arggg..my commuting days are numbered
 

So starting jan 1st I begin a new job, that is a bit too far to commute to, like 62 miles house to office. That is if I take the job or I keep it after I start.
I thought about taking a bike down there for lunch breaks etc, but there is no place safe to park it over night, it would be chained to a pole behind the building. Cant bring it in at night, I asked.
thing is, this year I have really gotten into commuting ( 9 miles one way, 5 days a week). But this job, even with the gas and car costs is too good to pass up. It is only a 1 year contract, with possible extension, so maybe Ill be back to commuting by 2015 ( but then Ill be 62)
..or maybe if IM lucky something will pop up in this little town I live in, would have to be quick, and I can turn down the job in Eugene

so starting January , I guess my rides will be limited to weekend jaunts, commuting to groceries, etc

oh and one big disadvantage, with bike commuting,im in the best physical shape I have been in in years,the first time since my 50's ive been under 200 lbs
currently 194 and 6 foot

That's a bummer. Make those weekend ride long ones.

Why take the job?

I'd pass if your "life quality" would decrease.

Try intermodal. Use the bike on the safest section and use the car or public transit where the traffic or roadways are less bike-friendly.

I agree, if life quality decreases, it's not worth it. However you could always buy a folding bike and leave it in your car for lunch rides.

You could drive to within 5 miles or so then park in the employee section of a grocery store then ride the rest of the way. A short chat with them manager should clear things, he'd probably be happy to have a potential park out of the way.

Of course, the hour drive before the ride would make for make for a quite long total commute time. That adds up to quite a long day.

Eugene can be quite weird to get around in. It's one of those towns that seems to have highway expansions added "as needed" without any apparent long term planning.

That stinks, but you gotta do what feels right.

Looking at a map, it looks like you could drive down I-5 to Coburg, set up an agreement to park at Eugene Kamping World, and then take the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway/Coburg Rd into Eugene. That's only 8 miles.

Bummer, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Folding bike in the trunk seems the best solution. Take lunchtime rides. There are some very rideable folders, with drop bars even - Bike Friday right in your neck of the woods makes some - and they show up on Craiglist now and again.

I don't think being multi-modal on the commute will work. That is a long trip to work, driving the whole distance is the only way you can hope to spend less than 3 hours/day commuting. But if an arrangement such as suggested above does work, that would let you avoid rush hour in Eugene - maybe there is none, but that woudl be my rationalization.

The downside is that with an hour plus driving each way, it's going to be tough to get miles in even if you drive both ways. I went from 7 to 17 miles each way. I rarely ride to work anymore; instead I get home as early as possible and do a lot of night riding after dinner. With the length of your commute that will be tough but maybe you can get it to work out.

You could go for a recumbent or an e-bike but it would still be something like 3hrs one way depending how the ride is (20mph) unless you go for the fastest e-bikes at around 60/70mph.

http://www.electricbike.com/10-fastest-electric-bikes/

This works for me since my 65 mile commute is served by mainline commuter rail on the heavily traveled San Diego/Los Angeles corridor. It may be more of a challenge for OP if his options are limited to inter-city bus with a travel time of 3-4x commuter rail. My commute in the morning is only 20 min longer than driving and is the same in the afternoon, except Friday, where the train is faster than crawling along on I-5.

Also, not to belabour the OP with negative feedback, but ...

62 miles from home to office is a killer (that's 100km).

You're looking at a one hour minimum in a car that averages 60mi/h ... and with traffic and parking ... it's probably 1.5h/way or 3h in a car/day.

Over here ... one can do a 200km RT commute by living close to the train station catching the train as they go 200mi/h (300km/h) and take the subway at the other end.

But, in a car ... ugh ...

Never mind cost ... even at 30mpg you're looking $200 in month for fuel.

Personally, sell the house and move to a nice suburb that you can bike commute in if you really must take the job.

:(

Velomobiles would be the only real option, and then you're still looking at five or six hours round trip.

And those "fastest e-bikes" are hardly bicycles, more like illegal electric motorcycles.

No idea what apartment costs are like there, but would you be able to get ahead financially getting a crash pad near work? (Probably not, but worth looking into.)

