Eg. something between 2 and 2.5 miles each way? I can walk, drive or get the bus or I can cycle on my mtb.

My fitness is okay I suppose, nothing special but I wonder would this short daily commute make any noticeable/real difference in the “real world”?

If you nail it for the full distance you should notice a difference.

Do it – pootle in, then do some sprints/intervals on the way home and really push it…

You could always make it a bigger loop, have you any interesting local stuff you could link it up with?

Or try doing it out of the saddle all the way in 😉

2 miles, not likely, unless you are really unfit or it’s very hilly.

made a small difference to me, even though i was only pootling in and back.

get a crappy bike from gumtree, no point risking a nice bike for the sake of 2.5 miles.

I have a short blast to the train station, and then a short blast on the other side. No more that 2 miles on the first bit. I have a singlespeed and sprint. Really noticed my ability to attack on sharp short shocking climbs when I’m out on the trail. Do it.

I do about 3 miles and it has made a difference I think. The main thing is to not restrict yourself to the 2.5 miles. Do that on the way in but do something a bit longer on the way home to improve the fitness. Also I went to a singlespeed – it is downhill on the way to work but going home is uphill and as I cant just put it in a small gear and pedal away I actually have to make an effort on the way home!

Was thinking about doing it HIIT style but then I’d be a bit sweaty getting into work….no showers…no aircon. I could stretch it out but there’s nothing interesting as such. It’s not hilly really, just undulating.

I do a 2 mile commute, go home for lunch- 8 miles a day x 5 days a week = 40 miles.

Sometimes I run in, 2 miles of running is like 20 miles of riding to me.

I do 5 miles with reasonable/steady elevation gain, doesn’t help me much for “proper” rides.

Run

Pump up the tyres with water – that will make it harder. Like a treadmill on an incline.

Don’t see how it would impair your fitness. If you don’t need to use an engine…then don’t.

One man’s undulating is my hilly!

I did a commute of 4 miles each way for 8 months. didn’t think it made much difference to my fitness.

However, now I’ve stopped doing it for around 3 months, I think it did. I start noticing tiredness after around 2 hours rather than 3 or more when out MTB’ing.

i commuted by bike mainly because it was the least worst way of commuting, and taking the long way home on a summers evening is actually very pleasant.

Of course it will help you, maybe not very much but certainly more than not doing it. As others have said ride in steady and do 30 second sprints/30 second rest on the way home.

I do just over 2 and I would say it makes a difference.

The good thing is you dont have to push yourself because your doing it every day. So some days your’ll feel great and just push your self without meaning to and other days your’ll take it easy.

I would say the biggest advantage is you dont lose fitness.

As others have said, extend. Just start doing your 2.5 miles each way and once it becomes routine it’s very easy to just bolt the miles on.

Mine’s 5 miles each way but I’ll bolt on an extra 20 miles (if road bike) or 10 miles (if MTB) a few times a week. That’ll make a difference…

scu98rkr
I would say the biggest advantage is you dont lose fitness.

That alone I suppose is a good enough reason

I used to have a 3 mile each way commute along a beach front and I reckon it didn’t improve my fitness but certainly kept me toned if you know what i mean.

Now doing 9/10 miles each way plus a couple of decent climbs and that DEFINITELY has had a positive effect!

Other advantage is that cake will have less effect on the waistline, subject to not eating large quantities. If you can breakfast after getting to work you may see other benefits.

Do it! So much better than any other way to get to work. easy on the way there. Take some wipes and some deo as your fellow collegues will appreciate it.

On way back do eyeballs out. Its not going to hurt your fitness.

Mine is 4 miles to work and then go the longer way back and get a couple of hours ride on the way back.

Used to run it before getting injured and was a free 40 miles running training a week before specific club training.

I now wouldn’t consider any other forms of getting to work apart from bike or run.

Agree with most of the comments so far.

My commute’s only 4.5 miles each way, but every little helps IMO. I do descend from 175m to sea level on the way in, with the return leg having a brutal b’stard of a hill, so I suppose that contributes to maintaining my fitness a bit. I don’t push it on the way in to avoid showering, but on the way home I’ll push a bit harder, or take a longer route home, if I feel like it. The hill means I’m going to end up sweaty no matter how hard I take it on the way home.

It has to help. Doing something is better than nothing surely?

I commuted for 3 years an 8 mile round trip and made a big difference to my fitness. My route had 1 gradual ascent, 1 very steep out of saddle climb and another long gradual but steepish climb even though it was a short commute. I used to hammer it whenever i could and my legs are so much stronger now.

Thanks to redundancy i now do 2 or 3 30 miles off-road rides during the week as well as short sharp blasts on my old commute/hybrid thing.

intervals, sprint, singlespeed or weighted panniers to make a noticeable difference but it certainly will not harm you or the environment.

My 4 miles each way = 30 mins a day = government recommended MINIMUM exercise per day.
Most take a car so you can see why so few people even manage that.

It’s only 2.5 miles due to your choice of route, make it a 30mins + ride by choosing a different route and it’ll have a bigger impact on fitness.

With a warm up and warm down….not realy worth it, better off making it a brisk walk or run..

Are there really people who would drive 2 miles to work and back every day and think it normal?
What strange people there are out there.

I do 3.5miles each way. Took me 16mins when I first started, it now takes me just under 11mins, How can it not help?

Besides your not stuck on a smelly bus or being a sheep in a car.

The other posters have highlighted another great point, just increase the distance on your route, thus increasing your fitness.

Go on, do it!!!

It makes much more of a difference than people will give you credit for.

Mines a 5 mile each way down the side of the canal. If you hammer it, it really does make you fitter.