last summer I did 11 miles each way all road riding, took around 45 mins at best, average speed was around 13mph most times but traffic and stuff varied. Not sure on elevation info, but there were LOTS of hills! It is through suburban areas and under the Thames (a walkway) pretty busy roads but never felt unsafe.

Bikes: Specialized Globe Sport Disc Hybrid bike - found it fairly slow, have recently converted it to drop bars
Giant SCR1 Road bike - bought this to be faster, however am going to put a new fork and a front disc brake on it

To carry stuff I use 1 pannier, I carried my shirt and trousers in a crane creek folder. I had a U-lock and a cable lock, a multi tool, lights etc. in there too.

I used crank bros egg beaters with shimano mt-40 shoes - very good combination for me and I really like the pedals.

17 - 20 each way. On the way to work some down hill 45 to 1 hr. Way back more uphill 1 hr 10 to 1 30. Mostly ubarn with a bit of rural. I ride on a either a giant ocr road or specialize stumpjumper HT.

Here is the link to the pdometer.

https://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1916332

A bit of description of your route profile.
- Suburban streets, fairly well even for ups and downs, but overall there is a 200 ft elevation change - down to work - up to home. I pass farms, schools and shopping malls. Most roads are just 1 lane in ea. direction w/ max speed limit at about 30 mph.

What kind of bike you ride. (photos would be cool)
- Hybrid with drop bars and big fat slicks

How you carry your gear and what or how much (volume) stuff you bring on the ride.
- I use a red fabric rectangular lunch cooler without the lining so it holds more, mounted on a back rack. I also started using a courier bag for small items that I kept forgetting - it functions like a man-bag with keys, wallet, pills, documents. Pretty much anything other than clothes or food.

Distance & time (average speed if you care to share)
- 13 miles 50 minutes in, sometimes longer home but always under an hour

Other
- I shifted my work hours to avoid peak traffic - so I'm in from 8-4, but actually arrive at 7:30, am showered and dressed by 7:45.

My commute is changing from my little 3 mile ride to 11 mile ride one way. Shuttle system is being cutback due to cost (recession issues) my stop is being eliminated May 18. Next stop is 6 miles down the road and only 4 miles from work. So I plan and am in training for the increased mileage that will start May 18. I can ride the 11 miles in about 55 minutes and still function at work. Old duffers like me are not the fastest on the road (I get passed by everyone on bikes, oh well.). My average mph is increasing steadily. I average 12-13 mph on the commute. This is way up from the 9-10 I started with. Through residential area's with lots of hills that slow me to a crawl. I am getting better at this though.
My ride is a Fuji Absolute 4.0 Hybrid with Pannier packs stuffed with tools, clothes, lunch and not to mention lights is not the fastest bike setup but for the deal it was ok. The bike program sponsored by Emory University, Fuji and the bike shop was a good deal for a beginner rider who was not so sure he'd be riding or not. I have found this to be a godsend and can't wait until later this year when I start hunting seriously for a better bike. I have put over 1000 miles on my bike since June 2008. Quite a bit of that this year alone. I expect this to continue. It's not fancy and my speed is not up to what many are reporting here but for me this is just so much fun I wish I had done this years ago. Oh and we donated my old car last year to charity as I was commuting daily and did not need it. Now I really don't need it. I can bike anywhere in Atlanta without a problem now.

Mine is 25km (15 miles or so) each way. When I'm in shape, it's about an hour each way, rolling hills through busy city streets. My ride is an old 2000 Rocky Mtn Hammer with fenders, slicks and a rear rack. I haul my stuff in waterproof panniers, usually carrying my clothes, lunch and whatever else I decide to bring along. I've been doing this particular route for about 8 months.

Hi rumrunn6 (Just west of Boston),

What's your route, or even just start and endpoints, if I may ask. I commute from Kenmore Square to Norwood, but do some riding west of Boston for training, and it's my favorite direction.

Jim - Maynard - Natick. You ride sounds pretty good! What's it like to ride Route 1?

I started commuting in Dec 08, so I'm still figuring some stuff out, but here's my commute:

I ride 5.5 miles from my house to the park and ride station (about 20 min). This stretch is mostly rolling hills, so I never get a chance to build up much speed. From the park and ride, I take the bus to downtown (about 20-30 min) and get off the bus on the opposite side of campus from my work. I then ride 1.4 miles across campus to work.

