100 mile a day commute?

[karlt]

IME, even the eventual sub 20 miles each way is more than a no brainer. This isn't simply a matter of how far/ fast you can ride a bike: they are relatively minor factors; it's more about the time involved on the same route day after day. Particularly in winter, when rain seems to multiply the punctures and salt grinds away at everything else, there's also quite a commitment to maintenance and a bit like feeding the horses before you do anything else, unless you sort everything for your bike immediately, you'll end up forgetting it till it's time to wheel it out.

It's almost 20 years since I retired but until I did so I was a keen and regular commuter by bike. There's loads to be said for it, not least the way that after the first few pedal turns on the way home, the cares of the day disappear but there's a limit. I'm not so daft as to say that 20 miles each way daily is impossible, just that it's not a no-brainer. From the few people I know who have tried something like that long-term, rather than just for a week or two, it becomes to be less about cycling and more a search for ways to get round it eg sleeping overnight at a friend's house, making an exception and catching a train, which becomes less of an exception and more the rule.

This in absolute spades. Mine is 14 miles each way, relatively hilly (can't do less than 600' ascent inwards, 800' homewards). Especially during the winter I tend to take the train for most of it, leaving a total of 10 miles to ride at each end of each train. The full 30 takes a toll. You wake up not wanting to do it. You don't get out at the weekends for leisure rides because you're sick of the sight of the thing. Sick of the same roads over and over again. Rotten choice of the same bloody roads or a more interesting route that might be over 1000' of climbing over the same distance or more.

The irony. I got into cycling again to do this commute, and it's the thing most likely to make me give up.

As regards the proposed 100 mile a day commute? Stark staring bonkers, unless you're some kind of super-athlete, frankly.

[[XAP]Bob]

Don't tote a charger to work - buy two...

The potential to move 'within 20 miles' implies anywhere from 15-20 to me.
30 miles a day is doable, and potentially not particularly bad (depending how much you have to/want to carry)
20 miles each way is still doable - if you can ride evens, and don't need to carry anything, it's an hour's commute (which has considered the upper limit for any form of transport - quicker forms of transport have generally increased commuting range, rather than shortened time)

You just need an office that can accommodate it well...

[The utility cyclist]

This in absolute spades. Mine is 14 miles each way, relatively hilly (can't do less than 600' ascent inwards, 800' homewards). Especially during the winter I tend to take the train for most of it, leaving a total of 10 miles to ride at each end of each train. The full 30 takes a toll. You wake up not wanting to do it. You don't get out at the weekends for leisure rides because you're sick of the sight of the thing. Sick of the same roads over and over again. Rotten choice of the same bloody roads or a more interesting route that might be over 1000' of climbing over the same distance or more.

The irony. I got into cycling again to do this commute, and it's the thing most likely to make me give up.

As regards the proposed 100 mile a day commute? Stark staring bonkers, unless you're some kind of super-athlete, frankly.

The basic 20 mile route I looked at if driving 30 and cycling 20 to circa outskirts of guildford worked out at about 950' (though 140'more descent) with 3 gradients over 10%, on the way home one 10% and one 15% for 1100' ascent. Even that 20 each way isn't easy by any stretch not with traffic and whatever weather can throw at you.
20 miles each way, 10-15 years ago, maybe, but not now, as much the standard of driving than the actual distance, but agree, 50 each way, I'm sure the OP has come to their senses

[andrewk]

I think that 100 miles per day is way too far for an ebike...they are restricted to 15.5mph, above that the assist switches off and one is left with a heavy bike. 15.5 mph is just too slow for the daily commute you envisage, ditto mopeds which are restricted to 28mph (and are not designed to do high milages).
An electric car would also be useless as it will be caught in traffic jams.
IMO the best solution is a motorbike or scooter. Basically 2 options: an old cheap but good quality 125, pros: cheap, v. low fuel consumption, cons: what you save on fuel you'll spend on maintenance (typically 3000 mile service intervals) unless you DIY.
2nd option: a bigger bike, (say a 250 / 300), still fuel efficient but better able to absorb higher milages and with longer service intervals. A scooter would give better weather protection than a motorbike.

I managed a 100 miles a week when I commuted on my e-bike. Take the charger with you and charge the battery up at work, and it only needs to have a 50 mile range.

The OP is looking to do 100 miles per day not 100 miles per week!

[horizon]

The OP is looking to do 100 miles per day not 100 miles per week!

I think he meant without charging so logically that means 100 miles a day is OK as well if charged daily (I presume ...).

[Elizabethsdad]

The OP is looking to do 100 miles per day not 100 miles per week!

I think he meant without charging so logically that means 100 miles a day is OK as well if charged daily (I presume ...).

Yes, thank you - I see I should have made that clearer.

[Vorpal]

I have commuted varying distance most of my life, beginning with going to high school 11 miles from home. The furthest has been 28 miles (due to Mr V & I having jobs separated by some distance), and the shortest is 10 miles.

When we moved where we are, Mr. V wanted to live a bit further from my work because the cost of housing drops off sharply another 3 miles or so from my work. I built a spreadsheet that showed the time versus cost for bus, driving, and cycling, including the time that I spent getting to and from work. Even using a conservative amount of money for the time spent commuting, it wasn't cost effective to move more than 10 miles from work.

