What's the farthest anyone bikes to work here?

I think that's a great idea! Depending on your current fitness level, 12 miles may or may not seem like a long way. You could start out riding a few days a week, or try it first on a weekend to explore possible routes and see how long it would take. There may be a cycling club in your area, and local bike shops should have maps of nearby bike routes. Trust me, the world looks much different from a bicycle than it does from a car.

 

I used to do about 3.5 miles to school/work and I enjoyed it. I did have to make some adjustments for the stickers causing flats, and I would change into my dress shirt when I got there. Took about the same amount of time it would take to drive too.

Unfortunately, it would be much less safe to do so now, with much of the roads I used being under construction and less ability to do residential streets. I would concur with hyo silver about checking out the bike routes to see what routes you can take in a safe manner (there were none on my route). Oh, and make sure you wear a helmet.

 

When I was age 35 or so, I'd bike 2-3 days a week, 15 miles one way, spring/summer/fall. Most of that on a paved bike trail (the W&OD trail). Not sure I'd have tried it if it was suburban streets.

For everday distances like that it's well worth it to get a road bike. In the second or third year I was commuting by bike, I got rid of my ancient road bike and bought more of an upright urban-commuter type bike and I really regretted it. Give me 100 psi tires if I'm going to ride that much. If I had it to do over, I'd get a semi-recumbent with narrow high pressure tires. I ride a Bike-E now, and I can say the additional comfort from the seating position is worth any possible loss of efficiency.

Even at my best I couldn't do that five days a week. It's surprisingly easy to do 30 miles in a day, even if you're just in so-so shape. But it's a totally different animal to do that every day. And couldn't have done it without my gym being a couple of blocks from my office (not in the summer in Washington, DC). Getting there wasn't hard, but coming back -- up out of the Potomac river valley -- was always a test. But in a way that's good because you'll get more exercise that way than if you had the option of just stopping.

Never really had a bad experience doing it. I'm a pretty timid bicyclist. On the other hand, I found that bicycling on DC streets wasn't hard and wasn't the least bit frightening. I pretzeled my derailer once, but I just walked it to the nearest bike shop and they fixed it. I don't much mind the rain. Probably my worst experiences were windy days in late spring. I don't get allergies, but 15 miles into a headwind full of pollen and I could barely see by the time I got home. I wear glasses, never even thought of getting goggles, which in retrospect was pretty dumb.

I'd say do a Sunday dry run with whatever you ride now and see how it feels. But definitely, if you do it every day, you want either the most efficient or the most comfortable bike you can get.

 

Throwing someone in to urban traffic on an unfamiliar route with nasty weather and lousy equipment is a certain way to produce another committed car commuter. Pick a nice day, go with someone who knows where they're going, and take at least a pump and patch kit with you. Start out slow and short, and build from there. The more you do, the more you're able to do.

 

I commute to work everyday (Friday will make eight straight weeks). My route is about 15 miles roundtrip, but I enjoy the ride so much I find ways to lengthen my commute. Last night my homestretch was lengthened to 21 miles. I am actually finding myself leaving the house earlier in the morning so I can squeeze in more miles before work also. It is quite addicting, and now my wife can drive the Prius to work instead of our Jeep Liberty, which is now sequestered in the garage. On another topic, the SUV market is absolutely flooded right now. We decided to try to sell our Jeep, and even offered at thousands below book value, I can't get rid of the thing. I don't think I could give it away at this point. I just want more garage space, and there is no reason for us not to be a one car family.

I think your commute should be quite do-able. Perhaps begin commuting a couple days a week and work your way up. I believe the bicycle could be a huge part of solving the energy crisis. Think of the number of people who drive a car for errands less than three miles away. Absolutely ridiculous. My bike gets infinitely better fuel economy than my Prius.

 

I have a 25 mile commute from home to work...I throw the bike in the car and drive to work and then ride home...the next morning I ride the bike in and then drive home...I essential ride 4 time a week and save about 100 mile of wear and tear on my car.

The ride takes about 1:50...

 

Back when I was young and thin, I did a 20 mi one-way commute, 3-4 days a week. Not every day. If I did 4 days in a row, I tended to nod off at work! Didn't start out that way. Car pooled with the spouse then did the last 6 mi on the bike. Worked my way up to it. The nice thing about all those miles was I could eat whatever I wanted and still lose weight. When my knees started to give out, I'd hop on the trolley and cut the length in half. Then my knees totally gave out and I had to give it up and now I'm old and fat! Lest I alarm you, the knee problems were mostly due an extended rec league basketball career and heredity, the biking probably extended my active life. I've had knee replacement, so I'm back on the bike and building up my miles, again. Think I'll go for a ride, right now.