Overall it takes me about an hour. If I didn't ride the bus it would be a 23 mile ride one way. I haven't worked up the courage to try that yet.

I ride a 2006 Kona Lana'i with a 1.75 Vittoria Randonneur on the front and a 1.95 Kenda K-shield on the back. Definitely not slicks, but much less rolling resistance than knobbies. I have added a rack to it and carry my work clothes and bike tools in a Novarra rack trunk. I would like to get either panniers or a slightly bigger rack trunk, but what i have now works, so I'll wait to change it.

If I leave before about 5:45 AM, I can ride the Jamaicaway and am passed by at most about 10 cars in a two-mile stretch. The VFW Parkway is OK even later because it has a shoulder, and the cars usually pass in clusters. Route 1 proper (Providence Highway), in Dedham, is wide with a wide shoulder, and lightly traveled even as late as about 6:30 AM. I always ride 1A from Dedham into Norwood.

Most of my riding in Metrowest is on weekends, so I'm sure you have a much different view on weekdays.

I ride an 07 Trek 7.3FX. The route is about 9 miles and it takes me about an hour. I lolly gag and hit a lot of lights as well.

I have a rear rack with panniers, but also mix it up with a Chrome mess bag

This is my second year of commuting and hoping to make it an all weather/all season ride.

Jim, Yes, I have lots of traffic. I leave at 6:30 but still there are lots of cars. When I commuted to West Newton I had more back roads to choose from but I cut a couple of miles by taking 117 to route 20 into Waltham, then cut down Moody to West Newton. Downtown Waltham was no picnic. This is not a bad ride and the drivers so far have been nice even if I am the only commuter. Hopefully I will encourage a few more to emerge. I thought I saw 2 newbies today! I gave them both a nod.

Hey Jim - did you ever see that guy who used to ride that sideways bicycle around Kenmore Sq? I ride Waltham->Burlington and will (with some housebuying luck) be riding Sudbury->Burlington sometime this summer. What do you think of the riding north of Framingham? The area seems to be pretty thick with recreational cyclists on the weekends but I haven't done much riding out there myself.

Now that you mention it, I think I have, but it hasn't been in years. I think I caught some sideward glances mostly, thinking "Did I just see that?."

I enjoy riding the corridor north of Framingham, through Wayland, Concord, Lincoln etc. but I only do it on early morning weekends when it is idyllic.

A bit of description of your route profile.

I go from about 14 feet above sea level to about 110 feet. It is a wonderful ride, people come through here (Rochester and Middleborough) for the flattest century in the east ride and for the Buzzards Bay watershed ride. I see plenty of recreational riders in the afternoon (no so much in the am as I get started at 5:30). Wooded, small hay fields, bogs, ponds are all along the route.

What kind of bike you ride. (photos would be cool)
1984 bianchi steel, I've added fenders and lights and thanks to this forum just added clipless pedals (made a big difference)

How you carry your gear and what or how much (volume) stuff you bring on the ride.
I have a cheap pannier/ box bag combination on the rear rack. The box on top holds rain gear and wallet, etc., the two sides (about 12 by 12 inch) hold my papers to be graded, teaching clothes, lunch (or empty plastic containers), and occasional odd supplies like five pounds of potatoes for a lab.

Distance & time (average speed if you care to share)

Going in its just below or around 15 mph, coming home its usually faster 16-17 mph. Distances in is 16.2 miles, coming home is usually 18 (my favorite route). I avoid one curve that in the morning traffic is not an issue.

How long you've been doing this and any thoughts you have toward the future of your commuting.
I have tried to do this about 2x a week since school started in Sept. though it was much less since I don't have a good winter tire and slid a bit in Dec. and Jan. and some of Feb. (maybe a total of 5 times each month). I hope to save up and get a "new" bike (new to me anyway) that could take wider tires, maybe even studded tires.

A bit of description of your route profile.
Mostly flat but has hills at either end. Roads, bike paths, footbridge, (bikes allowed), track next to the sea, track next to graveyard. 5 days a week all, and I mean all weather. At all times day and night, (I work shifts).

What kind of bike you ride. (photos would be cool) Camera batteries not charged, but a Salsa La Cruz 2008. (not as pretty since the Stem recall ) Giant ATX 860 2002ish, (currently being transformed into a winter/shopping commuter). Trek 8500 MTB 2005.

