Who's got a long commute?

[GLC1968]

How long is it and how often do you do it?

We just put an offer in on a house that is a bit further away than we had originally planned. If I'm willing to climb the ridge between the house and my job, it'd would be a 16 mile commute with about 1500 to 2000 ft of climbing. If I go around the ridge, it's 19.5 fairly flat miles with only about 5 of those in town/city.

Is that too long to expect to do it every day (once I get conditioned to it)??

[Blueberry]

I drive - but mine is 70 miles round trip:eek:

One of the LBS guys lives in Raleigh and works in Durham. His commute is 21 miles, and he does it fairly regularly (i.e. most days).

CA

[Grog]

Hmm, I don't really think so, although you might want to give yourself some slack in the winter.

I am going for a 12-15 km commute. Much shorter than yours, but quite hilly. I go as slow as I can to avoid breaking a sweat. :)

[Crankin]

My commute is just under 15 miles one way. Not any real hills on the way there, until I am less than half a mile from the school. On the way home I have 2 hills, one being my street, which is a major climb (10-15%). I am thinking of taking another, longer route on the way home that would eliminate the hill before the one on my street, which would make the way home about 17.3 miles.
I do the commute in anywhere from 57 minutes to one hour 3 minutes. I don't try to go fast, especially in the AM. If i go slowly and eat before and after I ride in, it's fine. The ride home never bothers me; I'm going home!

[Geonz]

WHat would be the fallout of being late to work?

My commute's a paltry 7 miles ... but the fact is that if, say, my shoe gets eaten up by my front wheel and I have to stop and make it regurgitate it, I can call in and it's completely no big deal.

How much time does it take? I know lots of people have 1-2 hour commutes in their cars. I know a 20 mile ride is somethign I could do pretty much any old time...
... but unless it's a really really good deal I'd look for a house closer in, honestly.

[GLC1968]

We are definitely not going to find much closer in...we are asking for a lot here (acreage, our price range, etc), so distance is expected.

That said, yes, I could be late. In fact, it rarely matters when I have to be here and if I had an early morning meeting that was important, I suppose I could just drive that day. I would think that either going over the ridge or going around would take about the same amount of time. I'm guessing 1.5 hours? I used to average about 15 mph on my old commute (which was 14 miles and about as hilly as the 19.5 mile route I'm talking about).

If the offer is accepted, DH and I are going to do the ride this weekend just to see. Oh, another benefit is that we'll be riding it together. :) His job is about 2 miles further down the road than mine.

I have showers at work, he does not. I'm not sure how that will figure into the equation!

[GLC1968]

Ugh - I just found out from another rider that the 'ridge' I'm talking about is one of the (if not THE) steepest climbs in the Portland area. Lovely. :eek:

[Blueberry]

Good hill training! Would your company let him stop off and shower? He should be able to go an additional 2 miles without getting sweaty. You could get a tandem:D

[F8th637]

My commute by bike is a bit longer than 15 miles in one direction mostly along a rail trail. I typically only ride only in one direction and have been averaging about 1 to 2 times a week.

[mimitabby]

you're not talking about GErmantown road are you?
except for that ridge i think 15 miles each way is not bad at all. you could figure on less than 90 minute each way.


i am curious about what hill it is though

[GLC1968]

Yeah, 15 or 16 miles would be fine - but that ridge makes it take much longer (and obviously makes it harder)!

It's Laurelwood Road heading over Bald Peak from the south. I just checked and it's about 900 feet of elevation change in 1 mile. Ick. Coming the other direction, it's 900 feet in about 3 miles - so much more manageable!

Edited to add:
OMG - I did the calculation. 900 ft over 1 mile is an average of a 17% grade!!! No wonder my car was struggling. I think we'll be taking the long way around most of the time. :eek:

[Tri Girl]

Well... my commute is 26 miles each way (a total of 52 a day). It's doable, but it's a long time to ride daily. It takes about 4-4.5 hours a day to ride.
If your commute is longer than you'd like- maybe you could just do it a couple times a week. Try it once or twice and see if it's doable and practical.

