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I'm a teacher, so about to be unemployed for a few months (yay--more riding time:D ), but thinking about bike-commuting in the fall. I've figured out the only possible route is 23 miles each way. I couldn't do that now--AND then teach all day, then get my tired a$$ home in the afternoon--but with all summer to train, it could be possible.
Does anyone do a commute of this distance on their bike? What's a source for me to read up on possible pitfalls, preparation, bike mods for commuting? TIA!
I'm a teacher too, well actually a counselor. I give you credit for wanting to commute 23 miles. My commute now is 8 miles and due to car pooling my son, I can only do it once a week.
I just moved this week and my school will move over the summer. The route will be better, but it will be 13 miles. I am considering a bus to work and riding home. Our public buses just got bike racks attached in the past year. Is there some public trans you could take one way?
I too am a teacher but my commute is only 2 miles to my school. I did however commute approximately 25 miles each way when I was in school (undergrad and grad) so it is possible. Things to consider would be your start time, how long it will take you travel one way, how much you have to carry, traffic patterns, etc. I commute to school three days a week. On the days prior to my commute I leave my clothes for the next day at school so that I don't have to pack and haul them leaving room in my panniers for my lunch (can't leave it at school for fear it will disappear over night) and my school stuff. When I commuted to classes I simply hauled it all stuffing my panniers to the max and even securing books to my rack with cords. Spend your summer training and look at all possible routes.
The shortest (bicycle) commuting distance between my house and my office is between 15 & 16 miles - but I don't go that way because I don't like the traffic on one of the roads. So typically my ride in is 18 miles and my ride home - via slightly different roads - is between 20 and 25 miles.
I'm really lucky because my office is across the street from a Marriott that sells memberships in their health club. I joined there both for a place to work out during non-biking weather and a place to take a shower before work when I commute in by bike. And since it's a hotel, they supply the towels - one less thing to need to carry on my bike!
On the days I commute by bike, I try to get to the office by 8am and I usually head out just after 5. That end's up being a pretty long day, but I find that I really enjoy it. I only ride in good weather and when we have longer days, pretty much in the summer. And I try for 3 days a week. Four is a real prize, but 5 isn't realistic for me if I also want to ride on the weekend.
If you wanted to alternate commuting patterns day by day - could you drive in one morning, ride home that night, ride in the next morning (since you left your car at work overnight), then drive home. That would give you a one-way ride on alternating days.
--- Denise
My commute to school/work is about 15 miles each way. I have to make a detour around a bad part of town. If I didn't have that, it'd be 9 miles each.
My commute is just over 15 miles each way. When I'm feeling lazy, there are 2 drive options - one leaves 12 miles to ride without the scary 1-lane road without a shoulder section and the other leaves 8 miles. The first is an official park and ride parking lot, the second next to a neighborhood park.
Any chance you could drive part of the way? Still saves gas/the environment and gets you out on your bike.
The other thing I've done is to ride 1 way and drive the other. Drive your bike to school, the next day drive in and ride home, then ride in and drive home. I don't like this as much, because I worry about A) not having a car and B) leaving my car in my work parkinglot. But, it's a great way to do it if you have bike/car storage at both ends.
Sue.
My commute is 9.3 miles each way, all but 1 mile on the trail. I got geared up for the winter and commuted occasionally in anything that wasn't too severe. My recovery time was longer then. Between practicing more and using some of the electrolyte replacement drinks (instead of only water) my endurance has improved.
I LOVE it. I started because I found I would avoid the gym and didn't really have the time to work out anyway as I worked 40+ hr weeks then.
Here is our local bike club website page with commuter articles. Enjoy!
http://www.cbcef.org/commuting_resources.html
My commute is 20.2 miles door to door each way so 40.4 total. I would love to do this daily but am required to have my vehicle fairly often due to my job... and the boss pays for gas as well as a car allowance so it's OK... with the price of gas, I've been waiting for him to tell me to go ahead and ride :D
I sit at a desk all day if I'm in my office so the ride days are great... I typically only ride once a week as a commute tho... and haven't for a while due to a long set of circumstances outta my control... hoping to begin riding in to work again soon tho!
With a potential commute of 25 miles, do you have a bail out option in case the weather is really rotten when you are ready to go home? Do you ride in the morning when there is a 30% change of thunderstorms that afternoon? My commute is 13 miles, and sometimes the hardest part is making the morning decision. But I can usually call a family member for a ride home if I guess wrong.
Thanks for the ideas and advice, everyone. I teach at a university, so only have to be on campus two or three days a week. Also, there's a gym on campus where I can shower and change. I hadn't thought about the drive-halfway-and-bike-the-rest option. That could work for me if I can just find a safe and legal place to leave my car.
I actually did some bike commuting about 20 years ago (yikes--am I that old?;) ), but it was only a 6-mile ride each way, on lightly traveled roads, and I was young enough that I never even considered that I might have problems. Ah, the blissful ignorance of youth!
My commute is 14 miles each way. It's great fun. My office has a bike rack inside and a commuter shower. Without those, commuting would be more of a challenge.