Commuting - Long Distance Commuters (20+ miles)- opt for speed or comfort?

Discuss.

There's really no reason why you can't have both. All four of my bikes are both fast and comfortable.

Okay, they might like a better motor, but they make good use of the one they have.

Discuss.

Is it 20 miles one way or round trip? My answer is it depends..

20+ miles one way.

Fast!!!

-suffer more! Kill it!

it is not an either-or proposition

I'd go for speed.

For me ,I like to have a balance between speed and comfort. I think both are important. My speed varies a lot.If I am riding on the roads with the traffic then I usually try to go around 20-35 Km/h, but if I am riding along mup's and unpaved trails/paths through the river valleys ,then my speed can be a low as 10 km/h. In winter time comfort is much more important then speed. Winter commutes can be so much slower if there is snow/ice and very low temps, in those conditions comfort is my most important thing. In winter I don't really care about speed , I have never been late for work yet ,even on some of my slowest commutes... I do enjoy speedy commutes when the weather is good and many times I will push myself to go as fast as possible but at the same time I also dress for comfort.

2x20miles is a long distance commute. I would suggest a practical road bike, one with rack and fender eyelets, plenty of tyre clearance and a comfortable position. Either a sportif, day-touring style or a cyclo-cross for rougher conditions.

Speed. I enjoy my commute, but its also a time-sucking lifestyle choice, and I like to keep the time used to a minimum. Plus, speed makes co-existing with auto traffic easier.

it is not an either-or proposition

This. I'm no less comfortable - unless you count perceived exertion as discomfort - going fairly fast as opposed to fairly slow.

I ride my LHT for my hilly 41 mile RT commute. It usually takes me between 1:05 and 1:20 depending on how the wind is blowing and how hard I pushed it the day before.

This summer I rented a specialized tarmac pro just to see if i was missing some speed due to the bike. Checking out my GPS logs it was no faster. It's all the engine :thumb:.

2x20miles is a long distance commute. I would suggest a practical road bike, one with rack and fender eyelets, plenty of tyre clearance and a comfortable position. Either a sportif, day-touring style or a cyclo-cross for rougher conditions.

+1 A combo of bikes works best for me. I use a loaded cross-bike for hauling a weeks worth of clothes/food in on Mondays. Then either my fg or rb to haul my laundry/empty containers home the rest of the week. They're both equipped w/seatpost racks and trunkbags. Some days I'm just too fatigued to ride the fg so I either skip or ride the rb which, given my terrain is much easier.

But, given the choice of one I'd go w/t cross due to a drop-bar configuration and wheelset strength. It's been a workhorse over the last 2.5 years. And it's fast enough for my needs...between 15-17 average.

My commute is 33 miles r/t. I can't keep that up every day of the week as I have a high energy job, so it's a folder and the train on some days. A solid old road bike seems to be the best balance of robustness, comfort, and speed. I've been running 23's on it (Schwalbe Blizards), but after a flat on Wednesday and some truing issues, I might go a little bigger on the tires.

I'm not really any faster on my fancy Jamis, and I wouldn't want to take that out on the metal grate drawbridges and torn up old urban jungle roads along my commute.

I am a 35 mile round trip commuter. I ride it everyday and year. LHT with 37c marathons. Takes just under an hour on the way there (down hill) and about an hour and twenty on the way home).

My commute is 22 miles each way. Have to keep the speed up to minimize the time. Typically it takes 1 hour 20 minutes to cover that 22 miles.

I enjoy a speedy commute. It also doubles as my daily workout.

I'm @ 25 each way. The bikes I ride are optimized for comfort at speed, so I'll say both. Like others here, I spend a lot of time riding, so I don't want to dawdle, and I do it every day.

I ride my LHT for my hilly 41 mile RT commute. It usually takes me between 1:05 and 1:20 depending on how the wind is blowing and how hard I pushed it the day before.

This summer I rented a specialized tarmac pro just to see if i was missing some speed due to the bike. Checking out my GPS logs it was no faster. It's all the engine :thumb:.

I have similar experience- my commuter is a steel touring bike with few weight concessions, and I also have a nice light aluminum road bike. The difference between the two is less than 10 minutes in each direction, confirmed with my GPS logs. I think carrying bags, stopping at stoplights, and stretches where I ride a little slower out of caution equalize the times a bit. My ride is 15 miles each way, and I average about 55 minutes on the touring bike and 50 on the road bike (though I can shave about 5 minutes off either time if I hustle).

I stopped by a couple of LBSs today and told them I was looking for something that would be comfortable of doing 50+ miles on. Their suggestions were the entry level roadies and the flat bar "fitness" bikes- basically whatever type of cockpit I was more comfortable using.

