# 25 mile one way commute



## mikeharper123

So am I crazy to do this? 50 miles roundtrip everyday? I ride alot (4K last year), but will this get too tedious?

Thoughts from those who are commuting veterans.....


----------



## Oxtox

I love riding...a 50-mile daily commute would ruin that quickly.


----------



## JCavilia

mikeharper123 said:


> So am I crazy to do this? 50 miles roundtrip everyday? I ride alot (4K last year), but will this get too tedious?
> 
> Thoughts from those who are commuting veterans.....


There's "a lot," and then there's "a lot." If you did that 10 months of the year, that would be 10,000 miles just commuting. That would be too much for me.


----------



## godot

mikeharper123 said:


> So am I crazy to do this? 50 miles roundtrip everyday? I ride alot (4K last year), but will this get too tedious?
> 
> Thoughts from those who are commuting veterans.....


I have a 35 mile one way commute. Daily round trips become a drag quickly. I do round trips for a couple of weeks every early spring just to get miles in.

I've settled into drive in Monday, ride home, ride in Tuesday morning, drive home. Work from home Wednesday. Repeat drive/commute Thursday/Friday.

Do you have different routes you can take? Mixing up the roads helps me a bunch.
Intervals help break up the ride as well.

I enjoy commuting, but more than anything I enjoy riding. When commuting starts to feel like work, I take some time off and join the lunch time ride at work just to mix it up.


----------



## mikeharper123

What I can do is ride in and then take the city bus home, they have a pretty good bike rack on the front of the bus, so my commute becomes 25 total for the day...

Plus my employer pays for the monthly bus pass, so that's not too shabby...


----------



## Kristatos

I say go for it. I do 20 each way 3 days/week. Just make sure you bring a giant frozen burrito or something to fuel up for lunch and maybe trail mix or something to snack on in the afternoon so you don't feel too empty on the way back. The bus/ride combo is a good option too - I don't really have that option but in your case it sounds like a good way to go on the way home in the evening.


----------



## godot

mikeharper123 said:


> What I can do is ride in and then take the city bus home, they have a pretty good bike rack on the front of the bus, so my commute becomes 25 total for the day...
> 
> Plus my employer pays for the monthly bus pass, so that's not too shabby...


This sounds like a really good plan.
Hope you find a solution that works for you, sounds like you have some pretty good options.


----------



## phsycle

I wish I could ride to work. I'm 40 miles away, no shower facilities, and need to make business calls during the day. 

Also, consider a 25 mile trip means 1.5-2 hours. Since I work 8-5, that means leaving at 6AM and getting home at 7PM. I could do maybe an hour's worth of ride, but longer than that, it cuts too much into family/leisure time, IMO.


----------



## Scott B

I used to do 15 miles one way and that was a lot, but doable. It made it very easy to do 250 miles a week total.

I think for me the hard part about 25 miles would just be the time factor. Some days it wouldn't be a big deal, other days I'd hate to lose the time. Particularly in the mornings I'm not that good at getting out of bed.

If I had a 25 mile commute and secure parking I'd probably drive one morning, ride home, ride back and then drive home sometimes. I'd probably try to do the round trip 2-3 days a week. I think the idea of bussing one-way and riding the other is reasonable. Give it a go!


----------



## tarwheel2

Time is the big issue. My commute is 30 miles round trip and right at the limit of what I am willing to commit to on a regular basis. To do that, I have to get up at 5 am and leave at 6 am in order to get to my desk showered and dressed by 7:30 am. I try to leave by 4:30 pm, but if I get tied up at work and leave late, my wife and daughter are getting real cranky by the time I get home.


----------



## pulser955

I have about the same distance as you. I really want to ride in a few times a week. But I have to there by 5 or 5:30am to be on the shop floor by 5 of 6. :mad2:


----------



## saf-t

My office is moving at the end of March, and it will turn the current 1/2 hour each way ride into a 35 mile one  I'd love to try Godot's system, but don't know how secure the overnight parking will be.....


