Originally Posted by
Miles2go
I'd like to see what's somewhat common for commuters that are riding at least 45 minutes one way, 3 or more days a week.
Chime in and share:
A bit of description of your route profile.
What kind of bike you ride. (photos would be cool)
How you carry your gear and what or how much (volume) stuff you bring on the ride.
Distance & time (average speed if you care to share)
How long you've been doing this and any thoughts you have toward the future of your commuting.
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My new commute is right at about 20 miles and progresses from 6700 ft elevation to 7,300 ft on my way in. It's an alternate hwy to the interstate it parallels and it's fairly high traffic, little to no shoulder in some areas, curvy most of the way and there is no other choice.
The bike I'm going to use is my cyclo-cross bike. I can move on the flats at 30 plus pretty easily with it and I run narrow, yet bullet proof Schwalbe Marathon XR tires. That said, I enjoy a very short work day so I can take my time in both directions.
I'm going to be carrying a change of clothes and will do so by wearing a backpack (TNF Skareb 40) or a larger messenger bag (Chrome Metropolis).
Riding season has just arrived here and I haven't done this commute yet so I don't have times. I hope that the route is safe enough to allow me to continue with some comfort beyond the first couple of rides.
Photo of the bike coming soon. I need to get a recent one.
I ride between 12.5-14 or so miles each way all in NYC (depends on the route I take). I ride either a Dahon SpeedPro folder or a Scott CR-1 carbon road bike. Predictably, the ride is much faster with the road bike. It can be as fast as the low 40s in minutes on a summer day on the road bike to an hour or more in the winter on the folder.
Not a whole lot of elevation differences other than bridges, although depending on the route I can go from sealevel to nearly the highest natural point in Manhattan in a short stretch of the commute. Another route takes the ascent in a much more gradual way. I almost always take a Wingnut gear backpack (
www.wingnutgear.com -- great stuff) lightly packed with some clothes for the office and layers. I leave a lot of clothes and shoes at the office.