What's the maximum reasonable commute?

[moose8]

I've lived in mid size to huge cities the last 20 years but am soon to embark on the next phase of life with marriage and kids hopefully and all that. My fianceé and I have been thinking about where we might want to move (we live in downtown boston currently). The thought of commuting by train and/or car makes me feel a little ill. I didn't get a car until I was pushing thirty and don't really use it on a daily basis and like it that way. That's a long winded way to get to the question of what's the maximum reasonable distance one can commute by bike day in and day out and still have a life? Where I live it seems like commutes of an hour aren't uncommon (boston) so I'm thinking this would really limit me to a 15 mile radius or so unless I could find some amazingly fast route, but given boston traffic I doubt it. Any move is at least a year in the future but figured it can't hurt to start thinking about general areas now.

Any thoughts on maximum commutable distances are appreciated. Thanks.

[Joachim]

I commute 45mi one way almost everyday. Works out just right for me.

[eippo1]

One factor you have to consider is the amount of lights on any commute. I used to commute to S Boston from Medford and then to Cambridge from Medford. The distance was the same, but the Boston commute took twice as long because of lights and traffic.
I currently work in Quincy and am considering commuting there in the spring because I would take a route around the city that would be almost 30 miles, but not have a ton lights except when I got in close to Quincy.


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[Peter P.]

You've got it right; 45 minutes to an hour, max.

When you've got a family and other obligations, you can't spend loads of time on the bike even if it's commuting (killing 2 birds with one stone).

Plus, you've only got so much energy to expend without needing too much recovery.

[MattTuck]

Live in Watertown. Good routes into the city via either side of the river, and easy to get out to lexington or to the Minute Man trail for riding away from the city.

And Watertown has a nice feel to it (lived there for 2.5 years)

Not enough experience to weigh in on your hypothetical question unless you want a hypothetical answer. If that is the case, Mean of 42 minutes, with a standard deviation of 8. That sounds like a good maximum to me.

[rounder]

My commute is not reasonable...75 miles each way. I work in the D.C. area where everyone has a long commute due to traffic. If I am working at a client site in D.C. I ride the commuter train, otherwise I drive to the office. When I ride the train, I talk to others who commute daily from Philadelphia or NYC (insane). Not recommended for everyone, but you have to do what you do to get to work.

[Ken Robb]

so many other factors to consider: weather, bike storage, work attire required, options for days when you can't ride your bike, do you have to take work/computer home?

[Schmed]

I commute 45mi one way almost everyday. Works out just right for me.

That's a long ride!

I live 24 miles (by bike) from my office and have commuted about 15 times this year. Here's what I learned:

- The distance isn't bad, but the TIME involved takes away from family / sleep / work / etc.
- Most of my commute is by bike path - over 20 miles of it. As such, I feel much safer and am not worried about getting run over by a car. I can also go in well before sunrise / after sunset and not worry about getting clipped by an SUV.
- If you live West of work, I'd be very concerned about riding into work and home with the sun in front of you. Drivers will have a hard time seeing you, and that's a danger
- I split the commute when possible. Drive into work Monday, ride home. Ride to work Tues, drive home. That makes it tolerable.

To me, the IDEAL place to live is about 10 miles away with a bike path route. Good on you for thinking ahead! :)

[Coluber42]

To me, the biggest factor is time. I'd have no particular objection to riding two hours each way, except that I really, REALLY don't want to spend four hours a day going to and from work. In that sense, it doesn't much matter whether it's a bike commute or not; four hours is four hours, and that's too much. If I only worked for four hours a day (and could make a living that way....), a four hour commute round trip would be fine with me.
I've had a daily bike commute of ~20 minutes to an hour since high school; I think 30-40 minutes is sort of the sweet spot in terms of being long enough to wake me up, clear my head, etc, but not an excessive amount of time spent getting around.
I live in West Medford, incidentally, which I highly recommend you check out. It's quiet, convenient, pleasant, and somewhat cheaper than nearby neighborhoods. And it's great for bike commuting. :)
For me, a certain amount of time on the bike to get to and from work really makes a big difference in my state of mind and how I feel all day. But after a point, a long commute is just too long. Who cares if you have a gorgeous, huge house if you never get to see it because you spend all your time going to and from work? Personally, I'd rather sacrifice some of what I want in a home in order to actually have time to enjoy what I have.

