Commuting - Average miles for your commute?

Interested in how many mile you folks have for your commute. I have 24 mile round trip, Ive been told thats quite a lot, but with all bike paths it doesnt seem bad at all.

Yours IS a long commute. Mine used to be 5.2 miles each way, and anywhere from 4 to 8 seems to be average (each way).

There's a thread in this Commuting forum at

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?threadid=396

called "How many miles is your commute?" You can get a good idea of other Forum members' distances there.

Wow, all bike paths? That's pretty good! :D

When I commuted to my former job, it was 10 miles round trip, and that was 75% city streets. :P

I spent 8 years in Madison as an undergrad and grad student. It was a great place to commute by bike, along the lakeshore, up & down hills. At the time I wasn't to happy about some of the drivers, but in retrospect they were pretty polite. Now there are even more paths out to the outlying towns like Verona. I trying to figure if there is any way I could bike from Madison the 90 miles to Mom's house, visit her for at least a day, get back to Madison to catch a plane and do it all between Fri. eve & Sun. eve. I think I'll have to wait for time travel. Enjoy your commute Nikos, it is one of the best!

32 km (20 mile) round trip entirely on city streets, purely by choice. Those of you who use bike paths are a lot braver than I am.

Chris

Good point about the bike paths, hate coming up on slower bikes, roller bladers, walkers - that love to suck up both sides of the path (people in pairs). Or the biker looking around drifting into my lane. I have taken notice to some of those issues.

hi again Nickos, I commute 25km each way on suburban streets, Nicos and Chris your right those bike tracks are very dangerous-- plus not the place to do the speeds a regular cyclist does.

Welcome, Nikos.

12 miles each way is a good ride. I ride just 5 miles each way, plus errands. It takes me a little over 20 minutes (21 today).

I, too, know those paths. They are a blessing and a curse. :)

Jonathan

By the shortest, most direct route, my commute is 40km (25 mi) round trip; all of it on city or inter-urban streets and freeway frontage roads.

There are no bike paths around here that would be useful for my commute, and I prefer it that way. By far most of the streets I use have a more than adequate shoulder, and on the faster streets I get a noticeable "tow" from the wake as each vehicle goes by...

Mine is about 2 miles, unless I go the long way. In which case it is 26,000 miles :D :D :D

In which case it is 26,000 miles

Fubar, how do you make it home in time for supper? And how many Powerbars do you have in your back pockets? ;)


Nikos,
My commute is 14.5 miles one way, all on Atlanta streets.

Originally posted by RonH


Fubar, how do you make it home in time for supper? And how many Powerbars do you have in your back pockets? ;)


Actually, I find Cliff bar works better for a challenge like that. But I fill my pockets up!!! At least a hundred or so ;) I have to miss supper sometimes.

Originally posted by fubar5
In which case it is 26,000 miles :D :D :D

You mean you can ride that every day and still find time to do 1,000 posts? :o

Chris

when I worked for a living I use to take the back rode to work which is 3.7 miles and the highway home which was 2.9. in the heat of the summer I had to take the highway both ways, U see the back roads around here r made with oil covered with rock. They can get gooy (did i spell that right?)

Hey, when does the "newbie" go away?......lol

ok....now i know

5 posts :D

BTW, welcome to the forums, enjoy your stay.

I was thinking the same thing about the "newbie" deal!

Originally posted by Chris L


You mean you can ride that every day and still find time to do 1,000 posts? :o

Chris


It is very hard my freind, very very hard. It is not for the faint of heart.:D

Originally posted by nikos
I was thinking the same thing about the "newbie" deal!

Newbie 0-4 posts
Junior Member 5-24 posts
Member 25-49 posts
Senior Member 50 posts
Senior Member (Whatever you wanna be) 100 posts

Jonathan

Do silly empty non-sensical repetitive posts also count toward one's senior member status?

[Again] Do silly empty non-sensical repetitive posts also count toward one's senior member status?

My commute is 40km round trip (24.8 m) I can vary the route slightly without affecting distance or time, but either way it's all on arterial roads. On average it takes me about 40 minutes each way. I sometimes take a longer, hillier route home when I have the time and the inclination. It's not quite 26,000 miles, though.

When choosing a route, I'll use the same route I'd take if I were driving a car, namely the most direct one. I've never understood the need to find 'bike-safe' routes that take you far from you're desire course and involve complex, confusing directions. I won't waste my money on Bikeway maps.

Besides, riding in heavy traffic sates some of the thrillseeking urge that I has gone wanting since I gave up mountainbiking, and there's something satisfying in the application of a well practiced skill.

