Commuting - Long commute

Does anyone do a long commute? yahoo maps tells me I am 36.2 miles from work, and that is using an expressway that goes fairly straight, and which is not open to bikes. I figure a bike commute would be 40-45 miles. I am not sure I could handle 80-90 miles a day. Any thoughts on how to work into this?

I have a gym near work where I could lock my bike under watchful eyes and take a shower. It is the actual ride which would be daunting.

I have flexible hours so I could go in early or late and leave early or late.

What I don't think I could do is ride to a commuter bus, or even in to metrorail. I don't think the bike would be secure, and it would be areal mess if I showed up at a metro station only to find my bike trashed or missing, and myself 20 miles or more from home.

I assume you commute by auto at present? What about driving partway, parking at a safe place (if there is one; maybe a friend's business has a free spot in their lot?), and riding the rest, so you're doing more like 15 miles each way?

80 miles a day is a lot, and particularly if the weather turns against you for the ride home. If you intend to put that much of your time into riding, I hope you're single :D

What kind of bike would you ride on if you did start commuting that distance? Probably a road-racing or sport-touring bike with a light system, I imagine?

Originally posted by mechBgon
I assume you commute by auto at present? What about driving partway, parking at a safe place (if there is one; maybe a friend's business has a free spot in their lot?), and riding the rest, so you're doing more like 15 miles each way?This would make the most sense, except the commuting lots are a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe the drive and ride would work, but I am not sure how. Right now I drive about 10 miles to a park and ride lot where I get a commuter bus. The lot is unattended during the day, and I had another thread about trying to secure my bike at that lot. So far no winning ideas.


[80 miles a day is a lot, and particularly if the weather turns against you for the ride home. If you intend to put that much of your time into riding, I hope you're single :D
yes, the distance is daunting. I am separated (too much the procrastinator to file for divorce), and another issue is I have the kids about half the time.


What kind of bike would you ride on if you did start commuting that distance? Probably a road-racing or sport-touring bike with a light system, I imagine? I'm not sure, but I have three or four road bikes, an old sport touring bike and a mountain bike I could use. I am sitll thinking about the light system. Only the old touring bike has a generator, and it is a waste of weight. I have lots of low cost add on lights, battery powered halogen, and might get one of the rechargeable systems if I were getting into it. If I get serious aobut commuting I would probably get a Fuji touring bike from bikesdirect and add the schmidt generator from Peter White Cycles or Sheldon Brown.

The reason I posted this was to get new ideas, and the idea of driving in part way and then riding has some appeal. thanks, and I hope I get some other good ideas.

Originally posted by mechBgon
I assume you commute by auto at present? What about driving partway, parking at a safe place (if there is one; maybe a friend's business has a free spot in their lot?), and riding the rest, so you're doing more like 15 miles each way?

This is what I was going to recommend and is what I am doing now - I drive to a park and ride with my bike on a rack and ride from there.

If I rode from my home to work it would be
a similar distance to yours and I'd have to get
up at 3 a.m. just to have a chance to make it
in on time. No thanks.

So yeah, finding a park and ride adjacent to an
MUT would be my recommendation. Works for
me anyway.

Drive part way and ride the rest.

or

Drive in with bike, ride home. Ride in the next morning, drive home. Do this twice a week.

or

Ride to the park'n'ride and take your bike with you on the bus. I don't remember what you might have said about bike racks on the buses.

or

Look for some other mass transit (a different bus route, a train) that permits bikes on board. This is not uncommon.

RichC

Or get a folding bike and, if necessary, a canvas bag to hide it.

One thought I've had is, utalize the bike lockers available at some of the park and rides, at least there are a few here. That way you could ride the bus to the bike, and ride the bike to work, and come back the same way.

An idea a co-worker has had for me, it bring the bike to work and ride home, then ride back the next day, that way I 'm only doing 25 miles one way and not a full 50. I'm still trying to figure this out, and in the mean time take care of the car that broke down in work's parking lot.

80 miles a day will drag you down, particularly when you are working between commutes.

Think the suggestions above are good ones.

the solution i've thought of is this:

i have a bike that i bought at Value Village for $20. it's a shwinn 10-speed... nearly as fast on flat ground as any 1000$ carbon fiber masterpiece, but looks like hell. rust on the rims, scratched paint+rust on the frame...

what would you think of buying a bike like mine and using that to get to the place where you can get on the mass transit?

