Really want ride my bike to work. but looking at a 80mile round trip and looking at how practical it is.

I’ve looked at driving half way but can’t bring my self to drive through the NY Moors to ride through Middlesborough. So really looking at possibly 1 day a week (to Start with) commute.

Anyone else in a similar position.

You can’t leave the car half way and cycle to it in the morning?

You can’t leave the car half way and cycle to it in the morning?

Thought of that, but might as well just drive home and do a ride from there.

I have done a 70km each way commute over mountains a couple of times, its plenty doable on a roadbike but only once or twice a week. The main issue the time it takes. It would be quicker if it was all flat.

I regularly do 20km each way a day by driving the first bit and riding the slow trafficy bit where a bike is faster. Works a treat a keeps me fit. All year round, even in snow.

Sounds like a lot to me unless you have nothing else you want to do outside of working hours!

Couldn’t you drive in with the bike on Monday morning, ride home that day, ride in the next morning, drive home, rinse and repeat?

Ride one way, train back?

Friend of mine does 35 miles each was a couple of times a week, I do 20 miles each way. It’s perfectly doable although I’m not sure id want to start at this time of the year.

I used to drive 60 miles each way down the M40. I also used to Ride 12 miles into Oxford, bus to Hillingdon and ride the 6 miles to work. On some days I would ride the 30 miles across the Vale of White Horse to catch the bus at the half way point to London, or get off and ride directly home. For me, the biggest problem was a time issue. Never could get the time below 2 hours 15min. I did this on one occasion for 10 days in a row, but it was generally only 1-2 days a week. Then the job became much busier. Then we relocated so it is 10 miles each way.

Ride/Drive never did it for me. Ride all the way and ride back next day is OK though. Try that once a week. I used to ride the 60 miles home occasionally, but I didn’t have to ride back the next day.

I have a 90 mile round trip commute. I’m lucky in that I work near the M40, so I can just pop off a junction or two early, find a quiet place to park, and cycle in from there. It’s not ideal, it takes a while but then it’s going to take a while just driving, but even my shortest one is 24 miles off the drive, which is petrol money well saved. I’ve dabbled with using the train instead of the car, but that’s no cheaper and is more time intensive.

45 mile round trip a couple of times a week
Once a week through winter – getting to that sort of time now

I find any money I save on petrol I tend to spend on food.
Not sure my body is more efficient than my car

Ride one way, train back?

2 or 3 trains 🙁 and takes just over an hour.

I’m liking this idea though:

Couldn’t you drive in with the bike on Monday morning, ride home that day, ride in the next morning, drive home, rinse and repeat?

My commute is a 35 mile round trip on busy roads. More than 3 days a week and it gets boring and tiring. Wouldn’t fancy 80!

I find any money I save on petrol I tend to spend on food.

Me too. Factor in new kit at every slightest excuse and it probably costs me more to ride in!

Used to ride to Watford ~15miles, train to Northampton, then ride back home to London, ~65miles.. twice a week, drive the other three.
Had to be super organised, and keep an eye on the weather forecasts, pick the best days of the week.. but was definatly worth the effort.

I think simonDbarnes used to regularly ride a big commute, something in the region of 70kms each way if my memory serves me correctly. He occasionally posts so may be along soon with some advice.

90 mile round trip here. Have done it both ways in a day before, but frankly wasn’t hugely functional at work. Depends what you do, how hard you ride and how fit you are I guess. I find the ride home much harder psychologically.

More commonly I either ride in one morning, train home (leaving bike at work), then the reverse the next day, or usually I drive half, ride half.

Like you in that that involves driving through the nice quiet lanes through the Surrey hills, then I park just outside the M25 and ride into Central London, which is a bit lame, not the end of the world though.

Could you ride to a station that would give a direct train service? An hour doesn’t sound too bad, takes me longer than that even if I catch the one train a day that doesn’t require a change.

used to do a 5o miler, 25 each way and like others have said its tough to do every day. in the summer I got up to four one week but in the winter it dropped to one.

the only issue with car then bike then bike then car is that usually its cold and peeing down the next day or worse still snowing and yer cars not at the right end of the trip! 😉

Start with one and see how it is. Oh and yes eat eat and eat, you’ll still loose weight.

My commute used to be an 20m round trip. Its now a 40m round trip on the roadbike.
I have now cut it down to off road 34m round trip an much more funerer, without the risk of riding on the road.
The commute is probs 70/30 off to on road.
3 times a week is plenty

looking at a 80mile round trip and looking at how practical it is

Probably ‘not very’ on a singlespeed 😉

Three years of a long commutes behind me – 96 mile round trip to begin with, down to 70 miles after a few months.

I cycled quite a few one way trips on the 96 miler (ie 48 mile ride to work) and a couple of round trips. Used to sit there wondering when it was naptime and eating constantly!

70 mile round trip got a bit more manageable – cycled round trip once or twice a week throughout british summertime.

Things that will make life easier:
Military-like levels of planning. Take as much as you can in the day before (food, clothes etc) to limit what you have to carry on the bike. However this means if, say, you want to cycle in Wedneday you have to be organised enough to pack all that stuff up on Monday night, to carry it in with you on Tuesday…oh and then bring it all back again on Thursday!
Good facilities at work. I was lucky enough to have a nice shower, somewhere to hang cycling stuff to dry, and kept my bike in the office so had no qualms riding my nice (and therefore fast) road bike in.
An understanding partner to feed you when get in – you will have little time or energy to do anything much apart from eat and sleep on days you have done the round trip! For 80 miles you are looking at 4-5 hours of riding, on top of your working day.

As others have said, you are starting at the hardest time of year! Hardly ever used to manage it in the winter. That far in the dark was depressing and also pretty dangerous on the roads I was using (a lot of unlit fast A road).

EDIT: 4 mile potter down a cycle path to work for me these days 😉

Used to do a 40 mile round trip every day.
Bit of a grind in the winter: Up at 6, breakfast, ride to work in the dark, work, overtime, ride home in the dark, clean winter grime off bike, eat, charge lights, sleep, and repeat until friday.

Left little energy or motivation to ride at the weekends.

Moved house, brought it down to 16 mile round trip.
Changed job, now I do a whopping 2 mile round trip. 🙂