[bikezen]

The mechanics may be paid the same, but the maintenance efforts are exponentially different, thus also exponentially reducing the costs. You need to remove zero parts to do just about all forms of maintenance on a bike, truing a wheel is probably the most effort part and thats still less time than a typical oil change.

[abyssin]

Not sure about the exponential part. Sure the maintenance is different, but with a bicycle it has to happen more often, and the parts aren’t as cheap as one might expect. It’s cheaper, but it has to be balanced with the limited utility of the bicycle.

[Doxin]

> but with a bicycle it has to happen more often

This depends heavily on the bicycle. If you get a bicycle with hub gears and coaster brakes you'll likely be riding it until the chain literally breaks in half. If on the other hand you get a bicycle with a derailleur you'll be fiddling with it every quarter if you want to keep it operating nicely.

I got a new bicycle two years ago. It hasn't had any maintenance other than inflating the tires and replacing the bell because nincompoops keep pulling the hammer off when it's parked. Still rides like new.