[rain dogs]

Whoa, whoa... (45miles) 73km's? one way? That's awesome, but not reasonable for the average cyclist. It's super that it works for you.

75miles (120km)... commute? By bike? I'll be the guy to call bulldung (no disrespect) Everyday? That's like 5 hours door-to-desk, riding at a pretty good clip unless you do 120km without a stop light or a break, and don't clean up afterwards. No Way.

Reasonable I'd say 30min-45min each way is reasonable. I was doing about 20km one way (40km round) and that was perfect. Total time with shower etc. is an easy hour.

It still fits in the "kill two birds" logic cause a drive won't be much faster. Gym time will be greater. The financial offset of dollars saved vs hours needed earning is very positive.

Much longer and you'll burn yourself out and it'll influence your day beyond time on the bike. Much further and the train, bus, car etc will be way faster. As well, your level of tiredness will start to increase significantly beyond ~50km (30miles) a day 5 days a week.

[Javaman]

My commute is not reasonable...75 miles each way.

Whoa! That's a long commute by bike! or car!

[Bradford]

For me, 1 1/2 hours is the max, 1 hour is perfect. My current commute is 25 miles each way from my house and 15 miles each way if I drive to a light rail parking lot. Today, I did the short commute, which takes about 55 minutes each way, including stop lights and the city traffic part (about 2 miles of it).

I love the long commute in, but the long commute home can be a bit of a drag, especially if I want to see my kids that day. So I usually drive to the train station and take the 30 miles a day.

On the other side, 45 minutes is about the minimum for me. Under that, it isn't worth the effort, especially in the winter (I'm in Denver) where the suiting up in winter gear can take a while.

It also makes a difference what kind of ride it is. My current ride is a lot of bike path along a river, which is really pleasant, especially as the sun is rising. I used to ride from Maynard to Lexington, which was also on nice roads through Concord. However, riding in and out of Boston can be a bit tense, and a bit dangerous, depending on how much of it is on downtown streets. The more tense the riding, the fewer miles I'm willing to ride.

[Netdewt]

That's a long ride!
To me, the IDEAL place to live is about 10 miles away with a bike path route. Good on you for thinking ahead! :)

This is exactly my situation. I have path for about 7 miles to the Mississippi, then another 3 on streets.

I live just outside Minneapolis, MN. Not as big as Boston, but it regularly takes 30 minutes or more to drive 10 mi. It takes 40 to bike, and I am slow. However, there is more prep, set up, take down, shower, etc. I really plan to make a point to bike to work more this coming summer, but it isn't easy to figure out the details (and my workplace has no shower).

I have young kids at home, so even an extra 30 minutes out of the day can be a lot, but "2 birds with 1 stone" is a good point. I'm a lot happier when I get home after a bike ride than I am when I get home after sitting in traffic.

[Marcy]

My best bike commute ever was 10 miles each way, from Redondo Beach CA to LAAFB in El Segundo along the beach bike path (the Strand). Man, that was amazing -- watch the surfers and dolphins in the morning as you go in, and people watch in the evening leg home.

Right now I've got a 50 mi round trip to the Pentagon from Herndon VA, but luckily it's along the WO&D bike path, which makes it much safer than dualing with cars. There are crossover roads, but not too bad. The distance is long tough -- 2 hours in, and 3 going home. So I do this 2-3 times a week, staggering it with taking the bus/metro (which also takes long). D.C. is an outlier -- many folks have insane commutes here.

