90 minute commute

[mustang1]

I think it is a state of mind, if you are forever trying to get the hammer down because you want to get home or running late for work it will be chore. If you see it as a nice ride and a interlude between work and home and vice versa it will not matter how long it takes. I don't live in that area but cycle tracks and Pennines strikes me that winter will not be that pleasurable.

What he said.

 

[mustang1]

I don't think you should do this. 12+3=15. That's 15 hours of your day. Leaving you with 9 hours for a shower or two, two meals, paying bills, calling your mum etc etc etc. and sleeping.

It's generally regarded that most people need 7-8 hours of sleep. Many can survive on less, but research shows that's not healthy. You'll be running on quite a sleep deficit by the end of the four days, which can have a negative impact on your general health, your weight, even your life expectancy. I'd suggest commuting every 2nd day at most.

Edit: and as this post suggests that moving closer to your job is not an option, I assume you live with someone. It will be pretty tough if you are mostly out of the house or asleep for 4 days out of 8.

This is very sound and reasonable thinking. If I were a kid, there's no way in heck I'd listen to this advice. But alas I'm older now, so have to view this logic as very sound advice.

 

[winjim]

If I didn't have a family...

 

[Banjo]

If you have a car could you drive half way and ride the rest?

I do a similar shift pattern and couldn't imagine doing what you propose after nights.

 

[Origamist]

Cycle and drive on alternate days? There are only few people who spend 90 mins+ commuting each way, and I'd be surprised if many of them do it before and after 12 hour shifts. I wouldn't.

That said, you'll only know by giving it a go. See what your current limits are and then factor in increased fitness, you might surprise yourself. If it's too much (which is likely) then alternate between car and bike and let the weather determine which days to cycle, or go car and then bike.

Good luck.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

I wouldn't do it but it reads like you wouldn't mind giving it a go, so here goes for an attempt to justify it.

If you don't use your bike for the commute, you'd possibly be in your car or public transport, so that journey time needs taking off your 90 minutes, which you feel could even be 70 minutes, so the time is already coming down. If you don't cycle commute, you'll likely need to do something else for exercise, eating in to your rest day. So, you're possibly even gaining time by biking once you've added that lot in and you'll be fitter and less,stressed so live and be active longer giving you even more time in the bank of life.

 

[clf]

Great advise as usual. I'm one of those proud commuters on a bike whatever the weather, I've missed one day this year and have the mud, sweat snow, rain and discarded fag ends from other road users in my beard to prove it. Looks like I might be joining the great washed and not so sweaty in their tin boxes, with the occasional treat on the bike every now and again, if I get the job that is.

 

[DRHysted]

It's doable.
I'm supposed to do 2 days 2 nights 4 off on 12 hour shifts. I say supposed as I'm on night 1 of 3 after doing 3 days.
My most direct route is 8.5 miles, but on days I normally do a 14 mile route on the way in (the New Forest is lovely & quiet then) which involves leaving home at 03:45, but then I tend to do a 9 mile route to get home for 18:00.
For my night shifts I'm doing up to 40 miles in (it's the lure of the New Forest again), then 9 home. That has me out at 14:15 and home for 06:00.

I was doing longer routes home earlier in the year. So you need to work out what works for you.

 

[Andrew_P]

Great advise as usual. I'm one of those proud commuters on a bike whatever the weather, I've missed one day this year and have the mud, sweat snow, rain and discarded fag ends from other road users in my beard to prove it. Looks like I might be joining the great washed and not so sweaty in their tin boxes, with the occasional treat on the bike every now and again, if I get the job that is.

I am afraid I am one of those people that houses and jobs are all chosen based on wind direction and distance for commuting it has to be 14-16 miles and I would prefer the prevailing headwind in the morning! It can't be less because I don't have the strength of character that some have of adding miles to a commute, and anything more than 16 I am pretty sure I would only do 3/4 per week.

For various reasons I have been doing a lot of driving to work over the last 6 months and it bloody rotten, the thing I miss most is that sense of satisfaction when I get home, and the really big miss is the Friday afternoon return home, it feels so empty getting home on a Friday having not earned those weekend beers!

