beardy wrote:Ah, different accounting styles. I take the sum of my outlay and divide it by the number of miles cycled so far. So my newest bike is "costing me" 10p per mile just for the frame and forks at the moment.
Yes, that's roughly what mine has cost using your accounting method. But to work it out like that for this trip, why stop at the bike? It would only be fair to include the panniers, tent, cooking gear, clothes as well as all the food that had got me to my current weight, a large portion of which I will burn off as I cycle. I thought I'd keep it simple and just add up what was spent on the road.
beardy wrote:Is it "allowed" to exchange services for food? I have had opportunities on my travels to get a meal and board in return for some small job. This was once common practice in NZ.
I hadn't considered that, mostly because in 40,000 km of touring that situation has never presented itself. But no, it's not allowed because then what would differentiate the ride from working a normal 9 to 5? The only trade that is allowed is bartering in the highly unlikely event that we catch more fish than we need.