The cost of fuel and Retrobike rides...

Being a truck driver time & distance doesn't bother me at all any more (I've done about 4000miles in the last fortnight), but I look at all journey's as a cost these days and it is putting me off the further Nationals this year.

But like folks have said, drive steady (I get TWICE the mileage at 60mph that I get at 75! :shock, squeeze others in the car and just bite it (if you can) because the riding, the bikes and the people of RB are always well worth it!

Just to clarify I certainly am not questioning if retrobike rides are worth the fuel and travelling, This is something I was thinking and chuckling about on the way home last weekend . 450 miles trip on my own staying in a dodgy B&B meeting like minded for a 18 mile bike ride ...Ha,ha we are bonkers !! Love it

daj":278q5x4v said:

Just to clarify I certainly am not questioning if retrobike rides are worth the fuel and travelling, This is something I was thinking and chuckling about on the way home last weekend . 450 miles trip on my own staying in a dodgy B&B meeting like minded for a 18 mile bike ride ...Ha,ha we are bonkers !! Love it

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not my fault you got no friends

Driving is undeniably expensive, but it should be pointed out that you don't have to attend all the National Series rides to get a good Retrobike ride.
The idea behind the series was to get some great rides spaced out across the country.
Look, here is a map to illustrate my point:



Now we don't want to be accused of encouraging lengthy and expensive car journeys just for the sake of a few rides. But by having rides all across the UK increases the chances of a ride being within striking distance for lots of people. It's entirely down to the individual as to whether they can justify the time and cost of making potentially very long journeys.
Car sharing is definitely to be encouraged though.

Along with the National Series, we also have a thriving regional riding set up, with Area Event Coordinators (AECs) and Deputies organising rides throughout the year and throughout their local areas.

So if you haven't been on a Retrobike ride yet, and you can't make any of the Nationals then make your way over to your regional sub forum to see what's happening near to you.


You could also get a Smart ForTwo with a bike rack and keep below 65mph all the way...

the petrol price issue is an issue, i agree......i just feel that the effort will create a memory that will last long after the petrol reciept is filed!....

legrandefromage":1pypov1n said:

Its getting tough out there! The recent Coniston trip cost us £100 in diesel alone, let alone the coffee and cake.

Lets hope things sort themselves out and theres no more rumours of exploding pipelines.

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Its not having a dig at anything or anyone, just that its not as cheap and cheerful as it used to be!

Morison's diesel was £1.39 in Leigh this morning whereas just down the road on the M6 it was an eyewatering £1.52! It makes one hell of a difference when the income doesnt quite match the spiraling outgoings.

Its just as bad for us that use public transport, train fares are getting ridiculous even if you book months in advance. It almost feels as if our small country has got a lot bigger as you now think twice about travelling distance.

Mind you it does make the meets you do get to seem even more special

clownfish":1aniebda said:

markoc":1aniebda said:

Petrol prices have increased by around 12% over the last 3 years, diesel about 5%. This is (tops) a tenner on a full tank. I don't see how this is a big deal for people spending reasonable sums on top end retro rides and having stables of decent bikes. I'll get flamed for posting this, but i just don't get it.

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I'm interested in the source for those figures.

The BBC says unleaded is now at 137p/litre, on average. In March 2009 it was 91p, according to http://www.petrolprices.com/the-price-of-fuel.html, which is a 50% rise or thereabouts. Of course there are some wild variations in the meantime.

:?

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Source is www.theaa.com - and their benchmarking data which is published monthly. They also have an archive back a long way.

Prices hit a peak in around July 2008 and then tanked a long way down to start rising again around Q4 2009. They've only hit peak prices (petrol) again in the last 8/9 months.

I'm not arguing it hasn't increased. It clearly has. My point is that an extra £5 or £10 on a tank of petrol can be offset by making choices elsewhere in terms of the use of disposable cash.

Been a non driver I haven't been too affected by this but my ambition to pay off the mortgage this year [Yeah right!] has led to me taking my motorbike off the road to save money. When I started riding I always thought that high insurance would be a limiting factor, I never imagined a time when insurance would be cheap but paying for petrol would be more eye-watering than drinking petrol! I knew things were getting really bad when our local pump attendent said to me that he never thought he'd see the day when it cost £20 to fill a bike.
Ten years ago you'd never hear lads say "I fancy one of those X TDi's next, so and so's got one and the fuel needle hardly moves", I don't think this is to do with growing older I just think it's to do with peoples' wallets been taxed until the pips squeak.

velomaniac":2pun92qu said:

Its just as bad for us that use public transport, train fares are getting ridiculous even if you book months in advance. It almost feels as if our small country has got a lot bigger as you now think twice about travelling distance.

Mind you it does make the meets you do get to seem even more special

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Velomaniac
Haven't found trains getting more expensive round my way but I have noticed that they've stopped heating all of the carriages, maybe a fuel saving thing?

Source is www.theaa.com ... {snip} ... I'm not arguing it hasn't increased. It clearly has. My point is that an extra £5 or £10 on a tank of petrol can be offset by making choices elsewhere in terms of the use of disposable cash.

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not arguing either, just querying your maths
(the AA seem to agree with the figures I quoted...)

http://www.theaa.com/onlinenews/allaboutcars/fuel/2009/march2009.pdf