Originally posted by cerewa
the solution i've thought of is this:

i have a bike that i bought at Value Village for $20. it's a shwinn 10-speed... nearly as fast on flat ground as any 1000$ carbon fiber masterpiece, but looks like hell. rust on the rims, scratched paint+rust on the frame...

what would you think of buying a bike like mine and using that to get to the place where you can get on the mass transit? I still don't like the idea of being stranded at the place I get off the commuter bus. The vandals have only messed with a few cars, but a bike would be too inviting a target. Some vandals like destroying nice new bikes, others enjoy destroying beaters. I don't like the idea of leaving a bike unless they get bike lockers.

Originally posted by FOG
Does anyone do a long commute? yahoo maps tells me I am 36.2 miles from work, and that is using an expressway that goes fairly straight, and which is not open to bikes. I figure a bike commute would be 40-45 miles. I am not sure I could handle 80-90 miles a day. Any thoughts on how to work into this?
Be creative.

Perhaps parking would be cheaper 10 miles away from work, rather than where you work. If so, maybe you could tote your bike on your car, park the car and ride the bike 10 miles to work.
Or even 5 miles, or whatever suits your fancy.

(Oops, looks like this idea has been mentioned already!)

Originally posted by Pete Clark
Be creative.

Perhaps parking would be cheaper 10 miles away from work, rather than where you work. If so, maybe you could tote your bike on your car, park the car and ride the bike 10 miles to work.
Or even 5 miles, or whatever suits your fancy.

(Oops, looks like this idea has been mentioned already!) I don't think cost is the issue. My commute is pretty inexpensive now. I drive to a free park and ride, maybe 10 miles, and ride a bus which is essentially free after my transit beneift at work. The only way it would get cheaper would be if I could bike to the bus or all the way to work. Even then, the marginal cost of biking might approach or exceed the marginal cost of driving, especially when the effects of weather on the bike or potential vandals get counted in. My thought was to use the commute as a time for exercise.

Chewa' s right ,80 miles a day every will realy become a drain on your body ,you'l grow to hate your bike ! one way would be ok. Is there a co-worker who lives near you who could give you & your bike a lift either there or back if you supplied a bike carrier.

I agree with the comments about the lengthof the commute. I have a 17 mile communte one way, and I find it difficult to do more than 3 times a week. My muscles don't seem to have the time to recover from one day to the next.. And if I try, the mental part gets tough. Its just unpleasant, and if you don't enjoy it, my philosophy is don't do it at all.. And the miles would quickly destroy your bike. 80-90 miles per day would put 400 miles a week, 1600 miles per month.. In the bike shop or your garage at least once a month for clean and lube. Your hubs will be wore out in no time.... If you want to do this length of a commute, spend the right money on your wheelsets and the best nutrition possible, not to mention clothing. You'll be spending 3 to 4 hours a day in your saddle.... Have fun,.

Seems like buses in a city the size and population of Annapolis would have the bike racks on the front. These work very well and is a godsend for those of us with a long commute / happen to be lazy one day. If you're paranoid about your $2000 bike stolen or falling off the rack,(the companies that design these things make them so that doesn't happen, as far as I know!) an old beater 10 speed would be ideal. You would be a complete pimp if you did 80 miles a day, though, keep us posted!

This is kind of an oddball thought, but is there any place within walking distance of the Park-and-Ride that would be secure.

You might inquire of one of the local businesses (coffee shop, gas station, etc) if they would let you lock your bike indoors while you are at work, or maybe a local homeowner would let you lock your bike in his back yard during the day.

Dan

I have a 35 mile commute, but i found a few other car commuters from my office who lives a few miles away. I cycle between them, riding to their houses, pitching in gas money.

I just ride to the house in the morning, lock up my bike, and ride back home after we return from the commute. Not only does this keep me from having to have a car (dirty nasty filthy expensive things), but I also get my morning fresh air and car-dodging city-riding dosage.

cheers
-Nick

I'd second the idea of a folding bike. That would give you mobility to the station and mobility downtown. That would probably produce only a slight increase in your total commute time, yet provide you with more options than you have now (along with excercise benefits). If I had the prospect of several hours a day of commuting (by any transport mode), I would move, change jobs, or both.

Paul

Originally posted by PaulH
I'd second the idea of a folding bike. That would give you mobility to the station and mobility downtown. That would probably produce only a slight increase in your total commute time, yet provide you with more options than you have now (along with excercise benefits). If I had the prospect of several hours a day of commuting (by any transport mode), I would move, change jobs, or both.

