JoeyBike

Route:….
Bike:….
Destination:
Alternative Transportation:….Inline skates, longboard

Moab91

Route:…. 6 miles of straight, smooth asphalt bike lane to Metrolink train station, 40 minutes on train, 3 miles of parked cars, traffic, construction, craziness...Bike:…. 1988 Bianchi LimitedDestination:Alternative Transportation:…. 45 minutes of staring at somebody else's rear bumper on the freeway

acidfast7

flat and mostly next to river, some days ending at a cathedral where one office is, some days at the lab, where the lab is.

20km RT

single-speed bike is fine.

few photos:

rhm

Title New Jersey and New York

Act 1

Route: 5.7 miles including two lane highway, residential streets, and a stretch along the Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath.

Road conditions / surfaces: Mostly good pavement, some crushed gravel.

Traffic: In the morning, not much.

Environment: Old towns that were once rural but are now suburban.

Hills: No, not really. I know what hills are, and these aren't hills.

Frequency: Every work day.

Departure time: 4:45 AM to catch a 5:12 train. This part of the commute is always dark, except in the high summer when it's twilight.

Bike: 1970-ish Falcon road bike frame; Shimano 8 speed IGH, Sanyo dynamo hub, home made LED lights, fenders, and a rear rack I never use.

Bike name: Well, I put bogus "Dick Power" decals on it for laughs, but I call it the Falcon. It doesn't come when called, so I don't call it by name.

Cargo: A messenger bag.

Helmet / Mirror: Yep, whatever's on sale at Nashbar, until it's destroyed, then I replace it with whatever's on sale at Nashbar.

Destination: New Jersey Transit rail station

Parking: I have a bike locker at the station.

Cleanup: Huh?

Amenities: You're kidding, right?

Intermission

I sleep for about an hour on the train.

Act II

Route: 0.8 miles of Manhattan

Road conditions / surfaces: Bike lanes and city street

Traffic: Manhattan traffic FTW!

Environment: as urban as it gets

Hills: Not really.

Frequency: every work day.

Departure time: 6:15 AM

Bike: Citibike three speed

Bike name: Citibike

Cargo: Just me and my messenger bag

Helmet / Mirror: No, I left them in my locker. I know, that's pretty dumb, but otherwise I'll leave them on the train, which is even dumber.

Destination: My office on Fifth Ave

Parking: Citibike docking station.

Cleanup: Wash my hands after I get to the office.

Amenities: Mens' room down the hall.

The return trip.

Departure time: 3:50 PM to catch a 4:14 train home. I sleep most of the hour on the train.

There's a lot more traffic on the way home. I get home at about 5:45. A month ago it was dark by then; now it's twilight.

Alternative Transportation: No.

tarwheel 

Route: 31 mile round trip
Road conditions / surfaces: Smooth paved streets, some with lighting. Mixture of neighborhood streets, light and heavily traveled urban roads.
Traffic: Moderate in the morning; heavy on ride home. Numerous traffic signals.
Environment: Suburbs and downtown
Hills: Continuous hills with a few flat sections, longest climbs about 1/2 mile.
Frequency: 3-4 days a week year round on average. Highly dependent on weather.
Departure time: 6:30 AM

Bikes: Soma Saga touring, Bob Jackson touring, Waterford RST-22 sport touring, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, all with fenders except Ritchey
Cargo: Trunk bag with rack on touring bikes, Carradice Barley on Waterford and Ritchey; Carry clothes, spare tubes, tools, lunch, phone.
Helmet / Mirror: Helmet but no mirror

Destination:
Parking: Outside covered with security camera and indoor guard
Cleanup: Locker room\shower
Departure time: 4:30-5 PM

Alternative Transportation: Drive VW Golf

Steely Dan

Route: 5 mile one-way distance, 90% on residential tree-lined city side streets with one annoying cemetery to get around that requires a busy street.Bikes:Destination:Alternative Transportation: el train

kevmk81

Route: 3 miles one way. Residential & rural roads. Fairly flat. Hilliest area is my neighborhood. 10-12% grade, hardly 1/10th of a mile. Fun going down on the way home though. Can cut through backyard and neighbors front yard to skip the neighborhood hills, but usually don't. Bike: Cannondale CAAD10 for nice weather & training after work, Trek 1500 for winter bike (salted roads, rain, etc...), Trek 7.3 FX for icy conditions & snow Destination: Alternative Transportation: if the weather is incredibly crappy, I will drive our one vehicle. My wife and kids probably wouldn't leave if that bad of weather anyways.

