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  1. calderholbrook on

    with an ebike it’s nothing, i’m sure. the climb is only taxing if it’s all you.

  2. Your ride home is gonna rule. My commute is the opposite and mostly uphill on the way home. About the same elevation per mile though as what you posted. I’d honestly dig a little more distance most days.

  3. precocious_necrosis on

    With an ebike, and assuming decent biking infrastructure, this is a perfectly doable commute.

    That last part is the deal breaker, though. 11 miles on protected bikeways and low speed residential streets is fine, but if even a portion of that has you relegated to painted bicycle gutters along stroads then I would have serious second thoughts.

    Next time you drive, pay close attention to how the route would work while on a bicycle. You can also dive deep into trail maps of your area and look for alternative routes that are more bike friendly. An extra mile or two is nothing if it keeps you away from traffic and avoids intersections.

  4. My commute is a tad shorter (9 miles) with a bit less climbing (500 ft). The biggest problem is that I have about the same amount of climbing both ways! At least yours will be downhill one way.

  5. binaryhextechdude on

    It’s only 17kms I used to ride 25kms each way to my job as a bike mechanic.

  6. I like climbing, so yes. Now I have no climbs and live in a super flat area. Only climbing I get is on Zwift 🙁

  7. noodleexchange on

    Yup. 1h20 of same. I’m no athlete, but it is a chunk of time that gives you conditioning.
    Winter sucks because early nightfall.

  8. I used to, mine was slightly further and more climbing. I had a shower and second breakfast waiting for me at three other end though

  9. With an e-bike, probably wouldn’t be too bad. Once you do it a few times you may find some alternative routes that skirt some main roads and climbs as well.

  10. TheNetworkIsFrelled on

    Ride it. Unless the hill is all at once, it should be reasonable, and the profile looks gradual.
    11 miles X 700’ is a 15% grade average so not dead easy, but not godawful either. And it looks like it’s front-loaded with one big hill initially.

  11. My commute is same length each way and I’m only in office 3 times a week, but only has 500 feet of elevation. I gave up with the manual bike late last year and now run it. So to answer your question, yes, an ebike would be an easy commute.

  12. It’s a decent climb but once you get stronger I’ll bet you could do it faster than that

  13. yellow_pterodactyl on

    Do you have Apple Maps? I actually like them better for route planning. I try to pick commutes with less than 300 ft climb because that gets taxing after a long day.

  14. Absolutely, but on an ebike it would probably take me only 45 minutes at around an average of 15 MPH.

  15. Hell yeah. I’d do this in a heartbeat. 700feet isn’t that much, especially if you do it regularly. 

    I’d be more concerned whether you have a shower are your destination. 

    Also, I wouldn’t waste money on an e-bike if you don’t spend big bucks. They are starting to be banned from many bike paths and even roads due to the legal grey area the are in. It’s spoiled by folks going 30+mph without pedaling. 

  16. Accomplished-Way1575 on

    11 miles? Sure. .On an ebike as you are contemplating it is not even a question regardless of wind etc.

  17. Longjumping-Hat4321 on

    That’s similar to my commute! I had an old, heavy e-bike and it was a bit of a pain. Changed to a Kona single speed and I enjoy it so much now

    PS I first read it as 700m and thought absolutely not lol

  18. Every day, twice.

    My commute is 10 miles / 600’, both ways. Once you get used to it, it’s just what you do!

  19. That looks very reasonable even without an e-bike. I’ll reiterate what others have said though: drive your potential routes first (or at least the part on the roads) to check your comfort level. My commute has about 5 miles of roads without any type of shoulder or bike path, but they are very low volume and I typically only get passed by 5-10 vehicles a day. I don’t commute in the winter, as the bike path on the high volume road isn’t plowed and I refuse to ride on that road even without any type 4’ shoulders.

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