As mentioned by other posters, it's the time/effort that wears you out if you try to do this every day -- I just don't have that much energy to pull this distance off every day for long. But it's a great option to have, as I'm military, and staying fit is part of the job. Combining the commute and work-out is good time management!

Good luck with your house hunt!

[vav]

Whoa, whoa... (45miles) 73km's? one way? That's awesome, but not reasonable for the average cyclist. It's super that it works for you.

75miles (120km)... commute? By bike? I'll be the guy to call bulldung (no disrespect) Everyday?



If I am working at a client site in D.C. I ride the commuter train, otherwise I drive to the office. When I ride the train, I talk to others who commute daily from Philadelphia or NYC (insane). Not recommended for everyone, but you have to do what you do to get to work.

[Germany_chris]

12-15 miles depending on terrain is about as far as I'll go.

[Schmed]

...My current commute is 25 miles each way from my house ... (I'm in Denver) ...My current ride is a lot of bike path along a river, which is really pleasant, especially as the sun is rising. .

Sounds like the Clear Creek Trail? That's what I ride (Golden to Park Hill).

[oldpotatoe]

I commute 45mi one way almost everyday. Works out just right for me.

Commute back home? Have a 'full time' job?

If yes and yes the 8 hours plus 5-6 more commuting? Add 7 hours sleep, 21 hours per day. Really? Even retired I don't have that kinda time.

Depends on time available, each life situation unique so no real answer, IMHO.

[Zoodles]

Sounds like you are writing off living downtown?

Living in the city with kids is great, we have 2 small ones and walk or bike everywhere, commute less than 20 min.

The first ring of 1950s suburbs are usually are made for families, lots of parks and once you factor in the cost of car ownership/commuting are comparable in price to the typical suburb.

[benb]

I've done as far as 27 miles each way (but not frequently).

For me about 10 miles is all that is reasonable to do on a semi-regular basis. I currently live in Bedford and commute to Waltham.. I've also done Bedford to Kendall Square some in the last year. Most of the places I've had a 10 mile one-way commute I have been able to bike in the same amount of time as driving which is very nice.

All bets are off when you have kids. You are going to be using that car far more often once you have a child unless you are one of those lucky people whose wife basically takes care of everything and lets you pretend you don't have kids. Not likely if you're both working.

I always have to go to the day care once a day. So if I do bike commute, it is when I have to go to the day care in the evening/afternoon. I ride to work, then at the end of the day ride home, shower, and then hop in the car to go over to the day care. I still have to use the car, but I'm in the car for 10 minutes that day instead of an hour and a half. So it does really make for a better day.

Those 3 hour bike commutes are pretty much not happening with kids unless you either have a super cush job that lets you work less than 40 hours or Mom is letting you play hooky. There just isn't enough time in the day.. 3 hours tied up in your commute + 8 hours of work + a lunch break and you're at 12 hours. It gets very exhausting and you'll fall behind on everything around the house. Even without kids it was ridiculous when I did it.. the most I ever did it was 2 days a week.

There are other things you can do like take your kid places in a bike trailer but that all sucks up time and we obviously have crap weather in Boston..

I would still rather live in the suburbs, all though not too far out. There are still a lot of jobs in the suburbs (at least in my field) and there a lot of other quality of life issues. Better schools, better riding, less dangerous commuting, etc, etc.. Riding right in the urban areas of Boston is something I do if I have no other choice.. not something I want to do if I can ride somewhere else.

[dawgie]

What is a reasonable commute distance depends on so many factors -- your route, the number of traffic lights, roads vs bike paths, showers or not at work, married or single, kids or not, etc.

I've been commuting 3-5 days a week for the past 7 years. When I first started, my commute route was about 20 miles round trip, which was a good distance for me at the time. Two years ago, my office moved downtown and my commute distance increased to about 30 miles. I initially thought I might have to cut back on my commuting, but I've actually ridden more often with the longer distance. Part of the reason for that is because parking dowtown is a hassle and expensive, plus our new office has a locker room and a safe place to park my bike.

