i agree. I like seeing how I'm doing. It's fun to get in a rythm and go. At those times, you want to see where you're at. That's typically when the speed limit is 35 or I'm on a lonely stretch of MUP. Who cares if you get it going at 20 or higher then?

It's not an assumption its an observation. Lots of commuters are too impatient to stop at red lights. I've been right hooked by a commuter who couldn't wait until I cleared the intersection.

Commute is an ever-changing combo of city streets, gravel/mud "MUP", paved MUP, sidewalk, and the occasional "carry-the-bike-over-the-railroad-track". I have 6 or 7 routes, depending on time of day, traffic, weather, etc.

To work is ~5 miles, big downhill then flat, usually into the wind. 20-25 min.
From work can be 5-7 miles (usually closer to 7, as I take a different route to avoid crawling uphill on a busy narrow road) usually a tailwind, and big uphill at the finish. 35-40 min.

Yesterday I worked from home, but "commuted" in the afternoon to take advantage of the sunny 70-ish weather. Rode right past the office, tacked some extra miles to make the whole trip ~20. Oh, and noodled around REI for a few minutes, then hit the pub for a couple pints (helps with the big uphill finish)

Now that's a commute

Yeah I observe a lot of idiots out there too, but generally they are of the slower more casual riders, breaking laws/rules left and right to 'optimize' in their minds their flow.

For me I tend to 'race' my commute, but all racing must have rules and for me they are traffic laws.

Al

1.6 miles to work: 5 min if I make all the traffic lights, 10 otherwise.
2.4 miles home: I don't keep track of time after work.

It's a short commute, but frees up lots of time to pursue long afternoon rides along the river trail, punctuated with the well-earned evening beer. .... Followed by the dinner beer. Then the beer while practicing piano. The obsessively inspect and clean the bike beer. The watch a movie with the wife beer. The I'll-ride-it-off-tomorrow beer. The one-more-before-I-brush-my-teeth-beer....

Isn't commuting great?

12 miles, about 45 to 55 minutes. It is all slightly downhill going in, so all slightly uphill coming home.

(one for each pint)
I've had a great couple of days on the bike. Haven't gotten behind the wheel of a car since Saturday and it feels great. Commutes, library trips, store trips, church trips--just done it all. Love it. Typically come home to have a pint and settle in for the evening. (actually, I've got several cases now of homebrewed 22 ouncers--so they're pint plus size. )

I gave up sweets for lent, so I've been focusing on the beer.

Yikes--that's not the kind of speed I'm looking to improve upon.

1.0 mile, and that might be generous. 5-7 minute ride each way, depending on stoplights. ( theres anywhere from 2, to 10 stoplights depending on which direction I decide to take.

I dont really consider it a commute, just a nice fun way to get to and from work each day. Its no different than going out riding for fun for me. I also guess im pretty lucky to live that close to my workplace.

All this talk of speed. I have far more admiration for the folks who commute longer distances (>15 or >20mi each way) regularly. Even more so if they have a lower average speed (i.e. long commute times). That takes dedication, persistence, motivation, planning, etc.

Al

A ten-minute ride to the train station, then a fifteen-minute train ride followed by another five minutes on the bike.

8.19 miles door to door. (yes, I actually touch both doors)
1st time 50 minutes riding time (auto start stop, so lights don't count time)
Today 36 minutes.

Most commuters in my area seems to be the contrary. In my observation its the roadies, not all, that blow the red lights on my commute home. I see them slow down a bit, look both ways then continue across the intersection on a red light. BTW, I'm assuming they are roadies because of the full kit they are wearing, so sue me.
I have personally gone against the light myself but only on rare occasions like 6-6:30am and nobody is around.

12 miles one way - between 40 and 55 minutes depending on season and wind

Heck, I don't even have computers on my bikes...the only reason I know my times is because I know what time it is when I leave and what time it is when I arrive...I may be old and stupid but I can still tell time and do math (even if I have to take off my shoes to do it!)

