How far is too far to bike to work?

Many people who want to get into bike commuting wonder how far is too far to bike to work for them. This article gives an answer in both distance (miles) and time (minutes). We will also look at how elevation changes and traffic affects commuting time and how to find that information in Google Maps.

In my 12+ years of bike commuting, I learned about what distances are sustainable for most riders and how many miles are too many.

I bit off more than I could chew more than once – especially after changing jobs or picking a new route.

So to avoid you having to call family or friends to get you to work on time, here is what I learned.

How far is too far to bike to work?

Most beginners can easily commute 5 miles one way. Advanced cyclists can realistically commute up to 10 miles or more. But every rider, route, and bike is different and the weather plays a role as well. So there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

Every rider has a different fitness level and some bikes are faster and some slower.

Some commutes have hills, a lot of traffic, or strong headwinds.

So, unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

Instead, the fitness level and bike experience limit how far is too far to bike to work.

If we assume an average North American city without any massive hills or extreme temperatures, here is a realistic starting point (on a commuter bike):

• A beginner rider can easily commute 5 miles one way (10 miles round trip). This distance is very safe for people with little biking experience.
• A more advanced rider can commute about 10 miles one way. The same goes for most beginners after one or two months of regular biking.
• A seasoned rider on a high-end road bike can probably commute as far as 50 miles one way or more.

But how much time is that going to take the experienced rider every day, five times a week to get to work?

Let’s take a closer look.

A 50-mile commute at a 25mph average speed (that’s really fast) takes two hours one way or four hours for the roundtrip. Multiplied by five days makes it 20 hours of biking every week.

Maybe the better question to ask is not how far is too far, but how long is too long?

How long is too long to bike to work?

A bike commute of 60 minutes one way is the maximum for most people. Beginners are better suited to start on 20 to 30-minute rides before attempting to commute for a full hour, however. Seasoned cyclists can commute for 2 hours one way or more if they feel like it.

To answer this question in more detail we need to look at two other questions first:

1. How much time do you have?
2. How much time does the commute take?

How much time do you have?

This is the first essential question to ask:
How much time are you willing to sacrifice to get to and from work every day?

Is it 30 minutes one way? One hour? Two hours?

There is no right or wrong answer, but it’s essential to be very clear about what time commitment is sustainable for your lifestyle at this point in time.

There were times in my early twenties when I personally believed that everything under one hour (one way) was no big deal.

But now that I’m a little older and seem to have less time, I consider a 30-minute bike commute my maximum.

How long can you ride until your bottom hurts?

The time you can realistically commute also depends on how long you can sit in the bike saddle.

Beginners can often only ride for 20-30 minutes before their bottom cheeks get sore. With more training, that time extends to being comfortable for multiple hours.

Owning a good saddle that fits their unique anatomy is an often overlooked way for beginners to extend their trip length.

For a deeper dive into saddle ergonomics, check out the article Saddle Ergonomics Explained by SQlab Sports Ergonomics.

With all of that out of the way, let’s see if you can actually bike to work in the time you are willing to sacrifice.

How much time does the commute take?

As we saw in our article How long will it take me to bike to work?, we can use the following formula to calculate how long their bike commute will be in minutes:

Distance (in miles) x 6 = Commuting time in minutes

This should give a rough estimate if you have no idea what your average speed is and what to expect from city traffic.

This formula assumes an average speed of 10 mph (16km/h) which is a very realistic baseline to get through city traffic for most riders without breaking much of a sweat.

Some people will be twice as fast, but very few people will be much slower than that.

Google Maps will usually calculate a similar duration, but it is always worthwhile to double-check with them anyway.

The great thing is that Google Maps also provides an elevation profile and traffic estimate by following these simple steps:

1. Open Google Maps
2. Select your destination on the map and set directions from your home address
3. Pick the small Cycling icon on top of the directions menu to switch the calculation to bike speeds.
4. Google will suggest 2 or 3 bike routes. Of all possible routes, these are usually the fastest, easiest to ride, and safest.
5. The bottom of the menu shows the elevation profile for the selected route. If all routes are mostly flat, the elevation is hidden behind the grey link at the bottom that says “All routes are mostly flat”. Click on it to expand the altitude graphic. This will tell you how many uphill sections this particular route has.
6. Google Maps is usually pretty good about suggesting the most efficient routes that have no steep climbs and little traffic delays. So make sure to set your To and From destinations correctly. Otherwise, Google will think they did you a favor with a long downhill stretch that turns out to be a nightmare of an uphill battle.

The fastest route is not always the safest route

The last important thing to consider is road safety while commuting.

Sometimes the fastest route on Google Maps is not necessarily the safest.

The most direct path can sometimes cross major highways or share the road with fast-driving cars. Some cyclists are not comfortable with that.

Google Maps is usually pretty good, but no system is perfect.

So before you head out, make sure to read the article How dangerous is riding a bike on the road?

It proves that biking is a surprisingly safe mode of transportation.

In fact, it is 5 times safer than walking as long as you follow some very simple basics that we have collected for you.