Commuting - If you cycle more than 40m 5 days per week . . .

Can you reply to this thread?


The distance-recording thread has identified 11 people with a commute distance of over 40 miles. I'm interested in swapping notes with anyone who does this sort of distance 5 days or more per week.

I usually cycle 250-300 miles per week. Most of that mileage is commuting, with some weekend rides thrown in. My typical commute is 39-40-miles, round trip.

I don't count. :p
Only 5 days a week occasionally. 56 miles RT the other 4. 1 day of hauling food and clothes in and back.

I was commuting a little over 20.. We are moving to the new building soon so in the AM I'm commuting over there and back to work to try out routes and traffic. So I do ~32 miles in the AM and then ~11 in the pm on the way home.
I haul food, bathroom shower kit, a secondary lock, my clothing and obese self back and forth daily.
My ride is a 07' fuji touring with front and rear racks on marathon plus tires with mr tuffy liners. So far no flats (knock on wood).
I'm probably far from a good example of a speedy efficient commuter :D
My new commute (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Double-Oak-to-Irving)

I don't count. :p
Only 5 days a week occasionally. 56 miles RT the other 4. 1 day of hauling food and clothes in and back.

Same here... I can't commute all five days. Usually four for me. I normally take Friday off to take clothes to work and allow my body to recover for weekend club rides and races.

I take at least one day off per week, though usually in the summer I end up doing a rec ride after work with the family on my 'off day', then of course I have nice long weekend rides too.

I have a 9X80 work schedule, so I get off every other Friday. Long week I bike 24 miles round trip everyday (Mon to Fri) to work, so that's 120 miles for the total on long week. On short week (Mon-Thurs), I put 96 miles on the bike and for Fri off usually bike another 20 miles roundtrip to my local gym to do some weight lifting.



H23NC,




Can you reply to this thread?


The distance-recording thread has identified 11 people with a commute distance of over 40 miles. I'm interested in swapping notes with anyone who does this sort of distance 5 days or more per week.

I am a Trail Watch volunteer on a local rail trail. I ride 50 miles (25 miles each way) Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and every other Saturday. On Holiday weekends I will do 50 miles every day of the long weekend. I'm not on any schedule so I can take my time and usually run into others wanting to stop and talk. I enjoy that very much and have made many friends. Some trail riders will donate stuff like patch kits, good used tires, and tubes for my use by Trail Watch volunteers. You could say my commute is my job!

sorry to interrupt.

i feel like such a chump putting down a 6 ... damn close apartment! you guys are impressive. especially you 'matthew_deaner' ... 250-300 in a week? i may get up to 200 with all the errands and workouts, but 300, sheesh!

sorry to interrupt.

i feel like such a chump putting down a 6 ... damn close apartment! you guys are impressive. especially you 'matthew_deaner' ... 250-300 in a week? i may get up to 200 with all the errands and workouts, but 300, sheesh!

Well... it can be counterproductive. That kind of mileage isn't always a good idea... I actually had to take some time off from commuting this week due to overtraining. I rode RAIN last week... finished out the week with 410 miles. My legs were shot, and I was showing some of the signs of overtraining. Insomnia, reduced sex drive, irritability, lack of motivation, weight loss... all this time I was thinking that I was indestructible, but it caught up with me...
I'm resuming my normal commute / weekend century routine tomorrow.

Well... it can be counterproductive. That kind of mileage isn't always a good idea... I actually had to take some time off from commuting this week due to overtraining. I rode RAIN last week... finished out the week with 410 miles. My legs were shot, and I was showing some of the signs of overtraining. Insomnia, reduced sex drive, irritability, lack of motivation, weight loss... all this time I was thinking that I was indestructible, but it caught up with me...
I'm resuming my normal commute / weekend century routine tomorrow.

I'm feeling pretty tired this week, but I don't know about all that other stuff :eek:

I logged 440 miles from last Saturday through Friday. First I did Seattle to Portland, which is 200 miles (I'm not totally insane yet, so I did it in two days, not one). I went faster than I thought I would/ could and logged my fastest yet century time on the first day. Monday I didn't bike more than about 20 miles, but I was getting ready for Tuesday through Friday, during which some friends and I did I tour of the Willamette Valley and Oregon Coast, where we averaged a little over 60 miles a day. With loaded tourers, that's pretty decent, though the pace was relaxed. That's a lot of time on the bike.

This weekend, I biked 4 miles :D

Dring a more normal week, I tend to log around 200, 80 of it commuting.

I wanted to compare notes and techniques with other high-mileage commuters - that's why I asked for responses from people who do the miles week in, week out.