Even though it was rather more expensive to buy a house closer to work, when accounting for time, cost of running a car (or two), etc., it was most cost effective to live within 1 mile of work. Other considerations contributed to where we eventually bought a house, including the school, access to shopping and public transport, and where we were able to rent when we first moved to the area.

Honestly, if it were solely my decision, I'd live as close to work as I possibly could. The time that it takes to get to and from work just seems so pointless to me. It's okay, if I can combine a commute with active travel; I need the exercise, anyway. But I'd far rather use the same time to pick a walk in the forest, or ride my bike someplace I haven't been before. Or read a book. Or play with my kids. Or fettle with my bikes. or....

[Ruadh495]

I agree with you, yet I commute 12.5miles. In my case that is the closest to work I can get and have a mortgage which is affordable by the lenders' criteria, so there's no option to live closer to work even though that would be cheaper over all.

To drift the thread in another direction: What sort of cycle-like vehicle (other than a conventional motorcycle) do we think would be capable of a 100 mile a day commute? In Germany they have "s-class" ebikes which assist up to 45kph; would that do it? Unfortunately they are illegal here, unless registered as mopeds. I'm thinking a velomobile with a 500-1000 watt assist. It would have to be registered as a motor tricycle (SVA) so might as well have plenty of power. Three wheels is a good idea, then a motorcycle grade helmet isn't required.

[[XAP]Bob]

I agree with you, yet I commute 12.5miles. In my case that is the closest to work I can get and have a mortgage which is affordable by the lenders' criteria, so there's no option to live closer to work even though that would be cheaper over all.

To drift the thread in another direction: What sort of cycle-like vehicle (other than a conventional motorcycle) do we think would be capable of a 100 mile a day commute? In Germany they have "s-class" ebikes which assist up to 45kph; would that do it? Unfortunately they are illegal here, unless registered as mopeds. I'm thinking a velomobile with a 500-1000 watt assist. It would have to be registered as a motor tricycle (SVA) so might as well have plenty of power. Three wheels is a good idea, then a motorcycle grade helmet isn't required.

Exactly what I have been discussing with someone - I could go mad with power on the trike, and still not require a magic hat

And actually you then trade mass of battery etc against the mass of the shell and the aero efficiency you get.

I'd like to be able to build a dedicated monocoque velo - don't need a frame if I have a shell around me as well surely...

[Ruadh495]

I was thinking enclosure for weather protection and to avoid problems at SVA with "protrusions" (not sure a motorized tadpole trike would pass without bodywork) rather than aero.

One problem with a vehicle like this is it would be stuck in the car traffic. It's not allowed on cycleways and realistically can't filter much, if at all. Of course, it's also not a cycle. Perhaps this is a discussion for the tea shop?

What I'm getting at here, though, is that if we can conceive a pedal / electric hybrid vehicle like this which can tackle an unusually long commute, why would anyone commute in a car? Of course existing legal e-bikes are a good alternative to cars for distances up to about 35 miles, which would cover most commutes. Plain bikes are too, of course, but I'd suggest that someone who isn't a regular cyclist would need to build up to a 30 mile commute without assist.

[Grandad]

Sinclair C5??

[[XAP]Bob]

You might be surprised how much a trike can filter

I have long thought that a combination electric/pedal power vehicle would be useful - but by the time you are putting 1-2kW into the electric then the pedals become pretty much irrelevant in many ways - so it becomes easy to drop it - particularly when you look at the massive gear range that is needed for sane gear changes from [able to move uphill with flat batteries] to [assist the motor at 45mph] is huge.

[millimole]

Serious thread drift here on my part, but I looked at a number of 'off the wall' options a while back for reasons that I can't remember, but the options included Renault Twizzy, and 'French style' microcars classed as 'Heavy Quadricycles' for VED purposes - none offered any financial advantage over a small motorcycle, and there was precious little in it compared to an older second hand car. Safe parking/storage at the far end can be an issue for anything that isn't a traditional two wheel machine.


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my brain to my iPad using my fingers and Tapatalk

[NUKe]

I have commuted varying distance most of my life, beginning with going to high school 11 miles from home. The furthest has been 28 miles (due to Mr V & I having jobs separated by some distance), and the shortest is 10 miles.

When we moved where we are, Mr. V wanted to live a bit further from my work because the cost of housing drops off sharply another 3 miles or so from my work. I built a spreadsheet that showed the time versus cost for bus, driving, and cycling, including the time that I spent getting to and from work. Even using a conservative amount of money for the time spent commuting, it wasn't cost effective to move more than 10 miles from work.

Even though it was rather more expensive to buy a house closer to work, when accounting for time, cost of running a car (or two), etc., it was most cost effective to live within 1 mile of work. Other considerations contributed to where we eventually bought a house, including the school, access to shopping and public transport, and where we were able to rent when we first moved to the area.

Honestly, if it were solely my decision, I'd live as close to work as I possibly could. The time that it takes to get to and from work just seems so pointless to me. It's okay, if I can combine a commute with active travel; I need the exercise, anyway. But I'd far rather use the same time to pick a walk in the forest, or ride my bike someplace I haven't been before. Or read a book. Or play with my kids. Or fettle with my bikes. or....

Vorpal It would be a great piece to publish here if you could make it not give too much personal info away

[Vorpal]

Vorpal It would be a great piece to publish here if you could make it not give too much personal info away

The costs are based on Norwegian prices for fuel and cars & public transport, but I'll see if I can make it a little more generic.