----------



## Solomon76

My commute is 27.5 miles each way. I end up cycling to and from work about 2 to 3 times a week every 2 to 3 weeks. The last 10 miles on the way home can be a very long stretch at the end of a long work day.


----------



## pennstater

Twenty-four miles each way. Sometimes round trip. Sometimes drive to work, leave the car, ride home and ride in the next morning. Sometimes drive part of the way and ride the rest. Sometimes use mass transit part way. 

I have been doing this for about 8 years. I've learned to listen to my body (I am 59), and balance demands of work, family and friends with health and recreation. 

The commute by car is about 1 hour. Cycling adds about 40 minutes. Not a huge investment in extra time.


----------



## XLR99

I'm working up to doing a 22 mile one way, pretty flat and generally downhill on the way to work. I'm going to wait until spring, so I can work out a commute routine without dealing with all the cold weather gear. I'm hoping that it will work to ride 2-3 days a week.
I know time will be an issue, but I'm also thinking that it may even out to some extent ie I get home later, but then stay home vs going out for a ride after work.


----------



## JohnnyTooBad

XLR99 said:


> I'm working up to doing a 22 mile one way, pretty flat and generally downhill on the way to work. I'm going to wait until spring, so I can work out a commute routine without dealing with all the cold weather gear. I'm hoping that it will work to ride 2-3 days a week.
> I know time will be an issue, but I'm also thinking that it may even out to some extent ie I get home later, but then stay home vs going out for a ride after work.


You may be better off not waiting for Spring because of the drastic temp swings between morning and evening. Depends on where you live. But here in the Mid Atlantic, Spring and Fall are the worst for having to wear warm clothes in the morning then having to haul them home in the evening because it's too warm to wear them. However, if you don't plan on riding the next day, you can leave the warmer clothes at the office anf bring them home in the car the next day.

Just something to think about. Plus, in the winter, you don't overheat as much. I like getting to the office in the morning and not being all sweaty and needing a half hour for my body to cool off. I hate taking a shower and continuing to sweat when I get out of the shower.


----------



## HOOKEM

I think it depends on the specific situation. My commute is 26-30 miles round trip.. It's a lickity-split downhill dash of 45 minutes in the mornings, but in the evenings it's basically an uphill schlogg for an hour and a half. The biggest thing that keeps me from riding daily is insanity of the traffic on the two lane highway for the last third of my ride home. I can dodge it if I go about 4 miles out of my way through residential and more rural roads but it's even more uphill. If I had to do 50 miles of this round trip, I would probably skip it entirely unless it was absolutely necessary, as there is just simply not enough time.


----------



## mikeharper123

*So now onto gear*

So I have done this a couple of times on my race bike, a S-Works SL3 Tarmac. Now I know that people will shy away fro me using this, but for a quick sanity check...

I am VERY comfortable on this bike, and the ride in is pretty nice roads. Plus I am riding Mavic Ksyerium SLs with the warranty on them (MP3, which states that no matter what I do, they will fix/replace). I am using a messenger bag with some clothes and my lunch, I leave my shoes at work.

Do I really need a commuting bike? I can probably get my wife to agree with buying a cross bike for commuting on, which maybe I should do anyway just to get a cross bike...  But I didn't want to get one and NOT use it...


----------



## pmf

My commute is 17 miles each way. Timewise, it takes a little over an hour. I work in DC, so the alternative is to drive to the metro and catch the train in. That takes about an hour as well (and can take considerably longer if the POS train system we have here breaks down). So I figure I get two hours of riding in where I'd otherwise just be sitting on the train. I've got my own bike locker, large clothes rack in my office, and the shower is right upstairs -- it's an effing good deal. 

