[Krafcik]

Ok, I live 12 miles from work right now and I drive. It takes me 30-45 mins. I will be commutting on a bike and I think it should take me about the same amout of time. My question to you is how far do you commute, and what is the time on the bike vs the car.

Also I should have asked, what do you use as a commutter? I'm considering the Bianchi San Jose (thoughts on this choice are welcomed).

Thanks!

 

[Trevor Ash]

9 mile commute.

28-35 minutes by bike (depends on wind/my energy level)
20-40 minutes by car (all depends on time of day)

 

[bigbill]

13 miles each way. 25 minutes by car in the morning, 45 minutes by bike. An hour or more in the afternoon by car due to traffic, 45 minutes by bike.

 

[NeedhamDave]

avg 12-15mph

The most direct commute route for me is 10.7 miles which I can do in about 45-50 minutes depending on traffic, etc. There is another 14-mile route I can do in an hour that involves less urban warfare. I'm commuting from Westwood, MA to downtown Boston on a fixed gear bike.

Another option I found recently is to ride my bike about 3.5 miles to a train station (15 minutes) where there is a fast train (15 minutes) to downtown. That option is the fastest way to get to work and it is a short enough ride that I don't sweat, so there is no change/shower time on either end; I'm in street clothes already.

Another option is to walk .7 miles to a train. That's the typical winter option. But walk + train = about 45 minutes.

Driving takes about 30-45 minutes or more and is unpredictible due to traffic.

 

[HillMan]

12.5 mile commute

12.5 each way. Mostly down hill on the way to work- 20-25 minutes by car, 30-35 minutes by bike.

On the way home: 30-35 minutes by car, 40-45 minutes by bike.

Being able to ride past all the cars waiting at the stop lights makes a big difference in commute time. Even though I do make it to work faster on the rare occasion I drive the car, I seems like it takes longer since I have to wait in line with the rest of the cars.

There are some who will say that it is stupid/illegal/immoral to pass cars on the right. I am not sure about the illegal part (I frequently pass police cruisers at stop lights), but if I didn't pass the cars it would take me at least 15 minutes longer to get to work.

 

[Mr. Versatile]

My commute is 16 mi. one way. Takes 25 min. by car vs 40-50 min by bike. Times vary because of wind weather and how pi$$ed off I am after spending a day at work.

 

[Sledgehammer03]

I ride 2 or 3 time a week.

Drive is 12 miles takes about 20-30 minutes, home can be 15-45 (cause I take the freeway). The bike ride is 17 miles, I follow the MUT all but the last 1.2 miles, takes 65-75 minutes either way.

I don't have a time savings, I don't have a cost savings, but I sure love riding. I go as hard as I can, all the time, then take a bird bath in the sink and change into work clothes. When I do drive, I alway bring in another set of clothes and take the used 1's home.

 

[fbagatelleblack]

Ok, I live 12 miles from work right now and I drive. It takes me 30-45 mins. I will be commutting on a bike and I think it should take me about the same amout of time. My question to you is how far do you commute, and what is the time on the bike vs the car.

Also I should have asked, what do you use as a commutter? I'm considering the Bianchi San Jose (thoughts on this choice are welcomed).

Thanks!

Sounds like you are in a good situation for bike commuting. You obviously are dealing with traffic, so the manuverability of a bicycle and it's ability to slide between cars might come in handy.

When I lived in Cambridge, MA, I could ALWAYS get around the Cambridge/Boston area faster on a bike than in a car. Congestion works in a cyclist's favor. BUT BE CAREFUL because congestion makes for a dangerous cycling environment.

RE: the Bianchi San Jose, check out the recent article in the "Rivendell Reader" about setting a San Jose up in a BOBish manner, which could take this very nice bike and make it a bit more practical in terms of commuting.

- FBB

 

[Krafcik]

RE: the Bianchi San Jose, check out the recent article in the "Rivendell Reader" about setting a San Jose up in a BOBish manner, which could take this very nice bike and make it a bit more practical in terms of commuting.

- FBB

where do i get that article? what is the BOBish manner?

 

[brock]

14 miles. 45-55 minutes on the bike (lot's of lights and stops), 25-55 minutes in the car (easy ride in, ride home can vary, usually a lot of late in the week afternoon traffic). In Oregon, it's legal to pass stopped or slow moving cars on the right (and I use a lot of bike lanes) so that cuts the time quite a bit.

Sounds like you've got a great commute for the bike. Don't forget to wave to the folks in their little cages, stuck in traffic as you pass.

