation coefficient. After all, this money is reflected in the underlying value of the asset itself (as opposed to burned like gas, oil or interest.)

The real guess to the equation as to “does this make sense” is what rate will the EV depreciate at. Given the hyper inflationary backdrop, price of gas, supply constraints of raw materials with respect to EVs and current pricing in the used marketplace for an EV that answer is “very little”. Will that hold true? Not sure. Lots of factors.

Honestly man, I’m trying to be kind but your dunning Kruger “standing atop mount ignorance” is hard to converse with…




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Edthorne
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CA
6/17/2022 8:46am
I drive a small but surprisingly inefficient Suzuki, and gas prices are definitely changing some of my plans. Normally I'd drive to Bromont a few times per season to ride a bigger bike park/trail network than what I have at home, but this year I'll primarily be riding my local hill that runs the lift part time, which is about a 15-20 min drive.
kcy4130
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MT US
6/17/2022 8:51am
Relax, I was just calling you out cause you math seemed to imply that you'd be immediately reducing how much you pay a month on transport. It will be interesting to see how evs of today do in the longevity/depreciation department. Should be a lot better than evs from 15 to 20 years ago, but how much better...?
MatadorCE
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Melbourne, FL US
6/17/2022 9:24am
Yeah. An hour drive each way to the trail after I just put in $70-80 to fill up my Tacoma makes me think twice if I really want to go to that specific trail or just stick to the local spots even though I'm bored of them.

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