"Long" commutes

[Frenchie]

Earlier in the month I started commuting short of 35 Mi a day; I'm sure someone will be coming here soon to say they do a lot more, but for me that seems a decent commute! This takes me between 55 and 65+ min. to cover each way. Even tired I manage it okay (sometimes on Autopilot I have to say), and enjoy the evening rides in particular; but I do feel tiredness building up, probably as a result of an early start, 6:45 too, and, for sure, the sudden increase in mileage (225 Mi last week). I try to feed myself better during the day and go to bed earlier. What I need to learn maybe is to pace myself and slow down a bit. On the moment, over less than an hour, I tend to push myself and/or maintain a good pace and I suspect this is what is affecting me. How do the other big commuters do? I'd like to hear about your experience and your tips, including for the autumn and winter months please! What about food and recovery?

[PrettyBoyTim]

I'm no expert on this stuff but surely that's going to require a fair bit of extra food to keep you going? Are you eating much more than usual?

[GruB]

Porridge for me in the morning.  Although with my special diet I am not one to talk really.
Listen to your body and take a chill pill on the way home sometimes.  I do.
Sometimes I fall alseep when Thursdays come, while sitting down in a chair at night.
I find coffee helps a lot. 

[pdm]

Yup, it is a decent commute and about as long as needed, though time is the main factor rather then distance, IMHO.
Although not a "BIG" commuter by the standards of some on here, I do 35 miles (55km) a day, climbing 2720 ft (830m)
Times vary between an all time best of 1h58 and 2h30, but usually clocking in at around 2h15 or so for the round trip. Times depend on time of week, energy levels, time of year, bike used, amount of carbo on board and, most important, wind direction and strength....
With a full days work as well, tiredness certainly does set in towards the end of the week.
I usually have a some breakfast (cerial or maize porridge), leave at 07:30, take along lots of fruit for elevenses, usually have a sandwich for lunch and a meal when I get home about 18:45.
Winter? Things tend to slow down a bit then. I would recommend a dynohub (I use Schmidt hubs) and a decent LED light with a spare battery LED light as backup, at least two rear LEDS. Very puncture resistant tyres are a good thing (it is hell fiddling with tyre levers in howling sleet in the Penines - I use Marathon+ and Marathon Supremes). For clothing, I use one, 2 or 3 layers depending on forecast temperatures choosing from a Merino base layer, winter training jacket and waterproof jacket (softshell or paclite). Leg warmers, water repellent bib longs and rainlegs over bib shorts as needed. Overshoes - for the very cold, I use two pairs, one neoprene and one lightweight waterproof. Headwear depends on mood and temperature as well. A buff or cap for cool months, plus a h*lmet with h*elmet cover for the very cold or wet. Gloves range from full finger Specialised body geometry though to Sealskinz to inner+outer winter gloves for the very cold though I find my hands don't get that cold usually.
Good luck and enjoy the ride! 

[Frenchie]

My ride is mainly flat with only about three "small" bumps into it, but the wind can be tough on part of the course especially in the morning. I ride my Pompino (69'' gear) with Dynamo hub but am thinking I may be getting something a bit more powerful (light) at the front. I plan two rear LEDs including a TL1000. I think I will need to get some more kit (base layers, better shoes and show cover, as well as another water repellent long) for the winter.

I am up at 6:10 and usually riding by 6:45 to be in the shower at work at 7:45 and at my desk for 8:00. It feels like a military operation. I typically leave work at 17:30 to 17:45 at the moment. It makes for long days come the end of the week. Maybe I should take it easy at the WE in terms of bike ride.

[iakobski]

I do about the same as you - I think it's a good distance, long enough to get a decent ride but short enough so it doesn't get to be a drag. If you throw yourself straight into five days a week, then your body will start to complain/fatigue by the later part of the week, and it's good to leave it to recover over the weekend. After a few weeks it just becomes normal and it's just part of the day, recovery not really needed unless you start pushing it (PBs, intervals, etc).