I think if you have the time, and CAN do it, then for sure do it. Plus, it's really cool that DH would be doing it with you. And THE steepest climb? Yikes! :eek: I bow down to you. ;)

[HillSlugger]

Can you drive part and bike part?

Some people will drive to work with the bike on a rack and then bike home. The following day they bike back to work and drive home. Perhaps that's an option?

[mupedalpusher]

My commute is 9 miles but during the school year it's tough to get my daughter on the bus and make it to work in decent time. I'm fortunate that I don't punch a clock so as long as I arrive between 8:00-8:30 I'm fine. In order to still ride, I do a partial commute. I drive the worst part of my route (near my house) and park my van in a safe place then ride the remaining 5 miles. It cuts my commute in half, gets me to work on time and I don't have to leave early in order to pick my daughter up on time. I still get exercise and I cut my gas use in half, it's a win-win.
Maybe you could do the same, on days you just can't take the time to do the full commute, drive the huge hill and park half way to work and ride the rest.

[shootingstar]

Do consider part bike commute at least for 1-2 days per wk. and maybe other weekdays, do the full...if you have time. Maybe you can treat yourself to a nice large lunch. :D

I do a total of 15 kms., for part of a 40 kms. 1-way work commute. Part it involved cycling to commuter train, then half-way I park bike at a bike locker, then commuter train, then transfer to bus..then walk 15 min. Yea, the segment involving cycling which most of it is homeward...takes up nearly 2 hrs. homeward. But at least I get automatic fitness. This job is contract.

Whole route to work is quite convoluted, involving major road bridge, overpasses, more busy roads, multiple long hills to avoid major expressway that forbids bikes, andlast 10 kms., regular route for many wide transport trucks ...I work in an industrial area.

Other years, depending which employer I worked for, which city I lived in, I've done 26 -32 kms. round trip each day for several consecutive years...even when I lived 1/2 block away from subway station. Cycle-commuted 4-5 times weekly during non-snow,non-ice season...for past 13 years or so.

Point of work commuting is of course utilitarian but to also destress yourself.

I did hear of near unbelievable story of a local guy who commuted daily 40 kms. one way from suburb (different one) to downtown in about 1 hr. And his route has got to include several hills.

From car-free shootingstar.. carless, it's a way of life. Like cycling. :)

[shootingstar]

Here's the article of a 46-yr old bike commuter beating a car commuter.

http://www.vanmag.com/articles/07jun/Greatrace.shtml



My partner is somewhere quoted in that article, but he is NOT the whizz-bang commuter featured in article.

[patel_shital]

my commute is 16 miles one way with one very deep hill to the work. i still have to take break on that hill to be able to finish. but usually it takes me around 1 hour 20 minutes to finish 16 miles. while going back home its all traffic roads with lots of signals so takes around 1 hour 30 minutes. i am doing this 2 days a week but will do 3 times a week soon.

just one question ? my average speed is around 13-15 MPH. is it too slow for women ? i ride with my husband (we work at same place :) ). and he rides too fast. he need to be slow down just to keep up with me . how do i improve my speed ?

someone has some jet engine for bikes ...:rolleyes:

[bounceswoosh]

I have about 11 miles each way, nothing super steep. I hope to average once a week now through fall, but I suspect I won't quite make it.

[GLC1968]

Oh man!!! Our offer was accepted!

My commute is about to change from 1.5 miles to 19.5 miles. Ugh. :eek:

[patel_shital]

good luck for commute and congratulation for new home

[sgtiger]

Oh man!!! Our offer was accepted!