Paul If I move I lose the real joint custody I have now, and I cannot easily change jobs to one nearer. The folding bike idea is interesting, but I don't think I could even get a folding bike onto the bus. They don't open the luggage compartments below, and the racks overhead are too small for a folding bike.

I appreciate the thinking though. thanks.

Originally posted by FOG
Does anyone do a long commute? yahoo maps tells me I am 36.2 miles from work, and that is using an expressway that goes fairly straight, and which is not open to bikes. I figure a bike commute would be 40-45 miles. I am not sure I could handle 80-90 miles a day. Any thoughts on how to work into this?
I used to get my wife to drop me at the train station with my bike, then take the train to a spot 4 1/2 miles from work. I'd ride my bike in from there.

My suggestion is to combine cycling with some other form of transportation so that you have a managable distance to cycle.

When I am on tour I cycle about 100 - 130 km (80 miles) per day, every day, for 2 - 3 weeks.

Besides I cycle on tour with panniers, which contain the tent, sleeping bag, alumat, food, etc.

It does not wear me down, though I am not that young. I never feel myself better than on tour.

I know tourers who cycle 280 - 300 km per day. One of them cycled from Spain to North Cape in Norway for 10 days only.

If your work involves a lot of seating, than you will have time to rest.

After some time your avarage speed will increase and your commute will take less time.

If you can keep commuting 80 miles for a year, you will look so sporty, that you will have to marry again, as you will definitely become the center of the feminine attention.

We do not know much about your route. The majour problem could be head wind, darkness in the morning and evening, uphills.

I would advise to take on such a long ride the small medical kit. And I would also advise to check that the bottle with the hydrogen-peroxide is not dry. Sometimes a small wound may get infected and become the big problem (I learned it hard way).

Max, an 80-mile day is fine for touring, but an 80-mile commute could take 6 - 8 hours.

Originally posted by Pete Clark
Max, an 80-mile day is fine for touring, but an 80-mile commute could take 6 - 8 hours.

I do not say - everyday.

But 3 hours one way - possible.

It depends on the route. If it is a scenic asphalt route protected from wind by houses or trees, I would try it.

My commute is miserably short - 5 miles one way. Sometimes I cycle in the morning before breakfast about 60 km on the asphalt trail. I get up at 5 o'clock for this. This is the best time. The city is almost empty at that time.

So, if FOG's work starts, say, at 9, it is possible to have everything set and ready from the evening, go to bed at 21:00, get up at 05:00, hit the road at 05:30 and be near the gym at 08:30 and at the office at 09:00.

40 miles is 64 km, it means that the average speed should be about 20 km/h to make it in 3 hours. But 20 km/h is not fast. On Tour de France they cycle with the average speed 49 km/h. I do not say 49, but 30 km/h is realistic after some practice.

So it could be reduced after some time to 2 hours one way. 2 - 3 times per week when the weather is OK, - why not.

All depends on the route.

It's up to the individual.

With family obligations, 2 hours per day is all I have time for on the bike.

Originally posted by Pete Clark
It's up to the individual.

With family obligations, 2 hours per day is all I have time for on the bike.

Making such long commute from time to time would be the good example for kids. I noticed that with the kid words are nothing. The best way is by example. This they understand and accept.

Besides one has to feel onself good inside the family, for this one has to have the possibility to do what he wants and considers right. Then the family is better off too.

Now it is up to FOG. He can prove if such a long commute is possible or not.

A 45 mile commute isn't gonna happen. If a person road at 30kph it would take 2hr 24mins one way with no stopping, for traffic lights. To start work at 9AM the rider would have to leave at 6AM and get up even earlier. Then they have got to get home still, another 2hrs and 24mins. I have done a 90km RT ride to work once and that was enough to convince me to find another solution. Rides of that length take too much out of the system. Not to mention that a fair amount of the ride would be in the dark.
I would suggest riding in to work Tuesday and Thursday and organising a lift home via some other mode of transport.

I ride to work 45km one way and get a lift home. My wife works around the corner from me. She drives in and takes my bag of clothes in the car. I ride to her work, pick up my bag, ride over to my work and lock up my bike, and have a shower and get changed. At the end of the day I grab my bike and put it in the car, and get a lift home. This way I can ride in Tue, Wed, Thurs and get in 135km without feeling stuffed at night time. There is a solution for every situation.

Good luck.

