I don't know why it never occurred to me, but lately I've been thinking about the reliability of my bike commute. It seriously is like clockwork. My commute is 45 minutes (give or take 2-3 minutes) from the time I leave my house to the time I arrive at the gym where I change for work. It's 1 hour from the time I leave the office to the time I get home (including my walk to the gym and changing into bike gear).

When I drive, my commute can vary by 10 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. When I take public transportation, my commute varies by 15-20 minutes depending on what train I catch.

The only real variance on my bike commute is when something happens or if I decide to extend my ride. I think my wife likes the fact that if I leave the office at 5, I'm home at 6 -- like clockwork.

Yeah I love it. Work at 4? Leave house by 3:30 to clock in at 3:55 every time.

Of course depending on your situation it could be wise to allow extra time for the possibility of a flat tire or other mechanical problem.

I read the title of this thread and thought for a moment you'd built a commuter bike powered by clockwork (would that belong in bicycle mechanics, alt bikes or electric bikes)

I have the same experience- regardless of wind direction, traffic levels etc, I always seem to take about the same time to get from here to there.

Mine is pretty much the same. About 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Traffic is about the same every day, so it's difficult to go much faster. The only real variable for me has nothing to do with my riding - it's the ferry schedule. If I arrive on time at the dock, I may only have to wait at most 2 minutes before the ferry sails. If I am late/early to the dock, I may have to wait 8 or 9 minutes before the ferry sails. Otherwise, my commute length would probably be within 2 or 3 minutes of the same length every day.

Same here. I'm never late to work on a bike but I'm pushing it with a car. Though wind, rain, etc slow me down and I have to check the weather report to determine how much cushion space I need.

Hmmm. Weather seems to affect my commute more than it does some of yours. I slow noticeably in the winter. And a strong headwind or tailwind can have a dramatic affect. Darkness, snow and ice, flooded MUP, etc all these affect my commute time.