My commute is about to change from 1.5 miles to 19.5 miles. Ugh. :eek:

You were saying how you wish your commute were longer so it would be worth taking the bike out on. Looks like you got your wish.:rolleyes::D:p Look at it this way: averaging ~40 miles/day:eek: is going to make you a bike goddess.:cool:

[Tri Girl]

Awesome! Congrats on the house and here's to more time in the saddle. :D

[Xrayted]

Hey congrats on the house. That is quite a road to ride. I would be eyeing up an easier one myself, but then again, I kinda hate hills. :rolleyes:

I ride about 9-10 miles one way to work. It's an slow uphill grade most of the way in until I get closer to the hospital and then it turns into rollers with a nice, steep, nasty smasher of a hill on campus. That thing kills me everytime. :D

[KnottedYet]

Congratulations on the house!

My commute is 42 miles total, with some juicy hills. I do half of it by bus and half on the bike. It would just take me tooo darn long if I rode the whole thing.

Driving halfway and biking the rest might be a very good option for you if you hit a time crunch.

[uk elephant]

I did commute 15 miles each way last week when I was at a course. Took me an hour in the morning and 90minutes at night, but I actually enjoyed it. My normal commute would be 40miles each way, but I take the train for most of it. I use the trip home for training rides and cycle half or all of it when I have time.

[RoadRaven]

Its really interesting reading about other's commutes - I am particularly interested in distances...
Some of you sure go a long way - either in terms of distance, or altitude, or both!!!

I live in the country and have to get two of my children into town to school, so most days I drive. However, whenever I can I make it work so I can bike (eg, in school holidays, I do not take the car to work).

Our house is 600' above sea level, and their school/my work is about 20-30 feet above sea level.
It is 24.5km each way.
The commute home is almost always much harder... not only am I tired and I have to climb to get home, but the prevailing wind, a westerly, makes it a headwind home as I slog up the hills.

[jayjay]

How long is it and how often do you do it? My commute, from home to town is 10 miles and 2000 feet climb. If I park even 3 miles down, and ride from there, I've shaved off the most difficult part, probably about 1000 ft of climb. If I park 6 miles down, I've shaved off most of the climb and only 4 miles into town, which is great for a day when I am not up for the time & energy consuming climb. If I just want to stay in the habit of riding, and keep my car out of the congestion of traffic, I park at a church right on the edge of town. I love the Park~n~Ride or "PartWay" philosophy, because you're staying in maximum use of your bicycle commuting, reducing traffic, reducing petroleum use, and yet *still* meeting your comfort level of any given day. As for me, I'm only starting the habit and feel that *any* a person rides, they're not driving, so it's all good.

Can you do this PartWay idea, part-time if not full-time?

[HillSlugger]

My commute is a little short of 10 miles each way. The way in trends downhill, meaning the ride home trends uphill. So, I have the harder ride in the afternoon when I'm more tired.

I just started looking at the option of taking a bus for the last three miles homeward. Some time soon there's going to be a construction project that will effect only the ride home. To detour around it will add 2 miles. Add that to the extra climbing on the way home and it's starting to sound a bit like misery. The bus option would carry me the last 3 miles and bypass the construction detour. It's also starting to sound like a good option for those days when the homeward commute feels like too much.

[bluebug32]

After thinking that my commute (11 miles with little to no shoulders and 1200 ft of elevation) was too much, I'm now considering driving halfway and riding the last 5 miles or so. The only trouble is that I live in the country and have to cross the Hudson River (ie: 3/4 mile long bridge that you can only access as a cyclist from a different road and via a sidewalk) and ride through the city to my job. I'm excited to save on tolls and gas, but fearful of riding through the city at rush hour. Maybe I'll be brave and give it a try one of these days.

[smilingcat]

Finally found a reasonable way to commute via bus and bike.

Between my house and my work is a wasteland, never never land sort of like Mordor in the middle earth. Its an industrial ghetto with no bike path. no homes. just big refineries, and a big staging point for the container shipping. Lots of semis few cars..