So far, that's ... errr, Mathew.

Mathew, I'm finding the miles sustainable - but only just (50m roundtrip, every weekday). I have to watch my calorie intake like a hawk, and, wow, I wear out a lot of bike gear.

A set of tyres every 2-3 months is the most noticeable item. Wheels, chains, sprockets all seem to wear out alarmingly quickly.

Yep!!

Here for the past four months, since I've relocated, my weekly commute is right at 50 miles. Before that, my commute was 75 miles per week for the last four years, not counting any weekend rides I may do. I ride every night (since I work the night shift) sometimes even in the rain and lightning. My commute miles for last year alone was almost 2500 miles.

Like the other poster, I wear out tires kinda quick too, so I'm always on the lookout for high mileage tires.

Wino, I think you misread my post. I ride 50 miles per day, not per week. 250 miles per week, plus the odd weekend pootle around.
Since the end of march, I had ridden 4000miles commuting.
I'm on 26" wheels, which limits the available tyres a bit. Just swapped to Panaracer Pasela, will see if they last more than 2 months.

There is not much difference between riding a long commute 4 or 5 days a week. It just means we have a little time to recuperate for the weekend recreational rides. I still put around 300 + miles on a bike each week.
Limiting yourself to only those who commute that far each and every day does not make much sense IMHO.

Just don't count last week. I only rode 3 days due to my back flipping out last Wed.

DJ, sure, if you clock up 300+, then there isn't much difference.

I just didn't want to swap notes with someone who only rides a serious distance once a week. It's just not the same. I could do a 150m ride every weekend and not think a lot of it, compared to my commute. I don't ride fast, it's just the relentless grind that takes thought and organisation to cope with.

I have a 43 mile RT, but only work 5 days a week from mid-April to mid July (about 12 weeks), which is in our late autumn/winter. My bike is a hybrid and it's quite windy/rainy where I live (think seattle x 2), but with generally mild temperatures. I average 25-26kmh over a 1000k generally, which probably isn't too bad considering. There's a 600 foot difference in elevation between home and work, with no real hills, just several small rises.
The rest of the year I work 3.5 days a week on a 4on/4off shift. To be honest I don't know if I'd be keen to do 5 days a week year round, although maybe in summer it would be more do-able. But at the time of year it is, what with the reduced daylight hours and general winter malaise & desire to sleep more etc, maybe the 5 day week has become tainted by association for myself. I should add that I don't even have to deal with city traffic or traffic lights, so my ride is pretty sweet. Maybe I'm just spoilt by too much good life the rest of the year...

DJ, sure, if you clock up 300+, then there isn't much difference.

I just didn't want to swap notes with someone who only rides a serious distance once a week. It's just not the same. I could do a 150m ride every weekend and not think a lot of it, compared to my commute. I don't ride fast, it's just the relentless grind that takes thought and organisation to cope with.

-I've found that it pretty much boils down to staying fed and getting enough sleep. One day where one of those items is not met has me playing catch up the entire week but I never can catch up even with forced recovery rides.
-A HRM is one of my favorite tools for keeping me from either going way too slow or way too fast. Great pacing \ training aid.
-Stretching is important for me.
-Bicycle fit is paramount. Every little change makes a big difference one way or the other.
-Another item that I have started doing is calorie counting. The primary reason is to loose 10 lbs to aid in my climbing skills. The other reason is to make sure that I do not eat too little.

Oh and when I ride 5 days instead of 4 I throw in another recovery ride. With 4 days I haul arse in and back 3 days with one day that my primary goal is to go slow and enjoy life. On 5 day weeks Friday tends to become another one of these days, at least on the way in. Being the end of the week I enjoy going all out on the way home. No need to pace oneself.

Anyhow, every source I have read states that you need to rest otherwise you will never give your muscles a chance to recover and rebuild. Whether you ride 4 long commutes with long weekend rides or 5 commutes they really are not that different IMHO. All in all that fifth day really doesn't do much for me. I would rather save my energy for a ride in the mountains on the weekend. 5 long commutes followed by a 50+ mile mountain ride with 6300 feet of climbing is not the smartest thing to do (as I discovered a month ago).

As far as bicycle wear and tear, I tend to purchase better items. The cheap stuff breaks in no time. Multiple bikes are a good thing to have to spread the wear and tear. As for tires, I seem to go through these at the rate of a few sets a year.

Irregardless of whether you wanted my 2 cents, you now have it. :p

I think I should have said "I could do a 150m ride every weekend and not think a lot of it if I wasn't doing my commute".

Your 2c is valued, thankyou.