I don't get upset at those cyclists who slow down for a light or stop sign and then go through with caution. They aren't going to hurt anybody doing that (except themselves, possibly), unlike a car. If no one's there I don't stop at 4 way stop signs.

I agree. Those are impressive commutes.

6 miles, 40 min, mtb with knobbies, and trying not to break a sweat. in winter i can take off my coat and go pretty fast, but summer i have to take it really slow.

I ride 15 miles each way every day. In Q3 I rode 54 times, and in Q4 I rode 59 times. So far in Q1 I've logged 50; on track for 62. Of days the office was open (i.e. not holidays) and I wasn't taking a day off, I've missed riding the whole way to and from work only one day in November, when I had to take the van in for service. That day I put the bike in the van and rode it the last few miles to the office.

I'm an engineer by inclination, training, and profession. I like quantified numbers like traffic-light split times and overall trip PRs; I find them encouraging when they go down. I also chart my weight loss, down from 250lbs in May to 220lbs now - and that's encouraging too.

Though I use speed to measure my performance and improvement, I am the most conservative and lawful cyclist you'll ever meet. I never blow through traffic lights or stop signs, though I might not put my foot down. I never overtake on the right. I wait in stopped lines of traffic because I don't like the safety problems of using a bike lane. I never take special advantage of my bicycle-ness in traffic; I drive it as a vehicle. I'm an LCI and I don't want to be accused of hypocrisy when I instruct a class to ride this way.

2.5 miles in about 8-12 minutes, depending on which bike and lights. The past week it seems that 8 minutes has been the norm, though, and I hate to say it - there's a fair dose of stupid fast riding in there. The final stretch of it is about .5 mile on a busy street, so I go like I stole it - 25 to 35mph - and end up almost collapsing as I roll into work.

But what's the fun in not doing that!?

Also ironically, about 1.5 miles of it is on a rough potholed street. I think my average speed was actually FASTER on my MTB the other day than my "roadie", as I hold back quite a bit due to the skinny tires. However, I didn't break much over 20 on that road with those big knobbies.

But is it ever fun to jump curbs

You sound like my twin, both in terms of data focus, but also riding style. An additional reason for this lawful and vehicular style is that it creates a firm rule book to follow. I never want to gain improvement in time by rolling thru a stop sign, because once I do that I must always do that again to remain competetive with myself and once one rule is broken for speed advantage it will be too tempting to break another.

See attached graphs. On the first the red line is a 4-day (8 commute) rolling average of average moving time speed.

The second one is only for your benefit It shows the ratio between elapsed time and ride time. On average (the red bar) 91% of my ride is spent moving, the remainder stopped.

Other odd stats:
My average stop time since I started commuting is 2:18. I've spent a total of 38hr 42min and 45sec stopped in traffic since I started.

Al

If I come in the most direct route, it's about 4 miles in 20 minutes. Lots of stoplights. But I usually try to go a more interesting and much longer route when time allows.

16 miles door to door. Started at 60 minutes and now down to about 50 minutes (depends on headwind I guess). Road bike, totally flat, and a few stoplights through downtown Sacramento. Other than that it is wide open throttle..

18 hilly miles each way during rush hour with traffic lights.

Winter - Average 1:20 on the MTB w/ Nokian Studs on icy / snowy roads
Winter - Average 1:10 on the CX on snowy / wet roads
Summer - Average 60 minutes on the Commuter on dry roads
Summer - Best time ever is 52 minutes on the Roadie

Just over 2 miles each way. Time completely depends on traffic; I budget 15 minutes, usually takes 10-12, and I've done it in 6 early on a Sunday with no traffic and hitting all the lights just right (it's mostly downhill). Coming back takes longer because it's almost all uphill, and the lights always seem worse.

Edit: That's with my old MTB. Haven't tried it on my road bike, would just be frustrating to actually get going fast and then hit a light, again (plus the route is a touch on the rough side, with a few big potholes that I occasionally get forced into).