lmike6453

Hello, noob here currently looking to buy a bike for commuting plus utility. I recently moved and am 24 miles from work in really bad driving traffic (SE PA) and would like to try to figure out how to commute via bicycle.

I have to carry a laptop and breakfast / lunch in to work, but imagine doing so via a big 15L seat bag (to avoid pannier racks). My dress code is business casual, wearing jeans and a polo style shirt most of the time.

Google says that it would take 2.5 hours each way, which seems like a bit much...although I have not tried it yet. I have no commitments after work which helps the cause.

I have the option of driving part of the way in and biking the rest. But I'm trying to avoid this, because I'd like to not hop in the car and be tempted to just drive the full way in.

A perfect solution would have been to ride to my Septa train station, hop on for a few stops with my bike, and ride the rest of the way in...but they don't allow bicycles during 'peak' hours.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated, including bike suggestions.

Thanks!
Mike

billyymc

That's quite a long commute.

Some options are

1 Drive part way as you noted. That would be what I would do initially.
2 One way commute. If you can leave your car safely at work, drive in and ride home. THen ride back in the next day and drive home.
3 E bike

That's all I got. The time to ride 24 miles will vary of course on the type of roads / streets, number of stops, etc. I have a 15.5 mile commute and it takes me about 50 minutes or so on the way in and about 55 on the way home. I would imagine a similar commute would take me about 1.5 hours give or take a little. If it was a lot of surface streets with stops and lots of traffic it could take almost 2 hours.

katsup

It sounds like you are a new cyclist. 48 miles a day is a lot of miles without conditioning. I would agree you should drive part of the way and work up to the full amount.

As for a bike, one mentioned in this Century Bicycle Thread should be capable. Make sure you get one that has mounts for rack/bags.

Once you have a a bike, map out a route and try it on a weekend. Make sure you have a bailout plan in case you can't make it all the way.

CliffordK

Yep... if you average 12 MPH including stops, you've got 2 hours each way, or 4 hours a day riding. Perhaps OK once in a while, but not every day.

16+ MPH, and you're still at 1.5 hours, and pushing it pretty hard.

24 MPH, and you're hitting the speeds for a good 24 mile time trial race.

What kind of a bike are you riding? I'd definitely start looking at good road bikes (with some cargo capacity).

I think you have most of the solutions:

• Ride the whole distance.
• Ride 2 or 3 days a week, and drive/bus/train the other days.
• E-Bike to give a bit of a speed boost and reduce energy (can you recharge?)
• Park & Ride. Good if some part of the trip is bad for cars. No parking? Pick your favorite semi-secure parking area (local park), and target that as a stopping place every time.
• Split commute modes, bike one way, train/bus/car back, then ride back the following day.
• Oh, can you carry a week's worth of food in on say Monday by car, then not worry about lunches for the rest of the week?
• Is the segment of the train route you're riding busy? Perhaps carry the bike on non-crowded segments of the train route.
• Encourage your community to adopt bike-friendly train practices. I think Portland used to have off-peak bikes only. But, the last time I've been on their commuter trains, I think they had installed hanging bike racks, and perhaps are less concerned about peak/off-peak hours.
• Buses may be less picky with times for bikes, but are often capacity limited.

Oh, and there might be alternatives to carrying the laptop, for example, downloading data onto a USB drive, and only carry the USB drive back and forth. VPN and remote access from home with two computers. Remote control programs. Etc. Also there are some very light/mobile laptops.

Darth Lefty 

Does your transit allow folding bikes? In a bag if needed?

How do you feel about e-bikes?

It's autumn. Plan for inclement weather and darkness.

CliffordK

Good idea. I recently bought a Bike Friday Tikit with a bag permanently mounted to the frame. Just flop the bag down and around the bike and get on the train. The bike needs some work before I start riding it.

The new version, the packit folds into a backpack.

There are other models like the Bike Friday Pocket Rocket that are more road bike like, but not quite as packable, but probably could be put in a duffel.

Other brands too.

tFUnK

Can you telework or consider getting a commuter room closer to work?

As others have mentioned, 24 miles each way, 5 days a week will be tough. If you can pack clothes and food for the week and avoid having to carry a laptop all the time and have the ability to shower /change at work then a road bike with panniers will work well for you.

DrIsotope

Not already owning a bike, I would go straight for an e-bike. Commute time with assist would be well under 90 minutes even taking traffic and stops into account. You'll also get to work happy and not doused in sweat. The price of a typical e-bike will be the same as a good folder for the train or a nice road/fast hybrid. It's certainly the logical choice.

RECfromPA

Hi Mike.

Although not as comfortable as a train, each Septa bus can carry two bikes in front of the bus without time restrictions. You could do half ride/bus each way or bus one way, ride the other. There are Youtube videos on how to load and unload the bikes.

Roberta

InTheRain

Ebike is your solution for this scenario.

chas58

Ya need a lot of free time to do that.

