How long for a 16.56 mile commute

marstoni
marstoni Posts: 6
edited February 2009 in Commuting chat
I know there are some long distance commuters knocking about out there. I'm planning on starting commuting by bike the 16.5 miles to work. Wondered what sort of time people would leave to complete it in?

Lucky enough to have showers, secure parking etc.. Downside is I sometimes end up doing 12 hour shifts doing physical work and will end up riding home at 3 in the morning. Am I going to kill myself?
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Comments

  • linsen
    linsen Posts: 1,959
    I commute just under 12 miles (bit hilly), and it takes me 50 mins.

    But I am a girl......

    First time I did it it half killed me, now it's just a question of getting myself organised - it's not too bad, and i never regret it when I'm on the bike
    Emerging from under a big black cloud. All help welcome
  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    My 13 mile commute takes around the 40 min mark, I would imagine a 16 mile commute is going to be 1hr plus, but it will depend on your fitness.
  • Littigator
    Littigator Posts: 1,262
    'bout 20 minutes :lol:
    Roadie FCN: 3

    Fixed FCN: 6
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    You'll be fine, I'd leave 1.5 hours the first time so you've got room for showering and recovering. Make sure you take puncture repair stuff, spare tube, pump etc.


    Out of interest, what is the bike?
  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    I swear I ride 6-8 miles in London and that takes me 40mins.

    Where did it all go wrong?
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • don_don
    don_don Posts: 1,007
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    I swear I ride 6-8 miles in London and that takes me 40mins.

    Where did it all go wrong?

    Traffic and the other assorted impediments of a city I guess? Add a few traffic lights and it must add up.

    Linsen - don't be hard on yourself, 12 hilly miles in 50 is good going :)

    I used to do a flattish 15 miles in 50 mins so I guess an hour for 16+ is about right.
  • don_don
    don_don Posts: 1,007
    BTW Marstoni - I'm sure you won't kill yourself, but it needs to be enjoyable if you are going to keep it up. If you know you are going to have a long day and late finish, maybe take an alternative that day (assuming there is one).

    You could also start out just doing 1 or 2 days a week and then build up from there. That might also allow you to transport clean clothes in on the off days.

    Have fun and don't forget to take some food in with you, as you'll be starving come 10 o'clock!
  • emdeef
    emdeef Posts: 98
    You should be OK with 16.5 miles if the terrain and roads are friendly. My current journey is 7 miles and that takes all of 40 minutes, but some is off road and there is a lot of steep hill.

    Allowing 90 mins for first try sounds goood advice and try one or two days a week to begin with.
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    Just looked at my figures for the 20.5 miles that I do and the avg speed is anywhere between 16.4 and 20.3, depending on wind, route, wine consumed prev evening, summer / winter, apathy etc, but 17 is a nice avg speed to hit on a road bike without making it too much effort so under an hour for the pedalling should be achievable. Add 20 mins for the business of arriving - locking the bike, getting sorted, recovery etc and whatever it takes for the clean-up & dressing operation and you're looking at no more than 1½ hours from leaving home to being ready for work. Concur with emdeef about doing it a few days per week at first though. It soon becomes easy, but initially it's not.
  • prawny
    prawny Posts: 5,443
    I've just started this commuting lark a whisker under 20 miles takes me an hour and 20 odd minutes, it does depend what bike your using too though yesterday was my fist trip by roadie and it was 20 minutes faster than my MTB.

    I say go for it it's a larf, just build up to it if you don't ride much like me.

    My route is on bikely under Hednesford to Birmingham if any one cares.
    Saracen Tenet 3 - 2015 - Dead - Replaced with a Hack Frame
    Voodoo Bizango - 2014 - Dead - Hit by a car
    Vitus Sentier VRS - 2017
  • You'll be fine, I'd leave 1.5 hours the first time so you've got room for showering and recovering. Make sure you take puncture repair stuff, spare tube, pump etc.


    Out of interest, what is the bike?

    Its a Condor Fratello.

