17km/h is a fairly relaxed pace, so you’d get to work in about an hour or less.

The question is, what is your infrastructure like? Do you have bike paths, bike lanes, snow clearing, etc. ?

You mention that you haven’t biked to work, but do you regularly bike? If you’re just new to cycling, then you’ll probably need to build up your fitness to ride 17km without feeling like you rode 170km. But if you’re an experienced cyclist who wants to bike to work, then it really shouldn’t be much of a problem.

17km per trip

Eminently doable.

I think its very doable.

But some factors can make it harder (do you need to bring stuff with you? Is it hilly? Is it cold? Is the bike infrastructure alright? How heavy your bike is? Etc)

I did a commute like this for 3 years. It’s very doable (and enjoyable!). A few things I did not anticipate when planning the trip.

In the summer you need to leave time to cool down/shower.

Head wind can significantly affect commute times.

You need to draw a line where you know it will not be safe to bike I e. Snow, heavy rain, heavy wind. This way you can plan for a back up.

Flat tires/bike malfunctions happen. Make sure you know how to repair things and that your job would be understanding. You would be surprised how the same employer might be understanding for a flat tire on a car but not on a bike.

This is my experience in The US at least. You should do it!

If you are in a decent condition it’s likely doable from the get go.

It’s definitely doable for almost anyone via gradual distance increase.

For reference:

I’m your average, feeble programmer. My only interest in biking is exchange of temporary suffering for a good chance at longer and comfier life. Also cheaping out on public communication tickets.

I was slightly overweight when started biking (25.5 BMI). I have 6km to work. Had to do round trip and back (so 18km pretty much your distance) one day a few weeks after starting bike commutes (I forgot something and had to do a round trip right after arrival).

At 6km at the start I was pretty spent and almost at the point of needing a shower.
At 12km I was exhausted, in pain and absolutely needed a shower.
At 18km, with a 15min break for a shower at home I was fucking dying (figuratively).

So if you never biked I suggest feeling out your limits and gradual acclimation. But it’s definitely achievable.

My work is 2km away from my place so I gladly commute by bicycle, though sometimes I take the bus and sometimes I walk.

I wouldn’t do 17km, but 10km I might. Really the biggest factor to me isn’t the distance, but the safety of the route. Though I’d guess it’s hard to find 17km of contiguously safe commutes out there.

It is doable for sure. I did less than that maybe 6k for 2-3 years, in ALL weather conditions, thanks to schwalbe studded snow tires. My tips:

• Get an AirZounds horn for your bike. Drivers are not good at looking out for cyclists, the 120 db airhorn blast wakes them up in the morning.

• Front and rear lighting

• A good rain cycling jacket that has zippers in the arm pits and back. By the end of a cold rainy trip you will be producing so much body heat you want to vent it as best as possible possible

• for cold/freezing temps moisturize exposed skin before the trip, not after.

• leave a set of shoes at work work

• if your workplace has showers for certain jobs, talk to management about using them. It may make your coworkers happier

https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5053-164/air-zound-ii-cycling-horn

How hilly, snowy and bike-friendly is your route? Try it out on a weekend when there’s no pressure to get to work or worry about smelling sweaty. In terms of distance, 17km each way is fine, you’ll be able to do it but it may feel long if you’re inexperienced.

Bring a towel, water and a change of clothes.

I did 26km one way, twice a day for a year with an electric bike (slow one, limited to 25km/hr, but I usually went 27 so it gave almost no assistance except hills)

It is absolutely doable, but now that I moved and I am only 14km from work, it is much better. 2.5 hours commuting really sucks. It takes away gym time, family time, and free time and most days I pretty much worked, commuted, cooked, then had 1 hour free before bed.

It also depends on your winters. If it is regularly below zero, I wouldn’t. Turns get too dangerous when you are running a bit late for work. I wiped out once already this winter.

You should also have a contingency for when it is pouring rain or storming because those rides are miserable.

Doable, consider you Will need a shower when geting There.

My workplace is also 17km each way and I started cycling all the way there and back once I got a road bike (before I would do partial trips on my mountain bike plus public transport). Takes me about 40 mins to do the bulk of the journey plus another 10 to weave through the city to my office. I quite enjoy the cycles as I can put on a podcast and just ride.

Yes! Definitely doable, although admittedly a bit longer than what i’d be comfortable with for a commute in my area (quite a few hills for me sadly).

My workplace is 17km per trip

So I’m assuming that would be 17km from home to work + 17km from work to home, totalling a 34km round-trip. Don’t forget to give your body sufficient fuel to last the ride

Havent done it before

I would suggest going on some shorter rides first to build up your comfort and familiarity. After a while you should eventually settle into a comfortable pace and cadence, so you don’t run out of energy on your commute.

I think it can be considered doable, although I highly recommend some kind of trial run to get an estimate on all the parameters. I used a free day to commute to work and back the first time, just to get a feel for the distance. Infrastructure, your bike, physical condition, weather, what you have to carry, all these (and more) have an effect on how doable it is. As a baseline: I live in a larger city with decent infrastructure, have a fixed gear road bike, am in decent shape, carry a laptop + charger and my commute is 9km. During spring, summer and autumn (usually temps between 10°C (50°F) and 20°C (68°F) while biking) I commute by bike, in the winter I avoid it because of the salt on the road and because I don’t like the cold winds. It usually takes me somewhere between 20 and 35 minutes to make one trip. I hope that helps you estimate your commute a little better.

For me, a “normal” distance is ~8 km one way, but only because most of that is through a converted train corridor that’s completely separated from vehicle traffic. I wouldn’t like to do it if it was bicycle gutters all the way but I guess I wouldn’t mind if it was the only option. There’s also two rather substantial hills on my route which can really kick my butt if I missed some sleep or something.

Assuming 17 km total (~8.5 km one way), good infrastructure and minimal incline; totally doable. If you haven’t ridden a bicycle in a long time, let yourself have extra time to take breaks and remember to bring snacks so you still have enough energy to work. If it’s 17km one way, that is also totally doable but would require more physical preparation (and snacks). You can check incline on google maps; should show you a little graph when you set bicycle as your mode of transport.

If you’re in North America or somewhere where cycling to work is considered super cray cray progressive; I would also suggest getting a brightly coloured cycling jacket, helmet and front/rear lights; though, might not be that important in some European cities like Amsterdam.

*Also remember to pack an extra tube and tire change tools with you unless you go tubeless of course.

Absolutely, I used to work about 10min. bike ride from work, tricked myself by saying "I’m just commuting " and ended up going 1hr- 1.25 daily on a roundabout course.

I had time to organize my thoughts, organize my day, relax, and prepare myself physically & mentally.

I would not have made the last 10 years as a corporate chef without what my doc called “a fantastic coping mechanism”.