That said, I rarely ever manage to ride in five days a week. I get tired, sick, it rains, gets too cold, I have commitments after work, etc. Last year I commuted 96 times -- about 80% of the 4100 miles I rode in the year (I have little kids, so weekends are toast). 25 miles each way is a long commute. If I were you, I'd start out doing 1-2 times a week. If you try doing 4-5 times a week at the outset, you're going to get burned out an quit. Pick out the nicest day or two of the week weatherwise. Or the day when you have it easy at work. Make it an event -- something to look forward to. Haul your clothes/lunch into the office the day before and ride in unfettered by a backpack, or bike pack. I see all these guys around here with these huge messenger bags on their backs. That's gotta suck. 

I like bike commuting. It's a great way to get miles in during the week. I always feel good on the days when I ride in.


----------



## pmf

mikeharper123 said:


> Do I really need a commuting bike? I can probably get my wife to agree with buying a cross bike for commuting on, which maybe I should do anyway just to get a cross bike...  But I didn't want to get one and NOT use it...


OK, so you get some lumbering "commuting" bike and I guarantee you'll hate it. Trust me, I've gone down this road (Mine was a Fuji Cyclo-Cross bike that I eventually sold because I hated it). Ride your nice bike. Would you ride the commuting bike on the weekend? What's the difference between that and riding to the office? I have three nice road bikes with high end components and I commute on all of them. In the winter, I tend to use the Litespeed most of the time because I put a light on it. I also have a seatpost rack that I put on it to haul stuff. I don't use the rack all that often -- mostly when I know it'll be a lot warmer when I ride home than it was in the morning. That way I can stow my heavy jacket and not sweat on the way home. I have it fixed up so I have a separate post and saddle that I can swap for the post and saddle with the rack attached. 

When the weather warms up, I ride whatever I want, although I seem to get in a rut and favor one of my bikes. Last summer it was the Merckx, the year before that, the Colnago. Save your money for another nice road bike.

Can you keep your clothes/food at the office? I keep 3-4 suits, 2 pairs of shoes and haul in several shirts and socks/underwear on days I don't ride. It beats the hell out of hauling it in on the bike. Especially on such a long commute.


----------



## godot

I agree with pmf.

I normally commute on my "race" bike, sometimes I break out the singlespeed just because. Just ride what you got.

Riding with any kind of bag on a commute of that distance is going to get old fast. Plan ahead, take clothes and food into the office on days that you're driving or using public transport. If you're set on using a bag, get one that will allow airflow over your back (Vaude and Deuter come to mind)


----------



## Kristatos

I am totally in agreement on skipping the commuting bike and doing it on a race bike. That's what I do and for longer commutes there's no other way IMO. My 20 mile one-way trip would balloon if I took a slow heavy hybrid bike or whatever. 

Also ditto on driving once a while and leaving clothes at work. I use an old North Face backpack that doesn't move around on my back much so I don't have to adjust it at all really during the ride. I just put my laptop and lunch in it. My clothes/towels etc I keep in a duffel bag in a cabinet by the desk and just bring in new clothes and swap out the dirty laundry days I drive the car in.

EDIT: Having some tough wheels that are still rideable with a broken spoke is key though - no uber-light low-spoke wheels for me on the commute. I don't go with heavy wheels - just something sensible.


----------



## XLR99

Lots of good points here - sounds like the consensus is light, fast bike, bombproof wheels, and carry minimal stuff with you. Makes sense to me if you're going farther vs the standard 5mi commute.
I was already planning to have clothes/shoes at work so the main thing I'd be carrying in would be food for the day. 
JohnnyTooBad, good points about temp changes and cooling down. Fortunately, I start at 7-730, but don't normally have any meetings until after 8, so I have a bit of time to cool down in front of the fan in my cube.


----------



## axlenut

Hi, something to think about might be to get more bikes with the intent of leaving one or more at work and mix up driving to work and riding. You should be able to drive in one day and ride home then ride to work and drive home and so on. Might even be able to figure out how to skip a day or so. Doing a full round trip each day would get old real quick but if you could mix it up it might be a lot of fun.

