Commuting - I must be crazy for trying this commute.

I have come to the conclusion that if I want to get out more regularly on my bicycle for exercise that I am going to have to either commute or ride in the dark most days before or after work.

Ideally, I would like to ride 20 to 30 miles per day.

My one-way commute to work is 25 miles. On the face of it, it would be ideal to one-way commute to get the exercise in the daily routine.

The obsticle is fear of commuting along 18 miles of 50-mph 4-lane highway. The highway, route 31 in Birmingham Alabama, has right turn lanes the length of the highway (sprawl at its finest). I figure I can ride along the left edge of the right turn lane. Taking the lane on this road is not an option. During rush hour no one will be going 50 mph and on several sections of the road, I will as fast as traffic.

I am planning to outfit my hardtail mountain bike for commuting. Although it won't be as fast as my road bike, I think I will feel a little more secure on it. Plus, if I look poor enough perhaps people will take pity on me and not be as abusive?

I would like to read about any experiences of people faced with a similar commute and any encouragement would be welcomed.

:) :) :) :) :)
I have come to the conclusion that if I want to get out more regularly on my bicycle for exercise that I am going to have to either commute or ride in the dark most days before or after work.

Ideally, I would like to ride 20 to 30 miles per day.

My one-way commute to work is 25 miles. On the face of it, it would be ideal to one-way commute to get the exercise in the daily routine.

The obsticle is fear of commuting along 18 miles of 50-mph 4-lane highway. The highway, route 31 in Birmingham Alabama, has right turn lanes the length of the highway (sprawl at its finest). I figure I can ride along the left edge of the right turn lane. Taking the lane on this road is not an option. During rush hour no one will be going 50 mph and on several sections of the road, I will as fast as traffic.

I am planning to outfit my hardtail mountain bike for commuting. Although it won't be as fast as my road bike, I think I will feel a little more secure on it. Plus, if I look poor enough perhaps people will take pity on me and not be as abusive? la la la la la lalalalallalalala la la

I think it is great you are commuting and 25 miles in a long way. Good job. I don't think people will take pity upon you though for the type of bike you ride. When I ride ghetto bikes and when I commuted on any old bike I would find and attempt to make workable for commuting people just told me to buy a car. What they didn't know is I couldn't afford a new bike and I would rather buy a new bike than a car. So, they didn't feel bad because I should have been driving anyway. So, I don't think they will take pity on you, but I think it is super cool you are commuting on bike. And I don't care what bike it is, it is good! I have to admit the mountain bike is eaiser for me to balance my coffee on the way to work then maybe another bike is, but you could go back and forth. Ride the mtn bike one day and road the next. ok, later skater, it is cool you are do'in it.

I would like to read about any experiences of people faced with a similar commute and any encouragement would be welcomed.

<snip> My one-way commute to work is 25 miles. <snip> I am planning to outfit my hardtail mountain bike <snip>
That's a long commute on a MTB... I wish you the best of luck.
You should invest in some slick tires and some quality visibility products (lights, vest, etc).

Would it be possible to also take a bus/train for a portion of your commute?
I'm a wimp, I would not look forward to the commute you describe... I hope you don't get burned out.

The obsticle is fear of commuting along 18 miles of 50-mph 4-lane highway. The highway, route 31 in Birmingham Alabama, has right turn lanes the length of the highway (sprawl at its finest). I figure I can ride along the left edge of the right turn lane. Taking the lane on this road is not an option. During rush hour no one will be going 50 mph and on several sections of the road, I will as fast as traffic.
I don't have a similar commute, so these are just my superficial thoughts.

When you say "no one will be going 50 mph", do you mean they will be slower due to congestion, or faster due to impatience? If you will be as fast or faster than traffic, I'm not sure why you can't take the lane, unless it's just that you don't want to be slowed down to their speed. Granted, that would suck, but I think it would be the safest, since you are holding your place and acting predictably. Your other options would be a trade-off between speed and safety.

If you can't bring yourself to do that (and I can't blame you), using the left edge of the right-turn lane seems like it might work, if there aren't a lot of right-turners. Maybe even the middle of the right-turn lane. That's because my biggest worry would be people changing from the travel lane to the right-turn lane as you're passing them on the right. Anything you can do to increase your visibility to the drivers as they check behind them, such as a strobing headlight, would be good. And the more room you leave, the more margin for error you'll have if that happens. It's a little misleading since you're not actually turning right, but I people will probably understand what your intention. I'm not sure if they'll be very sympathetic, though. Plus, I'm sure it's not legal, increasing the probably of road rage against you as well as getting ticketed.

Is there a shoulder in good shape? If so, it might be an option if you have a mirror and do a lot of checking it for right-turners coming up behind you. You risk being right-hooked by turners. But then, if you're in the turn lane, you risk getting hit by lane-changers. I'm not sure which is the greater risk.

Are there no alternate routes? A little longer, maybe, but saner?

You might want to ask this in the Safety & Advocacy forum. There are probably people who have actually done this, or have seen it addressed elsewhere, which I haven't.



