What is a LONG distance commute?

[Steve]

I’m with most folks on here in that around an hour each way is probably when I would consider it to be a long commute, and the kind that would start to make me consider cutting back on days.

Another factor is probablly “added time,” not just time. Driving would take me about 40-45 min roundtrip, while biking take me around 90. So my real “cycling time” is an added 45 minutes give or take. That’s less than the time it would take to go to the gym or something like that each day, and basically adding 45 minutes to my day to be able to ride 20 miles seems like a great deal.

The more highway/further distances probably make people’s added time get even higher, and so if riding took more than 60 minutes or so longer than driving, it’d be tough.

[lordofthemark]

@Steve 94460 wrote:

I’m with most folks on here in that around an hour each way is probably when I would consider it to be a long commute, and the kind that would start to make me consider cutting back on days.

Hmmm. The fastest I have timed the whole commute was 67 minutes (haven’t timed it inbound, as each of the two times I have ridden inbound has been broken up by HDCC. But I am sure I can get that down over time. Transit takes 40 to 50 minutes or so – though I sometimes compare to the transit commute I had from our old place, which could easily run 60 to 70 minutes. Driving is somewhat faster, but generally quite unpleasant (I absolute hate driving in stop and go traffic – I find it physically unpleasant to my feet and legs – and there is often stop and go traffic on I395) plus parking is problematic.

So I feel like I can probably keep doing bike commute 1 to 2 times a week, and increase that as I get faster and more comfortable with it.

[hozn]

@dkel 94398 wrote:

If I had to pick one of my kids up from school for some emergency, that kid would have to wait almost an hour for me to get home and get the car; if I drove from work it would take no more than 20 minutes.

You should join commuter connections for their guaranteed ride home, if you haven’t done. You can’t use that for weather-related emergencies, but having to pick the kid up early due to emergency would count (as I understand it).

I agree with the others that over an hour for a commute starts to feel long. My 16-mile each-way commute is a bit over an hour of total (elapsed) time most days, since I am dropping off the trailer in the AM and picking my son up at the end of the day. I typically extend the commute a few times a week with group rides or through-the-woods detours, but I don’t really count that as part of the commute per se — that’s just having fun on the bike. The hour is a sweet spot; long enough to get some exercise, short enough to not feel like a chore. I used to think a shorter — say 10-12-mile each way — commute would be perfect, but I don’t get tired doing the 16 miles anymore, so now I think 16 miles is perfect.

[vvill]

I also agree with the time window concept, although it’s really closer to 45 mins for me. My 8.5 to 12 mile commute fits in about 35-50 mins depending on route, road/traffic conditions and my condition. I sometimes extend one of my rides out to 75, 90, 120 mins or whatever and that’s definitely more of a workout than I’d want to do each trip.

I like the comparison to other transportation modes. For me, metro door-to-door is 45 mins at best (including a 3 mile drive and parking at metro), and driving is 25-35 mins at best so biking really means very little added time for some exercise and outdoors time, and it doesn’t feel like a long commute. Of course it does take extra time to get dressed for each trip, and put away the bike, etc. but that’s maybe an extra 10-15 mins per day.

[DismalScientist]

My commute is now about 9 miles/45 minutes (depending on route). It’s faster than bus/metro or walk/metro and I won’t consider driving.

[Terpfan]

@Greenbelt 94432 wrote:

I have 17 miles each way, which is about 1 hour 15 min. It’s a little too long, probably. I’ve been riding the fast bike more, and not doing long rides on the weekend, to keep the legs fresh(er). Started taking the occasional day off last winter on bad weather days, which helped a lot.

14 miles or so at 1 hour or slightly less would be perfect.

I could basically say ditto here. I’m about 17.5 miles each way, which ranges from 70 minutes to 80 minutes depending on wind, rain, lights, traffic, etc. And 100% agree that 14-15 would be about ideal.

However, like everything, my commute is relative to other forms of commuting time. My fastest morning commute by car was about 35 minutes when school was not in session and fastest drive home was about 47 minutes (save one late evening where it was down to 40ish). The average morning commute is probably 45-50 minutes. And evening is probably 65-75 minutes. So for me, there is really not much time lost. If there is any accident or just heavy volume, then the bike is definitively faster. During bad traffic days, I have even beaten my wife home and she leaves from Eastern Market. Public transportation wise would mean Metro/bus combo (unless I rode my bike to Metro). I’ve done that before and it’s usually closer to 1hr 20 minutes.

