Commuting

[HerdingCats]

Well considered article on commuting: Rage Against Your Machine. It captures the satisfaction and joy of a commute to work, balanced by the dangers of sharing the road with motorists.

I look forward to my commute each day - training, clears the mind, often beats the drive: what's not to like?

... apart from dangerous road users ...

 

[jathanas]

Well considered article on commuting: Rage Against Your Machine. It captures the satisfaction and joy of a commute to work, balanced by the dangers of sharing the road with motorists.

I look forward to my commute each day - training, clears the mind, often beats the drive: what's not to like?

... apart from dangerous road users ...

My commute can be hard training, or just one of those meditative rides that are good for your soul. I got collected by a car one morning last year on the Kew Boulevard, the damage: a written off Pinarello Prince, & a separated AC joint.

Things were very tentative for a few months but I'm glad I worked to regain my confidence sharing the road, life is better when I can ride to work.

 

[Science]

i sold my car, prefering to ride to work every day.
Out here, there are a few nice gravely roads i can opt to take, as well as a rail accses track and tarmac roads.
If i'm adventurous, there is a mountain climb i can do with a nice decent on single trail.
I doubt i'll bother with a car again any more.

At minimum, my ride to work is 18km. I can stretch it out to nearly 50km if i detour through the state forest

 

[pistonbroke]

i sold my car, prefering to ride to work every day.
Out here, there are a few nice gravely roads i can opt to take, as well as a rail accses track and tarmac roads.
If i'm adventurous, there is a mountain climb i can do with a nice decent on single trail.
I doubt i'll bother with a car again any more.

At minimum, my ride to work is 18km. I can stretch it out to nearly 50km if i detour through the state forest

Wow, where is that?

 

[Science]

i live in Bunyip, Vic, and ride to work in Nar Nar Goon, sometimes Via the bunyip state forest.
climb and downhill are at Mt Cannable, halfway to work.

 

[Benizmo]

My commute is a grand total of about 2.5k, with no red lights I can make it in 5mins flat door to door. I am glad it is no further, you see a lot of stupid stuff in that short time, both from other cyclists and motorists. As I waited at a stop sign on Monday a car went straight through the stop sign coming the other way, took out a car traveling through at about 60kph, straight t bone which started pushing the car straight towards me! Lucky it stopped about 1m from me! But still felt like a close call.

I have ridden almost daily for the last 8 years, I could never go back to driving or public transport. Riding is a great release to being in an office all day. So long as you ride smart in traffic.

 

[al_]

Riding to work has been the only thing that has kept me sane over the last year and a bit.

My commute now is right across the city from Carlton to St Kilda, and I've been surprised by how well behaved traffic has been. That said, I've had two incidents in the last couple of weeks, after eight uneventful months on this route.

It is significantly quicker than driving or public transport which is a bonus. Bike commuters seem particularly irritating though... the bike snob sums it up nicely.

Granted, this shoal is a magnificent and edifying display of New York City's cycling diversity, stretching out into the intersection like Tibetan prayer flags of bike-dorkiness. However, while waiting for anything else--an ATM, a movie ticket, a same-sex toilet--the unwritten rules of humanity to which most of us adhere would dictate that the most recently-arrived human would duly take his or her place at the rear of the queue. This is an age-old concept that has served us well. However, for some reason people feel it is acceptable to completely invert this concept when bicycles are involved, and to me this indicates an inherent and fundamental wrong-headedness among cyclists that we would do well to address.

 

[Marx]

I commute on a Jamis Exile (singlespeed 40/16) running slicks – Schwalbe Kojaks.
I try to dodge the roads & stick to shared paths /tracks to make my commute as far from the maddening car traffic as possible.
Even though I live 10kms from work as the crow flies, my commute is approx 20-38kms depending on the route.

Nowadays I feel wrong if my legs don’t turn a crank at least once per day – which is how it is suppose to be I reckon….. Eat, sleep, shyt & ride everyday.

 

[Binaural]

I love commuting. Getting up early on a crisp morning and riding to work just sets my day off on the right foot. Plus, I feel more inclined to stop and check things out, or explore a little. Mine's 17km each way at the moment, but I wouldn't mind if it were longer.

 

[Fifteen.Hundred]

I've been commuting on average 2-3 days per week to and from work during "summer" (i use that term loosely) 19km each way and i really enjoy it. I would like to do it more regularly but I seem to chicken out when there is a chance of rain and take the car instead. I Might have to HTFU!

