fthomas

Yesterday was the dry run for me starting to commute. 1 hour 49 minutes with average speed of 9.7 mph.

I'm in S. California and will use the Santa Ana River Trail in the morning (gained 2 miles from home using surface streets with minimal traffic) and the next 12 miles on the trail and the last two miles on roadway with heavy morning traffic.

Yesterday I noticed pockets of people living / congregating under a couple of the bridges along the trail in the city of Santa Ana. This discourages me from using the Santa Ana River Trail coming home in the dark, but I can use it for quite a ways and then connect to a main thoroughfare with minimal traffic (all relative around here) to get the rest of the way home - about six miles.

After a really bad mountain bike wreck that shattered my sternum and tore a 1 x 3 inch hole in my abdomen and the resulting surgery to fix it all I am just getting back into riding. I am surprised that I am not really all that sore from yesterday even after fighting 20 mph head winds for ten miles of the trip. My rear is a bit sore, but that is it. I am riding a Randonee (Novarra) with 32 width tires and am thinking about going to 35's. Suggestions?

What do you guys suggest for getting back into shape (I know lots of riding) to easily handle a 32 mile round trip commute on a daily basis?

savethekudzu

Congratulations! That's a pretty significant distance for a daily commute.

I'd suggest you ride for a while on the 32's before you move to 35's. If you're riding entirely on pavement or even pavement + hard-packed dirt, you'll find that the 32's will give you slightly better speed than the 35's. Wider tires would be indicated if you're doing much of your riding on soft surfaces (mud, gravel, etc). I have 35's on my hybrid and they do well enough on the road, but aren't really wide enough for off-road use.

Of course, make sure you have lights for riding after dark!

caloso

32 miles round trip is ambitious. Not saying it can't be done, but I'd be worried about burnout if I tried to do that 5 days a week.

One thing to consider is what kind of mileage you put on before your break and how long it's been. If you were a racer or randonneur with thousands of miles in your legs, going from 0-32 might not be too much.

And the tire question: if I were going to ride 32 a day, I'd go skinnier (28mm) rather than fatter. Every watt counts.

savethekudzu

caloso's right. Were I you, unless I were used to this, I would plan my route so that I could take my bike onto a bus or train to get to work and then cycle home - do that for a few weeks - and then start biking the whole way once I was confident about it.

RacerJRP

I dont see why its a problem if he has the time. I started commuting a few weeks ago, and my commute is 24-27 miles round trip depending on route. Good luck, and enjoy!

mike

Wow, 32 miles. That is impressive. I would say, just keep doing what you are doing and you will get in shape. Stick to it. You will find yourself shaving time off of your commute and some days you will arrive at work so early that you will amaze yourself.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

robtown

Do you have access to a car? Staging one way commutes for a while will give you time to build strength.
Take the bike (and clothes/gear for a second day) to work. Ride home that evening and back in the next morning. I did that when I didn't have a secure place to keep the bike outside (stored in car) - though it was only 24 miles round trip.

Michel Gagnon

Riding only half way is a good way to start... providing you have a decent place to park the car and providing you don't have any problems carrying the bike in the car. But doing the ride 3-4 times a week was for me the best way to start the routine. In my case, I had lots of experience touring, so a "mere" 35-40-km commute wasn't a problem, but I had problems doing a productive day at work and at home when I added the bike commute into it. Riding 3-4 days for two or three weeks was all it took to re-organize my sleeping habits and get in the correct mood.

abmtnbkr

Hey, Congrats on getting back on the bike. I live in the OC too and know exactly what you're talking about when it comes to the pockets of people under the bridges. You're justified in avoiding that particular section of the trail during the evening. I think (just like you said) it's about getting lots of miles on your belt and a bike commute 32 miles round trip will do just that. Keep the tylenol,advil, or IB close by to help ya get past the body soreness that will appear sooner or later. Oh yeah, don't forget your basic stretching exercises to help your body warm up and stay loose. Good Luck!!

oboeguy

The mileage doesn't sound too bad, but doing it five days a week starting from essentially nothing could result in burn-out or injury. Build up to it, I say. I have a 29 mile RT commute in similar conditions (i.e. most on a bike trail with a few miles of busy car traffic) and still ride lots on weekends. Good for you going for it!