Another who combines speed with comfort. I ride a steel cyclocross bike with rack and fenders and 25c tires. I can easily ride 20MPH on the flats in calm conditions, and the bike is very comfortable to ride - I've finished multiple centuries and a double century on the bike with no issues. You can have both!

When you think of a comfortable bike, what are you thinking of? What comes to mind when you're thinking about fast bike?

To some people a comfortable bike is one with a big cushy seat, fat tires, and an upright riding position. To others, a comfortable bike is something like the Specialized Roubaix (http://www.artscyclery.com/descpage-SP0REC2.html).

However, if you've got to carry anything more than a minimal amount of stuff, and/or your roads are pretty bad, the Roubaix may not be the best choice. Likewise, if you're going more than a moderate distance, there are better options than a "comfort bike".

To me you can't go too far wrong with a touring bike or a CX bike with rack/fender mounts. Unless you really dislike drops I think they make a lot of sense for longer distances. Both for the multiple hand positions and because riding against the wind for miles on end is easier if you have the option to get lower.

I am a 35 mile round trip commuter. I ride it everyday and year. LHT with 37c marathons. Takes just under an hour on the way there (down hill) and about an hour and twenty on the way home).

And...? So which is it?

Cyclocross bike with lithium ion or lithium phosphate electric kit. You will arrive faster and fresher for every commute. It also recharges fast enough that you can recharge during the work day for the return back home.

50mile rt commute, 3 days a week. Used to do it 5 days a week, but the family complained about me being too tired on weekends.
speed and comfort. I've had 26" drop barred mtb, now on a road bike with 25mm tyres. Both comfortable. I use aero bars because it makes a big difference when plugging a headwind - 1-2mph for the same effort adds up over 25miles.

One thing I *don't * do is fit heavy tyres. My race-training tyres (Krylion Carbon or Vittoria Zaffiro) might puncture 4, 5 times a year but I'd rather spend 10 minutes fixing a puncture every couple months than spend every ride fighting rolling resistance.

I don't understand why you can't have both. My fastest, lightest bike is also my most comfortable. I don't use it for commuting because I can't carry much gear on it. However, I have 3 different road bikes that I use for commuting. My touring bike will carry the most gear, so I ride it when I need to restock. It is heavier than my other bikes, so my typical commute takes 5-10 minutes longer RT on that bike, but I don't consider it any more comfortable than my other road bikes with narrower tires. Over the summer, I started riding my Merckx Corsa to work one day a week and pretty soon was riding it almost every day because it is so much faster than my touring bike. Comfort is not an issue at all.

Cyclocross bike with lithium ion or lithium phosphate electric kit. You will arrive faster and fresher for every commute. It also recharges fast enough that you can recharge during the work day for the return back home.

That's not a bike :P

^+1

And they are too slow and have too short a range!

I love a touring bike for versatility, but a lot of people around here commute on straight-up road bikes.

Get a fast bike, and get fitted before you buy it, so that you get the most comfortable bike available. Also, speed is comfort to some extent.

I don't understand why you can't have both. My fastest, lightest bike is also my most comfortable. I don't use it for commuting because I can't carry much gear on it. However, I have 3 different road bikes that I use for commuting. My touring bike will carry the most gear, so I ride it when I need to restock. It is heavier than my other bikes, so my typical commute takes 5-10 minutes longer RT on that bike, but I don't consider it any more comfortable than my other road bikes with narrower tires. Over the summer, I started riding my Merckx Corsa to work one day a week and pretty soon was riding it almost every day because it is so much faster than my touring bike. Comfort is not an issue at all.

I'm thinking that some people figure that the more uncomfy they are, the faster they will go. I guess I can understand that...having done time trials on a bike where my position was none to comfy and my saddle was an ass hatchet. :lol:

The fastest bike I've owned is also the most comfortable, a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket. I'm more comfortable in an aggressive position than sitting upright. Speed & comfort are not mutually exclusive.

I'm a bit less than 20 miles each way, but I'm more about comfort than speed. It seems that no matter what I ride, I average about 13 mph.

Tires, saddle, and handlebar are the three of the most important components I can think of that will affect your ride quality significantly. To me, for short commute less than 5 miles, I would have something upright like a hybrid road/mtb, a cheap-sprung-spongy saddle, and balloon tires or something close. However, more than 15 miles each way... I preferred my ride to be super stiff and light with 700 x 23c tires. Also rigid fork is a must for all kinds of commuting (at least around SF Bay Area). I liked the weight and speed of aluminum frames, but always had the feeling that I could break it easily if I had to. I am sure this is only my imagination.