Then right next to it is "on the right side, we have the Mexican gang land/turf and on the left side is, we have the Vietnamese gang land/turf." ugh. I don't want to ride my bike through by myself. I'm old, unattractive, overweight but gangs have no taste so its a fair game. :eek: I don't like being the game of the hunt.

Solution is to take the municipal bus through both area so I can get to the safe area on the other side. Then I can bike to work. just over 30 miles each way. I plan on getting something like stoke monkey to help me out :cool::D

cost $2.50 roundtrip and extra 3 hours roundtrip but I get my training ride out of the way. save $16.00 on gas per trip. yes I burn 4 gallons a day for my ungodly commute.

smilingcat

[RoadRaven]

just one question ? my average speed is around 13-15 MPH. is it too slow for women ? i ride with my husband (we work at same place :) ). and he rides too fast. he need to be slow down just to keep up with me . how do i improve my speed ?

Sorry PS... we all seem to have missed your question.
13-15miles? Thats about 21-24kph
This is a good steady speed for commuting. It is neither a good or bad, or slow or fast, speed for women or for men.
Commuting is about getting from one place to another and we all do it at different speeda for different motivations.

For example, 2 of my colleagues commute to work, they commute in work clothes and don't want to arrive sweaty. So they average about 15-18kph (about 10mph I think).

When I commute, I treat it as either a training ride (so average about28-30kph) or as a recovery ride (and do about what you do.

The way to get faster, if this is your goal, is to keep on riding. If your husband is too fast at the moment, ask him to draft you. This means tucking in behind him - this way you will be able to travel slightly faster than you would sitting either in front of him or beside him: when you draft off someone, they take the brunt of the head wind, so it enables you to go faster.

Ask him to ride at a speed just above what you could normally do own your own. If he wants to encourage you, he should be able to support you in this way sometimes.

If he needs to go faster some days, do not feel let-down. Let him go and ride in on your own. Riding on your own will also make you strong because you have nowhere to hide from the wind.

One of the greatest pleasures I get from cycling is from the days when my ride plan matches in with my partner and we get to ride together.

Riding together all the time would be frustrating to both of us. He is a national champ with a title to defend - he has to ride hard and long at times. I am a competent female veteran, but have no chance at all of ever being as capable and speedy and strong as him.

But the days we do get to ride together (when he needs a gentle or recovery ride) are some of the best rides recorded in my bike journal.

[Technotart]

Add 12.5 miles each way for me!

[TahoeDirtGirl]

I was thinking that I was doing way too much of a commute- 16 miles one way. I've done it a couple of times, I'm trying to work up to 3 times a week as my goal. Someone a week ago enlightened me to driving somewhere and riding 10 miles when I didn't feel like driving the whole way. A great idea but not much in between here and there (but cranberry bogs!)

As for mph- I'm slow. I'm a mtn biker. I ride basically a mtn bike with street tires...and I average about 10 to 12 mph. On a road bike I guess you could really crank it. It takes me about 1 hr 20 minutes to do the 16 miles. I don't sweat much so it's not too bad.

[jobob]

My commute is about 15 miles each way and flat as a pancake - the only "climb" is the Dumbarton bridge. It works out to about 160 feet of climb, each way.

But it can get really windy sometimes. :p Often there's not much wind in the morning, but going home I get 1/3 tailwind, 1/3 crosswind heading across the bay, and 1/3 headwind. Good training opportunity I suppose.

In general, it's a pretty nice route along the bay, and about half of it is either on roads with very little car traffic, or paved off-road trails. I'm not a fan of multiuse paths in general, but this one has an excellent sightlines and it's mainly used by cyclists, so there are very few pedestrians to dodge.

Some people really dislike riding over the Dumbarton bridge - the ped/bike path over the bridge is separated from the highway traffic by a waist-high concrete barrier, and it can get very noisy with cars & trucks zooming within 10 feet at 70+ mph. That doesn't really bother me, I manage to tune it out. I do have some industrial sprawl to negociate as I approach my workplace but eh, nothing's perfect.