 

[Tizme]

I do this shift routine:
I work 7x 12 hour shifts, then a week on call, 7x 12 hour night shifts and then get 14 days off. This runs 365 days of the year and includes all holidays. I have been doing it for the last 10 years. Day shifts mean getting up at 0440, on the road by 0510 and then cycling 13 miles to work (around 50-55 minutes), cycle home is 15 miles as I need to avoid a very busy A road. Nights mean leaving home by 1710, 15 mile cycle and then 12 hour shift (+ 15-30 minutes handover) and another 15 mile cycle home. I usually drive once a week to take in clean shirts etc. Winters are much harder and I will sometimes wimp out and drive up to 3 times (at the most, unless the weather is really bad). I do it on a fixed gear with panniers and mudguards etc (so fully commuterised).

I am now 58 and finding it harder to keep on the bike for every commute, although I usually spend the day feeling guilty if I haven't cycled, especially when some of the younger guys have still cycled in! It also makes me feel really good when some of the blokes complain about spending more time searching for a parking space than it took them to drive to work (for some that is less than 2 miles!).

So, in my opinion it is doable, but you need to have the right kit for winter, a thick skin for the number of close passes you will inevitably get, and a very good set of lights (with a good back up set if/when batteries fail)! If you go for it, good luck, it doesn't get easier, you just get faster!

 

[Moodyman]

Done between 12-14 miles each way for several years. Ride daily in all weathers.

But I have excellent facilities - shower, drying room, safe bike parking and work is 9-5 with sitting in front of computer.

I also have train as a fallback in case I can't be bothered.

Issues:

Sleep- I have to get 8-9 hours of sleep otherwise I suffer the rest of the week.

Feeling ill - you need a fallback (car, train, etc)

Winter - the dark months can be a slog.

Mechanicals - that much miles means the bike needs constant attention. Are you competent in maintenance, and do you have a spare bike to ride when your main bike is not roadworthy?

Feeling tired all the time - this can hamper in other areas of your life / relationships.

 

[united4ever]

Also depends what work you do....if you are sat down all day the bike ride is very welcome but if its a manual job you may be more physically tired.

 

[MrGrumpy]

90 mins each way is a lot of time the 17 miles I could do in an hour but you may not. Two things here alternate the bike and car and/or get faster . Doing the latter will just make you tired!! If it was me I don't the think I would do it or at very least not every day!

 

[RichardB]

I have recently changed back to 12-hour shifts, and the maths is pretty tight. My commute is just under an hour, call it an hour and a quarter between getting ready to leave home and arriving at my desk ready to work. When I worked 4 x 10 hours, it was OK, but the extra 2 hours a day makes things very tight, time-wise. As others have said up there ^^^ once you factor in sleep, meals, washing/showering and changing, plus a bit of social time with your nearest and dearest, there isn't a lot left. I get home about 7.30 am, have something to eat and chat with the wife, and I am in bed by about 8.30. I have to read for a bit (to wind down) and then sleep from about 9 am to say 4 pm. Up, shower, something to eat, a bit more conversation, and I am off to work at about 5.30. (I do this on alternate days, and use the car and have a swim on the days in between.) I probably need more sleep than that, as I get very tired and this affects my ability to sleep on my days off. Strangely, rather than catch up with a 12-hour snooze session, I find I can't sleep more than about 3 hours at a stretch on my days/nights off. Any increase in working hours, or a longer/slower journey, and I would definitely not be able to sustain it. For me, a 90-minute commute would make it impossible.

I look back to the days when I did 5 8-hour days a week, and wonder what I did with all the time!

 

[Spartak]

I work 12 hour shifts - 3 times a week & try to cycle at least once, sometimes twice but never three times !

My commute is 14 miles & takes approx. 55 mins.

Does make it a long day but a good way to get some extra miles in !

Also cycling early in the morning is fab ;-) no traffic, great air quality & sunrises.