Thinking of commuting a couple of days a week to save on fuel, but I live 32 miles from work is that just too far, a couple of big hills on the way in and some on the way home, what road bike would you recommend for £900 Thanks, what sort of time would you do it in approx

£900 for a commuting bike? Are you sure you’re doing this to save money, or is this what you’re telling the missus?

Too far imho for everyday – but possible, you may burn yourself out very quickly!

Assume a couple of hours each way.

I wouldn’t do it. I’ve tried commuting every day by bike and found I was knackered at the weekends 🙂 You could try every 2nd day – or do a one way trip every day, relying on public transport to do the other trip.

must equate to about a £5 in fuel cost each way to work?? Enough to justify a road bike i reckon 😀 Giant defy 1 gets a very good write up at £1000

Possible occasionaly by all means, but its at least 2 hours each way and quite tiring on top of a days work. I’ve done similar length commutes a few times, usually when its the only option for getting some miles in mid-week.

I do 26 each way twice a week in the summer on flatish roads and am a pretty keen road cyclist. I don’t think I would want to do 32 regularly. Thought about driving and parking half way in? 16 is doable every day I recon.

Jeffus, vfm wise i dare say Boardmans are unbeatable, and £900 gets you a good one…i have a Team Carbon and its bloody lovely. 2 days a week i reckon you’ll be fine (as long as the weather plays friendly).

Too far for everyday +1. Everyone’s different, but 15 miles each way every day is enough for me without being completely burnt out by the weekend.

I think it would be OK a couple of times a week but not ideal. I generally extend my commute home to 24 miles a couple of times a week but doing that on the way in would be tough, Its 13 miles direct.

Ok for a couple of days max. My commute is 20 miles each way when I do it.

I’d drive in, ride home, ride back in the next day.

I do a 30 mile round trip 2 or 3 times a week. Double that, every day? You can **** right off!!!!

Canyon Roadlite 6.0 SL, but I’m biased 🙂

Boardman? 32m isn’t far especially if you have a shower at work?

I try to do it once a week – 25 miles in (I cheat a bit and take a train in part way!) and 40 miles back. Depending on the route I take and the day I’ve had at work, it can be once hell of an ordeal!

All good at the end of the day though, even it it doesn’t feel like it at the time!

I do 27 each way 2 to 3 times a week. Either use my road bike, fixie or this week having a glass of MTFU and doing it on the MTB.

If you’ve got showers at work it makes it a much more pleasant experience. I wouldn’t want to do that sort of distance without

Bikes? Anything with mudguards – Have a look at the Dolan training bike for around £700, an 8-speed pompetamine or build a road-rat up?

I do a 30 mile round trip 2 or 3 times a week. Double that, every day? You can **** right off!!!!

And imagine doing it on a bike also!

😉

That sort of distance you’ll want showers at work, change of clothes brought in on your off days and a mountain of food to eat. You’ll also want to borrow a road bike for a while to see if a 64 mile round trip is something you will actually do when it comes down to it. I reckon you’re closer £10 a day on fuel costs at the moment so it might take a while to be economic, but don’t let that stop you!

My commute is about 15 each way with a couple of decent lumps to get over, and twice a week is enough for me to do it and enjoy the weekends still.

You definitely need showers at work, and don’t forget to budget for a rack+panniers (or equivalent), you wouldn’t want to do that distance with a heavy backpack.

And I agree with the rest of the posters, I wouldn’t want to do that everyday. What do you mean by “big hills”?

can you drive/ride, ride/drive back to back to start.

32 miles isn’t too far for a couple of days a week, but not 5.

i’m doing ~125 km a week (not equally split though) and riding on sundays atm. saturday is my day off.

+1 mudguards – proper ones.

i’d consider myself fairly keen, and cover a fair few miles in a week these days.

but doing 300+ purely for commuting? not for me im afraid.

to get showered and ready for work you’ll need to be there 8.15 ish? so leaving at 6.45 or so?

nice for once in a while, far too far for a daily.

Like TSY in the past I’ve driven in then ridden home and back in the next day. It’s only an issue if you need a car in the evening and I have quite and early start next morning which is never nice.