So far I've managed to ride to work 3 times this week (actually 2.5, I still have my ride home today) and I think I finally have a good routine in place, so hopefully I can manage 2-3 times per week.

[ehirsch83]

For those with the longer commutes what are you riding?
I am looking for a commuter to get to and from school(about 18.5 miles each way) and I am pretty much decided on a single speed(flip flop hub) felt with flat bars. I am a roadie, will I get tired of the flat bars? or will adding bar ends keep me happy?
advice advice please!! I am in love with the bike and am ordering it once I get paid for some stuff I just sold.

http://feltracing.com/08/product.asp?catid=1504,1525&pid=8717

I really like the idea of the single speed, and it is lighter so it won't be to heavy plus I think with carry a bag, being a little more upright will be more comfy then in drops.

THe other thing I really like is that nothing on it is quick release, so I am not scared to lock it up at school.

any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[GLC1968]

Emily - that looks like a nice bike! I could never ride a single speed on my longer commutes because the one I used to have had a lot of big hills and the one I'm going to have starting next month is going to have a mountain!

Having a single speed does sound MUCH more fool proof..which is great for a commuter.

My long distance commuter has drop bars, but it actually came with flat bars and bar ends. I rode it like that twice and HATED it. Not only did I want more hand positions, but I had a few parts of my commute where I was crossing wide open spaces where wind was an issue. I really liked having the more aero position option if I needed it.

That said, conversion to drop bars is pretty easy, particularly on a single speed, so you could try it and convert later if you don't like it.

[ehirsch83]

Emily - that looks like a nice bike! I could never ride a single speed on my longer commutes because the one I used to have had a lot of big hills and the one I'm going to have starting next month is going to have a mountain!

Having a single speed does sound MUCH more fool proof..which is great for a commuter.

My long distance commuter has drop bars, but it actually came with flat bars and bar ends. I rode it like that twice and HATED it. Not only did I want more hand positions, but I had a few parts of my commute where I was crossing wide open spaces where wind was an issue. I really liked having the more aero position option if I needed it.

That said, conversion to drop bars is pretty easy, particularly on a single speed, so you could try it and convert later if you don't like it.

Yeah, I figured if I hated the flat bar I could convert to drop bars. I'm in south florida, so the only uphill I will have is 2 draw bridges, which are on the smaller sides for down here, so the only other issue is the wind(which can get bad!). So I figure I can spin for 18 miles no problem, get a little bit stronger this way:-)

[Aggie_Ama]

I debated a flat bar for my commute, but ultimately decided I would hate it. I sometimes ride my mountain bike to the pool in the neighborhood and I feel squirrelly on it.

I just picked up an entry level road bike for my hilly commute. One of the LBS has several drool worthy single speeds, I wish I could justify the single speed Salsa Caserole. I love the argyle Felt!

[MtnBikerChk]

I'm so jealous of all your commutes.

My drive is about 32 miles each way - so while it's doable, my husband also drives 31 miles in the opposite direction. He as access to a shower etc and as of now, I do not -but hypothetically, if I did, I would love to each take 1 day a week to commute. 4 hours out of the day is a long time - especially while we have a dog at home and we really try to limit her to being alone no more than 8 hours a day.

so anyway congrats to you all!!

[jobob]

I have to admit, my 15 mile ride each way is about the max distance I'd want to commute by bike, especially in the morning.

[Beane]

For those with the longer commutes what are you riding?
I am looking for a commuter to get to and from school(about 18.5 miles each way) and I am pretty much decided on a single speed(flip flop hub) felt with flat bars. I am a roadie, will I get tired of the flat bars? or will adding bar ends keep me happy?
advice advice please!! I am in love with the bike and am ordering it once I get paid for some stuff I just sold.

http://feltracing.com/08/product.asp?catid=1504,1525&pid=8717

I really like the idea of the single speed, and it is lighter so it won't be to heavy plus I think with carry a bag, being a little more upright will be more comfy then in drops.

