The cost of cycling is sometimes held up as prohibitive and, according to a new survey, that isn't entirely without reason. Among a selection of 22 sports, cycling came out as the most expensive to participate in – based on equipment cost alone.
Conducted by UK betting site Betway, the survey put the cost of cycling at £2,302 ($3,118). That was almost £600 ($812) more than the second-most expensive sport of ice hockey – or simply hockey if you're Stateside. Using Betway's protocols, the cost of cycling would have enabled 46 people to take up the cheapest sport on the list – swimming which, in the survey's view, cost just £50 ($68) to dip a toe into.
The survey also lists the number of items required for each sport: cycling requires five, it says, with what it calls a "proper road-safety bike" taking up the vast majority of that at £2,097 ($2,841).
We'd dispute that you need to spend so much on a bike, at least at the outset. There are more affordable models available, not to mention a flourishing used market: check the latest issue of Cycling Weekly magazine, out tomorrow, which explores the idea of making our sport more accessible.
Others among the most expensive sports on the list included skiing and golf (the cost of both which would likely have propelled them to the top once club and / or travel fees were included). American football, or just 'football', depending on where you are, was also up there at fifth most costly, with estimated start-up fees of £823 ($1,115). Its namesake football (soccer) could be found much lower down in 17th place, with costs of £115 ($155).
Mid-table entries include running (£253 / $342), basketball (£236 / $320) and darts, with a head-scratchingly weighty cost of £198 ($268).
Betway says it conducted the survey by compiling a list of items it deemed essential to participate in each sport, and then collected prices using Google Shopping.
The survey is clearly not exhaustive: it doesn't encompass every sport and certainly not all fees. The equipment, after all, is only factor and, as with the case of skiing and golf, the club memberships or the cost of travel involved in participating can be high. There are other sports to consider too. The costs of motorsports or sailing, for example, are also high - but they're not on this list.