If you do ride there and back in a day, my suggestion would be Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can then drop your kit off Monday and Wednesday nights ready for the ride in the next day. The only stuff I have to carry to work is my security card, phone and some money.

30 miles with a heavy rucksack won’t be much fun

It’s 36 miles (E/W) for me.
I generally take the train for the ‘middle bit’, leaving about 5+2 miles each way.
As a treat (and when life allows it) I’ll ride back, but couldn’t even dream of doing it regularly as a commute!

However, If you’ve no kids, a job that isn’t tiring, and facilities at work, why not! GIve it a go for a few days and report back….

DrP

Jeffus – how much riding / exercise do you do at the minute?

If you are having to ask the question, its too far.

How many miles do you currently ride a week?

simondbarnes of this parish rides that far each way on a regular basis. Doesn’t seem to have done him any harm.

Not strictly true. Its cost him his sanity 😉

I only ride mountain bike at the moment, 40 – 80Km a week fairly fit ish, just not road bike fit most of my rides involve long climbs.

No showers at work 🙁 maybe drive in ride home would be a good call, I work shift also would mean leaving home around 4 am 😯

Mate of mine does 35 each way a couple of times a week – south side of Glasgow to Ayr. Certainly doable but would be good to have a train option half way if need be.

bad sign that the commute is in miles, but you normally use the morale-boosting unit of Km for ya weekly intake

😉

Yeah, organising change of clothes is a ballache, don’t mind carrying stuff back in the camelbak, but shirts don’t look very good when they’ve done a long commute stuffed in the bag!

+1 for too far. I do a minimum of a 20 mile round trip, more if ride the mtb in and do a night ride. That and being on my feet all day as well as doing test rides (I work as a bike mechanic) left me very tired at the weekends!

I’ve since taken to driving into work on Saturdays so that i can actually be bothered to ride on Sundays.

I used to have an office 31 miles from home.

I’d drive in, ride back, then next morning ride in, and then drive back at the end of day 2.

It worked fine. I tried riding both ways in a day and just felt crap in the evening, didn’t enjoy it.

(1hr 43minutes was my best time, Reading to Hounslow, despite all the red lights and traffic on the A4. And that was on a singlespeed. graaawww)

I only ride mountain bike at the moment, 40 – 80Km a week fairly fit ish, just not road bike fit most of my rides involve long climbs.

No showers at work maybe drive in ride home would be a good call, I work shift also would mean leaving home around 4 am

It’s too far.

plus need to keep somewhat alert on the road to avoid numpty car drivers, and fume intake (although probably ok at 4am) which offsets some of the health benefits…

It’s too far.

It’s too far – for now.

Otherwise known as training, get on with it man! 😀

No showers at work maybe drive in ride home would be a good call, I work shift also would mean leaving home around 4 am

Can’t see you doing it often if it means an hour less in bed at that time of day! The lack of showers is a problem, too – my route in to work is mostly downhill, and only 11 miles, but even then I have to consciously slow down to avoid starting the morning as a sweaty mess. I don’t think it’d be possible over 30 miles, which means wet wipes and much faff…

As others it’s fine for a couple of rides per week.

Clothes are easy if you’re planning to drive in a couple of times a week and get organised.
I find I eat a stack of food though when I ride in (38 mile round trip). You’ll probably end up eating your petrol costs in food on ride days.

We don’t have a shower here, but the office next door does which we can use, it’s cold most of the time though, so I tend to have strip wash through the winter (can’t be doing with having a cold shower when it’s freezing out!). But come the summer I use the cold shower in the office next door, it’s quite nice.

Doesn’t sound too good an idea, it was mainly too save on fuel and get a few extra miles in, I seem to be spending £10 a day in fuel, it is also the 3rd most dangerous road in the UK, mainly winding A roads with 6 miles of carriage way at the end , it is also the main route for wagons going from Wrexham across to the M6 , over by Crewe.
The more I think about it , it seems a silly idea, I don’t have a road bike to try the route out at the weekend ,which would be a better judge of how I would be fairing on the ride.

I don’t have a road bike to try the route out at the weekend ,which would be a better judge of how I would be fairing on the ride.

You don’t need a road bike to try it, get dropped off and ride your MTB home.