Later, Axlenut


----------



## Drew Eckhardt

JohnnyTooBad said:


> You may be better off not waiting for Spring because of the drastic temp swings between morning and evening. Depends on where you live. But here in the Mid Atlantic, Spring and Fall are the worst for having to wear warm clothes in the morning then having to haul them home in the evening because it's too warm to wear them. However, if you don't plan on riding the next day, you can leave the warmer clothes at the office anf bring them home in the car the next day.


I keep a long sleeve jersey, leg warmers, light jacket (made out of parachute fabric so it'll fit a jersey pocket), gloves, rain jacket, rain pants, and shoe covers in a pannier and it's not a big deal.

15 pounds of weight (add laptop, lock, another tube because there's space for it, etc.) is .1 MPH on flat ground and outside the measurement noise floor for a whole ride. Drag from the pannier nets about 1.5 MPH although that's 40 minutes instead of 38 over 12 miles on a perfect evening without traffic (after 10 PM but before the lights have turned to flashing red instead of vehicle activated) and not relevant. During the day speed differences are within normal variations from traffic.


----------



## brewster

50mi commute everyday would be too much for me. What happens in the warmer months and you actually want to get out for a real fitness solo ride or group ride? You're not going to make it if you're still riding home from work. My commute is 16mi round trip. That's about enough time cut out of the day the way it is. I have to plan ahead if I'm going to ride to work, so it doesn't happen every day.


----------



## weltyed

i did this a few times. saved it for fridays. the fact the offices did not have showers made it tough. along with the fact i was doin it on a mountain bike.


----------



## CleavesF

I have a 26 mile round trip commute. Excluding weekends, if I ride 5 days a week to work, that's 130 miles. This is what I usually do in the summer and let me tell you, I don't have many hills or anything like that and even then, after 8-10 hours of work, riding in and out takes ~1 hour each way +/- 15 mins depending on the bike/effort. 

Point being, recovery sucks to the point that commuting 5 days week for me isn't a real option if I plan to do any rides on the weekend. I've since reduced my commuting to 2-3 times a week (not to mention I have a soccer league on Tuesdays...)

50 miles is a lot in one day for anyone. That's a solid ride for most of us on weekends. I would not do that more than twice a week to be honest. Recovery will kill you, not to mention the amount of time in the day you will spend in the saddle. 

Even on my 13 miles one way, you never know what weather, what traffic, what mechanical will occur. During extreme temperatures (98+ or 32 below) it can get dangerous quick since you're usually in isolation on a commute when nobody else wants to be outside.


----------



## tarwheel2

There is such a thing as a nice commuting bike, and I personally prefer having separate commuter and weekend bikes. My commuter bikes have fenders, attachments for a Carradice bag, larger tires -- but they are nice bikes and no weight hogs by any means. If I removed the fenders, saddle bag and installed narrow tires, they would ride just as fast as my weekend bike.

I don't like riding with a backpack. Tried it once, and that was enough to convince me to use a large seatbag or racktop bag. So that rules out the option of riding the weekend bike to work. Fenders aren't absolutely necessary if you don't ride on rainy days, but sometimes unexpected showers pop up or the roads are still wet from previous rain. I have commuted plenty of times on 23-25 mm tires and that is not a problem on the roads I travel, but I've found that wider tires just hold up a lot better and aren't much heavier if you get good folding brands like Conti GP 4 Season 28s.


----------



## 55x11

mikeharper123 said:


> So am I crazy to do this? 50 miles roundtrip everyday? I ride alot (4K last year), but will this get too tedious?
> 
> Thoughts from those who are commuting veterans.....


I think 10-15 miles one-way is ideal commuting distance. I used to commute 20 miles one way, and it could get tiresome if you want to do it everyday. Then again, I have a friend who does 30mile one way, 60 miles round-trip, basically every day.

I think making the bike a bit lighter (no heavy backpack - use panniers if you have to, but try to go without any stuff if you can) and alternating roads a bit is the way to keep it interesting. Driving in, riding back and then reversing the next day, as someone already mentioned, is another way to break it up. So is driving part of the way and then riding the remaining part. 

