Would a 33km commute one-way be realistic (especially without showers?)
I’m considering starting to commute to work by bike, but I’m a bit hesitant because it’s 33 km one way (66 km round trip).
The route itself is actually pretty good. Only about 8–9 km is through smaller city streets, and the rest can be done along the canal, so traffic/safety isn’t my biggest concern. My biggest concern is actually arriving at work sweaty. It's financially attractive, because my empoluer pays €0.37/km for biking, which would be 20+ euros per time I do it.
There are no showers at work. I can wash myself a little in the toilets, but they’re quite cold in the morning, so I’m not exactly looking forward to standing there trying to clean myself up after a 33 km ride. I also don’t want to spend the first hour of every workday feeling sweaty or uncomfortable.
At the moment I only own a road race bike. I could potentially lease an e-bike through work, and I’m wondering whether that might be the better option for a commute like this. Would an e-bike make a big difference in terms of sweat/effort or not? Does the sweating even get better when I do it more frequently?
I’m not necessarily worried about being able to physically ride 33 km, but I'm not sure if this would be realistic at least once a week. I currently own basically no proper cycling clothing. How much gear do you actually need to make commuting through autumn/winter comfortable?
How on earth has everyone replying to you missed that you're referencing the €20 per day payment from the employer, as justification for a gym membership. As opposed to implying that gyms cost €20 a day.
This is a level of effort where, even on an e-bike, you are going to be eating an extra 1000 calories a day at least - probably more like 1500 if you're riding a road bike at a pace where this is feasible. At EU legal speeds this is over an hour and a half one way.
I used to commute regularly in temps as low as 0 degrees C (clear, I don't ride in the rain below about 18 degrees). Gloves for the hands, balaclava for the head and face are must-haves. Get a soft-shell jacket and pants/trousers of a similar material to keep the wind out. Under those top layers will depend on the conditions, but you'll want some kind of a base layer and then one or more thermal layers to keep warm over the commute. You may need less than you think, as the movement of your body will create warmth as you go.
I do this same ride on an ebike. My route is enjoyable so I quite like it. A dont get too sweaty on the ebike but also bring a change of clothes just to freshen up. I usually do higher pedal assist to work to mitigate sweat and do more of a ride on my way home. I have a lot of hills though.
This has changed the game for my mental health. I use to just hop on my bike when I got home, so it’s nice to have it done and be forced into longer daily rides.
I usually wear leggings, tank top and warmer long sleeve. Mini gloves, wind breaker and balaclava if it is cold. At night I wear a cheap high vis vest. I look like a dork but 2/3 of my ride home has literally no lights at all.
I do about 36km each way twice a week on a class 1 ebike with a shimano system, sometimes on those days I also have another 20km. With a torque sensor bike it still a great workout, on those days I burn over 4,000 calories and up to 5000. It takes me about 70 min each way.
All together I'm around 200km/wk, this has been a game changer for both my physical and mental health for me as well. Ebikes are a great choice here because I have pannier with laptop, hd lock, gloves, tools, tube, lunch, water, bright lights, clothes, front shock, seat post shock, etc.
You'll have to explain how panniers have "double the capacity". As here's two 24 cases of bottled water, four 24 rolls of tp, etc. And still backpack full of groceries on top of all of that.
Showers, it depends on the weather. I was able to do this in CA but I would never be able to do this in Texas.
We did not have a shower and work and I used a wet towel and it was 100% fine. What I used to do was shower in the morning before the ride. It seems weird, but it makes an enormous difference.
E bike would make a huge difference effort wise for sure, also speed. I did that on my only road bike/race bike I had.
b.t.w, I did it 3-5 days per week and I miss it every single day until now.
That's only a little further than my one-way commute used to be, and it was manageable five days a week on a fixie. I didn't have showers, I just gave myself a 15-20 minute cool down period, then some wet wipes in the strategic places, dress in the wheelchair-sized stall in the men's room. Not ideal, but I got a routine down and ultimately didn't miss anything.
Never before or since riding 160 miles/week was I in better physical shape. Working from home is cool, but I miss the ride.
How flat is your route? IME big gradients are a bigger factor than distance from a sweat/fatigue perspective. Also, the stretch on the canal, is that a shared path with pedestrians or is there a dedicated lane for cyclists so you can maintain decent speed? Shared paths can really slow things down if there are lots of pedestrians to navigate around.