How you carry your gear and what or how much (volume) stuff you bring on the ride. Hiking back pack, includes work clothes and ride home clothes, lunch, survival kit, (earthquake country), toolkit, sunblock, little bottle of Pedro's chain lube. Spare food, inner tubes for road bike and MTB. Rain cape, phone, lights, shades/clear shades, bungy cords, gaffa tape, shower gel etc.

Distance & time (average speed if you care to share) 16.5km depending on route one way. You can give or take a km, throw in another hill etc. Takes 45-55mins. If windy, (it's always windy to some extent), over an hour as parts quite exposed. Average 17km-22km.


How long you've been doing this and any thoughts you have toward the future of your commuting. Couple of years, no plans to change, would like to include a Surly Long Haul Trucker at some point to the stable.

My ride is about 18 miles each way with about 1300 feet of climbing on the way in and 1100 on the way home (hills). I start and end in cities (not the same one) and ride mostly city streets between. There are two sections of trail, accounting for about 4 miles or so. I've been doing this route 4 or 5 days/week since I started here in October of last year.

My bike is a Bacchetta Giro 20 Short Wheel Base Recumbent, set up as a commuting bike. That means that it has lots of lights and a fairing, mostly.

I carry something called an AeroTrunk, which hangs off my seat. Inside that I have a complete change of clothes (sometimes more than one), lunch, book, tools, spare tubes, etc. I try to be pretty self-sufficient on my ride, even if it means extra weight. I have a special little bag on the bars that carries my cell phone and badge, and usually carry my keys in my pocket. Once advantage to a recumbent is that I can wear just about anything I want. This time of year I'm wearing sweats when its cool and regular old shorts when its nicer out.

It takes me between 1:50 and 2 hours in and between 1:20 and 1:35 on the way home, depending on how I feel, the weather, if it's dark, etc. My average speed on the flats is usually 15-18, but the climbing really slows me down. Recumbents aren't known for their climbing ability.

[QUOTE=Miles2go;8826012]I'd like to see what's somewhat common for commuters that are riding at least 45 minutes one way, 3 or more days a week.

Chime in and share:

A bit of description of your route profile.
What kind of bike you ride. (photos would be cool)
How you carry your gear and what or how much (volume) stuff you bring on the ride.
Distance & time (average speed if you care to share)
How long you've been doing this and any thoughts you have toward the future of your commuting

1. About 11 miles one way, mostly downhill to flat in the morning and uphill on the way home. Probably could be shorter but my route is a good tradeoff of scenery and safety versus distance. A few city streets at the beginning and end but otherwise MUPs most of the way with great scenery (all the DC monuments) similar to what BD, knucklesandwich, and CCrew have (Washington DC area).

2. Novara Safari with SKS Fenders and Brooks Champion Flyer, photo attached. A compromise between comfort and speed but on the heavy side, 35lbs I'd estimate.

3. Ortlieb Panniers, tried backpack and could not stand the sweaty back.

4. A little under an hour in the morning, about an hour in the evening. I probably could go faster but there are places where you have to stop and cross busy roads and I do that safely. Plus wiping out on the S curve of death last year has me being more careful

5. This is the start of my 3rd year. The first year I did it on a 3 speed--not fun given the hills. In April 2008 I got my current bike and did it about 3 days per week except winter where I do it one day a week, P7 flashlight makes that possible. This year I'm trying again for 3 days a week from April through October. I'll keep doing while I'm at my current job which has great facilities. I also ride my 3 speed to the subway a few days a week where I rent a bike locker.

My commute is about 15 miles through 1st and 2nd tier suburbs (from one suburb to another). Mostly residential streets, with some industrial and commercial areas and sometimes I go through a regional park. I ride an old no-name road bike (early '80s) built from Ishiwata 022. I think it might be an outsourced Trek as the specs are the same as the 510 from 1981 and the bike shop owner who sold me the frameset (in 1989) said it was made in Green Bay. I use a rack and fenders and bar-end shifting. I carry the day's work clothes in a pannier. I generally take about an hour but I made it home in 45 minutes one evening when lightning was giving me a bit of extra adrenaline

My route to work is roughly 15 miles. Most days I get there in an hour to an hour and a half. My route starts in Ypsilanti. I ride over the big river and tracks, pass by EMU campus, ride through downtown (depot town!), and then ride through a long and boring commercial stretch of road. Fast food, grocery stores, post office, gas stations and car dealerships, and all that crap. It's a fast road too, with heavy traffic midday. Eventually that boring stretch ends, and then it's a nice long ride through the country, before finally arriving at work.