Arkadee

Route: 45Km return

Road conditions: Paved with a reasonably wide shoulder. I can also opt for gravel dikes and trails for close to 3/4 of the route if I want to take a little more time and have a stress free ride.

Traffic: Traffic is usually moderate. I typically commute outside of rush hours so the only time it gets very busy is when the freeway (which parallels my route) gets plugged.

Environment: I am pretty much a fair-weather commuter. If it's nasty, I drive.

Hills: More small hills than flats. I used to think some of them were tough, then I toured in the Kootenay mountains last summer.....

Frequency: once or twice weekly in winter months at best. Four to Five times weekly in Spring and Summer months.

Departure time: Varies. Anywhere from 7:00 am to noon.

Bike: Cannondale X6

Cargo: Clothing, computer and various books & papers

Helmet/Mirror: Yes, I value my brain and my wife values the rest of me

Destination:

Parking: In my office, behind my desk

Cleanup: Showers available if it's hot. Sponge bath in the can if not.

Amenities: Polytechnic campus - Pretty much anything I need.

Departure Time: Varies: Noon to 6pm.

Alternatives: Car, bus.

gregjones

It's only the second week of Feb. and I've found my nomination for commuter of the year!!

rhm

Thanks! But to be clear, I'm only doing this to get to work. Bragging about it on the internet is just an extra

bmthom.gis

I'll do a 2nd one for my mixed commute:

From the wife's office to mine - 2 weeks

Route: 3.1 miles each way

Road conditions / surfaces: City streets. Some in good condition, some in bad condition.

Traffic: The first 100 yards is on a busy road, but I turn off and head down one of the sidestreets, and traffic is little enough


Environment: Goes from busy road, to back road, to skirting the projects, to industrial, to main street and then into my distrcit

Hills: There are some short but steep ones. Getting to my office from hers is more downhill the up, and the reverse for the afternoon


Frequency: Haven't figured it out yet, but I want to balance it with riding all the way from home, and driving once a week so my boss doesn't ask for my garage pass back.



Departure time: 0800, leave at 1615

Bike: Univega Rover 305

Bike name: the panty dropper - because the teal frame with purple accents gets all the girls to throw their panties as I ride by


Cargo: Backpack to carry my lunch and maybe a few other things.


Illumination (to see and be seen): Nah, it's all daytime riding

Helmet / Mirror: Nope. It's 3 miles of urban riding.

Destination:

Parking: Office kitchen area in a bike rack
Cleanup: None needed for such a short trip



Alternative Transportation:
Have wife drop me off, drive myself, or ride from home. I don't think bus service goes out that way quite yet.

takenreasy

Route: 9-13 miles each way depending on route.

Road conditions / surfaces: Neighborhood roads but mostly MUPS with water crossings

Traffic: Just about non-existent AND I’m in the D.C. area!

Environment: Tree lined along a water way

Hills: Six big hills each way. Not cool for fixed/SS and cargo

Frequency: Tuesday through Thursday

Departure time: 7:30 am or so

Bike: Surly Cross Check or Surly Long Haul Trucker

Bike name: Bike

Cargo: Work clothes, computer, food, extra bike clothing in winter, tools

Helmet / Mirror: Cheep old Bell and no mirror

Destination:

Parking: Bike locker in garage (now free because of new subsidy!)

Cleanup: Shower

Amenities: Fitness center at work

Departure time: 5:00pm or so

Darth Lefty 

Route: 5+ miles. The first third is on suburban streets, then a mile on a gated-off dirt road, and the rest is on the American River Bike Trail and its spurs. I sometimes travel about 1/4 mile along a major artery but lately have been taking the trivially longer bike trail. There is single track available and although it's teeeechnically off limits to anything with wheels, you see more knobby tracks than horseshoe tracks.Bike: A 2002 Specialized Hardrock Sport with slicks, or an old, slightly refurbished 1973 Schwinn Super Sport. I like the SS better but that means I'm always fiddling with it and wind up taking the Spesh more often.Destination:Alternative Transportation: a nice Toyota Tacoma

Blylan

Route: 7 Miles- One Way, 99 percent of it on a Commuter trailBike:2012 Fuji Feather, Fixed gearDestination:Alternative Transportation: I live in the middle of a few buddies commutes, So if i absolutely need to i can catch a ride without hassling anyone. I can also use Lightrail or an Uber($14) if i need to

Scummer

Route: 8 miles or longer. Depending on weather.

