Commuting - My new commute

My current commute is 17 miles long. It's really just too long for me. I've tried riding it several times, but I always give up after a few weeks, because it just takes too much time every day. But, I got a new job, and a new apartment, so come January, I'll have a whole new commute.

Here's a link:
my new commute (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=100+20th+ave+san+francisco,+ca+to+100+Stillman+street,+san+francisco,+ca&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=52.68309,92.8125&ie=UTF8&z=14&om=1)

It's 1/3 the length of my current commute, and there's no fast freeway option for me to use if I take my car, plus, trying to find a parking space at work would take just as long as it would to drive over there.

I think I'll be able to do this commute every day. I'm looking forward to it, I feel like I've been getting out of shape since I haven't been riding very much with the cold weather and my busy schedule lately. :)

1/3 the length. After a while you'll miss the miles. :o

I rarely use Google. How do you use it to draw your commute route? I'd like to try drawing mine. Thx.

1/3 the length. After a while you'll miss the miles. :o

I rarely use Google. How do you use it to draw your commute route? I'd like to try drawing mine. Thx.

I'd miss the miles, except that I haven't been riding them now, because it takes two hours a day. I can always go out of my way to make my 5.5 mile commute longer if I have the time, but I couldn't do the opposite and make my 17 mile commute shorter, which was a problem.

You can use this site (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/) to trace out any route you want on top of google's maps. It's a pretty cool website.

Dude, you just gave the whole interweb access to your home and work address. I suggest getting a screenshot and posting that instead, of course, leaving out that personal data.

Dude, you just gave the whole interweb access to your home and work address. I suggest getting a screenshot and posting that instead, of course, leaving out that personal data.
I gave the whole interweb access to two addresses that are on the same block as my home and work addresses.

Dude, you just gave the whole interweb access to your home and work address.

So??????

Guess I'm funny about that kind of stuff. Glad I was wrong :)

You can't spare 2 hrs a day to ride 17 miles?
Uh....okay.
I spend 3 hrs a day riding 45 miles. Sorry, I don't get it. Is it filled with huge hills and massive traffic jams?
I am not belittling you. Merely curious.

Edit: nevermind about the hills. It's san fran. Neat start address

1/3 the length. After a while you'll miss the miles.

About 5 miles is perfect, in my opinion. You can always add miles, but a shorter and easier ride will keep you on the bike in more situations.


I rarely use Google. How do you use it to draw your commute route? I'd like to try drawing mine. Thx.

Hey Ron, ask me or Map Tester about this. I bet we can both give you more information than you want. Gmap Pedometer (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/) is the quickest and easiest site to use.

Good for you! You can always add miles later on, if you need.
One question: Geary Blvd. looks to be a pretty major artery. How's Anza, the street parallel to the south? I don't know how you feel about treating red lights as stop signs (pause, look, and go), but I find that on the major roads, that's a bad idea.

How about taking a camera along and show us your commute.
Here is mine (http://fairhavenroadie.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html)

I wanna go to San Francisco now just cuz I miss that town. BTW, that commute looks straight up easy and fun, but I have to admit to looking at the route along the Embarcardero to the Presidio as the route home.

You can't spare 2 hrs a day to ride 17 miles?
Uh....okay.
I spend 3 hrs a day riding 45 miles. Sorry, I don't get it. Is it filled with huge hills and massive traffic jams?
I am not belittling you. Merely curious.

Edit: nevermind about the hills. It's san fran. Neat start address

I'm glad you're able to spend 3 hours a day doing something you enjoy. However, I personally don't think that having every workday take a minimum of 11 hours (8 at work, plus 3 commuting) of my time is something I want to do. I don't think I should have to leave my house an hour and a half before work to get there on time. If that doesn't bother you, great, but it does bother me. I value my free time, because I get to use it to do anything I want. That's usually not riding to work. I'd much rather spend 45 minutes a day commuting and have two free hours to do anything I like than be forced to spend all three of those hours commuting every day. I do enjoy riding my bike, and on days that I want to ride for three hours, I can ride anywhere that I want, not just to work and back. Personally I don't see any advantage at all to having a longer commute, all it does is take away options for what you can do with your day, it doesn't give you anything extra.

And my current commute is 17 miles each way, so 34 per day.

I'm glad you're able to spend 3 hours a day doing something you enjoy. However, I personally don't think that having every workday take a minimum of 11 hours (8 at work, plus 3 commuting) of my time is something I want to do. I don't think I should have to leave my house an hour and a half before work to get there on time. If that doesn't bother you, great, but it does bother me. I value my free time, because I get to use it to do anything I want. That's usually not riding to work. I'd much rather spend 45 minutes a day commuting and have two free hours to do anything I like than be forced to spend all three of those hours commuting every day. I do enjoy riding my bike, and on days that I want to ride for three hours, I can ride anywhere that I want, not just to work and back. Personally I don't see any advantage at all to having a longer commute, all it does is take away options for what you can do with your day, it doesn't give you anything extra.

