Bike Gremlin

Depends on what kind of cycling and motorcycling is compared.

no motor?

True! But you're doing it wrong if street riding is more physical on a motorcycle

DunderXIII

I used to commute 20 miles RT fine earlier (~40 mins per commute). But then I moved to a new place where I ended doing 33 miles RT (1h15m). Lets say that didn't pass well with the wife. Couple that with the arrival of my 1st kid and an end-of-project rush and !boom! went the commute :-)

2 other kids later, I'm still at the same place and my work place is even further. So I bought a bike rack!! I *inject* myself somewhere in the city and do the rest on bike. So far so good! Still its pretty tight though having to fetch the kids ...

Depending on the situation, I can play with the bike part of the commute so its pretty fun actually!

Joemess

30 miles round trip, I do it every other day (Mon/Wed/Fri one week and Tues/Thurs the next) I am a teacher so I am regularly carrying papers, a laptop and sometimes a change of clothes although I try to get them in on the days I do not ride. I try to ride a metric century at least one day per weekend for variety. In the mornings my time is 55 min on average and in the afternoons its about 50. I try to average about 16 mph as a minimum and the route is rolling hills / country roads.

An hour each way is about my limits however it is not a big deal as I would likely ride an hour in the afternoon when I got home anyway. The morning commute does not count as I am not cutting into any family time. I ride a CAAD X (cross bike) that has been set up for commuting by the addition of a rack and lights. I try to make sure that I take advantage of my ride and push myself and I will also ride rain or shine.

WonderMonkey

I think 41 miles a day is certainly doable but you would have to work up to it both physically and mentally. On the first day you could thing "THIS IS AWESOME I'M DOING IT EVERYDAY!" and then after a few days you throw your bike in the river an swear it is the devil.

I ride a Cannondale Hybrid and could easily do that everyday physically, and on some weeks I have. With stops (crossings, lights, etc) I average 13 mph so the total time on my bike would be 3.15 hours a day if I did your 41 miles. That's a bunch and I don't know if I would take the hours out of my day to do it. Right now I'm just a tad over 2 hours and after a few days in a row it starts impacting other things I need to dedicate hours to. However that's MY life and you may have more time, etc.

You may want to consider just done one-way commutes. Initially you would drive into work with your bike and ride home. Then back to work the next day and drive your vehicle home. Etc. If you can be without your vehicle and have a safe place to leave it at work that's a good way to get used to riding the full route yet not have to go both ways.

WonderMonkey

Doing that is also a good way for the OP to get used to the commute. Insert yourself somewhere closer and do the commute, then move back, etc.

jeffpoulin

My commute is 21 miles each way. In 2010, I did it 5 days/week, year round, while working full time. It took about 1:30 each way. Driving in traffic, OTOH, took about 1:10 each way, so it was pretty much a wash there. After a while, I didn't find it tiring at all. I simply got used to it and even enjoyed it. These days, I still have that 21 mile commute, but I do it 4 days/week in the summer and multi-mode bike/train commute from October to March. You're right that distance is not a problem. It's just a matter of time.

MMACH 5

My commute is just over 50 miles, round trip. I've been riding it since 2006. I found that every other day worked out better for me. So, Monday, Wednesday & Friday, I ride; Tuesday & Thursday, I ride to the bus stop or drive to work. Prior to working here, my commute was 36 miles, round trip and almost flat. I did that every day.

Your body will adjust to the physicality of it. However, even once you've gotten honed for the trip and mastered the food/hydration demands, you'll have days when you just aren't feeling it.
There is no shame in hopping the bus for part of your commute. If you're miserable for the last half of your commute, you'll be less likely to ride the next time.

The bigger challenge can be getting your head right with it.
If you tend to thrive on interaction with others, it might take you time to get happy being alone. (I'm socially awkward enough that I like being alone.)
If you get inside your own head and pick your life apart, you could easily make yourself crazy during your commute.
Sometimes it takes practice to just let it all go and enjoy the ride.
A long distance commute has a huge advantage and that is the time between destinations. If it takes you over an hour to get to work, by the time you get there, you've left your home-life problems behind. You can focus on work. This works going both directions. It's rare that I get home and feel the need to dump a load of work related stress on my wife.

rhm

My commute involves 12 or 13 miles on the bike, plus two hours on the train. The time on the train is pretty restful, but I'd gladly trade it for more bike time.

If you haven't ridden for 20 years, it's going to take you some time to get used to it. But you can do it. You will probably lose some weight, but not necessarily. I've seen a lot of cyclists who are strong riders despite excess pounds.

cat

I used to commute 17 miles each way about 3-4 days a week. I always enjoyed the ride in (downhill and cool), but really didn't look forward to the rides home and it would cut into family time. Now, my commute is a little over 13 miles on the way in (still downhill and cool in the mornings), but I take the bus most of the way home, leaving about 5 miles at the end of the day. I enjoy this much more...

You may want to see if you can do a multi-modal commute...

AlmostGreenGuy

40 miles is a wicked commute.

I'm in pretty good shape and 46 years old. I do a 31 mile round trip, 3 or 4 days per week. The commute has some pretty tough hills. I ride a gravel grinder. The commute would be perfect for me if it was only a 20-mile round trip. 31 is testing the limits of my love for bike commuting, given that I also like to get in time for running at the track. The two hobbies combined tend to yield many nights of sore leg muscles.