The biggest issue with commuting is time, not distance. Commuting can save you time if you are used to working out before or after work because you get your exercise riding. It also can be time friendly if your driving route has a lot of slow traffic or parking is a hassle. However, commuting long distances does require a lot of time in itself, particularly if you have a lot of traffic lights, long hills, rough pavement or trails. Add to that the time you spend locking your bike, showering, dressing, etc.

[moose8]

Sounds like you are writing off living downtown?


Yep - downtown Boston is too expensive and people are too aggressive for me - the idea of living here with kids who would have to go to private school seems too much to deal with. I have great neighbors and live in a nice area, but it's still a pretty densely populated city with all the attendant trash and drug problems one sees on a daily basis. Also, I grew up in the woods and want to get back to a little less urban experience after twenty years. I think I'm getting old. I couldn't wait to move to a city after high school now I feel like maybe I've had enough. Plus my fiancee has no interest in longterm city living.

Thanks for all the things to think about when figuring out what possible options might be. Sounds like basically I need to balance time commuting with the rest of my life, which is pretty much what I expected but I hadn't thought about the fatigue factor if you commit to a long commute everyday.

[fiamme red]

I used to commute 50 miles round-trip, three days a week, when the weather was nice. On long summer days, I would sometimes add some mileage after work and finish with 65 or 70 miles for the day. I also did a long ride on the weekend. I was in great cycling shape back then. :)

One day, I was hit by a car, and when I started doing the long commute again, could never regain the enthusiasm needed to spend over three hours of a workday on the bike. And traffic in NYC has since then gotten much worse, and when I was stuck in midtown gridlock on the way home, I wondered why I was wasting my life this way.

[Climb01742]

a friend of mine works in the Pru and he lives in Natick and he commutes by bike spring-to-fall. he digs it...except for the day a car nailed him.

but i wouldn't rule out commuting by train. yes, it ties you to a schedule but once you're on the train, it can be a very nice, mellow way to and from work. the time on the train can be used for work, reading, chilling or napping. years ago i worked in the hancock tower. drove in some days, trained in most. by far, the train was better. maybe find a town where riding and the train are both feasible?

[christian]

45 minutes one-way is perfect. My wife did that daily for 7 or 8 years.

I do 40 miles one-way now, about once per week. That's not a commute, that's riding your bike and happening to being going to work.

[druptight]

I moved about a year ago to Melrose, MA and am an even 10 miles from my work in the Seaport. I commuted about 1400 miles by bike this year, which at 20 miles round trip comes to roughly 70 days. Not too bad for my first year committing to riding when possible.

As mentioned above, for me it's basically the same amount of time whether I'm riding, or driving and taking public transport takes longer. I do about 40 minutes by bike and 40 average day in the car (which can range from 30 up to 1 hour plus). I love the reliability of the bike, the fact that it's basically a guaranteed 40 minutes (no traffic worries), I love getting my exercise in while commuting.

I've had a few close-ish calls, but the good thing about riding the exact same route every day, is you get to know the trouble spots, what to watch out for, what sorts of dangerous things people do regularly on the route.

I've also had a 12 mile commute in the past. I'd say the "maximum reasonable commute" that I'd consider highly doable on a daily basis while maintaining sanity around Boston is probably an hour on the bike. The hardest part for me is convincing myself to suit up in the bike gear on days when it's very cold or windy. Once I'm on the bike, I'm always happier than in the car - it's just the convincing yourself to push that bike out the door when you could just get in the car that's the hard part for me.

[fiamme red]

There's a group of cyclists who commute daily from Bergen County to Manhattan, 25 miles each way:

http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2013/03/cant_stand_the_commute_bergen_county_group_bikes_i nstead.html

[Don49]

My commute was 10 miles each way, but the beauty of it was being overall downhill on the way to work. That way I arrived quickly and not needing to shower. On the uphill trip home I could take my time, try alternate routes, and have a leisurely shower when I got home.