I ride a Trek 7.2FX hybrid. I carry everything I need, minus my water bottle, in an old LL Bean backpack. In the pack are my work clothes, repair thingies, and a u-lock with cable for making other stops. If it might rain, I put all of my backpacks contents inside of plastic grocery bags, tied shut, since my backpack isn't very waterproof.

I've been doing this for roughly 3/4 of a year now. Admittedly I don't always ride to work, but I'm trying to work up to doing it all the time. I gave in for most of the winter and just drove, and then a little over a month ago I had my appendix removed, forcing me to use the car for all my commutes and errands for a while there. Getting back in the zone and cycling more and more again, though. I love it.

For the future, my goals are to be riding to work every day, and doing most of my errands on bike too. If money permits, I may purchase a road bike and some roadie clothing this summer. I'm not really interested in getting into road racing, but you never know.

I'm not so much aiming to be car-free anymore, as I do like having a car and driving every now and then. But using my bike for most of my person-moving needs is where I'd like to be.

Oh yeah, I'd also like to get a helmet cam and start posting vids. Probably won't be as cool as Joey's stuff, but I'd still like to do it. There's some cool stuff around Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor.

Almost forgot. Here's a couple pics of my bike. Sorry about the dark lighting. Took the pics at night, back during the winter, with a cheap cell phone camera.

A bit of description of your route profile.
Suburban and residential streets. Maybe 2 miles on busy arterials. Most streets are low traffic. I leave home 6AM to get safer riding on the arterial street and I leave work 630PM so I don't have to wait so long at stopsigns or unprotected crossing of arterials. Round trip I'll do 900 feet of climbing. Going to work I stay in the saddle but going home there are 3 hills I have to stand on pedals to crest. The bigger hills don't have clear runouts so I can't take much advantage riding them downhill in the morning (loose sand; sharp blind corners and stop signs).

What kind of bike you ride. (photos would be cool)
Nice carbon fiber women's road bike. Specialized Ruby Pro. I had to lose the nice CF seatpost for an alloy that I could put a beam rack on.

How you carry your gear and what or how much (volume) stuff you bring on the ride.
Spare tire, CO2, irons, emergency power bar, air gauge go in a saddlebag. Work clothes, electronics, wallet, other stuff goes in a nice pannier on a beam rack. I avoid carrying my laptop and I usually take foodstuffs for the workweek on a car day.

Distance & time (average speed if you care to share)
25 miles r/t. There are a lot of stopsigns and slow red lights; there are hills and usually some headwind. My average speed is 11-ish mph. I try not to do rolling stops when I am riding through a university campus (fear of being ticketed!)

Other
I'm shooting for 4x/week and usually ride 2x. I've been back on the bike for less than a year. I don't ride if it's raining, windy/gusting, sub-freezing, if I have midday errands, oversleep, have to work past 7, or if I don't feel like it. I do try to swim on non-bike days so I'm physically active at least 5 days each week.

16 miles each way. average 18-20 mph depending on wind. 45-55 minutes depending. Mostly along a highway, with a couple of city streets thrown in. I ride a road bike, I carry my clothes in a backpack, I leave my shoes at work in the locker I rent at the gym on base where I am stationed.

Plenty of hills on my ride, never looked at the profile to see exactly what the elevation gain is, but it is significant.

Currently 4 times a week because on one day a week, I stay until 7 PM for after work professional military education. It's not that I mind riding in the dark, I just think it makes for too long a day to get home at 8 PM and turn around and wake up at 5 AM the next day to leave by 6 to get showered and changed and be at work by 0730.

I will keep on doing this while I am still stationed here, and hopefully my next duty station I will be able to do so as well.

23 miles each way minimum. Quite often 34 miles and sometimes 54 miles (not lately). About 1000 ft elevation gain there; about 800 elevation gain home. About half on the Burke-Gilman Trail.
I normally use a 2009 Salsa Fargo that weighs about 45 lbs with all my junk in the panniers.
It takes me a minimum of an hour and a half.
I do it twice a week and LOVE it!

My ride is 10 miles each way. Mostly it is a back road in a suburb with a series of short climb and lots of sharp turns. I do it in approx. 55 minutes.

I store my toiletries and shoes at my desk. So I carry only my work clothes plus a lunch pack in a pannier.

this summer i'll occasionally commute by bike to work, about 20 miles. work has a shower, so i'll probably use it as a training ride when i do it.