Leisesturm

Part of the problem here is the obvious: o.p. only makes this run 1x or 2x per week. Wonder how many weeks its 1x. Wonder also how many weeks its 0x! In my opinion the o.p. is not commuting exactly. It's something, obviously, but the o.p. specifically says "If I can ride 67mi 1x/wk surely then normal people can ride 1mi to 10mi a few times/wk! Wut? Clear here then is the understanding in the o.p. mind that a 'commute' is (normally) done 'a few times a week'. They are therefore NOT a bike commuter by definition and they know it. They also openly display a staggering amount of naivete in the o.p. by their implication that potential bike commuters are put off by the distance to their worksites. There would be an instant and significant upsurge in the number of bike commuters if by some miracle CARS and TRUCKS were suddenly gone from the roads. It's the fear of being hit on their bikes that keeps MILLIONS of people in their cars in the morning. That isn't going to change anytime soon.

Darth Lefty 

I wouldn't commute 67 miles at all unless someone was sending a helicopter to get me

LesterOfPuppets

In some climactic conditions you'd really need to have a shower at or near work. 2018-2020 I worked next door to a gym that cost $10 per month, which was really nice.

When I've had short 4-5 mile commutes, I've worked out long routes home (15, 20, 30 miles) so I could get miles in after work but would never get bonus miles in on the way to work.

LesterOfPuppets

Oh yeah, that's FAR different than 5 day weeks. I usually quote my commutes in one-way distance terms also, so we're really talking about a 33-mile commute, which is still pretty far but...

CliffordK

A couple of years ago I went non-driving. Generally retired, but that didn't mean I was staying at home. That has changed now, and I'm driving a bit.

It is about 16 miles between my house and Mom's house, so a 32 mile RT commute (sometimes doing significant work at Mom's place).

Bouncing around town a bit would be on the low end of about 16 miles RT to 40 or 50 miles RT.

And, a couple of times a year I was making the trip from Eugene to Portland. 100 miles as the crow flies, but taking the Oregon Scenic Bikeway put it at about 180 miles one way. I could vary the distance a bit, so my one-way trips to Portland were from about 145 miles up to 200 miles. It made for a long day on the road. And, a couple of days later I had to make the reverse trip.

My Milling Machine came from across town in two trips. So, perhaps 30 miles RT, and 15 miles loaded (for each trip).





Needless to say, I was doing well on my annual mileage. Strava has locked up all my ride records. But my longest year, my goal was to average 20 miles a day (not riding every day, but overall average). So, a total of over 7,300 miles of mostly commuting of one form or another.

Roughstuff

A few years ago on Bikeforums there was a question about why people don’t bike commute more. Some of the factors were mentioned here.

I think rain scares a lot of potential commuters away, even given better rain gear and roadways/bike infrastructure. Arriving at work ragged wet and muddy is not a great start to the day. Few workplaces have facilities adequate to deal with soggy employees.

The other has to do with microeconomics of cars/trucks. We all talk about gas prices and fuel costs, but a good chunk of the cost of owning a car is fixed costs: financing, depreciation, insurance, etc. The less you use the car the greater these costs loom on a per mile basis.I drive about 5000 miles s year…WELL BELOW a U.S.A average. There is a feeling that “I may as well use this car to make it worth it.” I avoid this, being retired and having lots in walking distance.

macattack71

When I commute on my bike to work, I drive halfway to a convenient parking trailhead/ local library, and go from there, ~11.6 miles one way, 900 feet of climbing and all on the road. Taking me exactly an hour. It is a great workout. I'd like to be able to do this twice a week, but work demands and weather can alter that. Work is 26.5 miles from home, ~1300 feet climbing, too far to commute, but uses some MUP early, and takes the same path as the shorter ride in. I have never tried the full distance, and my bad left knee agrees. Currently recovering from knee injury from bowling. There is enough daylight to pull it off right now though, but 4 hours in the saddle and working a full day seems problematic.

If I had an e-bike, maybe I could do it. I'd have to average 18-20+ mph to make it worth my time. I only ride with bare essentials, since I am currently using my Cannondale SuperSix, leaving laptop at work the day before, and I have a locker to store clothes/clean up. I am a sweaty mess every day I do ride in. Getting older and heavier doesn't help the situation either, working on one part of that. I used to live 16.5 miles away, I could do only in the late spring/summer/early fall. I am not riding in the cold dark winter and avoiding wet roads if possible.

The Golden Boy 

My commute is 18 miles. I used to do it- never more than 3x a week, and really only during summer and good weather. When my start time changed to 0600 I pretty much stopped. I rode in once. Leaving the house at 4AM is kind of a deal breaker.