Through the winter, agree with pdm: decent tyres, hub dynamo, backup lights, lots of reflectives. Fixed is good too, from the reliability perspective. I don't go overboard with the clothing: good gloves goes without saying, but otherwise 1 hour is not really long enough to cause any problems. I have a good waterproof but wear it about once a year (handy to put on if stopped for a puncture). Otherwise I go to 3/4 lengths and double top if very cold. A foska winter top is too much unless below 2 degrees.

As for eating loads - I made the mistake when I started of thinking I could just eat what I wanted and actually put on weight! Now it's a cup of coffee before I leave @ 6:25 and an extra snack in the afternoon ready for the evening ride.

[vorsprung]

At the moment I just do a "normal" commute of 15 miles each way

But a couple of years ago I was working on the other side of Exmoor.  I couldn't do the bike ride every day, it took too long.  It was a 70 mile round trip, I'd leave just after 6am and get there at 8:45am usually.  The fastest ever time was coming back with a blazing tailwind in an hour and a half.

Food wise I remember making an extra breakfast of microwave porridge at work, eating whole malt loaves and stuff like that.

It was a splendid route though, my memories of this time include a big rainbow across the road.

I agree that marathon plus are the ideal commute tyre.  A bit slow and heavy but reliable

[clarion]

I wouldn't like to ride more than an hour each way, which for me means 20km in a city.  And that suits me very well.  I might go further out of town, but I'd have to up my speed to manage it.

Agree on the basics:  Safe storage both ends for the bike; p*nct*re resistant tyres; good lights (inc back up); basic tools inc replacement tubes & chain tool (honest!).  Consider carrying spare beake blocks if your commute is hilly.  Somewhere discreet to fettle the bike at work helps.

Oh - and be prepared to use another bike sometimes.  The mileage you're putting on your machine in crappy weather soon mounts up, and there's a chance it will be U/S once in a while.

For tyres, I would go for Panaracer Pasela Tourguard, but Marathon Plus are excellent too.

[Simon Galgut]

Pretty much the same as others have said. Commute 50 miles per day, every day. Mainly flat, but a few little hills.

I use an Amazon Rohloff with a SON hub, Marathon Supremes. Home built dynamo lighting system with LED backups. Various Carradice saddle bags on SQR and a bar bag if necessary. Totally reliable. Spare bike is a Singular Peregrine with gears and SQR - already fitted with Nokian Hakkapeliita studded tyres in winter.

I carry two tubes, patches, tyre boot, multi tool including chain tool and T20 torx, tyre levers and a spare piece of chain. Never needed any of it except a tube once per year.

Clothing to suit conditions from lightweight top to Assos gator (lower than -10 only ) Best peice of warm kit is a thinsulate lined 'Benny hat' - obviously no use if you insist on wearing a plastic hat. Specialized winter gloves for extreme cold, but normally Assos thermax in winter.

I don't eat at all in the morning (makes me feel sick), but carry a litre of PSP22. Again, don't eat within 3 hours of going home.

Normally pootle into work, always the same route, average about 17mph. Take various routes home and vary effort according to how the body feels. Fall asleep in front of the tv about 8:30pm - there's nothing good on anyway !

[clarion]

Gosh, that's a long way to ride on a regular basis without breakfast!  But hey - you're several thousand kilometres a year more experienced than me, so I'll stand back and be amazed.  As for me, I have breakfast - always coffee and either three slices of toast & honey, a bowl of cereal or, when I haven't been a lazy arse lying about in bed, porridge with honey.

[CommuteTooFar]

I have been commuting 16 miles each way since 2001 up from 11 miles before that.  My bike was perfect for the old commute but I would prefer drop handlebars on the current ride.  It was intended to be bomb proof. I tossed a coin and opted for Rohloff gears rather than fixed. An essential component of Winter commuting is no midweek maintenance. You leave and get home in the dark knackered.  This makes derailleur gears a no-no.  Similalrly you need brakes that work even when the weather is horrible. The pads on dual pivots or v-brakes will often fail to stop you or disolve completely in that special rain/sleet/mud mix.  I use Hope Mini hydraulic disc brakes. I use Conti Contacts year round, reliable. The commute has regualrly destroyed headset, bottom brackets, forks, seat posts, disc brakes, saddles,  as well as the more usual consumables.

