Who has the best commute?

[airsafari87]

After a couple of phone calls I took last night, it is looking fairly likely that I may secure a new job with what will be a fantastic commute to work most days.

Door to door is about 68 miles and will take in the B1257 (Helmsley TT) over the North Yorks Moors with a minimal amount of boring A roads (A66 & A19)

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Spennymoor/Malto...

Of course I can take the dull and easy option of going up and down the A19 should I need to, but given I will be riding my S1000R I will be avoiding that journey as much as possible,

So that got me thinking, who else has a nice enjoyable route to work each day?

[PTF]

airsafari87 said:

After a couple of phone calls I took last night, it is looking fairly likely that I may secure a new job with what will be a fantastic commute to work most days.

Door to door is about 68 miles and will take in the B1257 (Helmsley TT) over the North Yorks Moors with a minimal amount of boring A roads (A66 & A19)

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Spennymoor/Malto...

Of course I can take the dull and easy option of going up and down the A19 should I need to, but given I will be riding my S1000R I will be avoiding that journey as much as possible,

So that got me thinking, who else has a nice enjoyable route to work each day?

On the days that i go into the office (2-3 days per week), it's an 80 mile each way trip.

The rubbish, but get there ASAP route: across to the A1 via Ancaster and past Grantham. Down the A1. Along the A14. Into Cambridge.
The mildly interesting route: down the A15 through Bourne, across to Stamford (both excellent roads), then down the A1 for a bit, then head across to St Ives through Abbots Ripton (another cracking road), the the last bit of A14 before heading into Cambridge.

Or there's a whole mix of roads i could take including sampling the B660, the roads around Elton and Wansford, the back roads from the A47 up through Bourne, which are mostly nice. Depends how much time there is.

In the car i just get to a dual carriageway ASAP

And when i'm working at home the commute is about 20 metres over to my office

[Condi]

airsafari87 said:

After a couple of phone calls I took last night, it is looking fairly likely that I may secure a new job with what will be a fantastic commute to work most days.

Door to door is about 68 miles and will take in the B1257 (Helmsley TT) over the North Yorks Moors with a minimal amount of boring A roads (A66 & A19)

So that got me thinking, who else has a nice enjoyable route to work each day?

68 miles door to door is a good commute?! 140 miles per day?


Fffffffffu*k that! Having done 65 miles each way its nothing something I would ever want to do again no matter how much money you're being paid. There is more to life than spending 20 hours a week travelling to and from work.

[airsafari87]

Condi said:

68 miles door to door is a good commute?! 140 miles per day?


Fffffffffu*k that! Having done 65 miles each way its nothing something I would ever want to do again no matter how much money you're being paid. There is more to life than spending 20 hours a week travelling to and from work.

Hence the `most days' part of my post.

For the first month I will be there 5 days a week.

After that initial first 4 weeks I will only need to travel there twice a week, 3 times at the most. Rest of the time I will be based in the main office which is 7 miles from home, but again is pretty much twisty back roads all the way there.

I will be lucky in that should I wish not to commute there every day, I can travel over on a Monday and stay in a hotel for the rest of the week and travel back home on a Friday afternoon.

Whilst not travelling that same distance, I have spent the same time each day in a car going to and from work before.
In a car I can't bear it if I'm not moving and making progress, but on the bike, and as long as I am moving it is not so much of an issue. I am a bit of Forest Gump of driving / riding though. When I was working in Germany and Holland I always opted to drive if possible instead of taking the ferry or flying.

In a Merc Sprinter:
Durham to Emmeloord used to be a 12 hour door to door trip.
Durham to Braunschweig was approx 16 hours.
Durham to Weissach was broken up in to 2 sections over a couple of days though as the lad I used to travel with didn't have the same kind of resolve as I did.

[black-k1]

Condi said:

Fffffffffu*k that! Having done 65 miles each way its nothing something I would ever want to do again no matter how much money you're being paid. There is more to life than spending 20 hours a week travelling to and from work.

Like riding your bike!

[crofty1984]

My Mrs. 25 miles down country roads through Norfolk for at least 80% of it. Hell, if I have a quick ride at the weekend I'll normally take in her route to work.
But she doesn't ride! What a waste!

[Ryan-nunm9]

Eight years commuting from Oxford to Vauxhall so similar distance with some nice A roads befoe getting to town and the traffic..

Don't listen to the nay sayers, year round motorcycle commuting is more than doable if work are flexable. Especially if you've the option of working near by on snow days! Some decent kit and heated grips are a start but a game changing bit of kit is the Gerbing heated jacket (had the Klan one aswell, not as good as Gerbing) for the winter. keep the core warm and the body will look after everything else.

[PTF]

My commute has kind of killed riding at the weekend for me. This time of year i'm doing 300-500 miles per week on the K1300 and, while loving how well it gets the miles done, it means at the weekends i simply can't be bothered with it

I took my fireblade out last sunday, but only because i needed to go into a town centre for some car parts and didn't want to waste any time with traffic. The fireblade felt absolutely the most uncomfortable thing ever after so much time in the saddle of the K13 that i'm wondering whether i should get rid of all of my bikes apart from the K13.

The mileage i'm doing is partly the reason why i'm looking at a career change and going into motorcycle instructing in a few years. Riding a bike is so much a part of my work life already that it's not too much of a shift!