 

[tomacropod]

My commute has just grown from 2km to 44km each way - about 40% dirt. It's a great way to use up the hours in the day I would otherwise waste surfing the net, playing xbox or drinking beer, and it means I can eat whatever I like.

It's also a great time in which to practice making animal noises.

- Joel

 

[Lorday]

I've been commuting on average 2-3 days per week to and from work during "summer" (i use that term loosely) 19km each way and i really enjoy it. I would like to do it more regularly but I seem to chicken out when there is a chance of rain and take the car instead. I Might have to HTFU!

Do what I did, buy GOOD/expensive waterproof cycling clothing.
Also REWARD yourself (i.e bike parts, more water proof clothing).

My work route is 7.4km each way. Lights and roundabouts EVERYWHERE - excellent.
Want to start commuting from NW sydney to UNSW ~48-50km each way. ATM I combine riding with public transport but I'd LOVE to commute both ways everyday.

 

[.stu.]

Just moved house and started to commute again after a couple of years driving. Loving it. Only 3 times each week, due to the need to take clothes etc. 27km each way, quite a bit on separated bike path but some in amongst traffic, just enough to keep me on my toes.

 

[thelankyman]

I commute 15km each way basically every day of the year and I love it. I racked up nearly 10,000km last year most doing commuting and it means that even when I have not ridden off road in a while I can get back into it easily cos I have the fitness

It clears my head, give me fitness, it is faster than PT and I dont have to worry about congestion like cars. It is up to me how long it takes depending on how hard I push it and I dont have to leave at a certain time to beat the traffic. That said there is no way it is cheaper with the amount of food I eat.

I believe in bike commuting so much I now have a job at Yarra City Council building bike lanes, though it did kinda help that they offered me more money.

Cyclist can be there worst enemy. I see so many more cyclist than car drivers breaking the law and endangering themselves in the traffic. Be sensible and you avoid much of the risk. I have been riding 5 years in two countries and have not needed hosptital yet. If I had a bullet for every fixie rider I saw......

 

[crank1979]

I try to commute 3 days a week, approximately 60km each way. If I ride the singlespeed I go straight down the highway and it's 50km each way. On the road bike I've got five options to get home, all between 58-62km. Last Fridays route was really good but I don't go past the bike shop and I like to stop in for a quick chat. Morning rides into work are pretty easy, afternoons heading home not so much. But that's why I try and mix it up a bit on the way home.

There is a definite point where the nature of the motorist seems to change on the way to work. About half way in they go from being very considerate country drivers (e.g. moving into the next lane to give me room on the shoulder) to becoming aggressive city style drivers. On the various routes home I get a good mix of drivers all the way home.

 

[scblack]

M4 Riders?

Who else commutes on the M4 in Sydney?

Since the M2 is offlimits for the road widening works, I now have to brave the M4. Have done so for about 2 months now. I have not seen ONE other bike in that time.

I commute from Baulkham Hills to Circular Quay once a week, its approx. 35km each way. Takes about an hour. Less than an hour on the way to work, a bit over the hour home.

 

[jayjay3032]

I've only got a short ride mostly on shared paths. about 25mins (not sure of the distance).
I just pin it as hard as I can and try and beat all the roadies. Also try and keep it in the big ring all the way which is not much of a challenge anymore. I need to find a varied route

 

[nicknopants]

I'm about to buy a house about 28km from my work (as opposed to the 14.5km now).

I'm think I can stretch it out to around 35-40km each way by taking a much nicer and bike friendlier way.

Really good to hear that some people are commuting similar, and even further, distances. I'm keen to sell the car and ride everywhere once I get settled into the new house.

 

[Binaural]

Who else commutes on the M4 in Sydney?

Since the M2 is offlimits for the road widening works, I now have to brave the M4. Have done so for about 2 months now. I have not seen ONE other bike in that time.

I commute from Baulkham Hills to Circular Quay once a week, its approx. 35km each way. Takes about an hour. Less than an hour on the way to work, a bit over the hour home.

I travel in that general axis, but I go along a different path, going through canada bay and so forth. I see lots of riders on that route, probably because the M4 is not nearly as nice as the M5 used to be for riders. There are great flocks of riders going out of the city in the afternoon along Lilfield road!

 

[struggles]

I commute to work most days. Shortest to work is 13kms longest is about 40km. I normally ride the short way home. Some Fridays i do a longer 60km ride home with about 25km on dirt.

Its good to finish the week off with a ride through the bush then down past the beach.