Road conditions / surfaces: About 70% bike path, which are in perfect condition, 30% on street which are also near perfect condition

Traffic: Very light pedestrian traffic on bike path, very light traffic on street with only a .5 mile stretch with some heavier traffic, but nothing to worry about

Environment: Mostly open, with a small stretch of forest and a few small villages to pass through

Hills: Flat. Hills are south in the Alps.

Frequency: Every day

Departure time: Somewhere between 7:30 and 8:30am

Bike: Pedalforce CX1 (main horse), old used MTB (snow) or Trek Madone 5.9 (when i feel giddy)

Bike name: Only my Trek has a name. Krauthammer.

Cargo: Ortlieb rollers with a change of cloth, phone, wallet, rain gear

Illumination (to see and be seen): BAMM Toplight rear and Schmidt Edelux II powered by Schmidt SON

Helmet / Mirror: Giro helmet. No mirror.

Destination:

Parking: Inside the garage there are bike racks. But I park my CX1 and Madone inside the office. Only the ol' MTB stays in the rack outside.

Cleanup: Cat wash at the sink

Amenities: Sink

Departure time: 5pm to 5:30pm

Alternative Transportation: S-Bahn (Commuter train) But I never use it. I rather ride.

Redhatter

Route:
See map. This shows the run in reverse going home, there are some slight variations in the morning, but route is mostly the same. (You can possibly reveal more of the route here.) Total distance (one-way) is about 10km (6.2 miles).

In the past I used to go through Bardon and Paddington along Latrobe Terrace/Given Terrace, later through Fernberg Road to join up with Baroona Road and then turning off Park road. These routes are semi-major arterials, and not great for cycling. Over time I've slowly cut out the major routes. Greer Street is steeper to come up of an afternoon than Latrobe Terrace and is much more narrow with no footpath, but it has about 10% of the traffic so I find is preferable. In my previous job, I also used to work at West End, that's the other side of the Brisbane River.Bike: '09 model Giant Boulder / '12 model Giant Talon 29 ER. Dahon Boardwalk (if I'm really desperate!)Destination:Alternative Transportation: Public transport possible (bus into Brisbane CBD, then get a train out), otherwise it's taxis or private transport. It takes me about 40-50 minutes to ride in, public transport would get you there in an hour.

Telly

Route: Roughly 26 Km (both ways) urbanBike: Jamis Commuter 1 CmX (3-speed Nexus)Destination: Underground secure parkingAlternative Transportation: Taxi and/or public transport

noglider 

Title: West Village to Manhattan College (in the Bronx), since December 2014

Route: Well, since you ask, here is a link to my tracks from this past Monday. It's 12.5 or 13 miles each way. Most of it is on the Hudson River Greenway, which I take to the northern end. Then I take Dyckman St, W 218 St, Broadway, W 230 St, then Corlear Ave. I hardly deal with motor vehicles at all, and it is very scenic. Much of the Greenway path is for bikes only and not pedestrians. There are plenty of rogue pedestrians, but I don't mind, as they behave well and predictably.





Hills: There are virtually none, since most of the route is on the side of the river. After I cross under the George Washington Bridge, I have to climb up to the center of the island, and there is an extremely steep but short portion. From there, there are small hills. Since moving back to NYC in August 2013, I have lost my good hill climbing ability, since I rarely encounter real hills any more.

Frequency: I started my job in December 2014, so I'm new to it. So far, I've been riding about once a week. I plan to increase that as the weather improves. I also need to improve my tolerance for bike commuting. Sometimes I get halfway through it, and my feeling turns to, "Oh, I'm only halfway there? Jeez, this is long." But chances are, as time marches on, I'll get used to it.

Bike: 1995-ish Bianchi Volpe, usually. I've added fenders, rack, panniers, and dynamo lighting system. It's heavy at about 34 pounds, but it's comfortable and goes anywhere happily. I need to make my other bikes as comfortable, which I hope I can do without making them too heavy.



Bike name: What does this mean?

Cargo: I carry at least my ipad and sometimes more stuff.