THe other thing I really like is that nothing on it is quick release, so I am not scared to lock it up at school.

any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

I think that single speed is really smart for a commuter bike. My DH won't use a geared bike in the winter because of all the dirt, sand, etc. I assume you don't have as much road muck in winter, but not having to do all the maintenance associated with a geared bike would be a nice plus.

As far as the flat bars, I agree with GLC that it would be really easy (and cheap) to switch if you didn't like them. You could also easily try moustache bars if you felt so inclined. I am in the process of converting my commuter to drop bars and STI shifters, and its definitely a more involved and expensive process.

[Jolt]

I think that single speed is really smart for a commuter bike. My DH won't use a geared bike in the winter because of all the dirt, sand, etc. I assume you don't have as much road muck in winter, but not having to do all the maintenance associated with a geared bike would be a nice plus.


It depends on where you're riding. Here in Worcester County, a single speed would be a horrible idea because of the hills--a geared bike is really the only practical way to go IMHO despite the extra maintenance required.

On another note, I'm currently looking for a job and am hoping to be able to commute by bike but we'll see about that--it would only work well for day shift, and one of the places I've applied, which is the one I sort of have a feeling I'll end up at, is 18.8 miles away going the back way (the others are 5 miles or less)!

[tulip]

My commute was 14 miles each way when I lived in DC, and it was terrific. I had so much more energy on my commuting days. It took me 1 hour and 10 minutes, with a slight decline in the morning and a slight incline in the afternoon. In the winter, I would mix it up with the Metro because of the darkness since I don't ride in the dark.

Now I work from home, so my commute is history. I miss my commute, though, and do most of my errands by bike.

[Voodoo Sally]

Hey Emily, please do join the club. I ride a singlespeed road bike 8 miles each way to work and I love it. I love that Felt you're eyeing. Mine's the Soma Delancey, and I have some funky handlebars on it, which are very comfortable. The handlebars are available sold separately from Soma. They're the "urban pursuit" model. I am going to cut them, though, to be shorter. As for hills, I manage them by putting an easy-enough gear on the bike, which I figured out after some trial and error. The gear is easy enough for me to just manage the steepest hill on my commute, standing up.

[KatiePickle]

Hey Emily, please do join the club. I ride a singlespeed road bike 8 miles each way to work and I love it. I love that Felt you're eyeing. Mine's the Soma Delancey, and I have some funky handlebars on it, which are very comfortable. The handlebars are available sold separately from Soma. They're the "urban pursuit" model. I am going to cut them, though, to be shorter. As for hills, I manage them by putting an easy-enough gear on the bike, which I figured out after some trial and error. The gear is easy enough for me to just manage the steepest hill on my commute, standing up.

OT: Voodoo Sally, I am in the market for fenders and those look perfect. What are they? Thanks!

[Voodoo Sally]

Sure. They're the SKS Race Blade XL fender (http://www.rei.com/product/718392). They're designed for frames & forks without eyelets, such as your average road bike. They just strap on to the stays or fork with special (provided) rubber bands. XL means they are good for up to tire width 32. The regular goes up to 23. They come in silver or black, but the silver are somewhat hard to find.

[RoadRaven]

Sally - is the your seat really angled up that way, or is it the angle the pic was taken at?

[Voodoo Sally]

Heh heh, I know, it looks weird. It really is pointed that way. It's an anomaly I can't explain, but that particular saddle works best like that. I have lots of other models of saddles on my other bikes, and they are all level. This particular one is an ancient Terry Liberator, with a pretty swoopy top profile, and for some reason it's most comfy like that.

[RoadRaven]

Wow... it looks so wrong!

