Don’t Drive Lets Ride! ZiZZO Saving Money at the Pumps

Have you had it yet? Are you starting to find yourself budgeting harder than you ever have because of gas prices and inflation? It is out of our control; but there are choices to be made that could benefit you financially and mentally if you are willing to just try.  

Yes, I’m talking about riding your ZiZZO instead of driving.  

RIDING OVER DRIVING 

Let’s get straight to the facts.  

According to one study, in 2020 the average person drove 15,000 miles a year which cost about $10,000 with gas, fees, maintenance, etc. If you compare that with having a ZiZZO you may be looking at $200-300 a year for new tires/tubes/upgrades or a tune up at your bike shop. If you know some basics on bike maintenance or use YouTube you might not even have to go to the shop and save even more money. Since you're using human power no need to worry about getting gouged at the pump.  

Riding to work is the ultimate money saver but maybe it’s just not possible. Studies find that most automobile trips are 5 miles or less in each driver's town. Those trips could almost always be done on a bike. You don’t have to go crazy and replace all your driving, just try it when you can and then add a little more at a time.  

You can drive part way to a better parking spot and avoid expensive downtown parking. With a ZiZZO you could combine that bus ride or some form of public transportation by folding up and getting where you want to go. Once you arrive it takes less than a minute to set up and you are on your way.  

SAVE $$$ AND ADD HAPPINESS 
Not only are you saving money you will have a great time! Riding a ZiZZO is just plain fun! Who doesn’t like feeling like a kid again? With its quick and snappy responsiveness that frown from driving instantly becomes a smile riding. That is where the bicycle is a magical machine of nostalgia. ZiZZO hits all the notes for fun factor but it is also is just as efficient as a traditional big bike at half the cost. Cha-ching! That’s even more savings! Not only will riding a ZiZZO combat having an empty bank account by saving money on gas, it will increase your mental health as well. You will see your mood elevation go up quicker than the inflation rate.  

E-BIKES ARE OK 
If you have some physical limitations of course a pedal assisted bike or E-Bike can help you get going again. Don’t listen to the noise out there about “It’s cheating”. We will go into that another time. If it gets you back on the bike just do it. The more bikes on the road means fewer drivers. The drivers that are on the road will get used to cyclists and it can become a safer situation.   

BEAU’S STORY If you follow our blogs, you may remember we covered “Ride to Work Day” a month or so ago. It started as just an experiment but it has turned into a habit now for me personally. I live 35 miles away from our ZiZZO offices in Union City, Ca. and have combined a monthly train ticket pass with using my own pedal power to get to work. If I drive it works out currently to be about $20 a day in gas. My pass makes it $8.00 a day. The train picks me up at 7:30am about 2 miles from my home and I get off the train with 8 miles to ride and get to work 10 minutes to spare. If I drive, I get to leave about 20 minutes later than if I took the train but now pay over twice as much, get stressed from being in traffic, and miss out on some good cardio while riding my ZiZZO along a nice bike path near the creek.  

Because of this change my mood is better and now I have more money in my pocket with less wear and tear on my car. Come winter there will be adjustments but I’m hoping that all the money I save will help with a nice trip come summer 2023.  

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE! It’s never too late to make that change or at least give it a try here and there. Happy pedaling!