How hilly is your average commute?
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Virginia/DC
Bikes: quite a few
How hilly is your average commute?
Curious to hear responses on this. One reason I commute as much as I can on my road bike is because of the lighter weight on the hills.
Mine is about +600 ft 9 miles inbound and +900 ft 10 miles outbound. I definitely prefer having less hills in the morning!
Mine is about +600 ft 9 miles inbound and +900 ft 10 miles outbound. I definitely prefer having less hills in the morning!
#6
Senior Member

Joined: Jul 2008
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#9
My current, and usual commute, is only about 80' of climbing on the way in to work and about 130' of gain on the way home.
I've had some hilly commutes and they can be challenging but they make you stronger, that's for sure. Kudos to those with substantial climbs that they do on an every day basis!
I've had some hilly commutes and they can be challenging but they make you stronger, that's for sure. Kudos to those with substantial climbs that they do on an every day basis!
#10
Banned
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 43,586
Likes: 1,380
From: NW,Oregon Coast
Bikes: 8
It's right at, a few meters above sea level on the Columbia River estuary,
where it is snowing now..
Time to pump up the Studded tires on that standby bike ....
that beer in the tavern wont drink itself
where it is snowing now..
Time to pump up the Studded tires on that standby bike ....
that beer in the tavern wont drink itself
#11
born again cyclist
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,412
Likes: 88
From: Chicago
Bikes: I have five of brikes
I live in Chicago, one of the flattest major cities on the planet. My 15 mile one-way commute along the shore of lake Michigan is dead flat, except for this KILLER 15' high ancient shoreline ridge right at the end that's roughly a 1-2% climb. Brutal!
#12
Senior Member

Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,145
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From: Shanghai, China
Bikes: Waltly Custom Ti // Seaboard CX01 // Dahon Boardwalk
Shanghai is flat as a pancake. Only hills I have on my entire commute are a couple of bridges over canals - one about 5m high, the other about 12m high.
#17
I'm 33 feet above sea level. I cross one levee that rises maybe 10m. It is the secondary levee for the Rio Grande. There isn't a significant "climb" in existence within 100 miles of me.
#19
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Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Columbus, OH
Bikes: '08 Surly Cross-Check, 2011 Redline Conquest Pro, 2012 Spesh FSR Comp EVO, 2015 Trek Domane 6.2 disc
1000' either direction. More slow rise gain on the way in, except for a short steep one and a longer steady one. On the way home, lots is concentrated into the last 7 miles, with a 2.5 mile slog and then a short steady climb.
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#21
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Joined: Aug 2011
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From: Pittsburgh, PA USA
Bikes: 2012 Jamis Xenith Race, 2009 Jamis Aurora, 1993 Bianchi Ibex, 1964 Schwinn Traveler 3-Speed
420 inbound (almost all the climbing is at the end)
330 outbound
Commute is about 11.5 miles in both directions
330 outbound
Commute is about 11.5 miles in both directions
#23
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Joined: Apr 2009
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From: Alexandria, VA
Bikes: Trek 830 Mountain Track Drop bar conversion
Mine too. I sometimes wish my committee were more hilly so I'd get more exercise, but generally I'm glad it's so flat. I can mall my route a lot more hilly if I add a mile or so to my route, which I occasionally do if the weather is nice and I'm feeling energetic enough.
Edit: Adding specific data...
According to my Strava app on a recent commute home, I had 73 feet of elevation gain over 7.3 miles. Pretty flat.
Edit: Adding specific data...
According to my Strava app on a recent commute home, I had 73 feet of elevation gain over 7.3 miles. Pretty flat.
Last edited by EKW in DC; 01-17-12 at 10:06 AM.
#24
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 8,896
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From: Raleigh, NC
Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia
Where do you people get your elevation data? I've got a GPS tracker (Cyclemeter) on my iPhone but the elevation data are essentially worthless. Eg, on four different days commuting the same route and distance to work, it showed elevation gains of 1170, 4000, 1945 and 1534 feet. Even if I throw out the outlier (4000), that would average out to about 1500 feet of climbing one way, which would mean a roundtrip elevation gain of 3000 feet over 30 miles. I doubt it. My route is hilly but I don't think it has that much climbing.






