[InfiniteLoop]

I'd be curious to know (and I'd guess others on here would like to know as well), for many of your routine local trips, what the time difference is between driving and cycling. Here are some of my recent measurements (distance & time are in each direction).

Home > Brueggers Bagels, 4 miles, Car = 6 minutes, Bike = 11 minutes (3 intersections, 2 miles on 50 mph road, bike paths entire distance, flat)

Home > Grocery, .9 mile, Car = 4.5 mins, Bike = 5 mins (all 30 mph roads, several intersections, no bike paths, 3 minor hills)

Home > Caribou, 2.4 miles, Car = 4 mins, Bike = 7 mins (2 intersections, 45 mph road, bike path entire distance, flat)

 

[Jay Strongbow]

I'd be curious to know (and I'd guess others on here would like to know as well), for many of your routine local trips, what the time difference is between driving and cycling. Here are some of my recent measurements (distance & time are in each direction).

Home > Brueggers Bagels, 4 miles, Car = 6 minutes, Bike = 11 minutes (3 intersections, 2 miles on 50 mph road, bike paths entire distance, flat)

Home > Grocery, .9 mile, Car = 4.5 mins, Bike = 5 mins (all 30 mph roads, several intersections, no bike paths, 3 minor hills)

Home > Caribou, 2.4 miles, Car = 4 mins, Bike = 7 mins (2 intersections, 45 mph road, bike path entire distance, flat)

yeah, I'm dying to know how long it takes a stranger on the internet to get to Brueggers Bagels.

 

[foto]

I'd be curious to know (and I'd guess others on here would like to know as well), for many of your routine local trips, what the time difference is between driving and cycling. Here are some of my recent measurements (distance & time are in each direction).

Home > Brueggers Bagels, 4 miles, Car = 6 minutes, Bike = 11 minutes (3 intersections, 2 miles on 50 mph road, bike paths entire distance, flat)

Home > Grocery, .9 mile, Car = 4.5 mins, Bike = 5 mins (all 30 mph roads, several intersections, no bike paths, 3 minor hills)

Home > Caribou, 2.4 miles, Car = 4 mins, Bike = 7 mins (2 intersections, 45 mph road, bike path entire distance, flat)

Brueggers Bagels? Now I am positive you've never lived in NYC.

 

[BostonG]

Brueggers Bagels? Now I am positive you've never lived in NYC.

I grew up in Bklyn and eat Brueggers Bagels so your theory holds no water! And...Oh yeah, I hate Breuggers Bagels and am horribly dissapointed in New England bagelries in general. And their pizza.

I guess we have good chowdaaahhh but it is a very poor consolation, especially for someone that doesn't really appreciate chowdaaahhh (i.e. me). Gimmee NY bagels any...day...of...da...week.

 

[foto]

I grew up in Bklyn and eat Brueggers Bagels so your theory holds no water! And...Oh yeah, I hate Breuggers Bagels and am horribly dissapointed in New England bagelries in general. And their pizza.

I guess we have good chowdaaahhh but it is a very poor consolation, especially for someone that doesn't really appreciate chowdaaahhh (i.e. me). Gimmee NY bagels any...day...of...da...week.

He said in a different thread he lives in NYC.

 

[Bill2]

I thought he said he had a flat there and London. Maybe he never goes there, just owns a flat?

 

[BostonG]

He said in a different thread he lives in NYC.

Ahhh, I see.

Wait...there are Breuggers places in NYC? That's as ridiculous as having a Domino's.

And if he does live in NYC, why is he going 4 miles for anything? None of this makes any sense! My head hurts.

 

[Zeet]

It's almost always a healthier and more economical choice to ride within a 6-mile radius anywhere, except for where there are hellacious hills to climb.

That's only because I really do hate steep hills!

* No college student should drive anywhere, if living on or near campus. A simple single speed should suffice in most cases.

 

[foto]

Ahhh, I see.

Wait...there are Breuggers places in NYC? That's as ridiculous as having a Domino's.

And if he does live in NYC, why is he going 4 miles for anything? None of this makes any sense! My head hurts.

Something's not adding up with this guy, that's for sure.

I don't live in NYC currently, the only way I will eat the bagels I get in Seattle is if it is pan fried in butter, smoothered in peanut butter, and there is no other bread in the house.

 

[JCavilia]

You ride 2.4 miles in 7 minutes, and 4 miles in 11 minutes, with intersections? That's 21-22 mph average. Considering stops or slowing for traffic, that's blasting at race pace the whole way. I couldn't do that, and it would be a sweaty trip if I could, not a running-errands-in-regular-clothes ride.

 

[foto]

I thought he said he had a flat there and London. Maybe he never goes there, just owns a flat?

That's a possibility. I guess this means owning an Asian car makes me an expert on China! Who knew?

To any of you curious about China, feel free to ask me anything , or about Asia in general, why not.

 

[InfiniteLoop]

He said in a different thread he lives in NYC.

I said that? Can you give me a link to the post?

 

[foto]

I said that? Can you give me a link to the post?

no...

 

[Sisophous]

I use the 1.67 Rule and it works most of the time. If a car takes so many minutes to reach a destination then multiply it by 1.67 and it will tell me how long it takes to bike that route.

30 minute car ride x 1.67 = 50 minutes bike ride

Of course it varies on routes, but I live in the suburbs and it seems to be a fairly accurate system. The cycling time is real time, not computer lap time so it takes into consideration stops at lights in congested intersections where I have to wait.

 

[InfiniteLoop]

I use the 1.67 Rule ...

Excellent. Does this seem to work for shorter and longer trips?

 

[Carverbiker]

I try to make as many as possible by bike. I put a powertap on my commuter bike to account for the TSS of the rides that way I can combine errands and training. That said, I am far better at doing it during spring and fall when rides are more base oriented for me. The extra drag of panniers and 20-25 lbs of stuff can add alot of extra watts!

 

[Sisophous]

Excellent. Does this seem to work for shorter and longer trips?

Actually only up to 10 miles, much longer distances would be inaccurate, especially if a car is taking the highway some distances. And it is only a guide but surprisingly seems to be almost accurate to the minute, at least for me and I ride briskly on these short rides. Try it out yourself if you ride in the suburbs. See what you come up with.

 

[Bill2]

You ride 2.4 miles in 7 minutes, and 4 miles in 11 minutes, with intersections? That's 21-22 mph average. Considering stops or slowing for traffic, that's blasting at race pace the whole way. I couldn't do that, and it would be a sweaty trip if I could, not a running-errands-in-regular-clothes ride.

It's the bagels and Starbuck's frappuccino- like rocket fuel. Also reduced weight and wind-resistance of riding helmetless.

 

[InfiniteLoop]

The extra drag of panniers and 20-25 lbs of stuff can add alot of extra watts!

Hah!

My wife sent me to get some pop this morning. Six 12-packs. They had to have been 10 pounds each. A power meter on my cargo bike would be fun, I'm statistically jealous.

 

[InfiniteLoop]

Actually only up to 10 miles, ...

I tried this with what stats I currently have and wasn't very successful. The differences are all over the map. One route has ranged from being about .8 of driving to 3x as long depending on circumstances. Overall though it does seem to be very distance sensitive, per your comment, with shorter commutes less than or even with driving and then the multiplier increasing as commute distance increases. I'm curious about major cities though. It seems that even fairly long errand runs in NYC and London are faster on a bike, though haven't yet measured much.