Well, I take back streets because they're usually more scenic than the main roads. Not to mention the fact that the extra km are better anyway. However, I avoid the offroad paths because they are dangerous and slow me down too much.

Chris

From what I have been reading of others commutes over the last few months, I feel very lucky. We have no bike paths that are any use on my commute, but the larger streets I take are generally nice, wide boulevards with a parking shoulder and ample space. Also, because I have the luxury of working an early schedule, I have zero traffic in the morning and light traffic in the afternoon. I do take a longer route in the PM to take a couple of still spacious side streets that are just less hectic as well as ride 2-3 miles beside a large park and a few miles by the lake. My morning ride is 8.75 miles and PM is just over 13. I try to go a little farther one day a week, anywhere up to about 25 miles PM. Extra miles by the lake. What a shame.

The only downside of any of it is the trashy streets. My tire life is pretty short (700-1000 miles) because they get cut up pretty badly. I noticed some disturbingly large cuts as I cleaned my bike this weekend. Time to look for new rubber.

The actual length of my commute is 7 miles each way. But, as my abilities have improved, that didn't seem like nearly enough miles, so I have added little detours. My morning detour adds 20 miles, and the evening one adds 5 miles. All of my commute takes place on a US highway with pretty fair shoulders. The only bad thing about the route? There are no other choices! If I detoured to the only other paved roads in the county, the trip would stretch out to about 54 miles one way! Now I don't object to riding this far, but there isn't enough light in the day for me to accomplish this and work a little too!

I work a 4 on 4 off shift pattern, 12 hour shifts, my round trip is 40 miles on a 30 year old Mercian fixed wheel, turning a 72 inch gear. The pro's of a long commute are hearing the owls first thing in the morning, seeing sparrow hawks and other birds of prey looking for food, the silence (away from the kids), the cons,
wet, cold, and cow pats on the road. But hey, look at the money I save.:D

I have a 34.4 km commute (guess I've got a computer, huh?) which turns out to be about 21 & change in miles.

Wish it was a little longer on the way home and maybe a bit hillier too...

happy riding,
Tom

My daily commute is about 13 miles each way. North Queensferry to the centre of Edinburgh. If I use the cycle path into Edinburgh, after crossing the Forth Road Bridge, it takes me about 56-58 mins, depending on traffic when in town.

If I take the dual carriageway after I cross the bridge the distance is less than a mile shorter, but I cut my time down to about 45-48 mins!. A combination of fear and drafting from cars.

The cycle path involves changing direction a lot and much stopping and starting, the dual carriageway, fear of dismemberment.

If I get rid of my "lovehandles" I'm sure I can go a bit quicker.:D

This is great stuff. I love reading these route descriptions. Everyone is so different.

My 5.2 miles (8.3 km) is mostly on residential through streets. They have a fair amount of traffic, and cut through town, but it's all residential, and not a major thoroughfare. About 1 km (.6 mi) is on major streets (75th St and State Line Rd). My route is the most direct, and about the least hilly, so, cars or not, it's the way I would take.

Jonathan

Reason, I commute only once a week, it is 26 miles one way, with two significant hills. takes me a little over 2 hours. Would do better on the time, but both are pretty steep hills.

my commute is 34 miles roundtrip. I do this 3-4xa week.

Before retiring over a year ago, my commute was 14 miles one way (28 miles round trip).

It was mostly flat except where I crossed over other roads via overpasses. My route included city roads, rural country roads and streets that wound through neighborhoods.

In the winter I would start out in the dark in the morning and just barely make it back home before it got dark in the evening. I loved the morning darkness ride.....very little traffic was out....I raced the sun going home....it wasn't a nice place to be in the dark at 5:00 or 5:15 in the afternoon or so. All the war wagons were racing to get home from work!! :fight:

We've relocated to another state since then. I really miss that commute. :( Some day when I begin my second career maybe I'll be fortunate enough to be able to commute again.

My commute is 9 miles round trip. It takes right around 17-18 minutes to make the journey. Half of the trip is in town and the other half is on 4 lane highway with a major interstate overpass.

At the moment I am on my summer leave, so I am not commuting. I found that without working I don't always get a good day of riding. I still ride around a lot, just not as much as I should.

I'm new to this forum, but not new to cycling or commuting. My commute distance is 6-9 miles one way, depending on the route ( I have multiple ones - direct shots or neighborhoods that are quiet). During the longer days of summer I even extend it more just to be out on a glorious morning ride.:)

Well, now that I've finished university, the only commute I have is my ride to work, a 12km round trip. It's hardly worth the effort and I'm thinking of walking it to save my bike the embarassment of such a pathetic, pitiful ride. I generally get up stupidly early in the morning and do most of my km then.

