Originally Posted by
noglider
How long is your typical ride? I've been able to brave most weather here. My longest commute is typically 30 or 40 minutes.
Tom,
These are all "ride times" from the cyclometer. Stop signs and stoplights lengthen the overall times, sometimes considerably.
My most direct route is 20 minutes in good weather, 25-30 in poor conditions.
I don't really like the direct route and use others instead when I can. I feel better and my life works better with 45 minutes to an hour of cycling time in each direction daily. Twenty to 30 minutes isn't quite enough. Although in the worst conditions, that's about all the time I want to be outside and in traffic, even if I'd like more exercise.
My hills/parks/cemetery route runs 40 minutes in good weather and I shorten it by three miles to keep the same time in winter.
My long loop is about an hour to 1:05. My winter version of the long loop is about six miles shorter, and runs about 50 minutes.
In winter I have a route I call "Mainly Main" that I'll sometimes use coming home. It depends on traffic and conditions. As the name implies, it uses most of Main Street, a four to six lane with granite curbs, no bike lanes or shoulders. But, it's well-plowed. It slots in somewhere between the direct and hills routes.