Commuting - Does anyone commute 15+ miles one-way everyday?

Right now I'm scheduled as M/W/F for my classes for the Spring semester at my college. I was thinking about signing up for one more class this semester. The only minor issue is, it would be a Tuesday/Thursday class. I would like to continue bike commuting full-time, as I did last semester. For the Fall semester, I was commuting 19 miles one-way (~38 miles R/T) every M/W/F, which was good.

Would commuting everyday be too much for the distance I ride? Is there anyone here who does 15-20 miles one-way (30-40 miles R/T) Monday through Friday regularly?

My commute is 24 miles, one way. I ride it M/W/F, also. I've tried doing it every day and by Thursday, I am wiped out. However, I am probably twice your age, so you have a better shot at pulling it off. Just don't ride crazy hard every day. On Tues and Thurs, ride at an easier pace or vice versa.

I do. Its not so bad after the first few weeks- your body is still getting used to it. I ride 27mi one way 5 days (sometimes 6)

i do 15-17 one way 5 days.
the only thing it takes is more time, which can be used great to think through things, or might annoy you as you'd rather be doing something else.

I live 12km from my work, but my wandering commute takes about 25km. I built up to it by slowly lengthening the trip so it's normal now. The only thing I've noticed is that I eat like someone twice my size. The fatigue can be managed by controlling your effort and not turning every commute into a time trial which is easier said than done. I've even started hauling my son to daycare on a trail-a-bike and towing the empty TAB the rest of the way.

I ride 15 miles each way, 5 days a week. I'm starting on my 4th year of doing it, though this is the first winter that I have committed myself to doing a full 4 seasons of it. Once I got in the grove, it became easy. The time commitment is large, but I'm a bachelor, and there aren't a whole lot of things I'd rather do than ride a bike anyway, so it all works for me.

Does anyone commute 15+ miles one-way everyday?
Yes.

I consider 15 miles flat roads to be the ideal commuting distance.

It seems like you are used to do that distance. Just take it easy (don't hammer ;)) and you'll be fine.

In a previous job I rode 16 each way every day. I was in the best shape of my life and enjoyed it immensely. Once you get used to it, you'll be fine

I have no idea how any of you pull it off, riding 10+miles. My commute is only 8km and that is enough to tire me out.

I do 30 miles round trip each day for 5 days. Haven't quite gotten to do extra riding on weekend as I've only done decent distance commuting for last 3 months or so. (was 4 miles round trip before that) and still ramping up.
First I did 17 miles a day for every day of week to get used to it. Within a month, I started putting in 30 miles here and there.
By 3rd month, I was doing round trip. One thing changed though. I just slowed myself down so I can last whole week through without bonking and starting to get speed back albeit slowly.
You can go about 1-2 mph slower and significantly increase distance you cover without over stressing yourself it seems. It would add some minutes but I noticed it was rather minor.

I'm going to find out in a few months. Our office is moving downtown later this year, adding 5+ miles to my 10-mile one-way commute. Right now, I'm riding 3-5 days a week, weather permitting. I'm hoping to maintain that frequency of riding, but will have to see how my body handles it. I'm a lot older than you (57), and I don't recover as quickly after exercise as I used to. One thing I found out pretty quickly while commuting is that I have to take it relatively easy most days. If I try to ride hard every day, my legs get burned out quickly.

That is inspiring! I am 46 and do 10 miles total commute 5 days and was wondering how many years i could manage this, hopefully i will continue, started last March and have continued through the winter, clocking up 1500 miles, which is a milestone for me!
Wish i had done this years ago, best way of exercise and saves time rather than on public transport,

I'm going to find out in a few months. Our office is moving downtown later this year, adding 5+ miles to my 10-mile one-way commute. Right now, I'm riding 3-5 days a week, weather permitting. I'm hoping to maintain that frequency of riding, but will have to see how my body handles it. I'm a lot older than you (57), and I don't recover as quickly after exercise as I used to. One thing I found out pretty quickly while commuting is that I have to take it relatively easy most days. If I try to ride hard every day, my legs get burned out quickly.

my commute is 32mi roundtrip, im 24, and i try to ride in everyday weather permitting. last year was my first year committing and i rode 10 months out of the year. this year ive ridden all but 2 days due to snow and hope to commute as many days as possible without having a mountain/snow bike for terrible condtions. ive found that once you have all the clothing/ect needed to commute daily theres not much holding you back.