I also don’t ride much on weekends. My total daily mileage weekdays is around 37/38 because I will ride up to Tenleytown for lunch and back on most days. And if I do friendly work lunches around the city, I will usually ride to those too as it’s also usually faster and the newish job (since Feb) is much more casual so I’m not in a suit everyday anymore.

[cyclingfool]

I agree with vvill. Comparison to other modes is illustrative. Door to door on a good day, Metro takes me about an hour, probably a little longer since silver line service started, since it’s increased blue line headways in Alexandria and the alternative involves a transfer at L’Enfant (which means more time). My 7-8 mile one way commute is about 35-40 minutes of saddle time, plus a little time to get cleaned up and change at work. Which all means that at Metro’s best, Metro is still 10-15 minutes longer than cycling.

We’re now a one car family, but even when we had a second car, I wouldn’t have considered driving to work. There’s a reason I chose the neighborhood I live in now… good metro access, and (now that I bike), I’m lucky that it also has good access to regional cycling infrastructure. That reason? I don’t want to drive a cage to work.

Most days I find myself wishing my commute were longer in terms of distance, but mostly because I just want to keep riding my bike and not necessarily because I have that much extra time to dedicate to it at the moment.

[Geoff]

A long distance commute is anything longer than what I am currently doing.

[skins_brew]

I am a bit under 40 miles round trip, like 38-40, depending on route. Usually takes about an 1:15-1:30, depending on how many traffic lights I hit, which can really add to the time. Yea, three hours commuting is a good bit of time, but let me break it down.

So, I live in Calverton, MD (technically silver spring, I am close to Beltsville). My options for commuting are:
-Drive to MARC train, about an hour door to door, $125 a month. Take Metro to office in Fed Triangle, at least $100 a month for that. (I use to have a junk bike at Union Station, and would probably place another if I started taking Marc again.
-Drive to Greenbelt or CP Metro, an hour door to door, about $264 a month.
-Drive to work, $520 in parking along, plus gas. You are looking at about an hour commute, probably more in the afternoon. Yea, this option BLOWS.

Now, I can bike to the MARC station or Metro to save gas or parking fees (at metro, parking is free at MARC). Door to door time is like an 1:20.

Or, I can bike the entire way, which is only a little bit more time. I get a workout in, and I am not crammed into a train car. I save a decent amount of money, as bike upkeep is pretty low if you take care of your things. I strive to commute five days a week. Sometimes it will be four days if my legs are really sore or if I have to stay late, but it is rare. The five day goal is hard to maintain in the cold, as I am a complete and udder sucker when it comes to cold weather. I fared OK this morning though, and it was in the low 50s.

I didn’t start riding 40 miles a day over night. It took a few weeks to build up, and even now, my legs are still sore as hell on Fridays.

[skins_brew]

Man, did I royally screw myself over with that post above ^^^ 😡

I made that post on Monday. On Monday evening, I was feeling a little sick. Tuesday, a little sicker, so I drove to the metro. Tuesday evening, really sick! Took off Wed and Thu due to the fact that I caught Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease from my kids! Today is Friday, and I feel OK, no more fever or chills, but my hands and feet are covered in ultra painful blisters. I cannot even walk to the shitter with being in a decent amount of pain. Going to be out of the saddle for at least a week 😡

Karma is a SOB!

[Rod Smith]

I hope you feel better soon! Oh by the way, are you on our National Bike Challenge team?

[dkel]

@Rod Smith 94943 wrote:

Oh by the way, are you on our National Bike Challenge team?

With only 12 days left, is there an advantage to joining now? (That’s not meant as a rhetorical or sarcastic question, either.)

[Rod Smith]

There’s prizes to be won. Toilet paper! Unless A LOT of people join in the final weeks and they enter A LOT of miles, the team will finish third this year. Not bad. We finished second overall last year. Next year we’ll get that top spot on the podium!

[cyclingfool]

Is there any way we could coordinate so as to combine DC area forces with Oxon Hill? Last time I bothered to do the math, the two of us together would have been in first… instead the DC area effort is effectively split.

[Arlingtonrider]

Thanks for the NBC reminders. I just posted all my September miles to date. It would be cool if Oxon Hill would consider joining with us next year.

[Author]

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