10 years

essex-commuter

10 years ago today I commuted to work by bike for the first time.

23,686 miles by the time I get home today. Would have been more had I not moved closer to work!

imatfaal

Kudos - in about six months you will have done the same distance as around the world (24,901 mi / 40,075 km)

essex-commuter

Yes I realised that too!

Only on my second commuting bike, albeit they are a bit like Triggers broom...plenty of wheel, tyre, chain replacements etc!

imatfaal

Quite impressive that you have kept track too - I meant to but lost track some time in my second year. I use Strava most of the time now - but I find that I enjoy long weekend rides more if I am not concentrating on speed, cadence etc so none of those miles get counted.

essex-commuter

imatfaal wrote:

Quite impressive that you have kept track too - I meant to but lost track some time in my second year. I use Strava most of the time now - but I find that I enjoy long weekend rides more if I am not concentrating on speed, cadence etc so none of those miles get counted.

Love a spreadsheet. Track all my cycling and running mileage...track what shoes I'm wearing when running too, always throw them away at 600 miles.

#sadgit

corriebee1

essex-commuter wrote:

imatfaal wrote:

always throw them away at 600 miles.

#sadgit

Me too.

Never thrown a pair of trainers yet!

tgotb

essex-commuter wrote:

track what shoes I'm wearing when running too, always throw them away at 600 miles.

What happens if they reach 600 miles part way through a run? Do you carry a new set and change, finish the run in bare feet, or go for a special short run so that you arrive home at exactly 600 miles?

essex-commuter

corriebee1 wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

imatfaal wrote:

always throw them away at 600 miles.

#sadgit

Me too.

Never thrown a pair of trainers yet!

:-)

I was getting through a pair every 2 months when I was into Marathon running. They last a lot longer now!

essex-commuter

TGOTB wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

track what shoes I'm wearing when running too, always throw them away at 600 miles.

What happens if they reach 600 miles part way through a run? Do you carry a new set and change, finish the run in bare feet, or go for a special short run so that you arrive home at exactly 600 miles?

imatfaal

TGOTB wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

track what shoes I'm wearing when running too, always throw them away at 600 miles.

What happens if they reach 600 miles part way through a run? Do you carry a new set and change, finish the run in bare feet, or go for a special short run so that you arrive home at exactly 600 miles?

A true sad git would only do runs with mileages that give a whole number when 600 is divided by it - so that this terrible quandary never arises.

tgotb

imatfaal wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

track what shoes I'm wearing when running too, always throw them away at 600 miles.

What happens if they reach 600 miles part way through a run? Do you carry a new set and change, finish the run in bare feet, or go for a special short run so that you arrive home at exactly 600 miles?

A true sad git would only do runs with mileages that give a whole number when 600 is divided by it - so that this terrible quandary never arises.

An even sadder git would point out that 600 miles is a pretty good distance to choose for this methodology, because there are so many different multiples that work (1,2,3,4,5,6,8,10,12,15,20,24,25,30 etc...)

veronese68

And to think that my wife thinks I'm a sad git. I'll have to point this thread out to her.
Actually I couldn't do that as she'll see the threads about spending.

bendertherobot

You know what. I reckon it's about 10 for me to. Will check what date.....

Agent57

I've been cycling to school, then college, then work for about 36 years. OK, have had a few interruptions when work was variously 30-85 miles away, but still. It's a way of life.

UndercoverElephant

Coming up 7 years for me, probably about 32,000 miles. Spreadsheet fell by the wayside when the stats page went offline.

pastryboy

7 for me this month, never kept a record properly. Not too far off 30k total I would think.

itboffin

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Coming up 7 years for me, probably about 32,000 miles. Spreadsheet fell by the wayside when the stats page went offline.

ah the SCStats

roger_merriman

started in 2008 in intermittently with various short term jobs/locations but in 2009 started my present job. with fairly fixed safe locations etc. so about 8 years, commute only distance is likely to be 7/10K

2008-2010 a cheap Dawes hybrid weighed a ton, (50lb) had the most awful terrifying V brakes should one either get it up to speed, take it out in the rain or both!

2010-2012 a revolution track SS bike, nice if a little heavy bike, sadly stolen.

2012-2013 Fuji track bike, nice frisky thing. I eventually gave up and sold it in since I couldn't get back on the saddle with it after my accident which was late 2013.