Before family commitments required me to be home as long as possible in the morning, I loved my 40 mile round-trip commute. 20 in, 20 back. Flat pretty much the whole way. I did this 2-3x/wk, and would have gladly done it every day save for family commitments.

At that distance, it pretty much was a hammerfest for me every day, 2x/day. It never got physically tiring for me, but then again, I've trained much harder than that.

The only factor was time. I work 10+hrs/day already, so adding 2 on top of that wasn't the greatest. But those 2 commute hours were always a lot of fun for me.

I had the luxury of having nice roads with bike lanes pretty much the whole way. I doubt it would be much fun if I had to deal with tons of city lights and fight for space on a busy road.

Thanks everyone for the feedback; this is definitely inspiring. I'm 25 (going on 26 next month) and in great shape. Like many have said, I'm gonna take it easy at first and not try to kill myself pushing hard everyday. That part might be a little hard for me because I do love to hammer. :)

I'm another 30 mile round-tripper and I ride 5 days a week, plus the extra non-work-related commutes on the weekend. It took a bit of time to adjust to doing it every day, but I had been bike commuting an even further distance at a previous job (just not everyday), so I had a relatively good physical base down. As others have said, it helps not to hammer each ride. It sounds like you will be just fine doing it M-F.

My daily commute ranges between 25 and 32 miles a day, depending on the route. No problem once you get used to it. Make sure you eat enough and keep yourself well hydrated.

right now I do 11 miles one way. I'd happily trade it for 15 miles if I didn't have to ride the train like I do now.

Would commuting everyday be too much for the distance I ride? Is there anyone here who does 15-20 miles one-way (30-40 miles R/T) Monday through Friday regularly?

I do 25 each way on a short day, 30 if I stretch it out. M-F and recreational rides on weekends. I'm 54 years old, hasn't killed me yet.

yes in the summer. 5 days a week 32miles round trip.

... and not turning every commute into a time trial ...

This is one of the most important aspects for me. He's right though it is much harder than it should be.

I have a friend who has commuted by bike exclusively for about a year and a half. Up until this fall his commute was just 6 miles each way, but then he moved and now his commute is 18 miles each way. He's still going strong and would never even consider driving. He would consider that blasphemy. I think the key to doing it for him is being prepared. He has all sorts of clothing and has a spreadsheet showing the appropriate clothes to wear for the appropriate temperature. He uses two bikes - a tricross bike for normal conditions and a mountain bike with studded tires for dealing with snow and ice. He also has a trunk bag and paniers to put all of his stuff in. He also doesn't try to hammer everyday - most days he just takes his time. I think that's the key to not wearing yourself out. He rides in the dark frequently and has so many lights on his bike that it would be impossible not to see him.

That is inspiring! I am 46 and do 10 miles total commute 5 days and was wondering how many years i could manage this, hopefully i will continue, started last March and have continued through the winter, clocking up 1500 miles, which is a milestone for me!
Wish i had done this years ago, best way of exercise and saves time rather than on public transport,

I'm 58 and until I got laid off last year I was doing 40 mi rt M-F w/rolling terrain and one 18% grade on the way home. 500 ft drop on the way in and 500 climb homeward. Would come in loaded w/clothes, food, etc. for the week on Monday w/my multi-gear mule then I'd ride a ss the rest of the week w/a seatpost rack/trunkbag combo. Not bragging just offering that it's all a matter of building up to it. If I felt like taking a day off I did and didn't beat myself up. One time I did a 'double nickel' w/a 100 mile ss ride on the middle Saturday w/a friend. Of course, I slept all day Sunday. :p

The main thing is to drink plenty of water, eat good healthy food and get plenty of solid down time. And don't try to kill every climb. The gearage is there for a reason.

I think it depends on how long your days are and how physically/mentally tired you are at the end of them. For a normal load (15-18 credit hours) of college classes, I think the 30-40 mile roundtrip would be manageable, as long as you are able to keep up with your studies and have time to study on top of all the commuting. Last spring, my last semester of University, I commuted 18-20 miles round trip M-F for college classes, and I reckon I could have easily doubled that without tiring myself out too much.

I currently commute by bicycle about 80% of the time to work, and I, too, have a 38 mile round trip . I work mostly 12 hour shifts, though, so I'm only having to commute 3-4 days a week usually. It can get tiring, though, when you've worked 12-13 hours straight and have to deal with a cotton picking headwind all the way home (here in Texas, there are always more headwinds than tailwinds; don't even ask me how that's possible). I don't ride as much on my days off as I used to, since I get my fill of riding during the work week.

