Living Car Free - long distance utility cycling

Does anyone here travel long distances by bike just to get from A to B?

---personal details---
I've worked pretty hard over the years to eliminate the necessity of traveling long distances on a normal basis, to minimize my pedaling effort with good technique and equipment, and generally make the car free lifestyle as easy as it can possibly be.

But I'm starting to wonder if I've overdone it. In my current living situation I don't need to ride even 10 miles if I'm running errands all day and I can go just about anywhere I'd ever want to go more easily and more quickly without a car than with one. More importantly, I'm starting to feel that I'm not getting enough exercise because I've made it too easy. I suppose I could start working backwards: move further away from my job, ride with the brakes engaged, or ride around in circles on bike trails like a lost rabbit, but part of the reason I cycle is to prove to myself and future generations how easy it is to reap the benefits of being car free.

So I've been considering the next step of becoming plane/train/bus lite and perhaps, eventually, plane/train/bus free. For most of the year I'm already free of motorized transit, but the holidays are unique in the distances needing to be traveled in so few non-working days.

This year I plan on traveling 200 miles home for the holidays by bus (although I sometimes go by train). The trip is usually 3.5 hours, but the last few years I've noticed that the highways have been getting more and more congested around the holidays such that the trip took 8 hours this past thanksgiving and 11 hours last christmas. So I've been toying with the idea of, perhaps, making the trip by bike at some point in the future (not cold turkey of course).
---personal details---

Does anyone here do this kind of riding? Do you think it's practical to travel these sort of distances for utility purposes on normal routes (ie not meandering tourist routes speckled with B&Bs) at this time of the year? How long would it take? Would it be possible to enjoy the time spent at the destination (and how long would one need to recover before heading home)? What kind of bicycle would you need? How far is too far for utility cycling?

You need to visit the Bike Forum's touring forum. They regularly do this kind of thing.
However several points to ponder:
* "normal" routes rather than tourist routes. Touring cyclists try to find routes with the least car traffic or at least a route with good shoulders. It's not much fun traveling with a slew of traffic passing close to you at 60-80 mph.
* a 200 mile trip is a multi-day event. At least for me. I normally do at most 60-70 miles a day with baggage. So you need to consider somewhere to stay en route. You might think about taking a tent.
* you could make the trip with just about any bicycle that was comfortable to you. If you need to take baggage, a rear rack or a low-rider front rack is required. If your current bike supports a rack and if you can stay in the saddle for 6-7 hours, that's should take care of the hardware situation.
* as for recovery at the other end, you could make the trip at Thanksgiving. That would undoubtedly provide enough fuel for the return :)
* if I were planning this trip, I would make multiple shorter trips to make sure I was in good enough shape for the trip

I think you are on to something good here. Good luck with your plans.

I've done it, and it does require a large degree of commitment. Your observation:

"...holidays are unique in the distances needing to be traveled in so few non-working days"

does sort of make cycling less-efficient in some aspects.

At one stage in my cycling, I'd think nothing of leaving early Saturday and riding 200km to stay with a friend, then ride back then next day. Or ride 350+km to the start of a 24-hour trial that would bring me back home again. Sometimes, I would combine the bus or train one way and bike my way back.

With the bus taking much longer, as you observe, you might just as well ride and see what else you can explore along the way. Yes, it will take longer by bike, and you need to factor that into your scheduling. But the price is right!!!

The thing about the direct route is that I agree with mrteeth in some circumstances. Sometimes you have to put up with the grotty roads and traffic to make the trip more efficient. In these cases, it is all about the destination and not the trip.

Does anyone here travel long distances by bike just to get from A to B?
What is the expected temperature and road conditions "from A to B" during the holiday system? Here, at 12:30 it is +1° F and several inches of snow and sheet ice on the roads. I would not plan on making any long distance cycling trips under such conditions unless my life depended on it, and even then, probably wouldn't do it.

What is the expected temperature and road conditions "from A to B" during the holiday system? Here, at 12:30 it is +1° F and several inches of snow and sheet ice on the roads. I would not plan on making any long distance cycling trips under such conditions unless my life depended on it, and even then, probably wouldn't do it.

Same here--minus the ice and plus a few more inches of snow. And wind gusts of 35 mph for added fun.

If it wasn't for my injury, I would have taken a short ride today, on more sheltered routes. I did take a short walk, and stayed comfortable with almost my maximum wearable amount of clothing.

I could be wrong, but I don't think even Machka would ride 200 miles on a day like this. :D

The cost of the extra days of food and lodging would negate the benefit of not spending money on a bus ticket each way. By filling one more seat on a bus or train you are contributing to making that vehicle more efficient for that trip.

Smallwheels, thanks for bringing that point up. I had not thought of it that way. I like the idea of long distance utility riding for various reasons, but time and money are limitations.

I have done it on occasion in the past. More than once it was coming home from college for the long holiday break, however I lived close enough it could be done in a long day...think century+.:p Now it would probably take me 2+ days to cover the same distance if riding a loaded rig.

Aaron:)

Small wheels makes a good point. However, if you enjoy the long ride and come out of the trip with about the same expenses (train/bus vs. Bike) then why not bike if it satisfies your desire to become train/bus light and gets your ass some exercise? This brings up the problem of touring for efficiency through heavy traffic roads that maybe the most direct but not the most enjoyable to ride. If you are not going to enjoy the actual process of riding then you may as well take the bus and spend extra time with the family. If on the other hand you plan the trip right so that you take the slightly longer, more scenic routes with a sleeping bag and tent... GO FOR IT!!!! You will impress the hell out of everyone when you get there! Check out the touring forum ASAP and read through what they have to say because this sort of thing comes up a lot there as well. If you plan on doing these trips every year or more, I would highly recommend a solid touring bike. They are much more comfortable, can handle bigger loads, and are more durable than your standard bike. In short.... they are made for it! Cheers!