The tricky part is the dark (cold?) hours - if it takes you 1.5 hours to go 25 miles, you are likely to spend a lot of those 3 hours of commute in the dark. So summer may be a better option to try to stick to the full commute routine.


----------



## Drattner

I want to echo what others have already said. 

I commute roughly 40 miles round trip with the part of the ride being rolling hills. After a while the ride just becomes tedious. I find myself counting bridges wondering if the ride will ever end. On top of that, I missed being able to do group rides with friends and eating dinner before 8. I had to change my commuting schedule to T/Th and Fridays schedules permitting.

I’d highly recommend a commuter bike. I personally didn’t want to have a rack, mounted light, spoke light, tail light, fenders, and reflector tape on race bike and change wheels to fatter tires. Also having the commuter bike gives me something to ride when conditions are less than optimal like after it rains or on the local taco ride.

Also, get a nice commuter otherwise you won’t commute. I use a steel bike for my commuter which is a nice change from my Carbon Fiber race bike.


----------



## FBinNY

mikeharper123 said:


> What I can do is ride in and then take the city bus home, they have a pretty good bike rack on the front of the bus, so my commute becomes 25 total for the day...
> 
> Plus my employer pays for the monthly bus pass, so that's not too shabby...


The bus option changes the dynamic considerably, and should keep this from becoming a chore.

You can ride one way according to your mood and weather, or you can ride part way some days shifting to the bus whenever you want.

You could also bus to work, and ride home on a longer scenic route when you feel like it.

My normal commute is only 6 miles each way, but on nice days, I'll make a longer loop home of anywhere from 12-30 miles.


----------



## jnbrown

Oxtox said:


> I love riding...a 50-mile daily commute would ruin that quickly.


This ^^^

I ride to work that distance once or twice a week. I don't really enjoy it much because of the traffic, route and having to leave early in the morning and ride home at night. It is mainly a way to get some miles in and leave the car at home. If I did it 5 times a week I would get burned out real fast.


----------



## Trevrev97

I have a 42 mile round trip, and I work nights in the summer, Its a beautiful ride along Lake Michigan. But I only do it on my bike 2 or 3 times a week. That being said I do ultra endurance races so extra miles don't hurt.


----------



## drmp

*Try carpooling or leaving your car at work.*

I have a ~45 mile round-trip commute (via highway and secondary roads, less via farm, gravel and backroads). I did it both ways for a few days and it was too much. Instead, i drive to work on Monday, and ride home Monday, ride to work tuesday and then drive home tuesday night. This has been a pretty good schedule for me. Carpooling works well too.

background- i'm a cat 3 road and cx racer. I say that to tell you that i take my time in the saddle very seriously. 

drMP


----------



## lucyfek

My commute is 35miles+ one way. Most of it over paved bike trails and some roads with acceptable traffic level, flat. I enjoy it but can't see it as a daily routine - not because it's physically demanding (it has to be considered as you don't want to crash at work) but because I have to have prep for it day before (leave change of cloths, some food at work), wake up early (already not getting enough sleep) and go fast (but keep from sweating). I ride from late spring through fall (as long as DST and temps allow), usually once a week (Friday - car commute sucks most during summer months, I'd suggest adjusting to traffic pattern - if one existed - to benefit the most), sometimes twice a week.
I use my roadbike, getting CX/fast hybrid for that, done it on mtn. Ridetime less than 2hrs one way. Combat-light - usually nothing but water, lights, small camera and maybe extra clothing if weather gets tricky (but would not ride in rain). 
It's tough to make extreme bike commute work. If I had less than 10 miles I'd have no excuses (unless it rained/snowed).


----------



## mikeharper123

Thanks for all your advice and opinions...

I think what I am going to do is ride in with a small messenger bag (it doesn't bother me) and then take the bus home (its $25/month and they have a decent bike rack on the front of the bus). The morning commute is over some great suburban roads, but the ride home would get to be a battle with traffic.

I am going to pick up some bombproof wheels, and I already have those crud race fenders that I'll use for possible wet days.