+1

This sounds like a really great option, if at all possible! :)

Is the o.p. unemployed at the present time? It doesn't sound like it. What, exactly then is so attractive about a job in another city? A contract job at that. The loss of physical conditioning, the increased gas, wear and tear... does the o.p. really not realize that this is not doable, unless he relocates? Seems obvious to me, but I've never been a victim of that whole "grass is greener" mindset. Luckily my mate understands that I am not going to take a job in a distant city just because there is a job there. We've let three(!) people go in the same job title because they took the job and then the commute started to impact their job performance and eventually they had to be let go. Three. In a row. SMH.

H

Folding Bikes + public transportation, FTW.. plus a folding bike , Might take up so little space, folded,
you may get the Boss to let you bring it in.

Niuoka,

I was faced with this very same thing about 6 months ago, and feel your frustration. These are your options:

1) Turn down the job, keep your current lifestyle
2) Take job, car commute, enjoy the increase in $$ and ride weekends
3) Multi-mode - although it probably wouldn't happen because you'll be wiped from all the driving
4) Move closer - also probably not likely, if it's a short term contract

I turned down a $40k raise, because it would have been 74 miles each way/per day in a car... and I loved cycling to work. 6 months later, I was offered a local job with a $20k raise. Which turned out to be the same as the $40k raise, because the long commute position would have required a ton in gas and car maintenance (and sanity). Life isn't all about money, but money can buy you bikes. However, if you spend all your time working, there's no time to ride and enjoy family. Find the balance.

Think it through. If you are married, talk it over with your wife. Decide what's important to you. If you really want the job, as in, it's your dream job, go for it. If it's just about money, you may want to reconsider. You could also accept it, but in the meantime, continue to look locally for a local, more lucrative position.

Anyhow, good luck in your decision. Let us know how it turns out !

Good point.
Oregon max speed for e-bikes is 20mph (ORS 801.258)
https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bi...011ors801.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electr...le_laws#Oregon

There was someone on this forum that used to drive 30 miles or so and park his truck at a VFW and bike the last ten to 15 miles each way.

Of course, the hour drive before the ride would make for make for a quite long total commute time. That adds up to quite a long day.

like Southern California without the smog?

Niuoka,

Be prepared to either alter your diet or buy new clothes to fit your new shape. I would balloon if I had to stop commuting by bike. Cutting down on the beer is not an option.

Good luck on your new job.

3 hours a day commuting multi-modal or just by vehicle is alot because of the mileage covered. But it doesn't seem that bad when its all by bicycle. I used to have a 1 hour bicycle commute each way then I started a new job 4 months ago and now its 3 hours on the bike per day total. You have to be willing to devote that time. The winter weather and snow is making it harder though and my times have crept up lately.

I used to do a multimodal to cover just 50 miles r/t and thanks to the ever efficient Tulsa Transit (bus), I was averaging 4 hours a day just travelling. Needless to say, it sucked. No longer have that (or any other) job.

Unsure of your finances or familial obligations, but maybe compare the numbers between the commute expenses (whatever the mode) and either a cheap studio/1 BD/efficiency apartment, hotel/motel w/ weekly and monthly rates, or maybe even see if there are any RV parks around that has trailers for rent.

Totally outside the box solution would be to find some kind of multi-family investment property that you could buy (assuming you're in position to do so), live in one while the other(s) brings in rental income to offset the purchase and then once your contract is up and no longer there, move in another renter.

What's your family situation? If I was single and faced with this situation, I'd take the new job and move to a place that would offer a fun bike commute, even if only for a year. If you own your current place, rent it out and rent a place near the new job.

Wife may still work not too bad, depending, add kids, and it becomes a tougher decision...

thanks
in my little town, good paying jobs are few and far between Actually any job is a hard find. Most of my friends drive a min of a half hour for work.
Also...as far as costs, I got the job through a friend, and he commutes from the same town to the same biz. So we would car pool.


But I do hope something local pops. If not....got to take it

your near the correct answer and for someone on the far side of the us, that's pretty good map check. this is actually an option I am looking at. Actually looking at housing in coburg. Biz is on coburg road in Eugene.