 

[MarkS]

My options

My comute is 14.5 miles each way by bike; about 16 miles by car; or 3 miles by car and 15 miles by subway.

Here are average times:

Bike: 55 minutes in the morning; 60 minutes on the way home (there is a 400 foot elevation gain between my office and home; also the prevailing winds are in my face on the way home).

Car: 25 minutes where there is no traffic (like in the middle of the night); 35-60 minutes during normal commuting times.

Subway: 40 minutes (from the door to my house, driving to the subway station, to my desk).

 

[jh_on_the_cape]

Also look at the bianchi castro valley. 8 speed, fenders, and dyno light.

My commute is 8 or 9 miles. about 15 minutes in a car. 40 minutes by bike. so an extra hour out my day, including getting dressed, etc. but i get an hour and a half of cycling. lttle traffic, one stop light the whole way.

i dont commute everyday by bike because a few days a week i have to drop my one year old off at a babysitter so i need to drive.

if you have not commuted by bike before, take it easy and start with one day a week and work up to more and more days a week.

the BOBish thing is a style of bike that some people swear by. it looks retro and bohemian but often costs a ton of money which i find very odd.

 

[fbagatelleblack]

where do i get that article?

Contact Rivendell:

http://www.rivbike.com/

Tell them you are trying to get a copy of the Rivendell Reader with the articles on the San Jose. I'm sure they can accomodate you, but there might be a financial transaction involved. If they tell you you need to become a member for $20/year, I recommend doing it. You get a subscription to the Reader, which is worth the $20 on its own, and you get a $5 discount on anything you buy from the Rivendell Webalog, which will be worth $20 in short order.

what is the BOBish manner?

Oops! Sorry to be cryptic, there. BOB stands for "Bridgestone Owner's Bunch." This was a group of Bridgestone owners back in the 90s who shared a passion for the design philosophy of Bridgestone bicycles. In a (highly inaccurate) nutshell, a BOBish bike is a lugged, steel frame built for practical transportation more than racing.

Grant Petersen and other ex-Bridgestone employees went on to found Rivendell after Bridgestone shut the doors on their bicycle operation in 1994. Peruse the Rivendell website (see above) for more on "the Bridgestone/Rivendell design philosophy."

You can also check out the "Internet-BOB" section at http://www.bikelist.org/ to hear the rantings of the faithful (and I mean "rantings" in only the most complimentary of manners... )

Yours,

Forbes

 

[mass_biker]

Car vs. Train vs. Bike

I live in Cambridge MA and commute to downtown Boston.

Car - at least 25+ minutes in rush hour traffic...and factor in $25/day parking!

Train (subway) - 7 minute walk to station, 15-20 minute subway ride, 7+ minute walk to the office.

Bike - 20+ minutes riding quite slowly...that's door to door.

I wear work clothes (a suit) on my commuter bike which makes for a slow and steady commute, but also makes for zero time wasted doing wardrobe changes at either end. If it's raining when I'm leaving for work, I'll wimp out and take the subway....although with my recent purchase of a rain poncho, perhaps I'll be inspired to brave the elements.

M_B

 

[commutenow]

Rivendell

Also you can see one at the Harric B icycle web site. They sell one and they have made the changes already it cost a little more.

 

[buck-50]

My commute in Madison, WI is 30 minutes by car, 15 miles. At night, coming home, I usually end up getting stuck in some nasty traffic on the beltline, so it's more like 45-50 minutes coming home.

It's 1 hour by bike, 17 miles. Either way, it's the same time. no traffic jams.

I will say that even on days like today when I swear I had a headwind the entire way in to work, I still have a smile on my face most of the way. And coming home, not being stuck in traffic makes even the worst day of riding home feel allright.

 

[nate]

28 miles each way by bike, maybe slightly farther by car.

Morning:
50min by car
1hr40min by bike

Evening
1hr10min by car (or more sometimes)
1hr50min or more by bike

All times approximate.

 

[bigrider]

11 miles each way

20-25 minutes by car
35-40 minutes by bike

 

[Krafcik]

I'm really shocked

For some reason, I expected to see more people getting to and from work quicker on bike then in the cage. Since traffic is not an issue.

 

[Geet]

About 10 miles each way. I ride a Cannondale XR1000 (Cyclocross Disc)

To work:
Car: 25 to 40 min. Depends on traffic and ability to find parking.
Bike 40 mins
Home:
Car: 35 to 40 mins
Bike: 45 to 50 mins. More hills to climb and slightly more akward route.