longest commuter

I'm extending my commute and averaging well over two hours of ride time. I'm lucky to have plenty of good, quiet routes from which to choose. For the morning leg, I use the showers at a rec center around the corner from work too. No complaints at all. Just be prepared to keep your bike in good shape, and have an idea what you are going to do if you break down on the road.I have been amazed how much I enjoy it.

I have commuted to work (circa 50miles one way) 15-20 times this year. I do have a shower and locker at work though. It takes about 2.5 hours, but I look at it as only 1.5 hours more (3hrs/day) since I am saving time in the car.

When I was working in Seattle, I would commute 25 miles to work. It was early enough that the traffic wasn't too bad and I would take the Burke Gilman Trail on the majority of the way in. But on the way home the traffic was way to heavy for me (I was gun shy after getting ran over a few months before) and the trail was even worse with strollers, skaters and such. So I looked into the bus system and started riding to downtown and jumping on the bus for the ride home. I picked a park n ride a few miles away so I would still have a bit of a ride home.

im going to sign up at the gym today so i can use the showers there (also gives me a reason to join the lunchtime businessmans spinning class). since i need a car often during work im going to drive to work on thursday, leave my car here with spare clothes in it and ride home, ride to work on friday, and drive home friday afternoon. i drove the route i would ride today (staying off the highway), and it is 38.4 miles, with two hills totalling 1.4 miles of climbing. im pumped. this will be like adding and extra 40 miles a week, and saving 3.25 gallons of gas.

I don't want to question your efforts but are you sure you calculated that total commute time correctly? Off the top of my head if you have 3.5 hours (you said 3+ hours) you would have an average speed of near 30mph. That is pretty f-ing fast.

Are you going to be shagging on a car or somethign?! 😄

SBSpartan said:

I don't want to question your efforts but are you sure you calculated that total commute time correctly? Off the top of my head if you have 3.5 hours (you said 3+ hours) you would have an average speed of near 30mph. That is pretty f-ing fast.

Are you going to be shagging on a car or somethign?! 😄

If you are talking about me, the 3 hours is additional time over driving. I can spend 2 hours a day in the car, and then when I get home go for a ride... or I can spend 0 hours a day in the car, and 5 hours on the bike with 100 miles of training... so the cost to my commuting time is only 3 hours.

wilmar13 said:

If you are talking about me, the 3 hours is additional time over driving. I can spend 2 hours a day in the car, and then when I get home go for a ride... or I can spend 0 hours a day in the car, and 5 hours on the bike with 100 miles of training... so the cost to my commuting time is only 3 hours.

Thanks for clearing that up since you weren't clear about it in the first post. We didn't really need anything but an, "Oh, I didn't mention it was 3 plus hours over my driving time, my bad." 🙂

I ride 10 miles each way everyday. It's not bad right now, but July and August it will be 105 and it's 4500ft of el. But with gas at $3.50 a gal I'll just fill up a couple more water bottles and thank god my mp3 player holds 250 songs. That's my way of puttin it to the man (EXXON)!!

j.basswood388 said:

I ride 10 miles each way everyday. It's not bad right now, but July and August it will be 105 and it's 4500ft of el. But with gas at $3.50 a gal I'll just fill up a couple more water bottles and thank god my mp3 player holds 250 songs. That's my way of puttin it to the man (EXXON)!!

the heat is what worries me, we get over 110 regularly here. but ive grown up riding here, i think ill be ok. i was a little worried about the shoulder here, for around 5 miles it went to no more than 6" to the right of the white line, on a fairly busy road. i drove an alternate route today and it looks like a much better bet. it adds a mile, and about another mile of mild climbing, but that's good right?

Although my commute is only 6.5 miles each way I plan to turn one of the rides (there or back) into a thirty miler. I can use either roads or trails. I am in the process of building a single speed roadie with beefier wheels so that I can ride anytime anywhere. i will only be able to commute twice a week but i feel it is at least something.

snaps10 said:

who's got the longest commute here? ive been wondering because i see all these people here commuting, and wonder how far each of you work from home. im trying to justify taking the 3+ hrs a day i would need to commute by bicycle to work. (32 miles each way) only probem i forsee is the heat in the summers 110+ degreees. and the lack of shower at the office, but i could shower at the gym, its only a few blocks from my office.

