Who's got a long commute?

[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. 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...,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...,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!