2014-now my old Hardtail MTB, retired from MTbing got me back in the saddle and commuting again, which I can't thank it enough really for.

itboffin

Not a slave ...?

Snakebite the 2nd

25 years for me.

Started soon after I passed my driving test at 20, someone pointed out that driving the 1.5 miles to work was a somewhat stupid waste of petrol and damage to the car.

Distance to work has increased but the fitness has decreased!

imatfaal

Was challenged to do London Nightrider 2012 - hadn't ridden a bike for 20 years. Commute 4 days a weeks since I bought the bike to do the challenge - rack up between 7-8000km a year commuting and a couple of thousand more at weekends. Agent57 described it as a way of life - and it is; and I wish I had been doing it all my life

gbsahne001

started commuting again in 2009, after a 10 year hiatus; Istanbul isn't very bike friendly. Then thanks to the Stats pag became increasingly competitive and logged in the region of 14k per year for about 4 or 5 years. Thankfully now that the Stats page has gone, I've reduced the mileage to around 8k and I think I'm enjoying it more.

Looking at my spreadsheet, this gives a tally of 73,137 miles, since 2009

essex-commuter

gbsahne wrote:

started commuting again in 2009, after a 10 year hiatus; Istanbul isn't very bike friendly. Then thanks to the Stats pag became increasingly competitive and logged in the region of 14k per year for about 4 or 5 years. Thankfully now that the Stats page has gone, I've reduced the mileage to around 8k and I think I'm enjoying it more.

Looking at my spreadsheet, this gives a tally of 73,137 miles, since 2009

Lightweight.

graeme_s-2

It will be 10 years this Sunday since my first commute. 6 miles on my old mountain bike, took me 40 minutes including pulling the chain out from between the chain rings on two occasions and then giving up after cutting my hand on the chainring the 3rd time and walking the last mile! I've recorded 20,720 miles on Garmin Connect since 2009, so at a guess I've probably done 26,000 - 27,000 miles in total since April 2006.

I weighed 16.5 stone in December 2005, and had already started swimming a bit and got down to 16 stone when I started cycling. Since then I've run a marathon, and did an iron distance triathlon last year. Amazing when I look back at how nervous I was that morning, and then look at how many great experiences I've had and friends I've made as a direct result of riding those first 6 miles to work!

essex-commuter

Graeme_S wrote:

It will be 10 years this Sunday since my first commute. 6 miles on my old mountain bike, took me 40 minutes including pulling the chain out from between the chain rings on two occasions and then giving up after cutting my hand on the chainring the 3rd time and walking the last mile! I've recorded 20,720 miles on Garmin Connect since 2009, so at a guess I've probably done 26,000 - 27,000 miles in total since April 2006.

I weighed 16.5 stone in December 2005, and had already started swimming a bit and got down to 16 stone when I started cycling. Since then I've run a marathon, and did an iron distance triathlon last year. Amazing when I look back at how nervous I was that morning, and then look at how many great experiences I've had and friends I've made as a direct result of riding those first 6 miles to work!

Great story. Very very similar story to me except no triathlon. I've done the bike leg in a team event, and I've done 7 Marathons (no more though).

Snakebite the 2nd

If I had to guess my mileage it would be approximately 75,000 miles over that time.

okgo

Rower63 I think told me that he had been commuting by bike, daily, almost every day since the early 90's - would put him on a MONSTER mileage, he'll have to confirm as I can't quite remember...

rower63

okgo wrote:

Rower63 I think told me that he had been commuting by bike, daily, almost every day since the early 90's - would put him on a MONSTER mileage, he'll have to confirm as I can't quite remember...

yes I started commuting full-time in 1989 during the 2 weeks full-spectrum public transport strikes that year. From then until 2011 my round trip was 20 miles, and I estimate conservatively I did at least 85% of available days (365*5/7-30) commuting by bike on average over that period. Since 2011 it's been a 38 mile round trip and I've commuted 97% of that time. That puts me at 129,000 miles plus any non-commuting miles I might've done., which would be a few hundred.

okgo

Good to know my memory hasn't totally left me yet, mad stuff!

veronese68

Slightly disappointed Rower hasn't logged the mileage and components used in infinitesimal detail.

porlyworly

My mileage since getting back in the saddle:

2012 - 2076
2013 - 3528
2014 - 3831
2015 - 4295
2016 - 120 miles down on this time last year so need to step it up!

Statistics & spreadsheets rock...