Thanks!


----------



## T0mi

Hi Mike,

I'm doing a 25 miles one way commute. I do it 4 days a week except when there is a risk of snow/ice. I wouldn't do it if I didn't have a shower at work. I prefer riding at my normal pace, slower when it is freezing like today (I live in Switzerland), using old team kits (I have enough of them and carrying only my lunch monday to wednesday. On thursday (I don't work friday), I take a large backpack to carry a set of cloth for the next week and carry back the dirty ones to wash them during the week-end. I keep a pair of shoes and a jacket at the office. I have 3 bikes, choice depends on mood and weather. 

The ride is mostly flat except a short 15% elevation 1.5 mile from work. The bikes are stored behind my desk at the office.

Here is a link to my bikes and commute :
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/3510821-post1.html
I sold the old alan bike and repaired a carbon road frame so I'm now using mostly the Ragley CX and choose the road or track bike when the weather is good of if I want to do faster or longer rides.


----------



## mikeharper123

Yeah my commute is in no way as gorgeous as yours. In the midwest USA, I am glad to have good roads and no hillbillies yelling at me


----------



## SOME_1_ELSE_1999

When i was in my early 20's i commuted 25 miles one way every day for 3 years. Some of the things i learned. Wallmart mtb's are only good for about 6 months then they fall apart. Riding with a bag is great on rainy days since you can ziplock clean clothes in them. It is rough and not for the weak. I however was always at work a hour ahead of time. I did this in case of flats or gross mechanical failure. 

To the person who was considering having 2 different bikes one as a commuter and one as a weekend bike, I would only consider this if you are going to ride rain or shine like i did. It would have be really nice to have fenders. 

Having a bus route to take would make it a deal sealer in my opinion as that at any time (especially during the first couple weeks) you can just stop and catch a ride.


----------



## Fogdweller

*Go for it!*

My commute is 25 miles each way and I try to do three round trips a week. I'm fortunate to have a super dedicated group of commuters to ride with and I would guess that I'd ride about half as much if I didn't have them. Many have become close friends and have joined my Sunday ride as well. If you can find someone to commute with, it will help to stay motivated. No matter how bad the day has gone, everyone shows up with a smile because they get to ride home with their buds.

Others have suggested the bus and that is a great option to have. last year I commuted over 4,800 miles, had 193 trips across the Golden Gate Bridge and saved over $930 in bus fair. I pick a goal and track everything to make sure I'm on schedule. It keeps it interesting... good luck.


----------



## TeamCholent

*My commute is 46 or more*



mikeharper123 said:


> So am I crazy to do this? 50 miles roundtrip everyday? I ride alot (4K last year), but will this get too tedious?
> 
> Thoughts from those who are commuting veterans.....


My commute is 46 miles RT through NYC all year and usually 4 days a week. I avoid snow on the ground and heavy rain.
At times it can be draining on the other it helps clear my head.
Truthfully, it is not the same as a real 46 mile ride or 2 rides of 23 miles as this is city riding with traffic, lights and the usual.

Listen to you body and figure on recovery time so you are fresh for the weekend.

If your ride is on open roads then treat it as part of your training.

Good Luck and remember it's not crazy...it's cycling:thumbsup:

Robert


----------



## FBinNY

TeamCholent said:


> Good Luck and remember it's not crazy...it's cycling:thumbsup:


Used to be those were one and the same. Anyway 23miles each way in NYC is serious commitment. At least if the weather changes for the worse, you have the subways as Plan B. 

I use Metro North as my plan B cutting rainy day rides home down to about 2 miles, but I have to hang around pretty late to be past rush hour, though.


----------



## TeamCholent

FBinNY said:


> Used to be those were one and the same. Anyway 23miles each way in NYC is serious commitment. At least if the weather changes for the worse, you have the subways as Plan B.
> 
> I use Metro North as my plan B cutting rainy day rides home down to about 2 miles, but I have to hang around pretty late to be past rush hour, though.


