Commuting ! is 32 miles too far each way ???

The more I think about it , it seems a silly idea

there’s two silly ideas in there – one is the route, the other is buying a road bike…

1 x 10 on the mountain bike 😀 spin spin , plenty to think about. 😀

Had a blast on my mountain bike roads and some trails 10.8mph average, 1061 feet of climbing , 10.6miles in an 1hour 4mins 46secs top speed 35.5mph, so my commute will take 3 hours + on my mountain bike 😯
Roadies must be really quick 😀

used to do 72 miles return everyday commute. ON average would do this 4 days out of 5 over the 6 months i had to do it.

I run restaurants and hotels for a living so all my work clothes stayed there and obviously i had shower facilities, washing machines and dryers for my lycra ( nothing worse than cycling home in smelly stuff).

The commute itself wasn’t to bad, generally going to work i had a tailwind so ranged from 1:23 ( quickest) to about 1:45, generally around 1:30 ish though. The way home was always about 30mins slower because of headwinds and it was a slow climb all the way home.

Shifts meant i left home as early as 4:30 in the morning to returning home at about 3am. You do get days where you cant be arsed, or if its windy or really wet . Getting up was horrible but once your going its fine. ON top of that i was also doing 2 nights training rides of 40 miles plus an extra 60 on saturday ( before work) and anything from 25 (mtb) – 100 (road) on sunday.

What i would definately say you need to be a keen cyclist to do this and very fit, physically and emotionally. It does play with you alot. I looked at the other side of the ball, where i was training everyday anyway and this meant i didn’t need to do anything extra, plus saved on going to the gym etc.

If you have a cushy 9-5 job i would certainly do this everyday. If i was you though and you can only manage 4 times a week, on the day you drive leave 5 days of work clothes there and pick up your dirty ones from the week you worked. Leave toiletries, deodarant, toothpaste, hair gel, aftershave etc all at work if poss so your only riding with a toolkit, phone etc

No way!!!! 32 miles is too far too flipping drive (as one who did that for a while). If I was to ride that twice a week it would be on an audax (not sportive) or touring bike. The problem I find with racing bikes is you need a good lick of speed for any kind of comfort but afer a tiring day at work that might not be in your legs.

Not read the rest of the replies but here’s my view…

Perfectly fine for a couple of days a week. My shortest commute is 28 miles each way. Did it 2-3 times a week all through the winter and have started extending it occasionally as well. Did 4 commutes last week and still got out for nearly 4 hours / 103km yesterday. Rode in today as well including extending the route home.

You just need to make sure you fuel yourself properly, don’t race and get plenty of sleep.

Your arse will be sore, thats a given.

I’ve been toying with this myself recently as I am about to move 55 miles from where I’m going to be working. With any luck I’ll only be working 2-3 days a week at most but I really don’t want to spend all that money on driving.

So my plan was – Drive down monday morning with bike in back. Bike back monday aft/eve. Bike down tuesday morning and drive back. It’ll cut my journeys in half and get some good miles in.
The other thought I had as mentioned above was to drive halfway, find somewhere I can leave my car and ride the rest of the way.

My commute is 35 miles each way.

Most I’ve done is there and back twice in a week. Getting in is not too bad, but the return leg is a killer after a day at work. Takes a while to get used to it. Find a way to do 1 way legs and build up from there.

I don’t bother in the winter

Finding a pleasant route makes it much nicer

Done it in the past – did it twice a week from my old house.

Not that much fun in winter really. Had to leave at 5.30am to get to work on time and didnt get home till 7

In the summer it was ace – then i moved house onto some dangerous roads did it once then decided i liked living.

Moved again and will soon be back on 12 miles each way largely off road 🙂

I’ve occasionally done a much shorter one – I live c 20 miles from work (Nottingham), but I can drive the first 14 or so in 20-25 mins, park outside decathlon and take a 9 mile back route into the office – c 35 mins some hills, not much slower than the car for the last bit.

Always used a pannier (esp for laptop!) and carried suit trousers and a shirt in it.

Always used shower after

But, if you’ve got a painful last section in then it can save time

I don’t bother in the winter

Not that much fun in winter really

Commuting bonkers distances all through Winter makes Summer more fun as you go into it super fit. Another plus point for commuting by bike is that you get to see views like this occasionally 🙂

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This is why[/url] by simondbarnes[/url], on Flickr

Oh i did it dont get me wrong but it is not fun ……

Id do it 7 days aa week in summer for the sights and scenary but in the winter its actually depressing ridng in in the dark and home in the dark . No sun rises or sun sets to take im

Id do it 7 days aa week in summer for the sights and scenary but in the winter its actually depressing ridng in in the dark and home in the dark . No sun rises or sun sets to take im

I look at it as a challenge 🙂

Time not distance is your enemy when commuting. A couple of days a week will be fine. Look for a used Dawes Audax or the like. I would certainly not be buying new until I’d done the journey a for few months and knew exactly what I needed.