Glad it is comfy for you, but I also feel strangely relieved that your other saddles are at more "conventional" angles... :rolleyes:

[hermitclub]

I was watching the early morning news while getting ready to head out to work this morning. They had a quick story about a man in CA who ditched his car and commutes 42 miles each way to work on his bike. The story said that it takes him 3 hours each way. Now that is a LONG commute.

[Blueberry]

I was watching the early morning news while getting ready to head out to work this morning. They had a quick story about a man in CA who ditched his car and commutes 42 miles each way to work on his bike. The story said that it takes him 3 hours each way. Now that is a LONG commute.

Here's a link to the video: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2008/05/30/christian.bike.to.work.kero

[GLC1968]

Here's a link to the video: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2008/05/30/christian.bike.to.work.kero

Wow, good for him. That's inspiring!

[mudmucker]

My commute by car is 52 miles one-way, 104 roundtrip. That's a lot of driving each week. Right now I can work one day/week at home. These 4 days/month saves me 1 tank of gas. That's big. I'd like to try for 2 at home, but I don't know if my company is ready for that (face-time and all). Already the VP encourages me to stay at home during bad snow days because he knows how far I live. They're good about that. If gas prices get much higher, I might have a little leverage. I'm about the only one in the office of about 200, that lives the furthest out. In fact, some have never heard of Phillipston and they think I'm so far west I'm in the central time zone.

I simply cannot ride a century each time if I ride directly from the house. But I have decided to jump on the biking commuter band wagon as I'm starting to feel the prices.

Right now I still drive the car about 30-35 miles. I work in Lowell. Depending how I feel or if I'm running late, I park in Littleton which gives me a 30-mile roundtrip. Or I park in Ayer which gives me a 44 mile roundtrip. The good part is, either route is entirely flat so I don't have to work hard before work. I figure the 15 to 22 mile commute in the morning is adequate timewise as I am still driving 30 to 40 minutes.

I am having a total blast doing this. The level route is pure joy. Not only that because I usually get home late, I don't have to rush home worrying whether or not I can get a ride in before dark. I'm lucky, I have a large office and I can bring the bike in and keep it right next to me. There are really nice showers as our building has a gym that the company can use. I have closet where I keep towels, shirts and blazers on hangers, and a couple of pairs of pants, shoes, and socks. The setup is perfect.

I have been doing this for 3 weeks now, so far twice a week and I hope to 3. This week, including the 95 degree heat, I chose the 44 mile route and have biked 88 miles in the 2 days. That's almost saving a round-trip for me. And fun; I DO see a difference in the gas gauge at the end of the week. With at least 88 miles in biking combined with 1 day at home I'm saving $90-100 a month with current gas prices. That's big.

I have been using my Ruby carbon frame road bike. I just want to get there. I have a Bontrager seatpost rack with a Trek Interchange bag on the back (love it, and love keeping stuff off my back). Lots of hi viz clothing. I have bag contents down to 6 lbs or so. I have a Maxtor wallet size 80 GB hard drive that serves as my briefcase that I slip into the pack. It's great. This has been so fun.

[Atomic_cat4]

16 miles is not too long, but 2000 feet of climbing is quite a bit for a commute. Not impossible, but doing it every day could be a challenge. I've always felt a bike commute of 16-20 miles is perfect. Anything shorter than 12 miles- well it takes me 10 miles just to warm up.... Longer than 20 miles and its going to eat too much time out of your day. A 16 mile rolling commute will take about an hour at moderate pace, a 16 mile flat commute could be done in well under an hour.

My current commute is 16 miles each way and it includes a tough climb, but only 500 feet vertical. I find its toughest on Monday morning or the morning after a hard training ride the night before. Its hard to do a recovery ride up a a big hill!

If you can cut out the climb with the 19 miler, then you're in business!

[bunnydodger]

My total commute is 40 miles of rolling hills. It’s 80% bike path starting right from my house and 20% road (near my work). I have to hit the path by 5am so I can arrive by 6:30am. The wildlife I see is simply breath taking. There are hundreds of bunnies, foxes, birds and a few deer. This morning I rode along side a buck! He was absolutely beautiful.