    Used to commute everyday, it was only 5 miles. Now I've moved I thought the distance might be too much with the job. I miss riding in and hate driving.
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,072
    Hi marstoni here's a good online speed/distance/time calc

    http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/b ... _calc.html

    When I used to do my 15 mile commute I started off at 1.5 hrs with the fastest of 42mins but an avg 45mins, which is so much faster than my current avg speed.

    Where did it all go wrong :lol:
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • Hi Guys,

    I have recently started and for 9.5 miles (according to the computer) I have just managed to hit 45 minutes. I do between 15-18 mph with the majority being around 17. It took me over an hour on the MTB I have (very icy and was scared to take my FCR1 out!)...

    My times are improving and today after doing it for about 2 weeks now, thought hmm this aint so bad after all and the hills seem to be fading away from the pain threshold!

    Keep it up, do it regular and it does get better... I use to look for excuses not to bike, but now I just roll out of bed and get on it with it...

    Hope to post more on here, but still classed as a newbie and lurking around!

    Steve
  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    I cycle 7.1 miles (according) to Google maps from Wimbledon to Camberwell.

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=SW19%20 ... a=N&tab=wl

    It took me about 41 mins to get home :(

    When I check my cycle computer I'm normally between 14-18mph. I try to keep the bike around 16/17mph.

    I don't know about anyone else but to me it seems slow....
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    So many factors:

    Type of bike
    Wind
    Terrain
    Fitness
    Aerobars! (It's true, they do work!)

    just have a go gently and see what happens (don't pull a muscle!). I would be inclined to warm up properly (i.e. spin it up for a bit) before putting the power down and stretching before getting on my bike too if you are not fit (apologise for teaching you to suck eggs!).

    A fantastic time would be 35 minutes - a more realistic time would be 40mins to an hour. Again, it all depends on above.

    Just enjoy it and don't get caught up in the figures.....until summer and the fairweather monkeys come out to play, then you can hand some ass out.
  • nwallace
    nwallace Posts: 1,465
    In November it took me 45 mins to get to work and 36 mins to get home

    Today it took 47 mins to get to work and 42 mins to get home.

    It's only around 7 miles.
    On the way too work I have the Col' Du Perth Road, Col Du A&E and BusStop Summit to climb, on the way home I have them to drop.

    On the way in my best time to the bottom of the first hill was 25 mins, I seem to be a bit slower on the flat traffic free sections just now
    Do Nellyphants count?

    Commuter: FCN 9
    Cheapo Roadie: FCN 5
    Off Road: FCN 11

    +1 when I don't get round to shaving for x days
  • itboffin wrote:
    Hi marstoni here's a good online speed/distance/time calc

    http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/b ... _calc.html

    When I used to do my 15 mile commute I started off at 1.5 hrs with the fastest of 42mins but an avg 45mins, which is so much faster than my current avg speed.

    Where did it all go wrong :lol:

    Well 45mins seems fairly rapid. If i can start off around the 1.5 hrs and then try to bring it down over the summer i'll be happy.
  • don_don
    don_don Posts: 1,007
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    I cycle 7.1 miles (according) to Google maps from Wimbledon to Camberwell.

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=SW19%20 ... a=N&tab=wl

    It took me about 41 mins to get home :(

    When I check my cycle computer I'm normally between 14-18mph. I try to keep the bike around 16/17mph.

    I don't know about anyone else but to me it seems slow....

    You ain't slow DDD, you just want to be faster :) There's a big difference! Perhaps try upping your average speed just by an mph or so for a few weeks and see how it goes from there.
  • attica
    attica Posts: 2,362
    15 miles in 48 minutes for me is normal, with a PB of 41 minutes. The other big factor of course is traffic lights, I have some very long sections where I'm just flat out.

    so I'm averaging 19mph on a normal day, meaning if it were a similar (undulating but not awfully so) I might be able to manage 53 minutes, but there are a lot of ifs and buts there.

    An hour should be very acheivable, let us know how you get on.
    "Impressive break"

    "Thanks...

    ...I can taste blood"
  • linsen
    linsen Posts: 1,959
    Linsen - don't be hard on yourself, 12 hilly miles in 50 is good going

    Very kind Don Don but it is a sad fact that boys are nippier than girls on a bike.