I do 45 miles each way into the City. Ride in/train home, then train in/ride home, generally once a week, with a couple of days in our regional office, which is 10 miles each way. Used to drive halfway and rode halfway, but prefer doing the whole thing.

Biggest killer is the fact it’s into London frankly, constant traffic lights!

I’d do 32 each way a couple of days a week, or do the ride in drive home thing!

I wouldn’t do it as a way to save money – Probably better to hook up in a car share for that. The only reason I’d look at it is if you want to improve your fitness and sneak in some extra miles (I have a 25 mile E/W commute I do once per week for that reason). If I thought the route was dangerous, though, I wouldn’t even consider it.

I do it partly to save money! £36 a day on the train, good incentive to cycle one way!

Once or twice a week might be ok, depending on the weather (wind in particular). 13 miles each way 4 times a week works for me.

Biggest killer is the fact it’s into London frankly, constant traffic lights!

Too right major pita.

I try to do once a week from woking to london and back normally on same day – total of 57miles

does not save money though I still have a season ticket, and would have to cycle more than 1/2 the time to make it worth getting a non annual ticket.

Also I take in shirts on monday using the Brompton and Train and take home dirty stuff on Friday which means no need to lug stuff on road bike.

Yeah I don’t carry anything, take shirts in on train days, makes it far more pleasant! I’m quite lucky we have a regional office I can go to, so only get the train 1-2 times a week, saves needing a season ticket. I’d struggle with paying £3800 for a train ticket!

Regarding the ‘packing clothes’ problems, see here…

DrP

saves needing a season ticket. I’d struggle with paying £3800 for a train ticket!

especially when you have to sit on the floor…

Used to do 17 each way 4-5 times a week. No hills.

It’s now 26 each way with a big hill at the start/end. Illness last year meant months off the bike, so when I did do it more than once a week it was pretty tough.

Assuming I’m allowed back on the bike, I’m going to build up to twice a week over summer.

My commute is 33 miles each way. I break that up by cycling part way and catching the train the rest on most days.

What I’ve found helps is varying the route and distances and not been too rigid on riding every day (I don’t have the option of driving but can walk to local train station) .

My weeks vary a great deal – I have weeks where I may never be in the office and others where I’m there everyday.This creates a bit of variety and means I’m usually quite keen to get the bike out on a morning. In a previous job I was at a fixed location and had to cycle in everyday as there was no public transport and I didn’t have a car – on the whole it was fine but to be honest on somedays I could have thrown the bike in the canal and probably jumped in after. In my experience there is a big difference between wanting to cycle to work and having to cycleto work.

I have three routes I do on a morning varying from 8 -15 miles from home to main train station. On the way home I either do the mornings route in reverse which gives me 3 options,or I get off at a different station each with two route otions home or if I can get away at good time and I’m feeling that way out (not as often as I’d like TBH :oops:) I’ll ride the full distance home which is another 3 options varying from 33-45 miles. – in total I have 10 different routes I can use and also the option to catch the train almost all the way home.
I use a touring bike to commute (Kona Sutra) that way I can stick a rack and panniers on if need be, it can also, with the right tyres, handle a fair bit of off road riding too , which adds to the variety of the riding.

Having a shower at work is a big + to any level of commuting. I’d also suggest having a few changes of clothes at work including cycling kit.

As for food, you’ll always be hungry . I tend to stock up on things like rice cakes, cereal and peanut butter at work, and generally have a couple of cereal bars in the saddle bag. In the winter I have a small flask of coffee for on the train. Lunch varies from a really healthy sandwich to pork pie, fish and chips etc. Usually grab a banana either just before I set off or on the train on the way home and I try to drink plenty of water/diluted fruit juice throughout the day.

By the time I’ve got home had a bath and something to eat I’m usually knackered which can p##s the other half off at times.

32 miles each way 5 days a week is very hardcore – it’s a big commitment and while the sun is shining and the breeze is gentle it’ll be fun more times than it isn’t , but when it’s p####ing it down with rain and blowing a gale it’ll be a totally different story.- You’ll be wanting a warm shower at work on those days.

The fitness it’s possible to build up to, no question. Not sure I’ve the strength of mind for it, but any regular cyclist could do it with a a steady build up.

For me it’s a problem of losing time with the family – the wife works one day so I need to be back earlyish then, the children are young enough that 19:00 is ‘official’ bedtime .. it doesn’t take much of a problem at work to mean I barely see them over a week, and cycling home at 20:00 isn’t so much fun, you just want it over with.

If you’re on shifts a lot of that might be irrelevant anyway.

In my experience there is a big difference between wanting to cycle to work and having to cycleto work.