[rhyme]

My total commute is 40 miles of rolling hills. It’s 80% bike path starting right from my house and 20% road (near my work). I have to hit the path by 5am so I can arrive by 6:30am. The wildlife I see is simply breath taking. There are hundreds of bunnies, foxes, birds and a few deer. This morning I rode along side a buck! He was absolutely beautiful.

You and I live in very different parts of the world methinks. Wildlife around here equates to:

1. Squirrels
2. Dogs on a leash.
3. The occasional rat.

Thats about it.

Also, to contribute.... my commute is pathetic by comparison. I can't believe that I ever wondered if I could do it. Its a paltry 4.5 miles each way. I've actually been thinking about intentionally extending it because it doesn't even take half an hour to do (even with red lights and such) and I don't feel like I get a workout unless I really redline my heart rate, which isn't as beneficial as going slower and just extending the ride. I've been trying to find a nice way to extend it - ie a park or something, but so far I haven't had much luck finding anything. I'm thinking of riding east a mile or two so that I can bike by the lake, but it would also mean then riding west in the middle of rush hour downtown traffic on roads with lots of cabs and no bike lanes. Not sure how I feel bout that - but it would extend the commute to about 8 miles each way.

[GLC1968]

rhyme - I was thinking the same thing about my commute - that it was too short to be worth anything (mine's only 1.5 miles). Yeah, now I've got the opposite. Be careful what you wish for!! ;)

My new long commute starts next week!! I'm actually nervous. That reminds me, I need to go check out the shower facilities here - and I need to get a pannier....

[mudmucker]

I posted above, #53 about a 104 mile roundtrip commute to work, how I try to work at home 1 day and hoping for 2 but feeling out company climate. I commute now 30-44 of those 104 miles each day I ride the bike to work. The VP loves the fact that I ride in. He talks to me about it all the time and he's thinking about getting out on his bike again.

Well, my company put out this memo the other day, a survey inquiring how much money per month we spend on gas, how far we drive, alternative transportation options, etc. They may be proposing a 4 10hr day. This company is not rigid and has always offered flex hrs and accommodated peoples circumstances. For such a large company that's pretty good. What I'm excited about is that it didn't take them long to empathize with the impact of prices on peoples lives, and their quick effort to offer alternatives.

I could still work 4 10hrs and still take one of those at home, allowing me to work at home 2 days a week. I spend $340/month on gas - this would save me 2 tanks at $120 month.

This was an internal memo so I replaced my company name with XX. There still is alot of corporate blah blah language - can't get away from it.

"The purpose of this survey is to gather information on the appropriateness, feasibility and implementability of an Alternative Work Schedule and/or an Alternative Work Location Program within the Company. As a premier national environmental and engineering company, XX is committed to the reducing the use of non-renewable fossil fuels, reducing the Company’s carbon footprint and maximizing our corporate sustainability profile. As award-winning leaders in the efficient and effective use of our nation’s limited energy resources we seek to implement these programs in our own operations and space to the benefit of our employees, shareholders, and the environment. In these areas, an unrelenting and pervasive commitment to constant incremental results will produce genuine sustainable improvement.

Please note that alternative work schedules or locations will not be feasible for every position or Practice within the company. In addition, the company will still be fully committed to provide our clients (both internal and external) with the high-quality service and support 24 X 7, all year long. However, in light of the Company’s concern over the significant impacts of the increasing cost of fuel on our employees, the ever increasing consumption of greenhouse gas-generating fossil fuel, and the inefficiencies arising from the daily commute on our economy and environment we are asking for your commitment to assist us. Please provide the benefit of your experience, commuting information and opinions which will be compiled to develop our initial strategies on how the Company can modify our standard work schedules to address these concerns".