You can do it, but........ You'll need a good road bike, the right clothing, and probably a year of training. I'd ride in and ride home on opposite days for the first year or so. Then work on expanding the commuting miles.

lawnerd

I am at 22 miles each way. At first it was a challenge. But now it is not a big deal. It does eat up over 3 hours of my day. But before I started commuting I worked out at least an hour per day and my car commute was about 1 hour each way. So it is a wash.
I love my commute on most days and feel like crap on those days that I have to drive. I live in northern virginia and it has been a dry year, so I haven't had to drive in rain very often. My commute is mostly through rural Maryland. That said, rural roads can be frightening. Rural drivers drive fast and somewhat recklessly.
I would try it for a day or two to see if you can handle it.

lawnerd

Exactly same situation here. 22 miles each way. No big deal. I dont feel like it eats into my time. I am now in excellent weight and shape. I had to ease into the commute. But I can do this five days a week if needed no problem. The commute takes about 3 hours per day. On most days I enjoy it. On very rare days I wish I was home a little earlier. But those are rare days.

Bike Gremlin

Great experience. How do Texas and Minesota (OP's location?) climate and terrain differ? Minesota has more rain and snow?

randomgear

In Texas, when they get snow (not very often), that part of the state pretty much shuts down.
In Minnesota, snow just means its winter. Lots of snow means it's a good winter.

MMACH 5

Here in Texas, we have oppressively hot summers. I'm pretty sure Minnesota gets to go without weeks of 100+ temps. The trade off is that North Texas only gets a couple of days of snow, each year. Minnesota has snow on the ground for several months.

The Chemist

Before I was doing a 30 mile round trip commute (about 1h 10min each way) and I did that for a couple of years. It was fine, but the biggest problem for me was the fact that I'd have to budget at least 10-15 minutes extra in the morning and afternoon before the ride to get ready (change clothes, etc). This year I've changed jobs and my commute is now only 9 miles round trip (20-25 min each way), which is much better, especially since I don't have to change into/out of riding clothes on such a short distance.

Medic Zero

.

"What kind of regular commuting riding do you do?" - 7 days a week, for 9 months of the year, 3 days a week over the summers when I'm off from school (back in college at 40!). Terrain is hilly and I often have a 8-12 mph headwind one way.

"How many miles and how many hours?" - I budget an hour door to door to go roughly 7.5 miles. I say roughly, because I have a choice of about a half dozen different routes that are all pretty similar in time and mileage, but appeal to me on different days. I also often take another route home that is 11 miles, which takes me about an hour and fifteen minutes, but nets me about 5 miles of uninterrupted MUP as part of the commute instead of the stop light/stop sign every 5 blocks that is most of my commute otherwise. Much more pleasant!

"On what kind of bike?" - Old heavy steel mountain bike (1993 GT Outpost), converted for commuting with front rack, quick release saddlebag support and large saddlebag (Zimbale 18L), FULL fenders and semi-slick tires, as well as rather upright handlebars.

"what type of shape are you in?" - Overweight. Should be a solid 210, but I'm about 280 pounds, 41 years old.

FWIW, I think you could do it if you ease into it, assuming that the route is basically flat and you aren't contending with headwinds. I'd wonder about road conditions where you are at as well, I find that when the roads are covered with small branches and leaves and rocks from potholes it requires more energy to ride than it does riding in on clear, dry roads. If it isn't hilly and isn't windy I think you'll find that over time you would become accustomed to doing it.

Hills still kick my butt after 2.5 years back in the saddle, commuting very regularly. I'm definitely stronger, but they still suck and take a lot of energy and time from me. I feel like if my commute were flat, I could extend it out to about the twice the distance no problem, but with the hills I have to contend with I wouldn't want it more than 10 miles and currently feel the 7-ish is Goldilocks territory for me. Same with the headwinds, the wind is usually out of the south and I'm traveling north-south and I ride very upright and am a broad shouldered fellow, so sometimes it feels like I'm just a big wind catcher.

skins_brew

meh, I have been doing 20 mile (one way) commutes on and off since labor day. last week, i rode 40 miles every day. It takes me roughly 1:20-30 minutes, depending on traffic lights. Am I wasting some personal time? That's debatable... Here are the options I have....

i work in DC and live in the burbs.

Drive- about an hour, maybe more. There are a million traffic lights in DC and traffic blows for the most part, especially getting home. It's also $22/day to park. There is a monthly plan, but it's probably steep.
Ride bike to commuter train- $125/month. I got a beater bike in DC that helps cutdown on subway costs from Union Station to work. Takes about 1:10
Drive car to the commuter train- $125/month + subway costs once I am in DC. Takes about an hour in the mornings, door to door. In the PM, about the same.
Ride bike to subway station- more expensive than commuter train, roughly the same time.
Drive car to subway station- way more expensive than commuter train ($4.90/day for parking).
Ride bike 20 miles to work- free, but it takes more time. 1:20-30.

Honestly, 20 extra minutes isn't that bad. I have small kids, and I love getting home and spending time with them, but the 40 minutes i sacrifice a day isn't that bad. I make up for it by coming in early too. Throughout the summer I biked to the commuter train, and will probably resume that once the wx gets super cold.