When I'm commuting regularly, it takes about 1.5 hours each way - cruising around 17-18mph (which is a decent clip).
slapping an electric hub motor on my bike, and it takes about 55 minutes each way. Either way, that is a chunck of time out of my day.

acidfast7

Depends on budget ... you may want to look at this ebike if you can afford it.

https://www.cube.eu/uk/2018/e-bikes/...-edition-2018/

this price tag is a little less painful

https://www.cube.eu/uk/2018/e-bikes/...-edition-2018/

rumrunn6

gonna need a bike. don't know your measurements but these caught my eye. I'm 22 miles. I can do a round trip on a weekend day, but for commuting I drive in, bike home, then bike in & drive home, etc. you have a shower at work?

https://delaware.craigslist.org/bik/...315426630.html

https://delaware.craigslist.org/bik/...312580073.html

VRC

Is it "peak hours" on your way home also? If so I like the one way idea, alternating coming and going by bike. If not, then maybe a one way commute always riding there, train home.

CliffordK

And I thought part of the appeal of the road bike is to arrive at the destination drenched in sweat.

Ok, so the sweat isn't always the fun thing, but it is a sign that one has been working hard, and got in one's daily dose of exercise.

Of course, around here, the end of September / first of October isn't always the best time to make a big bike commuting commitment.

Anyway, there are two types of E-Bikes. The ones I most commonly see appear to be throttle based and ridden like a motorcycle. There are also pedal assist bikes, which some indicate give a good workout if one doesn't crank the power up too high.

An option might be to go for two bikes.

One E-Bike for those days one isn't quite up to the full 3 hour workout, or one has extra cargo to carry. And one quality road bike for those days one wishes to get the full exercise effect.

I'd probably start with the road bike, but the E-Bike might also help ease the transition into long commutes.

rm -rf

Google uses 10 mph for bike routes. That's not far off for casual cyclists, and pretty close for all-day rides since it would include rest stops or meal breaks along the way.

Late on the way to a group ride start, I passed a rider on a fancy Dutch-style upright bike, wider tires, fenders, and a big rear rack. I said "nice bike" and he replied, "thanks, it's electric assist". He was pacing me at 18-20 mph, pedaling easy. That looked great for a commute, and he turned off to climb a fairly steep hill, too.

aadhils

Get a brompton. They also have a new electric version though its not yet available in the States. They have some nice roomy bags that can clip on front. Most gorcery stores will let you wheel the bike through the store without folding it up. You can even use the bag as a shopping cart to take it to checkout.
If you get stuck midway through the commute, it's not difficult to take it through public transport or even an Uber.

wphamilton

If you are a new rider, and don't have a bike yet, 24 miles each way is not a good plan. It's just too much to jump into, unless you are physically exceptional.

The idea of using a folding bike that you can take onto the train is the best compromise IMO. That way you can adjust the distances as you become stronger on the bike or more motivated to ride more.

Google Map's estimate is probably not wrong for an average bike rider. I wouldn't base my planning on being able to make it in under 2 hours were I you, not at first.

acidfast7

The folding bike is an excellent idea.

Phamilton

If train station 1 is a just a couple miles from home and station 2 is just a couple miles from work, could you buy 2 bikes? Bike 1 you could keep at home and ride to station 1, then lock it up. Get off the train at station 2 and unlock bike 2 and ride it to work? Reverse the process on the way home. Plus bike 1 you can use for other errands, etc.
It's a complicated work around and I don't know if it would work for you or not. I ride cheap bikes, primarily because I ain't got no d**n money, but I tell people it's so that I'm not missing much if any of them are stolen
My commute is 12 miles each way and I'm not quite 4 weeks in, having gone from zero biking to all-biking (car-free) in a single weekend. I pretty much killed myself the first week, so it may be wise to heed the caution of those saying that 24 miles is a lot, especially for a beginner.

acidfast7

This is the European commuter system. Two bikes locked by the end stations.

Classtime 

Buy a decent road bike that can use 28mm tires with fenders.
Don't mess with fenders at first.
Ride it to your workplace and back on off days a few times to get the feel for it. (That will be a decent 50 mile ride.)
When/if you can still do stuff after these regular roundtrip rides, then consider a real commute.
Even if you don't commute, you will get fit and have a nice road bike.

OneIsAllYouNeed

I had a 20mi (each way) commute for a year while I was car free.

At first I bought a folding bike to try to take advantage of public transit. It took 90 to 120 minutes each way on a good day. I sold that thing within a few months.

I road my fixed gear commuter road bike most of the time. Each trip was about 70 minutes. Only snow slowed my commute down, but maybe by 10 minutes.

The experience prompted me to (1) improve the aerodynamics of my commuter bike and (2) move closer to work. Ultimately, the bike looked like a time trial bike in the front and a stream-lined commuter bike in the back. My commute has changed a few times since then, but the TT-commuter combo can average 20-22mph in decent weather.

My advice: Buy the sexiest "gravel" bike you can afford. Put Continental GP4000 S II 28mm tires on it. Get an enormous seatbag for your stuff. Pedal hard. Get aero. Don't let your luggage slow you down (including transitions). Start by driving one way and biking the other -- that wastes the least time.

CliffordK

I'm somewhat relaxed with locking my bike (as long as it has a good lock). But, there is no major transit station around here where I would lock up a $20 MTB overnight, especially if I was counting on sitting on the seat on my commute to work the next day.

acidfast7

Nah, man, just hide in the other bikes but don't forget where you left it.