+2 on cheap stuff. Simply not worth having. I blew out a tyre and bought one from the nearest shop - that lasted 250miles!

I've had to replace both wheels this year. The rear one in a hurry - so I just had to buy what was in the shop. The front one, I had the luxury of ordering a hand-built wheel. So I went for a 32spoke Deore LX and a XM719 rim - much stronger than what I had before.

Sleep . . . . Well with my family I struggle to get 6 hours a night. 4.5 - 5 is more normal.

How you can ride that many miles on such a small amount of sleep? :eek:

When my son was an infant if I had ridden it would have been on 3 hrs of sleep. Thank goodness for the bus.

I do 40 miles round trip 5 days a week - year round. Wednesday nights during the summer I add another 40 miles on a group ride and Saturday or Sunday (depending on the weather) is a 60-80 mile hill climb fest.

I would echo much of what DataJunkie says. HRM, stretching, need for recovery days (I do at least two per week, plus a rest day off the bike on the weekend), and bike fit - all good points.

But I'd also stress the need to get "stronger than the commute" (as I've termed it before on this forum). Doing intervals and sprints on the commute and long hard rides on the weekend has allowed even my recovery commutes to be relatively fast (compared to when I first started, anyway).

My company is actually moving this fall - I'm going from 40 relatively flat miles to 50 fairly hilly ones. It'll be fun, but I'm kind of worried about the winter. I'll see how it goes - but I'd rather find a new job than give up bike commuting - and I won't go back to driving. I won't I won't I won't!

How you can ride that many miles on such a small amount of sleep? :eek:

sloowly ;)

My average time (trip time, so including traffic lights, inner-city traffic and open country roads) is 1.5 hours each way.

When I started the commute, I was obsessed with getting the time down. Then I finally realised that doing it in 1hr 22min was wrecking me, but 1hr 30min was ok - saving that 8 minutes just wasn't worth the exhaustion.

So on the flattish country roads I cruise at about 18mph on an average day.

I wanted to compare notes and techniques with other high-mileage commuters - that's why I asked for responses from people who do the miles week in, week out.

So far, that's ... errr, Mathew.

Mathew, I'm finding the miles sustainable - but only just (50m roundtrip, every weekday). I have to watch my calorie intake like a hawk, and, wow, I wear out a lot of bike gear.

A set of tyres every 2-3 months is the most noticeable item. Wheels, chains, sprockets all seem to wear out alarmingly quickly.

My actual commuting mileage is usually about 160 miles per week. I ride to work four of five days per week, about 40-miles round trip. I generally take it easy on my commutes so that I don't trash my legs prior to more intense rides. I typically do one moderate to high intensity 30-mile training ride on Thursday evening, then take Friday off, and I usually do a couple of longer rides (50-100 miles) on Saturday and/or Sunday with a local cycling club. The long rides are usually difficult, since I pilot a heavy tandem with my 10-year old son on the back on most of these rides. Plus, the terrain around here (Southern Indiana, Bloomington area) is notoriously hilly.

My legs have been chronically sore since ramping up the mileage with daily commuting in late April. I have been experiementing with my diet and sleep patterns with the hopes of inducing recovery, with mixed results.
The following seem to hasten recovery and make the high mileage do-able for me:
- Eat a snack after commuting... preferably a food with a 4:1 carb/protien ratio. I like PBJ sandwiches or chocolate milk.
- Get extra rest. I need at least 8-hours of sleep a night... I used to get by just fine on 6.
- If you can sleep after hard weekend rides, do it. Even a short nap helps. You won't believe the difference. This will also help your body derive the maximum benefit from your training after hard rides.
- With high mileage your body will crave carbs. Give in to the temptation... but try to stick to complex carbs like whole wheat breads and pasta... they are more filling and are more effective at replenishing glacogen stores.
- Make sure you get enough calories to support your level of activity. Oftentimes I don't eat enough, and I wake up at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning with the munchies. It helps to eat smaller meals more often through the day.
- If you participate in other sports, make sure to do a slow commute (or take a day off) on days when you're going to participate. I lift weights three days per week... I try to keep the pace light on these days, otherwise, I feel totally wiped out the next day.
- Take a multivitamin. I take GNC mega man multivitamins, and I also take calcium/magnesium supplements. The calcium supplementation is important to your overall health because endurance activity leaches calcium from your bones, and it is difficult to eat a diet rich enough in calcium to replace it.
- If you have problems with cramping, make sure that you are drinking enough liquids. If you're drinking enough and still getting cramps, take an electrolyte supplement. I use electrolytes from Hammer Nutrition.

