Is a 16 mile commute doable for a new rider?

[SweatyBits]

After a bout of unemployment I've been offered a job 16-ish miles away in Bolton town center; I'll be commuting from the Shevington area of Wigan.

Because my commute falls squarely in Northern Rail's 'peak' times, I'd be paying more than double the price of a normal ticket for the pleasure of being stuffed in to a Soviet era train carriage, so I've decided to get a bike, but haven't actually ridden regularly since I was a teenager. For reference I'm 26 now and can manage a mile or two running.

Looking at routes, I could do the first 1/3 along the canal tow path, weather permitting, and the rest down the A58/A676. Or I could go through Aspull then Horwich. From the research I've done, I think a hybrid would probably best.

Is this doable? Google maps says an hour and a half but I think I would probably budget two hours each way. I'm not overly worried about riding on roads, but I'm not sure about my ability to do the round trip every day. The journey there is a steady climb, with a couple of steeper areas, and mostly downhill on the way back, it would seem. I'm guessing I might have to aim for doing it a couple of times a week at first, and work my way up to full time.

I'm looking to save as much money as possible, as the job doesn't pay particularly well but it's the only thing to come along in a while so I can't be choosy. Would a budget hybrid be able to manage this every day without falling apart?

 

[S-Express]

You may struggle a bit with the fitness at first, but after a couple of weeks you should be able to do that distance daily with few/no after effects. You will need to spend a bit on some appropriate clothing - hopefully your place of work has showers?

 

[Beebo]

Yes it is doable, but you would need to build up to it.
The guys in the commuting section will be able to give you more tips.
I used to do all year round commuting, it takes dedication but it can be done.
Try it on a budget hybrid, see if you like it and then maybe upgrade. But those sort of miles, over 30 a day will require regular upkeep and replacement parts on any bike.

 

[NorthernDave]

Yes, it's doable although it might be hard work at first.
Assuming an average speed of 13-14mph, you'll be on the bike for over an hour each way and in all weathers. Sounds a lot but I'll bet the door to door time is unlikely to be much less on the train.
Although a bit is on tow path, if it's mainly on road you might want to consider a CX bike rather than a hybrid - it will be appreciably faster on road and equally able to cope with the tow path / off road stuff, plus the drop bars give you flexibility in riding position that you don't get on a flat bar bike.

 

[HarryTheDog]

26 yrs old, not hugely overwieght? as long as you are a can do type of person should be no problem. You might want to start of cycle commute one day, public transport the next etc until you feel comfortable. I started off 11 years ago in my forties clinically obesse, 23 miles each way on a 99 quid apollo MTB. I did 5 days a week it cos I'm a pig headed git. 2 weeks of that had me ill. So don't follow my example. Cx or hybrid if towpath on your route. , I would go CX, secondhand, sit on ebay a suitable stead ( ensure the correct size) will appear. Most of my bikes have been obtained that way. Good luck.
Bikes only tend to fall apart if not maintained properly by the way.

 

[mjr]

Yes but it'll be tough.

Try to buy carefully. Some budget bikes will simply be using unfashionable obsoleted parts like freewheels and older shifters which actually wouldn't be awful for you (7-8 speed kit generally is a bit tougher and more tolerant than thinner lighter racing models) but some will be hard to adjust shoot that may never quite work right. Read the reviews.

In general, I'd also suggest looking at CX or gravel or adventure or endurance bikes. 32 miles a day is enough for the less aero aspects of a hybrid to get annoying.

 

[doughnut]

I tried to get into commuting the 21 miles each way from Adlington to centre of Manchester this year. Most I managed was 3 times a week, but I'm 53. I found that the journey time was affected most by wind, then secondly by luck with traffic lights, then thirdly by fitness. It will certainly be very hard at first, but once you start to learn traffic light patterns, get used to the route (when to sprint and when to coast) and get fitter then it will get easier. Don't forget to figure 20 mins or so at each end to shower/eat before work starts. I would go Cx if I were you - this will survive the towpath and let you go faster on the road. Chances are in the winter you will find the towpath unusable, so will re-route onto the road for a few months.

You could always save half the train fare by getting the train into work and riding back - that way you can build up the fitness while not turning up to work completely whacked out. No pressure to do the ride within a set time either.

 

[e-rider]

16 miles each way? If so that's too far through winter months

 

[sarahale]

Well it won't be easy but it'll keep you nice and fit!

 

[jonny jeez]

Plenty of members will tell you its perfectly doable and it is but riding every single day can..."can" sometimes end up feeling like a chor.

if you can just get on and crack it, it'll become part of your day. Whilst I have commuted more miles, 5 days a week...I have never done so for an entire year and always end up taking a break on the scooter some days.

right now I'm taking more breaks than I am riding but that's more to do with work than idleness.

congrats on the Job by the way, well done.

 

[John the Monkey]

I've done a similar distance - I started by taking the train every other day, to give myself a bit of recovery time. I think it took a month to get to riding the round trip every day, but I had been riding 30-40 miles on weekends before starting.

Give it a go, I reckon, but be realistic, and listen to what your body is telling you - check the policies for taking a bike on the train if you need to bail on a bike commute part way through.

 

[doughnut]

Just looking at the routes. Part of the reason I stopped commuting so much was that I was riding up the A6 each evening during rush hour - not much fun when its good and terrible when its bad. The A58/676 looks like it could be a bit like that. The Aspull route has that hill in the middle but its probably a quieter road. Having a few different route options that you can take depending on time of day/weather/etc will probably make it more interesting though.

 

[the_mikey]

It's doable, but I'd take the pressure out of it by initially allowing yourself the use of the train 3 times a week, and cycle the rest, or use a folding bike to reduce the cost of your rail commute, alternatively you could reduce the distance and cost of your rail commute by cycling to/from an intermediate station assuming it has adequate cycle security , also figure out what the benefits are, aside from gaining fitness and feeling good, is it saving you money? Is it quicker than the train? The key is enjoying what you do rather than making it an unbearable chore.

 

[NorthernDave]

check the policies for taking a bike on the train if you need to bail on a bike commute part way through.

Northern seem quite relaxed about bikes, but it will ultimately come down to the staff on train, how busy it is and what sort of unit turns up.
Official policy is 2 bikes per train and they don't do reservations so it's first come first served. The door nearest the bike storage is clearly marked with green bike stickers, so is easy to spot as the train pulls in.
If the train is a 158, there are two proper bike spaces in a vestibule, but these can and do get full of standing passengers if the train is busy. On a 150 it's a space at one end of the train where theoretically you could fit half a dozen bikes if it isn't full of standing passengers. On a Pacer (142 or 144) it's a set of fold up seats along the side of the unit by the door, again where everyone stands and I'm sure I don't need to tell you the fun and games you can have asking people to move if they're already sat down...

 

[goody]

Keep the bike well maintained, fit decent tyres to avoid punctures and carry a spare tube pump etc. If you're not used to a couple of hours exercise in one go maybe carry a mars or snickers bar and some drink in case you get an energy low. Leave plenty of time for the journey and wear the right clothing. You might even start to enjoy it!