    In fact I get home in 40 minutes usually :D
    Emerging from under a big black cloud. All help welcome
  • don_don
    don_don Posts: 1,007
    linsen wrote:
    Linsen - don't be hard on yourself, 12 hilly miles in 50 is good going

    Very kind Don Don but it is a sad fact that boys are nippier than girls on a bike.

    Don't tell Cooke, Pendleton and Romero that :lol:

    Not to mention DonDaddyD's 'Eleanor', whoever she was, over in SCR.
  • linsen
    linsen Posts: 1,959
    Good point but who would win the race - Pendleton or Hoy?
    Emerging from under a big black cloud. All help welcome
  • don_don
    don_don Posts: 1,007
    linsen wrote:
    Good point but who would win the race - Pendleton or Hoy?

    If it was 12 miles and hilly - Pendleton hands down - I would wager :D
  • Are the times everyone is talking about based on

    [1] straight door to door times including the stops for lights and traffic

    OR

    [2] AT mode on computer where the metering switches off after a short while when the wheels stop turning.

    All my times are based on method 2 because that takes out the variablity (although if you are monitoring for days and days and etc, statistically it levels out out)

    Your comments would be welcomed.......DD
    [1]Ribble winter special
    [2] Trek 5200 old style carbon
    [3] Frankensteins hybrid FCN 8
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,072
    Are the times everyone is talking about based on

    [1] straight door to door times including the stops for lights and traffic

    OR

    [2] AT mode on computer where the metering switches off after a short while when the wheels stop turning.

    All my times are based on method 2 because that takes out the variablity (although if you are monitoring for days and days and etc, statistically it levels out out)

    Your comments would be welcomed.......DD

    My Nokia with sportstracker records both moving time and journey time with is available when exported into GPX format.

    The device on bike stops when my speed drops below 3mph ie traffic lights or heavy traffic, occasionally hill top :oops:
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • stuaff
    stuaff Posts: 1,736
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    I cycle 7.1 miles (according) to Google maps from Wimbledon to Camberwell.

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=SW19%20 ... a=N&tab=wl

    It took me about 41 mins to get home :(

    When I check my cycle computer I'm normally between 14-18mph. I try to keep the bike around 16/17mph.

    I don't know about anyone else but to me it seems slow....

    That's about my speed on the Jetstream. And I know I'm slow (but then I am a stick-thin weakling on a 'silly little folding bike') !!
    Dahon Speed Pro TT; Trek Portland
    Viner Magnifica '08 ; Condor Squadra
    LeJOG in aid of the Royal British Legion. Please sponsor me at http://www.bmycharity.com/stuaffleck2011
  • R34PER
    R34PER Posts: 193
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    I cycle 7.1 miles (according) to Google maps from Wimbledon to Camberwell.

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=SW19%20 ... a=N&tab=wl

    It took me about 41 mins to get home :(

    When I check my cycle computer I'm normally between 14-18mph. I try to keep the bike around 16/17mph.

    I don't know about anyone else but to me it seems slow....

    i might go out and buy a bmx, come down to london and do some DDD scalping :D
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    My 25.5km commute takes about 1h06mins giving an average speed of about 22.5km/h. I don't have many trafficlights or junctions where I stop for long and only one short section with heavy traffic, but my moving average is usually 2-3km/h higher. This still surprises me....
    More problems but still living....
  • amaferanga wrote:
    My 25.5km commute takes about 1h06mins giving an average speed of about 22.5km/h. I don't have many trafficlights or junctions where I stop for long and only one short section with heavy traffic, but my moving average is usually 2-3km/h higher. This still surprises me....

    What is this metric nonsense you speak of? Km/h?

    You're 17 years old studying maths and I claim my five pounds. :lol:

    Cheers
    David
    <insert witty comment here>

    Also, I have calculated my FCN as 12...although I have no idea what that actually means.
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    amaferanga wrote:
    What is this metric nonsense you speak of? Km/h?

    You're 17 years old studying maths and I claim my five pounds. :lol:

    Cheers
    David

    Or a >17 year old audaxer maybe.... :)
    More problems but still living....