[Craiglamuffin]

I commute from Dorset to Southampton (and back, obvs!) every day, about 50 miles round trip. To avoid the A31 I go across the New Forest on little B roads. It takes longer, it's a 40 limit, it's covered in ponies and attracts caravans... yet it's just awesome on a bike! When the sun's coming up, it's just beautiful.

Good luck with the job :-)

[Catnapper]

5 Mins down the road, Always said I'd never commute. So either overseas or doorstep. End of

[pessimal]

mind the speed camera vans on the A19

[Ryan-nunm9]

PTF said:

My commute has kind of killed riding at the weekend for me. This time of year i'm doing 300-500 miles per week on the K1300 and, while loving how well it gets the miles done, it means at the weekends i simply can't be bothered with it

I took my fireblade out last sunday, but only because i needed to go into a town centre for some car parts and didn't want to waste any time with traffic. The fireblade felt absolutely the most uncomfortable thing ever after so much time in the saddle of the K13 that i'm wondering whether i should get rid of all of my bikes apart from the K13.

The mileage i'm doing is partly the reason why i'm looking at a career change and going into motorcycle instructing in a few years. Riding a bike is so much a part of my work life already that it's not too much of a shift!

PTF - getting into bike instructing doesn't seem that difficult, I'm doing it now to do some work in amongst my shift pattern. I already instruct at an advanced level with Rapid Training but am also doing my "Learner" training. i don't know it all but speak to a local training company and they can "down train" you to become a CBT instructor (or you can go on the free 2 day course at Carterton in Beds - or do both). Then a similare process for DAS. I think the main difference is that if you want your own driving school yyou need to attend Carterton in Bedfordshire.

The K13? Is it an R or S? i've the R and love it!

[PTF]

Ryan-nunm9 said:

PTF said:

My commute has kind of killed riding at the weekend for me. This time of year i'm doing 300-500 miles per week on the K1300 and, while loving how well it gets the miles done, it means at the weekends i simply can't be bothered with it

I took my fireblade out last sunday, but only because i needed to go into a town centre for some car parts and didn't want to waste any time with traffic. The fireblade felt absolutely the most uncomfortable thing ever after so much time in the saddle of the K13 that i'm wondering whether i should get rid of all of my bikes apart from the K13.

The mileage i'm doing is partly the reason why i'm looking at a career change and going into motorcycle instructing in a few years. Riding a bike is so much a part of my work life already that it's not too much of a shift!

PTF - getting into bike instructing doesn't seem that difficult, I'm doing it now to do some work in amongst my shift pattern. I already instruct at an advanced level with Rapid Training but am also doing my "Learner" training. i don't know it all but speak to a local training company and they can "down train" you to become a CBT instructor (or you can go on the free 2 day course at Carterton in Beds - or do both). Then a similare process for DAS. I think the main difference is that if you want your own driving school yyou need to attend Carterton in Bedfordshire.

The K13? Is it an R or S? i've the R and love it!

Cheers buddy

K1300S. It's brilliant.

[jamiehamy]

I think I've got a decent one - 10miles of single track road to the top of Greenock, then down onto the A8/M8 right into Glasgow centre - park a few hundred metres after the off slip to city centre and walk 3 streets to work.

On way back you come down a hill and the Clyde stretches miles ahead of you which is stunning. Then back up the hill into the wilds.

[moanthebairns]

Mines is 22 miles from Falkirk to Dunfermline. Sottish towns, wee bit dual carriageways, choice of nice bridges, mainly A roads and a sneaky wee B one to finish it.

Takes me 35 mins in the car, I've got it down to 25 minutes on the bike that includes temporary works at the bridge. I expect a knock on the door any time now.

[sjtscott]

airsafari87 said:

After a couple of phone calls I took last night, it is looking fairly likely that I may secure a new job with what will be a fantastic commute to work most days.

Door to door is about 68 miles and will take in the B1257 (Helmsley TT) over the North Yorks Moors with a minimal amount of boring A roads (A66 & A19)

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Spennymoor/Malto...

Of course I can take the dull and easy option of going up and down the A19 should I need to, but given I will be riding my S1000R I will be avoiding that journey as much as possible,

So that got me thinking, who else has a nice enjoyable route to work each day?

A nice bike commute while the weather is nice lol
Last few weeks esp down south have been very non standard - I've not needed to wear anything waterproof for weeks now. My commute is 7 miles each way zone 2 east to zone1 central london the landmarks which some might find fascinating/exciting become boring after more than 10 years of the same route I ride all weathers save for snow/ice.

[sjg]

Condi said:

68 miles door to door is a good commute?! 140 miles per day?


Fffffffffu*k that! Having done 65 miles each way its nothing something I would ever want to do again no matter how much money you're being paid. There is more to life than spending 20 hours a week travelling to and from work.

This. 35k miles a year just to go to work? 5 or 6 bike services a year? 10+ tyres? £5k+ in fuel?

Not a "good" commute in my books. Keep work and home close together, spend your time and money doing what you like not what you're obligated to for work.

[Biker 1]

Jesus that's a long old commute!!! The longest I ever did was 20 miles each way & hated it so much, I changed jobs.
I can either walk: about 30 minutes, but hilly & I hate walking early in the morning, especially in winter...
Car when its raining: about 5 minutes
Bike when the weather's nice: 20 minute scenic route - between 6 & 10 miles, depending on mood/weather.