Stan has it, i do a 16 mile round trip Mon – Fri , 95% of the time it is fine but the the other 5%, i’d rather chew my arm off then ride a bike!

For me it’s a problem of losing time with the family

This also.

The potential of missing my son before his bed time often results in nausea inducing sprints in order to get to the train on time (can make 5 hilly miles in 13 minutes at a push!). It often results in me skidding on my SPDs into the station, and jumping on the train just before departure!

DrP

Rootes- I’d be surprised if you had to cycle in more than once or twice a week to make it worth while buying daily tickets. Accounting for bank holidays, annual leave and the odd day out the office I only have to cycle just over once a week. If it looks like I will be on the train more often, say in the winter, I get weeklys

I did 42 miles each way for up to four days a week. Just go really slowly at first and see how you feel. 2 days a week seems very doable.

And do get a nice road bike – a commuter bike will be a touch slower, and that’ll add up to a bit of extra fatigue or maybe 10 mins over that distance. It’ll add up.

I found it good for spending time with the family – you get in four hours of riding but only actually lose two hours of the day because you’re giving up two wasted hours sat in a car (in my case at least). Two early starts a week and you’ve done plenty of riding, so come the weekend you can spend it hanging out and having fun with the family.

I’ll add that much of my route was beautiful open countryside though. Your route sounds bad, surely there must be an alternative? There are often nice B or even C roads that you don’t even see when looking at the map through motorists’ eyes.

I do 17ish each way, 5 days a week.

I think I’d consider up to 25 miles each way – but probably only if it would be along clear roads, traffic lights are complete killers.

Might do further if I didn’t have to do it every day, but much more and all your time not working or sleeping is spent riding. Which I suppose wouldn’t be horrible.

Depends on the hills & what time you start.

I found that, even with showers and lockers, there’s a degree of admin that one inevitably carries. Hence, the rucksack ceased to be a tools, sarnies and bladder functional item. After a week or so I began to ‘understand’ the ‘fit-for-purpose-beauty’ of the otherwise hideous panniers….yes, you will want them….you will ‘lust’ for them….they will save your lumbar spine & wrists.

Unless you’re allowed to work in cycling gear, or you’ve pre-loaded your locker with a weeks-worth of office garb, towel, shower kit, spare undies…socks, food (can get expensive if you ‘eat out’).
Having come across as bit of a ‘party-pooper’, my C2W days were the best ever….hope to be doing it all again soon.

Let us know how you got round things, folks ingenuity never ceases to amaze me.

I have a very similar commute – 35 miles each way is the direct route.

Blunty, as others have already said, unless you already a fully paid up moonlighting roadie (as I am!) it’s gonna seem like a loooong way. The bike WILL make a considerable difference for this too, as I’ve discovered recently/ Last year all trips where bring every (food, clothes etc) in/take home on days when I was in the car, ride in on the road bike with phone, keys, and work ID in my pocket. In preparation for a LEJOG in May I’ve been coming in this year some days on my ‘light tourer’ (CX with road tyres and a rack) with the days stuff in a bag on the rack. Good time on the road bike: 1hr50min one way. CX bike carrying stuff is at least 20 mins slower than that. I had to ride the road bike in to convince myself I hadn’t got loads slower then last year!

I’d get a road bike and see how you get on – if you take to it well there’s still plenty of long summer days to try the 70 mile round trip in. Not sure how on earth I would manage without a shower though.

A bit remis that no one’s mentioned it before but OP is the £900 budget before cycle to work benefits? Of so you can spread your costs and be looking at more expensive blingy bikes. Win win!

good commuting bike but 32 miles is far

Re luggage – I got a Camelbak Octane super lightweight thingy, I think it was a special edition. It weighed bugger all anyway. I left my shoes and lock at work and then my clothes and towel were very manageable, hardly noticed it at all. Take a small towel, perfectly easy to dry yourself with one – you could also get an outdoor gear type pack towel, they are very light and work well enough. I reckon it causes less drag than panniers too.

I did it a few times over the Chilterns on a SS audax bike. Allow a couple of hours and be prepared to burn out. I did it once a week for two weeks and then the Dyfi enduro at the end of those two weeks – I went down a belt size.

+1 either driving halfway (what I used to do) or doing it twice a week (that’s still 128 miles of fuel saved).

I wouldn’t even drive 64 miles a day!

just plotted up my most direct route to work on bikeroutetoaster.

28 miles, 2300 ft of climbing in, 2600ft back.

damn having dartmoor in the way.

No choice there are no jobs in Wrexham so I have to travel,

Thanks everyone for your input and experiences, I’m almost at the point of trying it twice a week in the summer and see how it pans out , I’ll go my LBS see what they recommend bike wise, I believe there is a Giant road bike that is less racer and more leisure shorter TT , I think someone mentioned it earlier on, and as said it will free up more time for the family. 😀