How Many Miles can I Consistantly Bike Per Day?

Question

In April I am attending school. The School is about 13 miles from my home with a fair amount of large gradual hills. I have classes 3 times a week but don't have to arrive until 10 am. So I have plenty of light to ride in, I will need to bike from April until November if I decide to do this. I currently bike about 4 miles a week but have easily biked 10 miles a day plenty of times. I am a 27 yo female in decent shape, but am by no means an athlete. I feel like this is going to get exhausting and monotonous. Does anyone have EXperience with biking a lot everyday? Or with using a bike as their primary transportation? My car is broken and I want to see if I can live without it. Can I do it and not hate life and not have aching muscles all the time??

Answer 1

Can you do it? Yes 26 miles a day isn't a huge amount of riding. Even easier since you will be riding 13 miles at a time.



Ok let's face it the first week will be a challenge for you. It would be easier to determine your ride if the hills were better described. Hills can wear on you until you become fit and learn the technique. That said this isn't an insurmountable task. If you go up a hill you have to come back down and that's the fun part. (I don't commute but I do ride every day it's above 40 and no snow. My ride distance average for 2012 was 48 miles per ride)



Your equipment matters too. You need a decent bike to depend on every day. Nothing too serious but at least a good hybrid or flat bar road bike with a rack on the back to be able to carry what you need. A visit to the bike shop is in order. Talk in length and listen to them.



Consider weather too. Your bags (on your rack to carry stuff) have to be water proof -- I mean we don't know where you are but it rains everywhere at some point. You need cycling clothing and a change of clothing at your destination. You will need to stay warm on the bike in the cool months. You need a helmet and a water bottle for every hour of riding. Don't forget rain clothing for riding. These things need to be looked at and considered. You wont be riding in street clothes and if you don't have fenders -- consider them. Un-fendered tires sling water and grime all over you. Don't forget lighting. On public roads you should display front and rear (flashing LED's) lights in day light too. A rear view mirror is invaluable.



Try this first. On a day you don't have to be there that has good weather, get on your bike and try it. You should make it to school in an hour. Before long that time will drop. ( I mean I am 59, but have been riding literally all my life and could make it that distance in about 45 minutes at a relaxed pace.)

Answer 2

3 times a week? Entirely possible. We don't own a car (if necessary, I can get a bus/train into town and grab one from a car sharing scheme), and usually do everything by bike (or with public transport).



I work 5 days a week and have to go over a distance of roughly 10 miles, with ~200 meters (600 feet) of height difference between my workplace and home (downhill going to work, uphill on the way home). An acquintance from the local bike club only has three days of commute per week, but commutes ~30 miles (one way) over flat terrain.



During winter (i.e. now) I'm using a modified unsuspended MTB (finally built one myself from a good steel frame and the parts that accumulated and survived over the last few years), during summer (i.e. without risk of ice or salt on the roads) I ride a touring recumbent.



Exhausting? Just take it slow. The difference between pushing it and going leisurely is maybe 5 minutes on my daily ride.

Monotonous? Much less than in a car (or the train). Ok, on the bike I (usually - unless it's covered in ice like today) take the scenic route for most of the trip.

Hate life? Definitely not.

Aching muscles? No. Ok, sometimes - two times per year, for about a week or so, after I've switched between the two bikes. Recumbent uses other muscles as the MTB (and vice versa), especially in the neck (on the 'bent, I have to look 'down', on the MTB, I need to look 'up' in order to see the road).

Athletic? You wish... I could afford to lose 20 kilos, and I'm 20 years older than you are.

Answer 3

You should be able to get there in a hour or maybe a little longer. A road bike will be a lot faster and easier for that distance. I go out and get in 20 miles about everyday when the weather is nice. You have plenty of time to get out and train for that distance a hour a day will be plenty. I can do 13 miles in 45 min and that includes climbing some steep hills on purpose.



Get a good bike from a bike shop and put a rack on it. You can get folding steel baskets to mount on the rack or panniers.

Answer 4

Your going to burn yourself out if you don't start training. Trust me, if your biking and THEN attending school its going to be exhausting til you get used to it. You HAVE to eat right or you could actually hurt yourself. Eventually your muscles could become so sore that it hurts to bike so be real careful if you choose to do this, as you can't take sick time off from school.



If you can keep up 10 miles a day without being super tired then you could probably make it. What type of bike do you have? I took a mountain bike 42.2 miles in one day and let me tell you, with my speed, it would've helped A LOT to have a road bike. Those mean sons of guns can get you going to where you need to go fast, but at the cost of durability vs rocks, ect.



Can you do it? HELL YES. I like this big word called "determination" will you hate life? Depends on you. Aching muscles? If you can not push it too hard, maybe. But one time or another you're going to get aching muscles just like you'll eventually fall off a bike but you get back on it. You'll appriciate sleeping more.... Let me know how it goes, my ultimate goal is to ride 150 miles one day!

Answer 5

Distance seems a little much and if this is a year around school than i wouldnt recommend biking. The weather can be harsh. Ive biked 15 miles to school on a day and my tires were literally bubbling because of the hot road. If you do chose to bike to school, i would really gear up and also remember to give yourself 15 minutes for the class starts to rest and calm down. It is really difficult to exercise and then study when your heart is racing

Answer 6

you could do it

it would take a lot of time though

26 miles would be about 3 hours a day including dressing, changing, riding, bike maintenance

if you have anywhere else to go, i hope it;s on the way!

you won;t want to be doing any MORE riding, more than likely



question is, can you devote 3 hours of your day to transportation and still do a decent job at school?>





wle