In the winter I must vary my route.  Some sections would be lethal when ice is about so I need to use the 'bus' routes that are gritted. Even lanes which are okay on a club run at the weekend around 10am are ice tracks at 7.30. Overall I am fortunate I live in South Wales so the Winter is not normally very cold for long. It is wetter than Eastern England. Another Winter hazard is car driving is worse.  There are a lot of tired, angry drivers in steamed up boxes.

I am sad to stay I have put on weight and lost speed as time passed.  My eyes are definitely bigger than my belly now. Must have more discipline. The other undesirable problem is lack of appetite to do anything at the weekend.  In particular getting up early to do a November Audax on Satruday is impossible. You will really enjoy a lie in.
 

[clarion]

There's another side effect:  Watching the miles mount up on Bikejournal without having to worry about 'finding time to ride' is very gratifying

[Wendy]

I'm on a 43m round trip commute, so about the same sort of distance.  The main difference and the bit I struggle with is that I'm also doing a physical job at the other end (skate instructor), and look after our baby during the week daytime.  I find I really have to be careful to not ride hard, because if I cane it one day, I'm usually suffering for it for a week afterwards with extra sore muscles, and loads of tiredness.  Most of the time I'm simmering away in the edge of overtraining.

Things that work for me are:
Afternoon naps during the week.  My body likes 1.5hours at a time.  Luckily I'm in a position to be able to do this.
SiS ReGo (carb+protein recovery drink) when I get home at night.
Being careful to eat well and often.
Being careful with drinking enough.
SiS Go or PSP22 in a bottle on the way there and also on the way back.
Riding a fast recumbent - lazy riding reduces the amount of work I have to do a lot compared with my fixed.
Having Mondays and Fridays off, and working Tues/Weds/Thurs and the weekends.

[Dinamo]

I commute 14 miles each way from NE Bristol to SW Bristol. The route is well lit apart from track under M5. Using Cateye 500 front light running on rechargeables. Ride single speed Giant Bowery or Dawes Horizon if weather inclement !
The route is fairly flat with only one steep hill, although crossing the Avon Bridge can be tricky in high winds  .
In the early mornings (4:30)  a coffee and a couple of fig rolls normally power me along.

[Blah]

I've been doing a 32 mile round trip between Bath and Bristol for 3 years now. I've recently clocked that going slower makes for a not so tired Blah come the end of the week. Times vary between 45mins (on TT bike) to 1:10 (knackered headwind on fixer in the dark).

I find that I'm more knackered if I use the fixed 5 days in a row. I got a Ribble Audax recently which is absolutely brilliant. I try and stick to an average of 17mph (as opposed to 20mph) some of the time, especially if I feel that pushing it isn't feeling right. It's amazing how much less sleep you need if you're not caning it.

I usually get up at 6:30, if young Blah doesn't wake us up earlier and a quick cup of tea later on the bike around 7 to be at work just after 8. I 'cool down' in my lycra at my desk for a few minutes then a quick freshen up with a wet wipe*, some deo and work clothes - we don't have a shower at work. I've asked my colleagues to please be honest if any BO issues might crop up but haven't had any complaints yet.

In terms of food, banana with dorset cereal and extra nuts for breakfast when I arrive at work, normal lunch (although my colleagues seem to think the portions are on the large side  ), and sometimes a snack before setting off at 5. Again, going a bit slower means you need less food. I've found that even though I don't feel like I need to drink, if I take half a liter of water it reduces knackeredness.

* Wet wipe: This might be too much information, but I've found that my main issue is the nether region, chafing and saddle sores. Currently it's wet wipe, Assos chammy cream and using different bikes (with different saddles) some days of the week that seem to work for me.