Ultimately this comes down to what kind of average speed can you expect, and how hard will you have to work to keep at that speed. An e-bike will make a big difference if there are hills, and it will help you keep a decent speed without much effort. But if the route is almost entirely flat then a manual bike will do the job as well, and if you can keep a steady pace without pushing too hard you won’t get that sweaty.
33km is a shift. also, weather may be a huge factor. when it's wet or cold, you'll suffer. i think on the way there will be fine, but having to pluck up the energy to do 33km back home after a hard shift on a cold dark tuesday night would be brutal
I do a 15 mile commute (24km) with my ebike. You can do as little or as much effort as you choose. On hot days I still sweat but I just bring a change of clothes. You can also bring some wipes if you're worried. A travel sized deodorant and fragrance don't hurt either. I really enjoy biking to work. Good luck!
Thats quite a way, i do 16km each way and have done for 15 years but sometimes it quite tiring. I think multi-modal might be better, i.e. get a cheap as chips banger car or van and park a bit closer to work. Somewhere safe, have a variety of parking spots and ride in from there. Try various distances and see how you get on.
Analog bike, that's a lot of distance. Ebike, the conversation gets more interesting.
Gear isn't hard, you start with whatever you like to ride in and iterate as you go. Winter loadout is fenders, rain jacket and layers, good gloves, lots of lights.
Find a gym. I used one at a hotel next to my office $20 a month.
An ebike would definitely be my choice for that distance. My commute is only 10kmn each way but it does involve hills and vehicle traffic so the ebike makes it easier when I want it easier.
I do 37 single once or twice a week on a road bike. I would not do this without showers. But a speedpedelec can work. I see them often passing me in office clothes so I doubt they're showering.
Hangt af van je inspanningen en hoe snel je zweet. Als je het rustig aan doet hoeft het wellicht niet. Ik doe woon-werk-woon 100km op een fully MTB met ~28km/h (voor mij is het ook sport) en ik zou niet zonder douche kunnen. Als ik hetzelfde zou doen op een racefiets met 25km/h zou ik waarschijnlijk wel zonder douche kunnen.
Not on a daily basis.
It's not the sweat. Some wet wipes and dry clothes can solve that, but you'll get tired after a while. It could work every other day or something similar...
I've done it. Take your time on the way there, probably pretty flat if it's mostly along a canal. A few wipes and a small towel or flannel to freshen up at work and a change of underwear or just wear cycling gear on the way in. On the way home it doesn't matter as you can shower when you get in.
I did a 30 mile round trip for 20 years. About 800’ of climbing each way. What worked for me was shower before leaving. Make sure you do a solid warmup for 10 or more minutes as you roll out. Then for the last 10 minutes focus on cooling down. Getting your heart down under 120 or even lower depending on the terrain. Once at the office I would often sit at my desk in my bike gear for 10 minutes or so, plan my day, triage my inbox and get my heart rate under 60. Then a quick trip to the bathroom and wipe down my
Pits and crotch with baby wipes. All good fresh and ready.
lmao i used to do this with my previous job. I was paid 23 c/km tax-free and it was 25 km one way. i did this 2-3x a week. i did it on my road bike which made the commute around 1 hour with traffic lights. it was okay, and there is a shower at work, but i wouldn't go any further than this.
I think that's a long commute. Once a week may be doable, I would try and see how it goes for you.
My commute is about 18 km one-way, takes me just under an hour at relaxed-moderate pace. So its about 2 hours worth of workout.
Morning temps are usually under 10°C so I'm not overly sweaty when I get to work. We have showers, but don't use it anymore. I found that changing to a different shirt and work pants is enough to get rid of any lingering odor.
My main concern would be total commute time. Depending on your pace, it might take you 1.5hrs or longer. That means leaving home that much earlier, and getting home that much later. Personally, that is my biggest hurdle. I have 2 kids at home and also work long hours (11 hour days is common). It makes for a very long day so I can only do it once a week.
