I guess a 'normal' commute means 'from the start to the end', which is going to be different for each person.

I've got 3 different ways in to work that I like to rotate between, each from 11.5-12 miles. The standard ride home in the afternoon is 13.5-14, with a couple 'long way' options that range from 17 to 30

20 years ago I could do 2 RT's a week of 54-57 miles each RT.

Can't do that now, got older and it's really tiring if I'm group riding on the weekend as well as swimming.

I still love commuting but will (and can safely) leave my car (and spare clothes) at work, ride home, then ride back in the AM. Or I'll park and ride, cutting the RT down to 38, which is more manageable. I thus do a short RT as well as one ride in/ride back, per week for 96 miles or so. I also will not commute after dark and stop in late October.

I too do a mix of back streets, bike lanes and paths, along with 4 miles or paved boardwalk on the south Queens, NY beach. In the full distance home and because I do so many side streets I make something like 30 turns on a convoluted route, all to avoid main routes and traffic. I've discovered all those turns, plus the accelerating back to speed, is very tiring, this found a way to park and ride.

EDIT: And yes, I think 50 RT is out of normal with 30 RT or less being more typical. Spending 2 hrs. on the commute on the end of a work day gets me home 6:30 - 7 ish and is late enough to make me have to hustle to get anything else done after dinner. I'd love it if my job were 12-15 miles away, but I do get some good rides in !

My commute is just over 16 miles each way, taking 1:08-1:20 depending on traffic lights/wind etc. I can do it maybe two times a week with my schedule. Luckily I don't have set times to be at work, but if i am going to be there late I'll take the car. Leaving the car at work overnight helps sneak in more miles when the weather is not cooperating, or i have to pick up the kids.

My commute is right at 14 miles one way. It's not far, but we have some "nice" hills here in Colorado Springs so i get a nice work out when i push it.

My co-workers look at me like i have 3 arms (i'm a full-scale Clyde....) and used to offer me rides home. Now they're used to it, but still think i'm a loon.

13 miles one way. Sometimes I'll add one or two more in the morning. It takes me 50-55 minutes. I like to leave a little before 7am and usually get home by 6pm.

We are a one car family and my wife is the kids' taxi driver, so she wins. Therefore I tend to ride most everyday, except she may give me a ride in bad weather or if she simply is in the area around 5pm.

7.2mi each way if I go directly to work. I often ride different/longer routes, usually racking up at least 25-30 miles a day including a quick spin at lunch. Once or twice a week I do 20-30mi on the way to work just to get along workout in, and on those days I can do as much as 50-60mi total.

I have a little one at home and I don't get time for long rides on the weekend, so I have to fit my rides in around my commutes. I shoot for 100mi a week and have been averaging about 125-150 a week for most of the summer.

Shoot me a text if you want to ride in on Friday. Should be light traffic but hotter (around 90F) in the afternoon. This morning felt like late spring. Probably the best day of the year. Ran a little late since I decided to replace the rear tire this morning. Found a small bulge on the upper sidewall so didn't want to take a chance that it would fail/blowout. Time to order another Gatorskin tire...

Heh. I sometimes wonder if I'm the one who's a loon. There are a few guys here that cycle commute (2 doctors and a hospital worker) but still get some looks when I'm in the "superman outfit" as the network manager calls it. I told that in passing to our director and he started calling me "superman". Sheesh...

I'd like to see pics of that, do you have a post going?

That is quite long IMO. Mine is 30-35 mi RT, 3 or more times/week. That is about all the time I can usually commit (including preparation, etc.). It is a little over double my drive time. I justify it like you - free exercise time, but I couldn't imagine doing much more myself. But congrats, that is certainly an achievement!

Not wanting to de-rail so i'll be brief.

Not really... I don't have recent pics and will hopefully have the powder coat done this winter so the largest cosmetic alteration isn't done yet. However, i've been wanting to document the most recent improvements and will try to get some photos done/uploaded soon.

I've commuted when it took 35 minutes there and about 50 home. Mostly downhill in the cooler morning is a great way to commute.

Now I work at home and my riding is mostly recreation/fitness only.

Because I have a shower & locker at work, I like my commute being uphill in the morning and downhill on the way home. I don't need to shower at home, work as hard as I want on the way in (usually not that hard), shower and am ready for work. Roll home and generally don't need another shower.

I was hoping this would drastically save on my water bill when we moved to this townhome, but unfortunately, water is included in HOA, so no savings for me!

Nice...

I regularly do 20km commutes - they're really fun and teach you a lot about your bike. If you can commute 20km on a hilly terrain (with as much uphill as downhill) then you will become accustomed to proper gear changing to maximize your commute time.

I agree with previous posters that 20km round trip every day is too much. It's definitely possible. But it'll eat into the energy you need for other stuff.

30km a day of daily cycling is just about the most I can put in while keeping time for work and other life obligations. If it's just 2-3 times a week, I'd gladly do 40km in a day.

In inclement weather I take the most direct route to work which is 6 miles with 500 ft of climbing and 5.5 miles on the return home. Now that the weather is nicer I wake up at 5AM and leave the house by 5:45 to add a few miles in the morning for pure enjoyment. Our schedules coincide much better now so I have more free time for riding without detracting from family time. My current round trip is 23 miles, sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on the day. The 23 miles usually takes around 1:30-1:45 depending on the bike, my state of consciousness, weather and traffic.

I'm a pretty lazy rider so I probably spend more time bike-commuting than others, but even so, I don't actively try to maximize my time!

Haha.

"Minimize" is the worst I was looking for.

On the contrary, I think "minimize" would have been one of the best words you could have chosen!

My commute is about 25 km each direction, from suburbs into/through the center of a major city. Takes about 1.0 - 1.05 under summer conditions. Depending on attitude and company.
Winters, and firm, smooth roads, 1.05 - 1.10.
The cost of the studded tires.
Add snow and all bets are off. 2-3" of snow to plow through can easily push the time into 1.30 and beyond, at which point I switch to public transport instead.
With public transportation, it's abt 50 minutes door-to-door. So even at the best of time, cycling does add some time. Particularly when you add shower and change time.

NJ-Bergen county
 

I commute about 26 miles round trip, from NJ to NYC, averaging about 150 work days a year. Cold does't bother me and coldest temperature I ride was 17F without windchill, I don't do when there is heavy rain, and if snows, they close the pedestrian (bike) path for the GW Bridge. For 2016 I'm about 92nd day of commute. So it is about 125 miles a week, for five days, and if the weather is gorgeous on the weekends I might do another 20 to 25 miles.

[MENTION=1290]will[/MENTION]_be_was, is there a web page to check to see if the path on the Bridge is closed? I don't ride on the Bridge, but I pass under it in Manhattan. I could use that as a gauge to know how smart riding in is.

Port Authority Alerts & Advisories

You have to subscript to it one time only, create account and choose the facility in this case GW Bridge all approaches, or only upper level for the bike path,

My commute is exactly 10 miles each way and I do it once/twice a week. I don't think I'd want to go much further, although if it were any longer I'd switch to a road bike. I'm a fair weather rider too, I don't ride in the rain/snow unless I get caught. Even today, no rain but 95 degrees and I didn't ride. I may hop on a Citibike though on the way home, which is a nice option.

I'm just picturing in my head where 25 miles gets me, and how I'd feel when I got there, and no thanks. That's just too far. I leave the 50+ mile rides to the weekends.

- wow! my 17 mile ride to work has about 50ft of descent. and 50ft of climbing going home. i can take the long way home, 22 miles, and STRAVA says i do 130ft of climbing. woot woot