Make sure you keep enjoying it, I particularly love cycling past big queues in the rain.

[Frenchie]

I use Conti Contacts on the Pompino.

I am a bit concerned about the coolest part of winter as I do use some country lanes, and know that I will get nervous if there is the risk of ice; I may need to stick to the busy road into/through town then. 

Yep, must remember to hang on when I feel fresh and the flat route is favourable; on fixed, keeping a high tempo means a high cadence and this could be what is tiring.

[clarion]

To keep it fresh, it's worth setting intermediate informal targets.

I try en route to:

Reach Tooting Bec within half an hour

Not drop below 20kph on Balham Hill, even if going from a standing start at the lights.

Exceed 40kph somewhere on the road

Hit 30kph in the last short straight.

Not impressive for most riders, but enough to keep me active & interested (& keeping pedalling).

Depending on your environment, it's also fun counting the bikes you pass/are passed by.

[TheLurker]

<snip>
I am a bit concerned about the coolest part of winter as I do use some country lanes, and know that I will get nervous if there is the risk of ice; I may need to stick to the busy road into/through town then.  

Yeah, you will need an alternative gritted/busy* route.  My preferred route has 10 miles of unclassified then 4 on the A417.  You'll usually be OK if the weather's dry - obviously; Dec. last year was amazingly good - sub zero temps but bone dry roads. Which might be why I got suckered into the preferred route resulting in a pratfall and hike back in Jan.

You might also have to think about setting off a bit later some mornings give the roads a chance to thaw.

*Busy helps if it's been frosty but not icy, the ICE types clear the frost off for you.  

[TheLurker]

<snip>
An essential component of Winter commuting is no midweek maintenance. You leave and get home in the dark knackered.  This makes derailleur gears a no-no.  Similalrly you need brakes that work even when the weather is horrible. The pads on dual pivots or v-brakes will often fail to stop you or disolve completely in that special rain/sleet/mud mix.
</snip> 

Are the roads around your neck of the woods particularly crap covered and/or hilly?

My cranky old grid is fitted with Tiagra 9 spd and tektra dual pivot brakes and I use it year round on a 28 mile (plus whatever can be fitted in at lunchtime) round trip and have had no probs. stopping nor any need for midweek maintenance.

[Blah]

Yep, must remember to hang on when I feel fresh and the flat route is favourable; on fixed, keeping a high tempo means a high cadence and this could be what is tiring.

I personally find a spinny gear less tiring, but horses for courses I suspect. I use 65", but part of that is living on top of gert big hill in Bath.

I know this is heresy for you but might I suggest a geared bike. It means you can find that 'sweet spot' gear that has you effortlessly spinning along whatever the wind or your energy levels are doing.

[clarion]

True.  'Friday gears' are a recognised phenomenon.

[rae]

I used to do Maidenhead <-> London, 32miles each way.   Some thoughts:

1) It does knock the stuffing out of you.   I wasn't much use at work on Friday when I was doing it every day. 

2) On reliability - I just had two bikes.  If one broke, I used the other until the weekend.

3) You need bail out points - I had 4, and approaching each one I did a mental and physical check before going on.   Some mornings it just mentally doesn't work. 

4) Winter is grim.  I've done 32 miles in the dark, and while I learnt to deal with the cold, it was never fun.  For 15 you're probably fine, but you're verging on the point where a daily commute is more of a mental battle than a physical one in the winter.

5) I couldn't do breakfast either.   In the mornings I hopped on the bike with a litre of squash, then had a proper breakfast at work.   In the evenings, I ate well.  If I was hungry at any time, I just ate. 

