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How far do you commute each way?

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Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.
View Poll Results: How far is your commute?
0-5 miles
34
22.08%
6-10 miles
55
35.71%
11-15 miles
36
23.38%
16-20 miles
16
10.39%
21+ miles
13
8.44%
Voters: 154. You may not vote on this poll

How far do you commute each way?

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Old 05-10-11 | 05:42 PM
  #1  
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From: Wayne, PA

Bikes: Diamondback Insight 1

How far do you commute each way?

Just wondering what the distribution is of how far you all commute one-way.
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Old 05-10-11 | 05:46 PM
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From: Potomac, MT, USA
For me it depends. My usual 10 mile one way route is flooded so I've been doing 11.5 miles each way. Some times when it's nice I ride longer.
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Old 05-10-11 | 05:51 PM
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From: NE OK

Bikes: '06 Kona Smoke

You wanting bike only miles or total? Currently, ~10 miles of my 50+ are under my own power...

Just noticed you wanted one-way mileage. In that case, ~9 miles of about 26 (depends on route) are under my own power.
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Old 05-10-11 | 06:18 PM
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From: Hilo Town, East Hawai'i

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2.25 miles. I always live within walking distance of where I work.
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Old 05-10-11 | 06:27 PM
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From: Lalaland

Bikes: two-wheelers

I'm lazy, so anything more than five miles and I'm in the car with coffee.
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Old 05-10-11 | 08:03 PM
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From: Oklahoma City
I like my 13.5 mile each way commute, except when the wind is over 20 mph, like it was the last two days. Then it becomes a test of endurance.
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Old 05-11-11 | 06:31 AM
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From: Southwestern Ontario

Bikes: Surly LHT, Kona Big Honzo, CX frankenbike

My commute is about 21 miles one-way. I tend to drive 1-2 days per week to make time for evening activities, and I am lucky to be able to take the bus to reduce it to as short as 8 miles one-way if there is a nasty headwind or thunderstorms. In good weather conditions, riding is about as fast as taking the bus.

I tend not to ride it in the winter due to part of the route being on rural roads. I haven't got the confidence with winter riding to tackle that yet.
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Old 05-11-11 | 06:50 AM
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From: Simcoe County, Ontario

Bikes: Steve Bauer Sirocco "Steve", Kawasaki Sumo 4.0 Fatbike "Black Betty", Retrospec Amok-16 "Rocinante/Veronica"

~17.4 miles(? it's 28.2km), though I get a ride home most of the days I ride in. My wife and sister both work in the same town I do so can drive me home
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Old 05-11-11 | 07:11 AM
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From: YEG

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10 meters -100 km depending on where I am working.

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Old 05-11-11 | 07:40 AM
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idc
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From: Virginia/DC

Bikes: quite a few

Right now it's just 3.5 mi by bike (the other 5 mi I'm covering by car).

If I had more energy/time/fitness I would go back to a full commute but this saves me parking costs which is a big deal.
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Old 05-11-11 | 08:35 AM
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From: SW Iowa

Bikes: Waterford 1200, Raleigh Record converted to a single speed, Citizen folding bike, Surly LHT

If I ride the straight shot in, it's about 12 1/2 miles, but I often take a long route and make it 30.
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Old 05-11-11 | 08:48 AM
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From: Edmonton, Canada
I have a strict policy against working anywhere I can't bike to in 20 minutes, about 3 miles. In fact, both my current job (today's my last day) and my new job are only about half that - currently 1.5 miles, 1.3 miles starting next week.
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Old 05-11-11 | 08:51 AM
  #13  
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From: Fort Collins

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3 miles via the most direct route. I probably average about 10 each way though.
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Old 05-11-11 | 09:00 AM
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From: Bay Area, CA
15.33 miles
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Old 05-11-11 | 09:10 AM
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From: Chicago

Bikes: I have five of brikes

the straightest shot is about 13 miles, but that's on an annoying super-congested urban city street with about 16 billion traffic lights (clark street for those that know chicago), so my usual route is ~15 miles, but it's much faster because a huge chunk of it is on the lakefront bike path where i don't have to touch my brake levers for 8 miles.
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Old 05-11-11 | 09:15 AM
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From: Reading, PA

Bikes: Iron Horse XT 2100 (1997?)