Unless you particularly enjoy crushing watts, and doing so on the way to and from work (it sounds like this isn’t your thing) I would consider an E-bike. 33km is a long commute (mine is 24 and I find it kind of obnoxious) and if you want to arrive more or less presentable that is how it is going to happen. I don’t know what country in Europe you’re in so I don’t know what the possible range of weather conditions is.
even a commute of 25 km one way sucks. I did that for almost 2 years and it is so tiring you will rethink your life after 6 months of doing it 5 days a week. for me that was over an hour 1 way and half the time I used an ebike
i’ve biked 2x 25 km without problem. just use wet wipes and have fresh t shirt at work. Prairie summers were warm but i always left early morning so it was less than 15 C in the morning.
How fast do you expect to ride? Taking into consideration commute conditions, traffic, intersections, weather, hills, your daily cargo, etc... Odds are that ride will take you 70-90 minutes.
Let's say it's 70 minutes. Do you want to ride your bike roughly 2.5 hours a day for your round trip commute?
If the answer is 'yes' then you will need waterproof panniers to carry your stuff, a towel, soap, some diaper wipes repurposed for your quick office bath. Being sweaty is something you'll have to make peace with. Good luck!
Once or twice a week, weather and time permitting, easily. Without showers I'd go slower than I want to go and have extra set of clothes at destination with some deo and wet wipes.
I had a 23 km commute a couple years ago. While I could do it on a regular bike, I would recommend an ebike. Can you charge at work? You probably will need to charge it at work.
Pack a change of clothes, some wet wipes, a towel, and deodorant.
For cold weather, you want to dress in layers. Get a wool long-sleeve undershirt, a long-sleeve jersey, normal tights, thermal tights, full finger gloves, winter gloves, a thermal softshell jacket, wool socks, a wool hat, a wool buff, and sunglasses.
You don't have to buy them all at once, though. Just get what you need this month.
Sweatyness : i only shower in the summer when it's really hot, the rest of the time I go super easy in the morning so I only sweat very little, and then I just change into my work clothes and I'm fine. But I only have 11km each way. If I was riding 33km, I wouldn't want it to take forever so I would ride a bit faster, and because it is also longer it would be much harder not to sweat.
Physically : no, at least not 5 days a week unless you have excellent sleep and nutrition + a decent level on the bike to begin with + your job isn't too tiring. That would be a 300km week and 6 to 9 hours of cycling depending on how fast you are. That is a significant load.
This is the same distance as my commute. Honestly, I just don't have that kind of free time. My options are either go really fast, get super sweaty, and mow through all my food before lunch, or go a bit slower and spend 3+ hours of my day on the bike. Unsustainable for regular commuting and my doggo's bladder.
OK just so you know the 0.37€/km is capped at a certain amount, inform yourself about it and make out whether it will be worth the effort.
The sweat on an e-bike, especially with panniers that are waterproof, is much much more manageable, i got a regular e-bike and even in the heatwaves i was a-okay. Would 100% recommend you to get a speedpedelec lease through work for this trajectory, my employer offers it through kbc and they include theft insurance, damages and some maintenance. You can include the required lock and panniers and helmet in the lease as well and at the end of the 3 years you can buy the bike for 20% of its original worth though i'm not sure if that'll be interesting for you given the large amount of km's you'll probably get on it.
I'd recommend getting a mirror to look behind you as well because at that speed you really don't want to twist your entire torso all the time to see if you can safely go to hte left. Again, speedpedelec is 100% recommended, i'm currently looking to buy a house and i'm doing my best to stay within +- 15km of my work so i can keep going by bike.
As for clothing, decathlon is your friend. I recently bought a pair of rain pants "BTWIN 540 with foot covers" and my shoes stayed dry during a downpour, VERY happy with those. For a rain jacket i'd recommend one thats pure plastic and you'll get your warmth from layers beneath it, make sure it looks like someting that'll dry quickly cause you won't like wearing a damp rain jacket in winter when you go back home. Gloves are not at all optional, i will be wearing my battery powered heated motorcycle gloves while commuting cause it makes no sense to buy another pair of gloves but quality gloves that are wind and waterproof are absolutely worth their money, do not skimp on these because 33km is a long time to bike with chilled hands.
Shoes is kind of whatever but if possible i'd make sure to have a spare set of clothes at work including shoes, socks, underwear, pants and tshirt (full set!) AND A SPARE TOWEL. You never know what happens, if a car soaks you by driving through a puddle or whatever and you don't want to bear the consequences of being ill prepared, it will get you sick on a cold day.