Actually, on occasions that I've worked a few 8 hour shifts in a row, I've found that commuting is easier; even though I'm commuting more often (working more days), I have more time during the day for relaxing and leisure, such that commuting doesn't eat into all of my free time. Commuting 38 miles for a 12 hour shift leaves little time for anything other than eating and sleeping while you're at home.

Mine is 23 miles each way 4 days a week outside daylight savings

I do 20 very hilly miles one way in the morning but take public transportation home in the afternoon because I have to pick my daughter up from daycare but before my daughter was born I did the commute round trip most of the time and it does get to be a bit of a drag not because the riding isn't fun, but just because I have stuff to do in the evening and stacking a 4 hour commute on top of a 10 hour workday doesn't leave a lot of time for much else.

I do 36 miles with 2000 feet of climbing RT everyday. When I first started 2.5 years ago, I could manage 2 days/week and built myself up over time to where I could do it every day. I really enjoy the ride, and hate the odd day when I have to drive my car to work.

For a young guy like yourself, I actually predict that the physical demands of the commute will be the least of your worries. It's always the easiest part for me, even if I hammer it in and hammer it back, every day that I go. (There are lots of fast roadies here to whom I often give chase.)

The logistics is the killer part. Particularly time. If you're flexible with time arrival/departures, it's a blast. If you're on a tight schedule, it can be the most challenging part.

I wouldn't mind riding 2000-4000 feet of climbing every day with 50 miles of riding and more for my commute if I had a soft schedule that allowed me to do it without starting at 4:30AM and getting back at 9. Physically, it wouldn't be a problem whatsoever.

For a young guy like yourself, I actually predict that the physical demands of the commute will be the least of your worries. It's always the easiest part for me, even if I hammer it in and hammer it back, every day that I go. (There are lots of fast roadies here to whom I often give chase.)

The logistics is the killer part. Particularly time. If you're flexible with time arrival/departures, it's a blast. If you're on a tight schedule, it can be the most challenging part.

I wouldn't mind riding 2000-4000 feet of climbing every day with 50 miles of riding and more for my commute if I had a soft schedule that allowed me to do it without starting at 4:30AM and getting back at 9. Physically, it wouldn't be a problem whatsoever.
I'm with you. If I had an 8 hour work day it might even be manageable but I just have too many other things I need to do.

Las semester I rode a little over fourteen miles each way Mon-Fri and sometimes on the weekend. I was really tough for the first few weeks and then as I learned how to dress for the weather and pack a little lighter I began to enjoy it. Sometimes it would take me less than fifty minutes and sometimes it would take an hour and fifteen. I think that is the key. I just left early enough so that on days where I wanted to take my time I could. I also got a thudbuster seat pole. I only wish my bike was lighter. I know I have a lot in store because I haven't touched my bike since last semester.

Does anyone commute 15+ miles one-way everyday?

Nope. I go home at night. :P

Seriously, that's about how long my commute is, and no, I can't do it every day. 3-4 times a week is the best I can hope for. 1-2 times per week is more typical.

I've only done that round trip for a couple of weeks. it's tough. I can do that distance year round but only 2-3 days a week. summer timke is much easier but that's still alot of miles. however if you're in your 20s and not your 50s like me then you have a better shot at it. make the commitment and give it your best shot!

A year ago, I commuted round trip ninety kilometers, or thirty miles each way roughly, five days a week, neither saturday nor sunday. But then I moved. Now I commute about half of that. But the first was fine. I'm in college too. You should be fine, as long as you personally feel like you can do every thing you need to do work or school work wise.

My advice is every ten or so miles, get off your bicycle for five or so minutes and bend your legs, or so you can just get off the seat. I don't know what you did before, but I would say that the doing of that will help you. Feel free to message me on here, if you need more specific pointers per you personally.

I've actually found my 5 miles one way commute more tiring than going 5 miles one way and 20 miles the other way back home. I guess I just got more fitter that way :D

I do 17-18 miles one way, 5 days right now-- save for the odd blizzard day when I just stay home. I am car free and there is no public transportation option, but even if there were one, I'd probably just ride anyway because I love riding the bike. I takes me about 1.5 hours to get to work, but it feels like half an hour. If I were driving, it'd probably be the other way around.

I do 25 each way on a short day, 30 if I stretch it out. M-F and recreational rides on weekends. I'm 54 years old, hasn't killed me yet.

So, you are riding at least 300 miles per week? That's hardcore there. What is your yearly mileage?