Plus, if I look poor enough perhaps people will take pity on me and not be as abusive?
Oh, I wouldn't count on that. :(

Oh, I forget to mention, you might want to take a look at this (http://www.flashback.ca/products/accessories.html), too.

I think it would be the safest, since you are holding your place and acting predictably. Your other options would be a trade-off between speed and safety.

Good point. When I tried it on the weekend, I rode so that my left handlebar was over the white line.


Are there no alternate routes? A little longer, maybe, but saner?
Unfortunately, no

I figure that if commutting is a terrible experience, I can use the same equipment (lights, slicks) to go out and ride before work or later at night on the county roads by my house.

BillyBob-

I don't know Alabama at all, nor Birmingham, so I can't tell you that this will work for sure, but...Have you considered driving to a starting location, then riding from there? Then you could craft your route to be a little less edgy, and control your distance and traffic exposure a bit more than the "one route, only route" option.

Riding the bike is the point, right? I used to drive to a multiuse trail, park my car, then ride the trail to work. Kept me out of traffic, got me on my bike, and I got to decompress twice daily.

Check out Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/) for a great resource for checking out alternative routes.

you can also use this site which is a hack of google maps that lets you calculate distance

http://sueandpaul.com/gmapPedometer/

Luke

you can also use this site which is a hack of google maps that lets you calculate distance

http://sueandpaul.com/gmapPedometer/


It looks pretty slick, but how on earth do you select an alternate location? It looks like I need to start at the US map, and then slowly zoom all the way down into my local neighborhood... rather time consuming, to say the least. I've got to be missing something. :(

It looks pretty slick, but how on earth do you select an alternate location? It looks like I need to start at the US map, and then slowly zoom all the way down into my local neighborhood... rather time consuming, to say the least. I've got to be missing something. :(

There's a link on the side that says to click if you don't live in Hoboken.

Make sure you read the instructions as well. Once you get to your location, you will click the "start recording" button, then double click each turn to build your route. It is an awesome tool!

It looks like I need to start at the US map, and then slowly zoom all the way down into my local neighborhood... rather time consuming, to say the least. I've got to be missing something.

When I first found that site, I was also trying to find out where you type in an address or something to start. I don't think you are missing it though. It's just not there. However, by double clicking to re-center and using the click-and-drag feature, I can get to a new starting point in a few seconds. Pretty nifty.

BillyBob… Dude, I know this was said once already but 25 miles on a MTB is tough. I ride 10 ten miles one way so that's 20 for the day on a MTB. It would be longer but I drive in seven miles because of traffic and hills. After a year of commuting I still can't ride five times a week. Do you have to carry a change of clothes, lunch, toiletries, ect.? This will all add weight to your already heavy ride. Also, does your MTB have suspension? If it does you will want to lock it out if possible.

18 miles of 50-mph (50-mph, yeah right! try 65-75-mph) 4-lane highway at night… even with all the blinkies and reflective tape in the world I still would not do that ride daily.

Bottom line… I'm not saying it can't be done but if you don't have a safe road to ride on… you shouldn't do it.

Good luck

I'm with jack...that's a long ride on a mountain bike.

I've got a similar commute...30+ miles each way on highways, 35+ miles if I take back roads. I usually avoid going the whole way by bike (only gone the whole way like 4 or 5 times) by getting on a bus about 1/2 way (our buses have bike racks for 2 bikes) and riding the other half. I also drive in one day then bus/bike home later that day and do the reverse the next day. Sometimes I get snaked on the bus (rack is full) especially when leaving work, so I've started to drive to the bus (park and ride lot or park on side streets), so that when I leave work in the afternoon I can either ride bike along the 4lane 65mph+ highway (w/nice 8 foot paved shoulder) back to the car, or, if I get on the bus, ride home from my usual stop. I'll then pick up my car later on in the week.

Mixing it up is the way to go, otherwise, I think you might burnout like jack says, especially trying to ride the whole way at first. I'd build myself up to that, but I'll bet once you get the bus times and options down, you'll find yourself still using them as they're a good way to avoid the crappy sections of road (like the 4lane highway in our cases) and get rested up for the nice part of your ride home.

I ride a cyclocross bike with drop handlebars and 700x32 tires. Feels much more efficient than my old mountain bike with slicks on it, and the tires give a plush ride over bad roads and potholes, especially compared to typical road tires of 700x20 ir 22. If you can "beef up" your roady, I think you may prefer riding it for such a long commute.

Good luck, and welcome to bike commuting!

My 17 mile commute has some multilane roads. Ones near home are almost empty when I go to work because the traffic rush has not yet started. They also have wider outside lanes so there is more space for me and the motor traffic. Use an eyeglass mounted mirror to watch for R turning cars.

18 miles of 50-mph (50-mph, yeah right! try 65-75-mph) 4-lane highway at night… even with all the blinkies and reflective tape in the world I still would not do that ride daily.

Bottom line… I'm not saying it can't be done but if you don't have a safe road to ride on… you shouldn't do it.



Yeah, this is the dilemina. I am seriously considering just riding my normal training routes (low traffic, but don't go anywhere near work) before work or late after work. Those rides would be the same distance as going to work. I am not concerned about the mileage, it is the safety that gives me pause.