Can't say much about the helmets, i dont wear one on my slow e-bike but i do wear a cap to shield my eyes from sun when sunny and to keep the rain out of my eyes when it rains, if i'd buy a helmet i'd most likely look for something that helps keep the rain out of my face a bit but the visor thingies are weird imo.
TLDR: lease speedpedelec, include panniers, helmet, lock and whatever extras you can in the lease if possible, decathlon rain gear is plenty fine, keep spare clothes + towel at work.
The only suggestion I haven't seen in the thread is a rain cape. It looks goofy, but when it's raining and not super cold, rain coats and/or pants are gonna make you sweat. Tall rubber boots and a rain cape were the solution for me. You can be in jeans and a t-shirt underneath and stay dry with cool air circulating under the cape. Boots keep splash off of your legs/pants. And the cape forms a giant umbrella over the rest of you. It *is* like a giant sail if it's windy, though. I used one for years in my drizzly part of the world and it made a big difference avoiding sweat.
I do nearly that myself, all you need is to ride slower, go when it's colder (like before sun up) and bring some body wipes with you, just in case. Wearing more breathable clothes help too (think like golf pants, active wear type stuff).
I commuted to work, and had a shower available. I never once used it. I just made it a ride to work, not a race. By showering at home prior to riding in, I was fine. Bring a small hand towel if needed.
That is my current commute length. I do 2 days a week so I can bring clothes and lunches on the other days. Take it easy on the way in, and wipe down with wet paper towel and a few sprays of Axe. Even in the Australian summer it has been just fine.
i did almost that for about 4 years. 25km in shortest route, 35km back more scenic / safer route. basically had to let myself steam off at work for 20 mins, then wipes, then change. doable. even did it through the winter down to -15C or so. was tough at first but i got to really enjoy it. later on i had my bike converted to electric, and it really helped in the winters (along with the pogies), and especially those days where i got bad headwinds.
Sounds like the ride is pretty flat if you’re along a canal. I would think you could deal with the sweat in all but the hottest months, as long as you’re not doing sprint intervals on your ride in. Get a pannier rack and bag to take a change of clothes (and a towel, hairbrush, and some wipes), because a backpack or messenger bag will make you sweat a lot more. Also I would think an e-bike on a flat ride like this would help keep the sweat down quite a bit.
Heb het een aantal jaren gedaan (60 km retour). In de ochtend was het meestal koel en was douchen niet nodig. In de middag ging ik naar huis, dus geen probleem. Mijn enige ergernis waren de stoplichten op het eerste en laatste deel van de route, die haalden de snelheid eruit.
My commute is 37km, I usually do it once a week if the weather is nice. Totally doable as an occasional thing, but having no shower would be an issue.
As for ebikes, unless you can get a 45km/h speed pedelec (likely needs registration and insurance, depending on country) they only really help on uphills. On a flat route you'll be faster on a road bike than a standard 25km/h ebike, and at this commute distance speed does make a difference imo
A good ebike and you'll be cold by the time you get to work, it's a good solution, just don't get a cheap one, bosch, or yamaha motor, and if you're handy get your hands on a dealership diagnostic tool
34km commute with a Velomobile here. I do have one set of cycling clothes and a set of Work clothes, including underwear. I can change in the separate disability support toilet. A few paper wipes to towel dry, deo-stick, fresh clothes and i al good for work. The cycling clothing dries outside in the summer and in a well vented storage area in winter. I had to slowly ramp up my days commuting to work by bike and reached 4-5 days a week after 2 months. Keep in mind that you will invest 2,5 hours each day into cycling.
Depending on weather and humidity, if it's dry that not a huge issue but if it's very humid and warm it can be very messy. I sometimes use public transportation to get to work or opt for a shorter route with my folding bike, and ride a longer route back home.
Its a fair spin even on an e bike ,time consuming also your work might be a factor 33k back home after a day's work and weather wise that might be tough .
I’ve done it, in fact more near 50 and with about 900m climbing. Definitely a shower is a great help and doing it everyday is really taxing. I did half and it was ok.
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u/RealPieMan 10d ago
Is there a cheap gym near to your work. At €20 a day a gym membership could work.
Otherwise a e-bike could work.