Helmet: Some generic thing I got at a police department handout. I'm not picky.

parkersdad

Route, 6 to 8 miles
Roads, pretty good Shape
Terrain, flat with a few Hills
facilities, shower,coffee ,tea private locker room
Bikes, Trek 7.2 and Trek 2.1
Cargo, a waterproof bag with lunch, phones, etc
Frequency, spring and summer 4 to 5 days a week fall and winter0. I'm working on that though

caloso

Cool! My aunt has an apartment in Edgewater. Great beach, easy walk to the Bryn Mawr El Station or the express bus to the Loop. I love Chicago.

Jim from Boston

Thanks to Blylan and the other recent posters to this thread since it was bumped on 3/17, from 2/15, as well as all the contributors; I read them all. See this post for the template if other riders would like to contribute their commute. Hopefully useful ideas/tips, or at least experiences will be shared.

A while back, I contributed some of the interesting names to this thread, ”What is your bikes name?"

BTW, bmthom.gis I just noted that your bike's risquι name was in reference to your wife's commute; hope I didn't spill the beans.

Steely Dan

my wife and i just moved up here from downtown last summer in anticipation of the arrival of our first child (the one bedroom 800 SF highrise condo just wasn't going to cut it for a family of three). while i do miss many aspects of living downtown in the heart of the action of the city, we've come to love many aspects of our new edgewater neighborhood, not the least of which is the easy 10 minute walk to the lakefront and hollywood beach.

snow_echo_NY

Title South Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan, 4.5 miles
Route:

3rd Ave to Bergen to Smith (which becomes Jay). Left on Tillary. Onto Brooklyn Bridge. Down Park Row, Left on Ann Street, right on Gold. Left on Fulton. Right on Pearl. Take Pearl to Whitehall. Cross Water St, enter building.

Route back, Up east side path til turnoff on Pike Slip for Manhattan Bridge. Take Manhattan Bridge. Left on Jay St. Same way in Brooklyn back.

most days i take brooklyn bridge back b/c it's nearly a mile shorter but i'm trying to change that. it depends the time, husband and i alternate picking up the LO from preschool.Bike: Specialized Dolce road bikeDestination:Alternative Transportation: subway (train). i have walked once and driven once.

rmfnla

Route: Brentwwod - Santa Monica; side streets in Brentwood (past where O.J. did the dirty deed) onto Broadway right to my office.

Distance: 3 miles each way.

Road conditions / surfaces: Well-maintained streets; Broadway has a dedicated bike lane with those funky green patches.

Traffic: It's there. Except for the occasional a$$wipe in a BMW or Audi (the new a$$wipe marque) most are courteous and aware.

Environment: Hello, SoCal (see first photo)...

Hills: Gradual grades but no real hills, thank the gods; my knees have lost their sense of humor. Pretty serious head winds almost every afternoon, though.

Frequency: At least 4x/week.

Departure times: 7:30 - 7:45 AM / Home around 4:00 PM

Bike: Curtlo road bike set up w/ flat bars (see second photo).

Bike name: Mighty Curtlo

Cargo: Back pack; light one for everyday; serious one for when I take my laptop.

Illumination (to see and be seen): Rear blinker (I don't ride in the dark).

Helmet / Mirror: Higher-end Giro w/ visor but no mirror (my geekiness only goes so far...)

Destination: My office in Santa Monica

Parking: Inside near my desk

Cleanup: None at work; the gradual grade is downhill in that direction so I don't work up a sweat. Shower when I get home.

Amenities: Plenty of places on the way (including two great bike shops!) but I rarely stop.

Alternative Transportation: I have two nice cars, one of which is an SUV (hey, this is Southern California) and there's always the Big Blue Bus.

alathIN

Route: Home through a small wetlands nature park about 3/4 mile to the city's main North-South rails-trails multiuse greenway path. Take this South about 10 miles until it intersects a creekside greenway multiuse path going east/west. Then either a) about 2 miles east toward my office, with the last few blocks on a hairy inner city street, or b) about 2 miles west toward the hospital, with the last few blocks on a hairy inner city street. Usually stop at my YMCA for 0515 early swim on the way in.
Bike: Volagi ViajeDestination: hospital or officeAlternative Transportation: car

Favorite parts:
Greenway bridges over river, often see the sunrise over the river
Tree-y quiet journey in, usually in the dark or near dawn.

Least favorite part:
Noisy, grungy, bike-hostile city riding for the last 2 miles