Subway takes about 20 minutes longer. as I get older, I get a little smarter. I now use a touring bike and keep a rain jacket and windbreaker on the rack and maybe other things just incase like different gloves etc.

True, the subway can be helpful and was on about a handful of times, but never during rush hours. Actually once or twice during rush hour, I did not ake friends those days.

Robert


----------



## atpjunkie

I had a 13 mile there 42 mile home commute (train in AM). I did it pretty religiously. I was younger and had more time. I was fit, slim and fast. I had folks come into town and took them on moderate paced rides of 40-65 miles and could pull the whole time.
I miss those days. If you don't have obligations, by all means do it. You'll take weekends off. At a decent pace you are talking 1.5 hrs each way give or take. If you have 3 hrs to burn, do it.


----------



## Schmack

I'm wating for them to complete a new trail near my house that will allow me to go about 15 miles one way to work, long rollers but no real net elevation difference. I was hoping to do this twice a week and then still do my Wednesday and Saturday shop rides. For most of the year, I am riding a minimum of 4 days a week, with many weeks 5. 

Looking at the mileage increase, I don't think it would be bad. I typically do 15-20 on my trainer, so I would be replacing this with more like 30.

Does this sound realistic?


----------



## FBinNY

Schmack said:


> I'm wating for them to complete a new trail near my house that will allow me to go about 15 miles one way to work, long rollers but no real net elevation difference. I was hoping to do this twice a week and then still do my Wednesday and Saturday shop rides. For most of the year, I am riding a minimum of 4 days a week, with many weeks 5.
> 
> Looking at the mileage increase, I don't think it would be bad. I typically do 15-20 on my trainer, so I would be replacing this with more like 30.
> 
> Does this sound realistic?


Absolutely. You're already riding quite a bit and the difference won't be much at all. The only variable is weather, but that's manageable. I live in the NYC suburbs and turned in my car's plates after July 4th 2009 as a protest against my oil money funding terrorism, and have found life only getting easier, especially with this years mild winter. 

Once you adapt to bike commuting, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Though I can also see the seductiveness of the auto.


----------



## lbkwak

If you try to make up a reason not to cycle, there is a plenty. Just give it a try and see if you like it.


----------



## benInMA

I do it.. but I've never done it more then 2X in one week. Usually just once a week.

Mine is a minimum of 52 miles round trip. But the 52 mile route is pretty awful, it goes past a mall with about 20 lights. That part is fine in the morning (pre-traffic) but awful at night, so I often tack on extra miles to rides some nicer roads.

I keep it fun by:
- Not trying to do it every day
- I leave everything I need at work, including food, so I don't have to carry anything. (We have showers and a kitchen at work)
- I ride my fastest bike which helps with the time.

You will need lights.. and this takes a ton of time, and you will need lots of food on days you are doing this.

I always ride slower in the morning.. my route has something like 1200ft of climbing round trip IIRC. So if I leave at 7:30 am, I'll get to work around 9, be at my desk at 9:30.. leave at 5:30-6PM, and get home at 7 to 7:30 PM. Just trying to work 8 hours of work in there will easily take up almost all the daylight anytime except summer. Leaving earlier in the morning might just mean I get to ride in the dark in the morning and at night... if I leave a little later I can leave my lights at work the day before and then I'm totally out for a fun ride in the morning.


----------



## CheapTrek

I have a hilly 40 round trip to work. Halcyon weather and I'll ride it both ways but in NJ when it starts getting warm it seems like there's a chance of T Storms almost every night of the week and I have had to call for a ride or wait it out numerous times. 

I know I just need to HTFU but hail hurts and people drive like idiots in heavy downpours. 

When in doubt, lll pop the bike on the car rack, go in early and crank out a 30 mile loop.


----------



## longlegged

I think it all depends on context. 25-miles of city riding can be awful. 25-miles on a level path could be great.


----------



## Maximus_XXIV

Think about an electric assist bike to ease the ride on days you want it.


----------

