Moving house increasing distance

olly22

Hi All,

First post in the commuting forum.

I cycle 8.5km to work and 8.5km back 5 days a week at the moment. I find this fine, still manage to get out for the odd 40km in the evening and a long one on a Sunday morning. I am looking to move house which will increase my bike commute to 18km each way. I would think nothing of riding 36km normally, but not sure what toll it would take doing it 5 days a week all through the British Weather.

Has anyone upped their distance for the commute that could offer any sage advice? Obviously it is going to be tougher and take longer, but did you find your work suffered, or massive drop in energy in the evenings etc? Perhaps no motivation to go on the all important weekend leisure ride?!

Thanks
O

Anonymous

I did exactly this. Went from 7 miles to 10 miles. The 10 miles a day is no stress at all. It didn't take long to get used to. Similarly riding at weekends.

I've found doing longer rides in the evenings (about 40K, same as you) takes a little longer to recover from, but also partly because I am lazy and don't stretch properly.

Commuting wise, you'll be absolutely fine. As for the extra rides, just learn to take is easy on the commute and likewise, you'll get on fine.

cruff

Upped my distance gradually to the point where I can't possibly ride it every day (been hovering around 45-50km each way for about three years now - used to do it more when I lived down South, now restricted to once, twice or (very infrequently) three times a week)

I could do it every day but, as you said, it would become a drag and take the enjoyment out of weekend rides, or make evening training a b*tch

Do you have the scope to leave your bike at work and get PT home? That used to be a lifesaver for me - meant that I could have a beer in the evening if I wanted and ride home the next day. That way, if I wasn't feeling the love for it, I could just knock it one day and not have to worry about leaving the bike overnight and getting it nicked

You could also make it a point to only commute on the bike when it's not raining. Sounds like a cop-out, but I definitely found the times it p***ed me off the most were when I arrived at work soaked and had the ballache of trying to dry out after the stress of traffic on the way in

jamesco

18km is about the length of my route and is a doable distance. What makes it hard in my case is the number of red lights and the route straight through Central London. If the ride had fewer lights (than 70 odd) and/or was pleasant then it would be no struggle.

As it is, I get thoroughly sick of the ride at times and through the week count the percentage done for motivation.

Anonymous

I do city - mortlake and it's a LOT of lights but not that bad!

gbsahne001

I used to do 20k each way and it was easy, then I discovered SC Stats and things went crazy for a while; circa 80k each day, which was fun and OK but it did kill the weekend rides. Now that the stats have gone, I'm back down to a modest 25k each way but I can now skip this if I want and do a much shorter route depending upon how I feel.

olly22

Thanks for the replies all. Makes me feel more confident about it! Like the idea of cycling in but getting the bus back. Certainly an option. I think the winter might be tough as mainly on unlit country roads and ice would be a problem as the roads don't tend to get gritted.

If nothing else at least my fitness will improve.

The Rookie

A friends commute is 17km each way which he's currently doing on an oldish MTB, it really shouldn't be an issue unless you are used to poodling along at 9kph on a Dutch style bike!

iPete

Where are you riding? I guess that has a bigger impact, hills/weather etc.

Over the years I've gone (each way) 17, 21 and now 16 miles. The right gear/clothing makes all the difference. It's overkill but using a powermeter (I use it for training too) on the commute keeps me in check and pacing an entire week is easy. Back when I started every ride was ridden as hard as possible which isn't great, especially come Friday.

A bike with proper mudguards and decent lights is priceless come winter. Along with having the right clothing, of course.

olly22

Power meter is a good idea (although out of my price range). I train with a HRM so sticking in zone 2 should keep me fresh for the week with a bit left over for the weekend. The route isn't particularly hilly, perhaps 150m climbing over the 18km. Clothing should be ok. I tend to wear a ss gabba in the summer and ls gabba in the winter but I tend to commute quite quickly at the moment as its a short distance, don't mind being wet for 15mins or so. Perhaps a good close fitting jacket would be a good purchase.

Thanks chaps. Looking forward to it now

twist83

With Pete on this. Decent cloths for winter along with mudguards and decent lights for the darker months are a must both for comfort and safety.

I am 12 miles each way from work. About 750ft climb each way. So not very lumpy. But I cannot be bothered to do it 5 days a week. My other half works in the same location so sometimes I am lazy and get a lift. Or sometimes leave my bike and get a lift in and back then ride home.

I would personally have a get out of jail free way to get in and home. Helps to alleviate pressure when ill, lazy, busy etc etc. Or if weather becomes too bad to safely ride in.

iPete wrote:

Where are you riding? I guess that has a bigger impact, hills/weather etc.

Over the years I've gone (each way) 17, 21 and now 16 miles. The right gear/clothing makes all the difference. It's overkill but using a powermeter (I use it for training too) on the commute keeps me in check and pacing an entire week is easy. Back when I started every ride was ridden as hard as possible which isn't great, especially come Friday.

A bike with proper mudguards and decent lights is priceless come winter. Along with having the right clothing, of course.