Regarding equipment...
I try to keep my bikes as purpose oriented as possible. My commuter bike is set up for maximum comfort, at the expense of speed. IMO, comfort is key to continuing a heavy commute, day after day. My race bike is the opposite; it has a very aggressive position. My tandem also has an aggressive position because I need all the advantage I can get to keep up with other club riders (on single bikes) with that heavy beast.
I use panaracer T-serv tires on my commuter. They last about 4,000 miles and are quite flat resistant. Chains last from 2,000-2,500 miles, depending upon how much I ride in the rain and how well I keep up with the maintenance. I use the same cassette through three chains before replacement.

Hope this helps!

Thank, MD, that does help.

I replaced my chainrings, cassette and chain about 3000miles ago . . . I was a bit dismayed to see a lot of wear on my middle chainring on Sun. I tend to sit on this ring and spin, guess I better spread the load a bit onto the big ring.
I use biggish tyres now (1.5") As you say comfort is important. I was going to get a higher stem (bars are about 5" below saddle, but I've found my back has adapted and I'm comfortable going very low.

For nutrition, I use a sport recovery drink called 'Rego'. It is a carb and protein replacement (non-dairy), with a decent amount of calcium and vitamins. It's hard to manage without it.

I wanted to compare notes and techniques with other high-mileage commuters - that's why I asked for responses from people who do the miles week in, week out.

So far, that's ... errr, Mathew.

I know I said I wasn't a good example :rolleyes: but I also said "So I do ~32 miles in the AM and then ~11 in the pm on the way home." ;) I did it today averaging a tad over 15mph which was pretty good for a 60lb bike+gear + ~280lbs rider (my weight varies often) on a 33.25 mile ride.
I do it everyday now and I'm hearing August for the move and riding ~32 in the morning is a bear but when we finally move it'll be cake to do 21. If I could just get through a couple stop lights faster that is my biggest obstacle of all since there are no alternatives to those intersections. One of them took me 10+ minutes and I only got accross because a truck came from the other direction to turn it. Blowing a light to cross a 6 lane highway in rushhour isn't an option :-( I've called the town about the lights but I think they made it worse then they fixed it :mad:

My marathon plus tires have a couple thousand miles on them and they show hardly any wear at all my chains and such seem to last pretty well as I try now to keep up the cadence rather then use my weight to mash.
I did have to replace my wheels because the OEM ones ate spokes, again heavy rider. I have had to bring a charger to work for batteries because even with spares the long commute just eats up rechargables. After stoplights bar tape seems to be my biggest enemy. Even with gloves, which I go through a couple times a year, I seem to abuse tape too much and replace it ever few months. I do need more sleep for sure. I usually only get 6 hours or less.

DataJunkie did very nice summary for me, I wouldn't do it better. I only add that I try to make my 43 miles RT commute more interesting and less monotonous by adding some small challenges. For example today I was going at 130-135 BPM all way to work. Or I'll load a simple exercise into my garmin and just follow it.

I throw in a few challenges as well. Sprints, intervals, etc.

Currently I am looking at a map to determine a detour for hill climbing. You know it is bad when a long commute doesn't do it for you anymore. Plus we have mountains off to the west.
Now that is some fun riding!

There is not much difference between riding a long commute 4 or 5 days a week. It just means we have a little time to recuperate for the weekend recreational rides. I still put around 300 + miles on a bike each week.
Limiting yourself to only those who commute that far each and every day does not make much sense IMHO.

But there is a huge difference between commuting 3 days a week and 5. When you get days off, you can ride much harder. Fatigue and calories (especially in the winter) are a much smaller factor.

Having said that, not all miles are equal. Hills, weather, traffic controls, road conditions, and choice of equipment make a big difference.

Just did 55km last night. I ride about 30km/day. So I get about 120-180km/week.

Most of the year, I am a bicycle commuter that averages 4 days a week, plus one ride on Sunday morning averaging 40 to 50 miles. My typical commute roundtrip is about 30 miles per day.

The past couple of months I have been pedaling to work and back 5 days a week, for a weekly commute mileage of about 150. You wouldn't think that adding one more day of riding a week is a big deal, but I was used to Wednesday as an "off bike" day. The first month of M-F x 30 miles a day, I was pedaling on the slow side by Friday. My rides have plenty of hills, so that's part of the reason, plus at age 52 the body doesn't recover quite like it did 10 or 20 years ago. Now I'm doing better with the M-F x 30 routine, but it still takes grit to stick with that routine. It makes for a pretty long day too. I'm out the door by 6:45 am, get home around 6 pm.

I ride a Riv Atlantis as the primary commute rig, a pretty heavy duty machine but low maintenance.