I will visit my parents by bike a couple of times a year. They are about 100 miles away. I consider late March-October the season for this length of ride, definitely not for the snow season, and its not going to be pleasant when temps are cold. I ride a touring bike but try to bring minimal luggage with me in a pannier so that I am not dragged down by weight.

Often the trip will be multimodal. I can take the bike (as is) on a commuter train so I can get a 30 mile jumpstart out of urban traffic land. Or I'll get tired and use my cellphone to call them for a pickup for the last 20-30 miles. I've done this before on a long weekend, bike on Sat and Mon. It doesn't give a lot of time to just relax though!

200 miles is a double century, obviously people do do this in a day. But if you want to enjoy it and if you are bringing stuff to stay for a week, I would definitely want to do it in 2 or 3 days. Staying indoors involves bringing the least amount of stuff with you, ideal is when you have other friends along your route, but also of course there are cheapo motels or also even strangers - check out http://www.warmshowers.org. For camping, you can stay at campgrounds or stealth camp depending on how populated the area you are going through is. So you'd also need to be carrying some minimal amount of camping gear, and temperature-wise it really depends of course on your own tolerances, and whether you plan to cook at camp or eat fast food on the road.

As far as multimodal trips go, many buses and trains make this difficult to do as they want you to at least partially disassemble and then box the bike. But if you are going to do this often perhaps investment in a good Bike Friday is useful where you can take your bike in a suitcase (that then turns into a trailer) on the transit. Multimodal is also good for long rides like this when you don't have a lot of time for riding both directions. Take your bike in the direction to have the wind at your back, and transit the other!

In terms of footprint I don't think you're really better off riding this far then taking a bus (less footprint than train) or train (faster and more sane!) when caloric intake vs. the marginal cost of adding one more person to the bus/train. But sometimes its worth it just to enjoy the ride!

I think the OP needs to be reread carefully. Putting aside the issue of weather, because we don't know where mrteeth lives, the critical issue appears to be that road transport (bus) has become so inefficient because of heavy traffic in the holiday period that it has gone from 3.5 hours to over 11 to cover the distance... time he feels that he could put to better use by improving his fitness, skills and philsophical well-being.

I think also another look needs to be taken at the motivations for doing this and his efficiencies. I don't agree (nicely) with smallwheels simply because it is possible to ride such a distance in a day, and not need lodging at all. Again, the motivation for the plan is not to avoid spending money on a bus ticket, but rather the effiency. I would also wager that by travelling on a bus over such an extended period, passengers would consumer more in "boredom" food than a cyclist would.

We are actually talking about utility cycling and not touring. Touring is something somewhat different, obviously with an expectation of "enjoying the ride". In mrteeth's case, "enjoying the ride", as he has already stated, is not an essential element as he appears prepared to accept the less-amenable riding conditions of the main arterials.

Having done what he is planning, I do know where he is coming from.

Does anyone here travel long distances by bike just to get from A to B?

---personal details---
I've worked pretty hard over the years to eliminate the necessity of traveling long distances on a normal basis, to minimize my pedaling effort with good technique and equipment, and generally make the car free lifestyle as easy as it can possibly be.

But I'm starting to wonder if I've overdone it. In my current living situation I don't need to ride even 10 miles if I'm running errands all day and I can go just about anywhere I'd ever want to go more easily and more quickly without a car than with one. More importantly, I'm starting to feel that I'm not getting enough exercise because I've made it too easy. I suppose I could start working backwards: move further away from my job, ride with the brakes engaged, or ride around in circles on bike trails like a lost rabbit, but part of the reason I cycle is to prove to myself and future generations how easy it is to reap the benefits of being car free.

So I've been considering the next step of becoming plane/train/bus lite and perhaps, eventually, plane/train/bus free. For most of the year I'm already free of motorized transit, but the holidays are unique in the distances needing to be traveled in so few non-working days.

This year I plan on traveling 200 miles home for the holidays by bus (although I sometimes go by train). The trip is usually 3.5 hours, but the last few years I've noticed that the highways have been getting more and more congested around the holidays such that the trip took 8 hours this past thanksgiving and 11 hours last christmas. So I've been toying with the idea of, perhaps, making the trip by bike at some point in the future (not cold turkey of course).
---personal details---

Does anyone here do this kind of riding? Do you think it's practical to travel these sort of distances for utility purposes on normal routes (ie not meandering tourist routes speckled with B&Bs) at this time of the year? How long would it take? Would it be possible to enjoy the time spent at the destination (and how long would one need to recover before heading home)? What kind of bicycle would you need? How far is too far for utility cycling?

I agree that it's entirely possible to ride a bike 200km in one day, just to get to your destination, if you're not heavily loaded and the weather is dry. If you're taking a direct route (i.e., a busy highway), it's still a very good idea to choose a route with at least a decent shoulder, though. Getting passed within inches by a logging truck going 65 mph on a narrow highway with no shoulder is very nerve-wracking, and if it happens a few times a minute for an hour or more, it can really wear you out.

And about having arranged your life so that it's too easy and you don't get enough exercise: I've discovered three ways to solve that problem without even leaving town:

1. Go for a run when you get home, or
2. On your way home from work, stop for groceries or whatever at a store that's 10 miles out of your way, and ride as fast as you can while you do it, or
3. If your destination is less than 3 miles away, just leave the bike at home and walk. (This is what I'm doing currently, and it's working well, especially with all the ice and snow around; walking is almost as good as running, and mile for mile, much better exercise than bicycling. But I'm thinking of going back to option #1. Nothing beats running for a workout if you have limited time.)