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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
Hi,
I am thinking of buying a road bike to commute to work every day. Would 15 miles each way be too far? I am in pretty good shape but new to biking. About how long would it take? How fast (average speed) can the average beginner go on a road bike? Thanks, Jeff. |
Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
"Jeffrey Pogodzinski" wrote in message m... Hi, I am thinking of buying a road bike to commute to work every day. Would 15 miles each way be too far? I am in pretty good shape but new to biking. About how long would it take? How fast (average speed) can the average beginner go on a road bike? Thanks, Jeff. It's probably not too far, but that's an individual call. It might take as long as 4 to till it becomes comfortable, but the great thing about a bike is you can vary your speed to go at a rate that is comfortable. Depending on your route how long it takes can vary quite a lot. How many hills, how much wind (and which direction), and how many lights are the major factors. With a flat course, no major intersections or wind it might not be difficult to make it in an hour. That's probably the shortest time you could expect then depending on all the above factors it could go twice that high. With average conditions it will probably take about an hour and 15 minutes. Have fun, I find being on a bike much more fun than being in a car. |
Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
If you are new to bicycling, you may need to work up to it, but it's very
do-able. My commute is 12 miles out and 14 miles back. The longer route back is actually easier because of traffic conditions here at 5:00 p.m. My bike is a somewhat modified hybrid (I put drop bars and a road stem on it, added SPD pedals, and selected some tires that were better for pavement). It takes me about 40 to 45 minutes to work, and perhaps 50 to 55 on the way back, depending on how I'm feeling that day and how much I'm carrying. This is on very slightly hilly terrain, and there is more climbing on the return trip. I'm 46 years old and in reasonable shape, but no athlete. The other guy at work who commutes by bike, rides ten miles each way on a stock hybrid, and he comes over a much more difficult hill. I don't know how long it takes him, except that he doesn't seem to think it's too long. He's in his 50s, but in excellent shape. Average speed depends on a lot of things, and I suggest doing some test rides on your days off to get an idea of your own capabilities. I think 15 mph on a lightly loaded bike should be easy enough for most people, and many can go much faster, but count on being slower at first. If this bike is being bought primarily for transportation, it may be a good idea to shop for one that will easily accept fenders and a rear rack, but that's really a topic for another thread, along with all your other equipment choices. Hope that helps. Marc "Jeffrey Pogodzinski" wrote in message m... Hi, I am thinking of buying a road bike to commute to work every day. Would 15 miles each way be too far? I am in pretty good shape but new to biking. About how long would it take? How fast (average speed) can the average beginner go on a road bike? Thanks, Jeff. |
Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
"Jeffrey Pogodzinski" wrote
I am thinking of buying a road bike to commute to work every day. Would 15 miles each way be too far? I am in pretty good shape but new to biking. For 12.5 mile suburban/urban commute it takes me a bit less than an hour in the summer (if there are no pollution warnings), a bit more in the winter (almost 3 hours in one heavy blizzard but then it would have taken 1.5 -2 hours by car.) My bike computer reads about 10 minutes less so I spend more than 10 minutes waiting at stop lights. Depending on your route 75 minutes wris****ch time sounds right for 15 miles. I started riding about 5 years ago when I was over 50 and in pretty bad shape. I hate gyms but really enjoy riding and it makes me feel astoundingly better. I usually ride major streets on the way to work with a bit more than a mile on a multiuse path shortcut which offers refreshing nature, little bunnies, friendly greetings with other users. On the way home I usually take quieter routes. The first few years I explored a lot discovering many alternate routes which help me keep riding enjoyable instead of a boring chore like driving. Though lots of great bike gear helps a bit too. ;-) Doug Toronto |
Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
Doug Purdy wrote
I started riding about 5 years ago when I was over 50 and in pretty bad shape. I hate gyms but really enjoy riding and it makes me feel astoundingly better. I should add that I started riding a 6 mile commute in early August and by mid November switched to the 12.5 mile commute. A down/up ravine I had to cross made me feel like I might well die trying to climb it. I couldn't even find my pulse, it felt like sludge. After a few years I climbed out of the ravine in top gear, with cooperating stop lights of course. I doubt I could have jumped into the 12.5 mile commute from the start. Doug Toronto |
Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
Jeffrey Pogodzinski wrote:
I am thinking of buying a road bike to commute to work every day. Good for you. Would 15 miles each way be too far? No. I am in pretty good shape but new to biking. About how long would it take? In order, it will depend upon your condition, the terrain, weather, traffic and how well your bike is built for speed. There's too many variables to guess accurately. I suggest that you do a trial run on your day off to see how long it actually takes and then give yourself 10 extra minutes on the first morning to account for variability and early morning slugishness. If I had to guess, I'd guess 1.5 hours to start. Many people can do 15 miles in traffic in under an hour but they usually aren't beginners. If you do this ride daily, you can expect to speed up considerably over time. How fast (average speed) can the average beginner go on a road bike? 10-15 mph is probably a typical average for the beginner. Some will be a little faster. Some a little slower. It's also affected by lights, stop signs, hills, wind direction/speed, traffic, train crossings etc. All of these except tail winds and downhills slow you down. --Bill Davidson -- Please remove ".nospam" from my address for email replies. I'm a 17 year veteran of usenet -- you'd think I'd be over it by now |
Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
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Is 15 mile road bike commute too far?
Mon, 04 Aug 2003 18:20:51 GMT,
, Mark Hickey wrote: If you're in good shape it shouldn't take too long to get to the point where you'd be making it in an hour (barring TOO many hills, lights, nasty intersections, etc.). From there, it just gets better. And remains quite consistent. I think that's one great advantage of bicycle commuting. Barring mechanical problems, you know how long it's going to take when you leave home. The amount of other traffic has little impact on bicycle travel times. -- zk |
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