Poll

How far does a trip have to be before you don't bike it?

I don't bike
1 (3.6%)
0-4 miles
2 (7.1%)
5-10 miles
8 (28.6%)
11-20 miles
14 (50%)
21+ miles
3 (10.7%)

Total Members Voted: 27

Author Topic: Biking - how far?  (Read 3368 times)

skunkfunk

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Biking - how far?
« on: March 14, 2014, 07:36:28 AM »
I'm just curious how far you guys are willing to go to save money on transportation! I'm not considering public transportation in this poll, since that isn't free.

I just started biking at the end of February, and I'm still figuring out how to decide when to take the car.

GuitarStv

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Re: Biking - how far?
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2014, 10:00:56 AM »
My commute is just over 10 miles each way.  Pretty much anything I could think of needing is within that radius.  I've been kicking around the idea of doing a 60 mile bike ride up to my mom's place for fun this summer, but that's not really for saving money - just would be a fun experience.

sol

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Re: Biking - how far?
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2014, 10:21:27 AM »
If I don't need to transport anything and I'm not in a particular hurry, I'll gladly ride 10 miles or more each direction on a nice day.  In fact, I generally feel guilty driving on a trip like that, if I don't have an excuse like weather or cargo.

Yesterday I biked 11 miles for a five minute appointment, then turned around a biked 11 miles home.  About 45 minutes each way, for a distance that normally takes about 30 minutes through city traffic.  I figure I got 90 minutes of exercise for only an additional half hour of my time, and I saved $5 in gas in the process.


Threshkin

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Re: Biking - how far?
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2014, 10:23:24 AM »
I'm just curious how far you guys are willing to go to save money on transportation! I'm not considering public transportation in this poll, since that isn't free.

I just started biking at the end of February, and I'm still figuring out how to decide when to take the car.

It depends on the season and the purpose of the trip.  Winter I am mostly in the do not bike crowd, too cold, too slushy, bike lanes full of snow, etc.  Summer I will hop on the bike for many in-town trips.  But if I need to go food shopping, take the dog to the vet or other trips where I need to bring heavy items, I take the car.

To clarify - No commute, I work from home.  Shopping is infrequent and large quantity.  If I need something small from the store I walk or bike.  Library i usually bike but will take the car if I am combining multiple stops in a single trip.  My limit for purposeful biking is about 10 miles one way.  Pleasure biking is much more common for me and can be quite a bit linger.

One of my favorite pre-mustachian trips was downtown for people watching and a stop at one of the local breweries.  But the $5-6.00 for a beer always hurt.  I might invest in a sealable, insulated, water bottle and fill it with beer from home.  Then I can sit on a bench down town and calmly drink my beer while smiling to myself about saving money.

Russ

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Re: Biking - how far?
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2014, 10:47:01 AM »
I've positioned myself so that everything else I would ever need is within a 12 mile radius, which is about as far as I'd want to go regularly. I occasionally ride 20 miles as that's how far away my farthest friend in town lives, and have ridden the 80 miles each way to visit a friend in Milwaukee.

I do it more for the fun than for the money-saving though.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Biking - how far?
« Reply #5 on: March 14, 2014, 06:40:08 PM »
Without kids, or if I ever get a good way to travel with all 3 on my bike, I'd gladly go 20+ miles in any weather unless time was a huge factor.

My commute is 10 miles each way on weekends and I ride 18+ miles the other days for my Bike 365 challenge.