Are you considering riding every day? That 500km a week!
Maybe I'm weak, but my commute is 32km one way, so I only do it two days a week on average. And because it involves bike paths & back streets, and a few traffic lights, it takes longer that I first thought. I average around 24-26km/h (depending on wind).
I just wonder if your guesstimate of 3 hours is a little optimistic (34 km/h (21 mph) average), or would you get a clean run.

peterlip said:

Are you considering riding every day? That 500km a week!
Maybe I'm weak, but my commute is 32km one way, so I only do it two days a week on average. And because it involves bike paths & back streets, and a few traffic lights, it takes longer that I first thought. I average around 24-26km/h (depending on wind).
I just wonder if your guesstimate of 3 hours is a little optimistic (34 km/h (21 mph) average), or would you get a clean run.

right now im looking at tues night riding home, wed morning riding into the office (leaving my car at work overnight) thur night riding home, fri morning riding into the office. so only one way per day (128mi/week). that leaves monday evening for a good training ride, and saturday morning for my long hills. the 3+ hrs includes one way in a car. 30min-1 hr. so the average should be 16. which i usually average around 18 mph with that much flat land. there surprisingly are only 9 stops over that entire distance. right now im debating what to do about showering though. the gym wants $42 a month +250 startup for membership, and i don't know how much i would use it outside of just using the showers a few times a week. im trying to think of an alternative right now. unfortunately, my wife felt very uncomfortable with my starting commuting this month (shes 37 weeks pregnant) so ill have to wait until after my darling little girl is born until i start.

I wish I could commute to work. It's only 15 miles one way, so it would only be 1.5 hours, but I have to be at work at 5am. As much as I love my bike, I don't know if I can leave the house at 3:30 and be ready for a physically demanding job all day.

Hidden1229 said:

I wish I could commute to work. It's only 15 miles one way, so it would only be 1.5 hours, but I have to be at work at 5am. As much as I love my bike, I don't know if I can leave the house at 3:30 and be ready for a physically demanding job all day.

Get yourself a road bike and a headlight... you will be down to 45min ride time, and will feel wide awake when you arrive.

wilmar13 said:

If you are talking about me, the 3 hours is additional time over driving. I can spend 2 hours a day in the car, and then when I get home go for a ride... or I can spend 0 hours a day in the car, and 5 hours on the bike with 100 miles of training... so the cost to my commuting time is only 3 hours.

For me, the bike is actually the quickest form or peak hour transport. My work location varies, but on one route, it takes 50-55minutes by bike, 65-75minutes by train, including walking to/from the train stations and 60-100minutes by car (at 10pm at night I can drive in 30minutes)

mikesbytes said:

For me, the bike is actually the quickest form or peak hour transport. My work location varies, but on one route, it takes 50-55minutes by bike, 65-75minutes by train, including walking to/from the train stations and 60-100minutes by car (at 10pm at night I can drive in 30minutes)

I am a reverse commuter, live in the city(close to center), work in the country. Often I will get home and head out for a training ride, and I can get the 12 miles or so to the outskirts faster than the cars (~35-40min). I actually use it as motivation sometimes to hammer hard. I mark unique vehicles and note how long it takes after passing them until they retake me on the feeder routes outside town. I hope that it will dawn on some of them "huh, I could ride my bike to work/home faster than sitting in this cage" Doubt that thought really occurs to many people, but who knows.

I'm currently doing about 10 miles each way, lugging my laptop and all my gear with me both ways. (Haven't weighed my backpack, but I'm guessing around 15 extra lbs)

I've felt great, and been more alert and felt a lot better at work, even when I've gotten the same or LESS sleep than what I was getting before, when I was exhausted everyday at work.

My biggest issue is my knee... I hurt it about 6 months ago, and JUST got an MRI done... they say I have one ligament that's torn, another they think is probably torn, and damage to the meniscus, though they can't tell how bad.

The VA hospital doesn't want to operate on my knee, although I haven't seen Ortho yet since my MRI, and they may decide differently.

Other than one slight run in with a car that got too close, causing me to try to move over, catching my tire in a crack between the asphalt and the concrete gutter, I haven't had any issues, and I've REALLY enjoyed the extra time on my bike.

It typically takes me 35 minutes to make the trip by car (heavy traffic morning and evening) and 40-45 to make it by bike, so I'm really not losing any time out of my day.

I just want to tell you that I totally respect all of you commuters. I am really jealous. I have kicked the ideal around for about a year, but I have a few constraints (excuses) that maybe you can give me solutions for.

I live about 18 miles from work, start work around 6 am (flexible and could start as late as 8), I own lights, live in coastal So Cal (decent year round weather).

My primary restrictions are no showers and my work won't allow me to bring my $$$$$ bike indoors - therefore, I'd have to lock it up outside.

Any suggestions?

The thing I like about my commute is that its predicatable. My 33 km takes 1:15 to 1:25 (depending on wind). If I drive, it takes between 30 & 90 minutes depending on traffic.