Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Living Car Free
Reload this Page >

POLL: How far is "cycling distance'?

Search
Notices
Living Car Free Do you live car free or car light? Do you prefer to use alternative transportation (bicycles, walking, other human-powered or public transportation) for everyday activities whenever possible? Discuss your lifestyle here.
View Poll Results: How far will you ride (one-way) for utilitarian or transportation purposes?
5 miles or less
6
4.17%
5 - 10 miles
52
36.11%
10 - 15 miles
38
26.39%
More than 15 miles
48
33.33%
Voters: 144. You may not vote on this poll

POLL: How far is "cycling distance'?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 07-05-06, 03:06 PM
  #26  
Alekhine
1. e4 Nf6
 
Alekhine's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: 78º44`W, 42º46`N
Posts: 871

Bikes: Mercian KoM with Rohloff, Bike Friday NWT, Pogliaghi Italcorse (1979)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Roody
How far will you ride for utilitarian purposes or basic transportation, as opposed to recreational or fitness riding?

How far will you go to:
  • Shop for groceries and other items
  • Commute to work
  • Visit friends or family
  • Entertainment like movies and restaurants
  • Other basic needs or special needs

Please take a minute to explain your answer in a reply post!


Metric conversion:

5 miles = 8 kilometers
10 miles = 16 kilometers
15 niles = 24 kilometers

This is a really tough question for me, because it makes me theoretize about what I would be "willing to do" as opposed to what I regularly do. I therefore didn't punch the poll to offer my opinion.

I take pleasure rides daily that exceed the limits of what I do in order to get groceries, and that kind of skews the question a little for me too. I live less than a mile from the Trader Joe's and the Thai-Lao Market that I buy my groceries from, so if I had to answer "how far do you ride for groceries?", it would only be a mile or so. How far would I ride for groceries? Totally depends on the situation. If I were starving or lived in some completely cut-off place, it might be over 100 miles, hehe. Other utilitarian concerns are largely irrelevant for me, as my whole job is based in-home.

In other words, I'm completely fence-sitting on this one. Sorry!

Last edited by Alekhine; 07-05-06 at 03:45 PM.
Alekhine is offline  
Old 07-05-06, 03:18 PM
  #27  
AlanK
Senior Member
 
AlanK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Seattle, WA (United States)
Posts: 625
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 79 Post(s)
Liked 21 Times in 15 Posts
Realistically, I think it's about 10 miles. This is about as far as someone can travel every day or almost every day via bike without getting burned out. If I ride more than about 10-15 miles one day, then I need a day to recover.
AlanK is offline  
Old 08-13-06, 03:10 PM
  #28  
pakole
Senior Member
 
pakole's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Boston
Posts: 223

Bikes: 1980s 15 speed road bike, and 21 speed, Iron Horse Outlaw mountain bike and 24 speed Felt F90 road bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
If I can get somewhere by bike in a hour or so, then its good for me, so 15+ is my answer. It also gets me off my chair in front on my computer and outside. I spend half of Friday riding up and down Seattle doing erranding while I was tired at the end of it. I felt like I got more acomplished than if I had driven.
pakole is offline  
Old 08-14-06, 05:26 AM
  #29  
lyeinyoureye
Senior Citizen
 
lyeinyoureye's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: no
Posts: 1,346

Bikes: yes

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
It depends, a 15 mile commute to a sit down job isn't bad, but biking two hours a day to eight hours of labor may not be doable.
lyeinyoureye is offline  
Old 08-14-06, 05:46 AM
  #30  
cyclezealot
Senior Member
 
cyclezealot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Fallbrook,Calif./Palau del Vidre, France
Posts: 13,230

Bikes: Klein QP, Fuji touring, Surly Cross Check, BCH City bike

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1485 Post(s)
Liked 73 Times in 64 Posts
15 miles is just a warm up.
cyclezealot is offline  
Old 08-14-06, 11:33 AM
  #31  
jeff-o
Recumbent Evangelist
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kitchener, Ontario
Posts: 2,991

Bikes: Rebel Cycles Trike, Trek 7500FX

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
It all depends on:

- how much time I have
- what the weather is like (ie. is it not raining)
- how much I have to carry
- do I have someplace safe to lock up
- do I have to arrive without a drop of sweat on my face

In general, this means anything below 10km is fine, and anything more requires a bit more planning, at least. I really need some rain gear and panniers.
jeff-o is offline  
Old 08-14-06, 05:12 PM
  #32  
Caspar_s
Senior Member
 
Caspar_s's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Burlington, ON
Posts: 530

Bikes: Giant Tcx1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
3 mile commute to work,
720m to grocery store.... 0.4 of a mile. We often walk it though :-)
Doctor is 6 miles but we often take the bus (we're going to the doctor afterall :-/ )
0.7 of a mile to the mall
0.9 to the beer store
0.6 to the LBS.

But I said more than 15 miles since you mentioned entertainment - Peach festival in 2 weeks is 15 miles away.
Haven't gone to the mother-in-laws yet, although it is only 50 miles.
Caspar_s is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.