I also kept a garment bag at work with shoes, belts, pants. That way I could commute with just a fresh shirt, socks, and undies in a pannier. All the heavy stuff stayed mostly at work. A pattern will develop once you start commuting.

[OldCrank]

I finally found a job really close to home so I can make my ride as long (or short) as I want.
Panniers for clothes/lunch/etc.
I'm pretty lazy, so an hour is about as long as I've ridden. Planning on trying longer rides.

So to answer your question: there IS no easy answer. Be flexible. And work close to home. Or at home! You can always find a longer route.

This week, the slush is frozen in the morning. On busy roads, that would force me to ride right in the lane with cars that cannot maneuver; no snow tires, very few skills, lots of impatience. So I'm sticking to way-way back roads, and/or my car.

Got kids? Plan on being the taxi sometimes.
OK, a LOT of times.

When I had a long commute, I kept the bike in the car and got some lunchtime rides in.

[Joachim]

Commute back home? Have a 'full time' job?

If yes and yes the 8 hours plus 5-6 more commuting? Add 7 hours sleep, 21 hours per day. Really? Even retired I don't have that kinda time.

Depends on time available, each life situation unique so no real answer, IMHO.

No, one way commute (takes me 2hrs), shower at work. Bike in my office, drive back in the car with my wife, 1 car family. Yes, very full time job, work through lunch, work most Saturday afternoons from home and Sunday evenings. So my one way commute is the only personal time I have. Besides, when sitting in traffic, it takes 1h30 to do the commute to work by car.

[Kirk007]

I agree that time is the limiter not distance, and also agree that a good way to look at it is to compare the time by bike to time by car. I can ride my bike ten miles in Seattle to office in about the same time as by bus (around an hour), and I refuse to use a car and pay parking etc. When I work at home then there's no commute time and ironically I usually find it more difficult to get a ride in as I just hammer away at work or putter around on things in the house, so two hours getting to work also ensures that I get some daily riding in.

[ColonelJLloyd]

No, one way commute (takes me 2hrs), shower at work. Bike in my office, drive back in the car with my wife, 1 car family. Yes, very full time job, work through lunch, work most Saturday afternoons from home and Sunday evenings. So my one way commute is the only personal time I have. Besides, when sitting in traffic, it takes 1h30 to do the commute to work by car.

Averaging 22mph for 2 hours is pretty impressive. What's your best century time?

[christian]

Averaging 22mph for 2 hours is pretty impressive. What's your best century time?Joachim isn't like the rest of us. If he weren't so smart, he could have raced bicycles for a living.

[Neil]

There's a lot of sense to the posts saying route is more important than distance- my commute is 10 miles each way, takes ~45 minutes on average for each leg.

That's through stop/start London traffic though- a route with fewer traffic lights would be a lot faster, or allow a greater distance in the same time.

I really enjoy my commute (when motorised traffic is not actively trying to kill or maim me), the distance feels spot on, just long enough to enjoy the ride, not long enough to tire you.

[LesMiner]

My commute by bike is 29 miles one way. I use a combination of bike and commuter train. The train provides a space to put your bike. So I ride about 4 miles to the train station, generally down hill. I take the train which takes about 20 minutes overall including stops inbetween. From the train its only a mile to my office building. On the way home I can either take the train the same as coming in or ride the 29 miles home. The 29 miles of course is a combination of busy roads, residential streets, bike path, and rural roads. Of course there are stop lights, busy intersections where I have to make a left turn etc. Takes me 1 hr 45 min. Never a boring trip. Besides the typical car driver versus cyclist there is wandering pedestrians, loosely supervised toddlers, baby strollers, city buses that use the shoulder to beat the traffic (yes it is legal), dogs, unmanaged dog leashes, and at times road construction. The train is what makes it possible for me otherwise I can't put that much riding time into one workday.