4.6 miles of biking when I drive my car to the trailhead and bike from there but 6.2 miles if I bike directly from the house. Biking directly from the house is new for me in the last month or so. It took me a good year to build up the leg strength and cardiovascular stamina to make it up my hill on my bike. Even though I can now physically bike from the house, I can't on days that I have after work errands (usually involving the kids) so on those days I still drive to the trailhead.
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Old 05-11-11 | 09:16 AM
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From: Ottawa, ON
Mine is 13-15 depending on my mood. I usually go the longer distance in the morning to avoid the bad traffic area. Biking should be relaxing so I don't mind adding some distance just to keep my insanity level at check prior of arriving at work.
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Old 05-11-11 | 09:34 AM
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From: Fairfax, VA commuting to Washington DC

Bikes: 2010 Kona Dew Drop (the daily driver),'07 Specialized Roubaix (the sports car), '99 ish Kona NuNu MTB (the SUV), Schwinn High Plains (circa 1992?) (the beater)

I gave my 'usual' commute distance, but I use a number of different routes and methods. My normal day is 10 miles in the car followed by 12.2 miles on the bike, and return. A 'short' bike day is 14 miles in the car and 8 miles on the bike. A long bike day is either skip the car and 20 miles each way on the bike ~ I've only done this a few times~ or alternate route back to the car which is about 17 miles on the bike.

I can also substitute transit for car, which I do in summer time (no need to get daughter to school). Then my short goes down to 1.3 miles on the bike, and ~19 miles on transit, medium goes to 10 miles on bike, 10 miles on transit and long option is aforementioned 20 miles all bike.

I use the 12 mile bike option (with or without the extended route home) about 4 of every 5 bike commutes.

And now you know way more than you wanted to :-)
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Old 05-11-11 | 09:41 AM
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From: Durham, UK.
15 miles to work and about 22 mies return after added some extra miles onto my ride.
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Old 05-11-11 | 09:47 AM
  #20  
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From: Louisville Kentucky

Bikes: Bacchetta Agio, 80s Raleigh Record single-speed, Surly Big Dummy

I'm currently in the 0-5 mile camp. I used to be in the 16-20 mile group.
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Old 05-11-11 | 10:20 AM
  #21  
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From: Michigan

Bikes: Windsor Fens, Giant Seek 0 (2014, Alfine 8 + discs)

My shortest route is 10.7 miles, but lately I've been changing my route to get more miles and to get better roads. So between 13 and 15 miles depending on which turns I take. I don't really plan it ahead of time.
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Old 05-11-11 | 10:22 AM
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From: England / CPH

Bikes: 2010 Cube Acid / 2013 Mango FGSS

11.2k ... first commute today
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Old 05-11-11 | 10:27 AM
  #23  
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From: Baltimore, MD

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Originally Posted by edsmemberships
4.6 miles of biking when I drive my car to the trailhead and bike from there but 6.2 miles if I bike directly from the house. Biking directly from the house is new for me in the last month or so. It took me a good year to build up the leg strength and cardiovascular stamina to make it up my hill on my bike.
Why does everybody say this? o.o it took me 3 days. I have the commute from Hell. I was not in good shape. The hills are now (a month and a half later) getting to be tolerable, but not really easy; I am still in bad shape.

Then again, I tend to run in manual override mode at all times; my body could die out from underneath me and I'd still keep going. In fact, it has, in incidents unrelated to biking (had my heart stop twice under extreme physical stress, it took me down for at most 1 second).

... maybe you should ignore me and keep doing what you're doing. It'll help you with the not dying thing.
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Old 05-11-11 | 11:01 AM
  #24  
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From: Orange County, CA

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Originally Posted by bluefoxicy
Why does everybody say this? o.o it took me 3 days. I have the commute from Hell. I was not in good shape. The hills are now (a month and a half later) getting to be tolerable, but not really easy; I am still in bad shape.

Then again, I tend to run in manual override mode at all times; my body could die out from underneath me and I'd still keep going. In fact, it has, in incidents unrelated to biking (had my heart stop twice under extreme physical stress, it took me down for at most 1 second).

... maybe you should ignore me and keep doing what you're doing. It'll help you with the not dying thing.
You should probably get that looked at if you haven't already....

As for the poll, I have lots of options and all are over 6.5 miles.
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Old 05-11-11 | 11:24 AM
  #25  
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From: Leesburg, VA
About 8 miles by car to the trail. Then bike 20 miles into work from there. Looking to try the 28 mile door to door commute soon.
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