And my current commute is 17 miles each way, so 34 per day.

wussie. I remember back in the Old Corps, we'd ride 100 miles each way, in a blizzard, and we didn't even have bikes! :p :D ;)

wussie. I remember back in the Old Corps, we'd ride 100 miles each way, in a blizzard, and we didn't even have bikes! :p :D ;)
That was uphill in both directions, wasn't it? Full pack and boots, no sissy jogging suits/running shoes either, right?

That was uphill in both directions, wasn't it? Full pack and boots, no sissy jogging suits/running shoes either, right?

with an orphaned elephant on our backs too!

I'm glad you're able to spend 3 hours a day doing something you enjoy. However, I personally don't think that having every workday take a minimum of 11 hours (8 at work, plus 3 commuting) of my time is something I want to do. I don't think I should have to leave my house an hour and a half before work to get there on time. If that doesn't bother you, great, but it does bother me. I value my free time, because I get to use it to do anything I want. That's usually not riding to work. I'd much rather spend 45 minutes a day commuting and have two free hours to do anything I like than be forced to spend all three of those hours commuting every day. I do enjoy riding my bike, and on days that I want to ride for three hours, I can ride anywhere that I want, not just to work and back. Personally I don't see any advantage at all to having a longer commute, all it does is take away options for what you can do with your day, it doesn't give you anything extra.

And my current commute is 17 miles each way, so 34 per day.

Alrighty, apparently you are missing the part where I said I was not belittling you. Just wondering about why chose this. :rolleyes:
Some people......

That's a nice distance, especially for just beginning commuting. You can always add miles on the return trip (or even on the morning run) later.

I'm stuck with a 6.7 mile (one-way) commute with no alternative routes.

Alrighty, apparently you are missing the part where I said I was not belittling you. Just wondering about why chose this. :rolleyes:
Some people......

The only reason you said "I am not belittling you" in your post in the first place is because it was obvious when you wrote it that it would be taken that way.

Like I said, I'm glad you get to spend 3 hours a day on your bike, if that's what you want to do. However, it seems like it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out why I'd prefer not to make my workday 35% longer for no additional pay.

A shorter commute means I have more time to spend on recreational riding (including mountain biking), as well as with my friends, family and other interests.

LOL

Why so defensive?
In no way shape or form was I belittling you. You are reading a wee bit too much into this. Anyhow, this pointless discussion is finished and I hope you enjoy the new commute. In the future I will refrain from asking you any questions or for that matter replying to one of your threads.

LOL

Why so defensive?
In no way shape or form was I belittling you. You are reading a wee bit too much into this. Anyhow, this pointless discussion is finished and I hope you enjoy the new commute. In the future I will refrain from asking you any questions or for that matter replying to one of your threads.

You asked me "You can't spare 2 hrs a day to ride 17 miles?" I tell you I'd rather have two hours of free time, and you call me defensive. Is there any way I can answer this question that's not defensive?

I know that area. You have some serious hills to deal with. I'm glad you can avoid the cable car slots and, hopefully, any other in-street rails. On a dry day you could even do Fargo Street.

To the rest of you when SF had an east coast engineer lay out its streets they did not tell him about the hills so he used a grid system. Notfreds' route also goes past the hugh UCSF Medical Center. I hope it will not be needed.

You asked me "You can't spare 2 hrs a day to ride 17 miles?" I tell you I'd rather have two hours of free time, and you call me defensive. Is there any way I can answer this question that's not defensive?

I doubt it.
Plus, you didn't just post "I'd rather have 2 hrs of free time". It was a substantially longer diatribe. *shrugs*
To be truthful, I have an issue with anyone who proposes that they know my intentions better than I.

I can't say that I wouldn't like a shorter commute. To do so would entail moving or finding a new job and that is too much work. There is something to be said for having a longer commute as an option rather than a requirement. I still doubt I would have made your choice. 2 hrs for 17 miles each way is pretty damn fast with all your hills. Even without hills that is a fast commute.

I can do 45 miles in 2 hours so there ..... just teasing.

... than be forced to spend all three of those hours commuting every day....

In my area many are forced into 3 hours a day commuting (both car and public transportation).

I may switch to a job with a 36 mile round trip that would take about 2.5 hours a day. I'll probably stage my car at work a couple days and do round trips from work to home and back the next morning. It's in a congested area so one-way by car (12.5 miles) usually takes 35 minutes and can easily take an hour. If it's raining and in December it might even be as fast riding 18 miles as driving 12.

Congratulations on a new commute that will pay off in quality riding time.

To the OP: Have you rode much on Geary? Lots of fast-moving traffic, no lane. People do ride it, but there are more bike-friendly routes (http://www.sfbike.org/?maps).