My bike commute is about 4.5 miles each way through city street in New Jersey. I then have to fold the bike (Brompton) and take it on an express bus into New York. If I have some extra time, I'll take the ferry but that takes longer. Once I'm in Manhattan, I'll ride 1.5 miles to work. This can often be the scariest 1.5 miles since I have to bike along with those crazy taxi's who drive like morons!

I currently have three main routes:

My commute this morning (half hilly minor country roads & half major A road) was 14 miles in.

My commute yesterday was 13.5 miles in (80% hilly country lanes, 10% converted railway line, 10% main & suburban roads of varying levels of traffic).

My commute on Friday was 13 miles in (60% hilly country lane, 30% off-road (bridlepath through woodland) and 10% main & suburban roads of varying levels of traffic).

Oddly the longest route is the quickest of the three by a god 10 minutes....

I've yet to be brave/stupid enough to try the most direct route which would only be 10 or 11 miles as almost all of it would be along the A 2 (M) (the M2 stops at Faversham, turning into what is supposed to be an A road to Dover, going past Canterbury - trying to distinguish the A road from the Motorway is not easy, and as it's got a nasty hill halfway between Faversham & Canterbury I've avoided it).

Homeward I currently cycle a mile to the station, and a mile at the other end. I'm planning to cycle both ways sometime earlyish next year.

Richard

Richard.How lucky you are. I now realize how lucky you are( to Californian's, except for wintet) of the country-side you traverse. I have been there on 'holiday.' Hill low key to we Californian's but the terrain is beautiful, plus just a tunnel away from Normandy.

I would love to commute daily, not just once a week; but my commute is 25-27 miles one way- what 47 kilo. Might be possible, but on day shift have to be there at the absurd hour of 6am. Have to leave at 2:45 am, think few commuters would do that.
With my rotating shifts- on PM shift every other rotation. First PM shift I commute by bike. Make it just before dark and with 12.5 hour shift, leave just after sunrise. Do that once a week. Rotate shifts days/nights once a week. Crazy- but sort of like it.
When do commute sort of like it- path to work is through hills and canyons, more than half out in the country. If only Ilived 10 miles closer, might try day shift commute once a rotation.
Think many would leave at 3 am to get to work at 6 am. Crazy, huh? I would like to. The commute down Interstate 15 is nuts. ( in car) Makes one furious. Get to work in tiff; biking causes me to get to work at peace with myself.

I would love to commute daily, not just once a week; but my commute is 25-27 miles one way- what 47 kilo. Might be possible, but on day shift have to be there at the absurd hour of 6am. Have to leave at 2:45 am, think few commuters would do that.

I'm lucky in that my hours mean I don't have to leave any earlier than 7am. I tend to commute in four days a week and really miss it when I don't.

Richard

Originally posted by Chris L




You mean you can ride that every day and still find time to do 1,000 posts? :o



Chris

It's gotta be the puppy chow (sorry, it's a Merkin reference...)

Using the most direct routes, it's 8 miles in and 9 miles home (I take a detour in the afternoon to avoid traffic). My most-traveled route is 10 miles in and 14 miles home. The terrain around here is very hilly so my commute time varies a lot depending on the route. Generally, it's mostly downhill riding in (easy to hit 40 on one of the hills) and mostly uphill going home.

I guess that makes me the sissy commuter. Drive in the morning go home at lunch, let the dogs out, watch tv, ride the 6 miles roundtrip in the afternoon when its a little warmer. I may try mornings someday. Their is no time difference between car and bike.

Hey, Diamondback, anybody that commutes by bike, even if it's only two miles, has forever foreited the right to be called "sissy." :D

Originally posted by JonR
Hey, Diamondback, anybody that commutes by bike, even if it's only two miles, has forever foreited the right to be called "sissy." :D

So how do I go about getting in touch with my feminine side then?

:confused:

My commute started at about 2.5 miles each way, to a library where I parked my bike, near a bus stop.

When I moved, it grew to 4.5 miles one way, from the train station to work. I took my bike on the train, after my wife dropped me off.

It kept growing until now, I can ride the whole 14 miles each way, a few times a week. Evolving as a cyclist, I treasure my experiences. I know so many neighborhoods and travelled so many routes that I feel as if I am lost in a deep forest: I am sold as a bicycle commuter to the point that driving now appears absolutely absurd, and my cycling adventures growing ever more interesting...

Originally posted by Chris L


So how do I go about getting in touch with my feminine side then?

:confused:
You don't really want to know. :)

That's funny JonR.:D