Mark

I have the same commute distance as FOG, unfortunately the Santa Cruz Hills add a bit of excitement to a commute ride. Anyways if FOG or I got up at 4:30 am left at 5:00am biked at an average speed of 16 mph it would only take a little over 2 hours! Then you have to eat, shower, and work until 5? Change and bike home - you would be home by 7:30 - 8:00 eat dinner and if you are in bed by 8:30 you could get a full eight hours of sleep - we would need it.

Sure, it would completely destroy your days, nights, and bike...but how good would you look in your new biking clothes? Or think about all of the stories you would have of cars and trucks running you over or the time you were flying down a mountain road at 5:30 in the morning and your halogen lights went out. Good times!

I understood that FOG wanted to make the long commute. He did not write that he does not want to commute.

Yesterday I saw in the news that in Spain the racer cycled 150 km for 3 hrs 37 minutes.

Of course it is different. But this racer is also just a man.

A lot depends on the route. If it is the bad surface with a lot of traffic, open to the sea winds - forget about it.

But if it is the good road, where one can maintain 30 km/h and enjoy it, then why not.

I was on the tour along the North Sea Cycle Route and Denmark National Cycling Route Number 6 earlier this month. On this Route nr 6 there are stretches, which are surrounded by the trees from both sides, and the asphalt surface is ideally even, no traffic worth mentioning. On such roads I am sure I could make 64 km commute one way 2 - 3 times per week.

By the way, getting up early in the morning, like at 05:00 is fun. It is the best time. In summer there is the natural light already at this time. The secret is to go to bed early, so that one has 8 hours sleep time. I usually start to read non-fiction book, when I am in bed and soon I am asleep.

I agree, discpline is the key. While this may be going off Fog's initial question it still has some bearing. I am in bed religiously by 22:00, I am up at 06:00 to take out the pooch and ready and feeling 'alive' at 07:30 in time for my 10 mile commute. I drink 1 coffee and have some carbs for breakfast along with a big glass of water. On getting to work I take a bunch of vitamins, creatine and BCAA's. I then have a huge bowl of Oatmeal to fuel my lifting session at lunchtime and 2 cans of tuna. Post workout is pretty much the same along with loads of water. Around 3 I have my coffee 'treat' then back on the water for the ride home at 17:00.

Looking after the damage you cause daily is probably what will make or break your determination to do such a long commute. Feeding the machine is the most important thing IMHO. Weekends I dont go anywhere near the bike except to give it a clean, lube and check over. Come sunday evening my legs are starting to feel ready for the coming week, Friday nights they are pooped just walking upstairs :)

Good luck with the problem Fog

Si

Thanks to all for the advice. As of this mon=ment, I cannot see my way clear to try the commute, or even a reasonable subset of my commute by bike. It is just too complicated. I don't have the level of fitness required for a 92 mile-a-day round trip, and there is not good intermediate method. From time to time I see shattered glass in the park and ride from which I take my commuter bus, bearing silent witness to the fact that a car had been broken into. I can only infer that any bike reasonably equipped for twilight travel and moderate speeds would be a pile of trash if I were to park it there for more than a day or two. The other suggestions about carting the bike a significant portion of the way to work are intriguing, but would leave me with some of the worst traffic on my commute, which I currently glide by in a commuter bus using High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. Although I am no wild-eyed environmentalist, I see no reason to inconvenience myself in an effort to pollute the environment.

In mid-September, I'll be starting a two-day per week commute of approx. 21 miles one way. It is all paved bike trail, except for roughly the last mile, which will be downtone streets. I'll be commuting on Monday and Wednesday.

This seems almost the outer limits of what is practical. If the one way mileage was 25, I don't know if I would have considered it. Or, if I needed to commute more than two days, this may have caused me to question whether it was going to work.

A one way of 40 miles seems excessive and impractical for one to maintain for any length of time. I agree with the other postings about trying to break up the ride in half.

Best of luck and I hope you find a way to make it work.

Hmmm I will be starting a one day a week commute this spring of 28 miles each way..............I figure it is good training! However I will let weather dictate the day, either Tuesday or Wednesday, the new office will have a shower.........so I will pack my bag and clothes in the day before.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman

I would have to say that the mileage one can handle is dictated by the person's ability. I have a hilly 22 mile commute that I can handle fairly well 2 - 3 days a week. Any more than that just drags me down and I feel like I'm spending all my time on the bike. 40 miles one way seems reasonable, but to ride 40 miles, work 8+ hours, then ride the 40 back home? 5 days a week? That seems like an awful lot of time on the bike. I'd burn out.