[pdm]

One thing I have forgotten to mention and others have intimated is that you do need to set up a bike bits budget to cope with wear and tear induced by this sort of annual mileage....
I find than I get through a couple of chains, a cassette and a tyre as a minimum every year. I tend to renew the cassette in the spring and then ride it and the last chain to death in the wet and salt of the following winter. Pedal bearings, chainring, a wheel and brake/gear cables every other year. Bottom bracket and headset every 3-4 years or so.
My "winter" commuter (VN Amazon) has ceramic rims and matching blocks which resist wear very well but I suspect the long term outlay would not be much different given the larger initial expense of ceramic rims versus more frequent replacement for standard rims. Standard rims lasted 2-3 years.
I think I will take a leaf out of Simon's book and get a Rohloff next time.
Ice and snow - they slow me down but have not yet prevented the commute. Outright snow is fun and those days are some of the few when I am often the only person to make it in to work without too much delay. Ice on dirt is no problem. Black ice on tarmac is, however, and all you can do is try to read the road and attempt to avoid it. I have considered getting a hardtail MTB with studded tyres but cannot justify the expense for the very few days it would be needed.

[clarion]

One thing I have forgotten to mention and others have intimated is that you do need to set up a bike bits budget to cope with wear and tear induced by this sort of annual mileage....
I find than I get through a couple of chains, a cassette and a tyre as a minimum every year. I tend to renew the cassette in the spring and then ride it and the last chain to death in the wet and salt of the following winter. Pedal bearings, chainring, a wheel and brake/gear cables every other year. Bottom bracket and headset every 3-4 years or so.

Very prudent.  I wish my cashflow were organised enough for me to be so organised.

I think I will take a leaf out of Simon's book and get a Rohloff next time.

I have been thinking about this one, and I like the idea of minimising the gubbins exposed to the elements.   I intend to set my commuter up so that I can run two rear wheels by choice: Fixed (or S3X) and Rohloff/SRAM iMotion 9.  My only issue is that I remember the 3x7 I had borrowed last January not changing in the worst of the cold.  Although I never had that problem with my Sachs 2x6 orbit...

[CommuteTooFar]

<snip>
An essential component of Winter commuting is no midweek maintenance. You leave and get home in the dark knackered.  This makes derailleur gears a no-no.  Similalrly you need brakes that work even when the weather is horrible. The pads on dual pivots or v-brakes will often fail to stop you or disolve completely in that special rain/sleet/mud mix.
</snip> 

Are the roads around your neck of the woods particularly crap covered and/or hilly?

My cranky old grid is fitted with Tiagra 9 spd and tektra dual pivot brakes and I use it year round on a 28 mile (plus whatever can be fitted in at lunchtime) round trip and have had no probs. stopping nor any need for midweek maintenance.

Not always mucky. Mostly poorly maintained A roads.  Occasionally water will run off a field bringing god knows what with it.  There are the occasional blocked drains. First thing in the morning the council or whoever has not had time to fix the fixable problems.

Not particularly hilly. If I rode back and fore to get to 100km it would have half an Audax AAA point. Occasionally I pass people pushing bikes up the two biggest hills. They are not that big or rough.

You are going out mid day. 28 miles is a lot more pleasant then than 16 miles at 7.30.  As I pointed out in the earlier post.  7.30 is not the same as 10.30.  You are going out in the most benign time of the day. You can see any fault with your bike.  I suspect you may not always go out every lunchtime. High wind, heavy rain (even without flooding), a touch of the sniffles. None of these can be allowed to stop a commute. If you see something wrong with your bike you will fix it and have a shorter ride.  The commuter can not see the fault in the black shed and does not have any time to fix it.  If the problem is more major you can get to the LBS in opening hours. Even basic maintenance such as oiling the chain and topping up the pressure in a tyre do not happen during a Winter commute time. That is for the weekend, unless your doing something else, even I have a life.
  
My old commute used to start down a 1 in 11 hill that ended at a T Junction with a busy road. This was great fun zipping down the s bends but sometimes an unexpected car waiting to turn onto the main road appears suddenly and braking is needed immediately.  The degree of stopping I get with rim brakes is unknown. It is the first time I would of touched them since I started out.  Will I stop or plough into the back of the car? I find the behaviour of rim brakes in cold icy rain very variable.  Hydraulic Disc brakes just work.