[redir]

I just went from commuting 5 miles to about 10 miles. That's about as far as I care to go especially on these 20deg days. Takes me about 35 minutes each way so it's perfect. A nice wake up call in the AM.

[Joachim]

Averaging 22mph for 2 hours is pretty impressive. What's your best century time?

Its flat around here. 100mi centuries are typically done in less than 4hrs.

[BobbyJones]

My commute is about 13 miles one way and I'm done in about an hour. It's about a wash time wise with public transportation- a total win-win.

However, last year for a 3-4 month stretch I was doing 17-18 miles one way and in retrospect it was a PITA.

[onespeed]

~15 miles would be the most I would want to have ride to/from work. That being said, I really enjoy the days I leave early and add some mileage to my commute in to work or stack some extra on the end of the day. I also can't agree more that the route matters more than simply the mileage.

[xeladragon]

My bike commute is 12.5mi each way. I do it about 2-3x/wk. Takes anywhere from 40-60 minutes depending on my fitness level, the weather, traffic lights, etc. I don't think I'd wanna bike more than an hr each way. If my commute were < 20 minutes, I'd probably bike everyday.

[Dustin]

15 miles here each way, about 1hr saddle time. That's about as much time as I can reasonably give. When I bought my house I only looked at houses in a 15 mile perimeter for this reason.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Like others that have commented here, I live in the northern VA suburbs outside of DC. One thing living here has taught me: It ain't worth it to live far, far away from work so you can afford a bigger house. Live as close to work as possible! Seriously, those hours you spend commuting, you're never getting them back.

Of course, commuting bike puts those hours to some use. BUT they're still time away from family. I live 3 miles from work and commute every day (rain or shine) by bike. It's so close, we could get rid of the second car. It's so close, I can go home for lunch when I want, which my wife and small children love. It's so close, I can ride home after work, dump the heavy backpack and commuting gear, and have time and energy for a real ride.

Live as close to work as you possibly can! Even if you're in a smaller, more expensive place, your quality of life goes up!

[oldpotatoe]

Its flat around here. 100mi centuries are typically done in less than 4hrs.

25mph+ average.....That's quick, even for a flat ride..good for those who can do this. I sure can't but I'm O&F(Old&Fat).

[54ny77]

Max reasonable commute would be a walk from front door to beach of 5 seconds to 2 minutes.

Anything else is a headache.

[Ti Designs]

Its flat around here. 100mi centuries are typically done in less than 4hrs.


That's what I want to do for my 50th birthday - more details, I need more details (my birthday is early May and I know how to turn the 54T chainring)

[fuzzalow]

Its flat around here. 100mi centuries are typically done in less than 4hrs.

No, that is evasive. Not what is typically done by a nameless band of riders elite. The question was addressed to you: What ET do you do when you blitz through a 100 mile ride? As Dizzy Dean had said, "If he can do it, it isn't bragging". But the peanut gallery is understandably skeptical of your claim of derring-do.

You lot, too clever by a half.

[Joachim]

Ugh. Whatever fuzz. 24mph for 103mi good enough for you? I should really not give in to your troll like behavior, but PM me if it would really make your day better.

[wc1934]

Yep - downtown Boston is too expensive and people are too aggressive for me - the idea of living here with kids who would have to go to private school seems too much to deal with. I have great neighbors and live in a nice area, but it's still a pretty densely populated city with all the attendant trash and drug problems one sees on a daily basis. Also, I grew up in the woods and want to get back to a little less urban experience after twenty years. I think I'm getting old. I couldn't wait to move to a city after high school now I feel like maybe I've had enough. Plus my fiancee has no interest in longterm city living.

Thanks for all the things to think about when figuring out what possible options might be. Sounds like basically I need to balance time commuting with the rest of my life, which is pretty much what I expected but I hadn't thought about the fatigue factor if you commit to a long commute everyday.

Commuting from suburbs south west - Westwood etc isn't to bad. If kids are in your future, a highly rated school system would be my main consideration/priority.