Agree. 9-12 miles worked well. 16 was on the verge of too far. Much less than 10 was not far enough, except in winter. For a long time, I was >20, so I drove halfway and rode the second half - or only rode a couple of days a week.

Ugh, I'm just not able to do distances like that regularly, especially with the pressure of needing to arrive on time and with the fatigue at the end of the day going home. Then again, I might feel differently if I weren't in NYC where things are so stressful. My favorite commute distance is about 6 miles. Currently it's 13 for me (each way) and I've done it only two or three times since I started this job on November 28. It takes about 15 minutes longer than the subway, my normal mode. I hope to increase my frequency of bike commuting as the weather improves, and it has started already.

So, [MENTION=71944]e0richt[/MENTION], how's it been going? Have you even been able to ride? It's been pretty gruesome over here in the top left-hand corner of California, interspersed with an occasional cold but gorgeous day.

You're certainly right about this but, somehow, in practice, it's simultaneously true that I've wished every commute I've had were longer, yet always been obsessed with finding the most direct way to get there.

[MENTION=21834]Derailed[/MENTION], that's just human nature.

I usually just start to take my bike to work. But it depends how far the ride is. A good start could be to go shopping for groceries. Start small and work your way up. Maybe add some work out at home or the gym if you want faster improvement.

Commuting as a workout is great, saves money and time!

I bike commute to work every day on a 14-mile route each way regardless of season or weather conditions. There are some hills in/out of town on mostly flat trail surface. I have my commuter bike for Spring/Summer months and a dedicated Winter bike with studded tires and fenders to boot. It takes roughly an hour and sometimes two when I'm battling the elements while maneuvering through 5 inches of unpaved roads. For example, yesterday I fought through 20-25 mph headwinds the entire route home even though the temp was 55 degrees and today, rain, sleet and snowy weather (Welcome to Iowa lol.) I store my lunch/snack and change of clothes in my Ortlieb bag, crank up my tunes and ride on. Don't worry about speed as long as I arrive in one piece.

When I was commuting, my route was 25-30 km depending on the exact route that I took. I did this 5 days a week for over 20 years except during our snowy winters in Montreal. I would also do a couple of longer weekend rides and often a mid week evening ride, so I was usually riding 7 days a week. One summer from early May until the end of July I was averaging 540 km per week and rode every single day during that period. I didn't have to train for racing, I just rode myself into great shape