Doable? Yes. But compromises have to made when shopping on a limited budget. So would you opt for a bare bones, entry level road bike like a KHS Flite 220, a flat bar roadie like the Giant Rapid, a fitness bike like the Trek FX, or a hardtail 29er with slicks?

I commute ~41 miles R/T every M, W, F. As much as I prefer speed and going fast, I also like a comfortable ride. This is one reason why I ride a recumbent trike. It's extremely comfortable and is also just as fast if not a little faster than my other bikes. I can hold 18-22mph on the flats with it and average 15.5-16.5mph for the ride in and 14-14.5mph for the ride home.

I ride my hybrid bike when there's more than an inch of snow on the roads. In this case, my speed isn't all that fast. I also ride it when my trike needs maintenance. The hybrid is not as comfortable as my trike, but IMO it's still a lot more comfortable than any road bike that I've ever owned, and it's a great winter bike.

I'm a commuter weenie at just 25 RT, but, the answer for me is both as well. The answer to comfort over long distances is variability of riding positions. A so called comfort bike with upright position and bars is nothing of the such on a 20 mile ride. I'll take my roadbike with triathalon bars any day. The tri bars are great for giving my hands/arms, back and rear end a break. I bought this bike from a friend at work with the tri bars already installed and wouldn't think of having a bike for riding anything over 10 miles without them. I would even have tribars on a long distance touring bike.

I just started doing this commute last week (coming home is a wee bit longer)--about 49 miles/day:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58314607

...riding a Ridley X-Fire.

I'm using a version of this (now with Rotor crank/BB/Q-rings and newest Shimano 105 shifters):

http://twitpic.com/show/full/uz6j1.jpg

Doable? Yes. But compromises have to made when shopping on a limited budget. So would you opt for a bare bones, entry level road bike like a KHS Flite 220, a flat bar roadie like the Giant Rapid, a fitness bike like the Trek FX, or a hardtail 29er with slicks?

If you stick with commuting that distance, go with a raod bike. A fitness or mountain bike (even with slicks) will be 2-4 mph slower just because of the upright riding position. My average speed on a 27 mile one way commute is jsut about 4 mph faster on a raod as opposed to a mountain bike.

My commute is 13-17 miles each way. I've done it for 6 years now and I live in Nebraska where we get snow/ice in the winter. I've commuted on fast road bikes, fast SS bikes, touring bikes with big tires and panniers, touring bikes with studded snow tires, and fully upright city bikes. I also have a family that doesn't like giving up too much of my time every day just so I can ride to work.

My bike of choice is a Surly Long Haul Trucker (I also have a Cross check) with fenders and a rack. I use 29c tires in the summer, 35c in the fall/spring, and 35c studded tires in the winter. I find that without fenders I am WAY less likely to ride if there is even a chance of bad weather (because it's a good excuse to stay in bed and drive in instead). A comfort/upright bike doesn't work for me because it is inherently slower using the same engine (me). A single speed is fun, but lacks utility for windy days, snow days, or days when I'm just pooped and don't have the energy to push the same gear on the way home that I used on the trip in. Fast road bikes are great for good weather days, and let you cover the distance quickly. However, I'm less likely to ride my fast bike if it doesn't have fenders and the weather might be iffy.

So at your distance (20 miles one way) I would opt for utility but with a heavy lean towards speed. If you can build a rather quick road bike and still put fenders on it, you should be in good shape.

I used to commute 20 miles each way. I lived in So. Cal, so weather was rarely an issue. At the time, I commuted on a touring bike with a rack and panniers (but no fenders).

If I were to regularly commute long distances again, I'd have a similar setup, this time with fenders and aero bars. Maybe try to build up one with 29" road tires, just to be different.

With all due respect to the Surley LHT riders, this is a fine heavy-touring bike capable of hauling big loads. It is a bit overbuilt for a long commute and a lighter style such as Soma ES will do the job as well.
If you only have one bike you should get your commuter with an eye to the alternate uses. If that is a camping tour in your summer holidays, then the LHT is a fine choice,

Doable? Yes. But compromises have to made when shopping on a limited budget. So would you opt for a bare bones, entry level road bike like a KHS Flite 220, a flat bar roadie like the Giant Rapid, a fitness bike like the Trek FX, or a hardtail 29er with slicks?
Out of those choices, I'd take the 220 myself. When last I looked at them, they seemed like an unbeatable value. Moreover, the 220 has no delusions of trying to be something it is not. It is a road bike that fits fenders and is actually usable for general riding, without resorting to flat bars or hokey hybrid "styling." IMO, it is one of the best general road bike values going right now.

Discuss.

I don't feel like discussing today, thank you.