 

I've been riding my bike everyday to work for the past 4 or so years. My commute averages about 8 miles round trip. I agree with other posters I wish my commute was longer. Great way to get out the stress at the end of the day for me. Go with the road bike (Trek...ect) and put 700x23 tires on at 120psi...you'll go faster with less effort. I enjoyed riding in to work so much I ended up joining a bike racing team and now find myself riding even more miles (taking the long route home) after work. My work also gives me gas vouchers depending on how many days I ride to work. For example if I ride 16-18 days to work they'll give me $20 in gas coupons (Shell) and also good for REI, Brown Bear carwash, YMCA or Flex Car.

 

I'm a couple blocks shy of a 20 mile round trip daily commute. I'm averaging a three day a week bike commute. When traffic is really heavy and where drivers tend to be more aggressive, I stay on the sidewalks. For safety, I'm loaded up. I just started riding about 3 weeks ago and have to say I'm really enjoying it. I mentioned in another thread how much more relaxed my work day is but this cannot be understated.

Maybe there's someone who has a bike that'll "fit" you and you can see if you'd like it before spending the money???? If you end up riding, invest in a helmet and make sure you're properly fitted, please.

 

12 miles of riding is a day of "non-riding" for me. I wasn't clear - are you talking about 12 miles RT, or one way. 24 mile RT is a GREAT distance!

My regular commute is 23.5 miles each way. Takes me about 1:10 each direction unless one way has a head wind, then the total is still about the same, but each leg doesn't match. A real road bike is a requirement.

All the power to you! Once you get in the habit you won't believe how odd it feels to be in a car. I'd rather be out riding for 1.5 hours than driving the same thing in 20 minutes.

 

You may want to pop into a bike store to get acquainted with and to test ride the newer features that come with the newer models just to be sure you're not sacrificing greater comfort/convenience for a lesser cost.

 

A used bike can be a good deal. If you go that route, I would recommend you get one from a local bike shop. They will make sure it fits you and is in good operating condition. You didn't mention your budget, but I'm assuming a thousand bucks is not what you were planning on. Which is fine, because you'll appreciate a light and fast bike all the more when you get one.

 

I did 10 miles (RT) for several years not long ago on a nice road bike with a good lighting system & it was great, just far enough to clear your head and get a good work out !

 

That's cooking. I could sometimes manage 15 miles in 1:05 downhill with a tailwind, and thought I was doing pretty well.

For reference, moving from a road bike to a hybrid-type urban commuter bike upped my time from 1:05 to 1:15. So those 120 psi tires are a not just a little help, they're a lot of help.

For cheap, nothing beats scavenging. In the wealthy DC burbs, people routinely toss bikes that are far better than what I used to ride. Particularly good pickings if you've got a small frame -- I suspect a lot of what I see at the curb is perfectly OK bikes that haven't been ridden in 10 years because the owner is off to college.

Yard sales are lousy with bikes. Thrift shops are lousy with bikes. I picked up my daughter's last bike for $5 at a church yard sale. There's an excellent market in high-end used bikes in Vienna due to the local bike shop (Bikes at Vienna). That might be true where you are. The components on higher-end bikes last a long time. Heck, we have so many good used bikes that the US exports tons of donated used bikes via the Bikes for the World program. And bikes are easy to work on -- the only high-tech skill you'll need is learning to true a wheel, but even that's not exactly rocket science. (And you'll need to know that if you put a lot of miles on your bike anyway.)

 

I don't like to screw around. I try to average about 20mph. Most of the guys I ride with make me feel slow (and old!)

It isn't just the pressure, certainly. The biggest factor at high speed is air resistance (of the rider). The wheel set and size/make/quality certainly come into play - tire PSI is pretty far down the list. I usually ride with 95-100. Depends on the tire. The tandem gets 135.

If everybody would just ride to work one day a week. Then they're realize they could ride two. Or five. Presto, we solve obesity, pollution, oil addiction all at once.

 

If god meant us to ride a bike to work he/she wouldn't have made car spaces to park in but would have installed bike racks which he didn't.

 

haven't ridden a bike in about 5 years, ever since i got my license.

 

My total commute, one way, is 30 miles. I drive 21.5 miles and bicycle, weather permitting, the other 8.5 miles. As others have discussed, a bicycling commute helps keep you trim and fit. I get to model what I teach and I reduce wear and tear and the operating cost on the Prius.