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Comment by g8oz | Hacker News Reader

For the general population, cycling is a reasonable option only for trips of 5 km and under. Mind you that is a good proportion of trips.

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Actually, if you are healthy, 10km or under is still very reasonable, as travel time will probably be under 30 minutes.

I'm 30, not athletic at all and daily ride my bike uphill 6 km to work in 22 minutes.

The ride home must be fun!

Not so much when it's cold.

I live in Brazil. Where I am, it gets colder in the winter, but never less then 10°C in the morning.

I think that's underestimating what the 'general population' is capable of.

Here in Holland most normal bike commutes are often quite a bit longer than 5 km, and everyone from businessmen to pregnant women seem to manage fine...

it's worth remembering that Holland is quite mild compared to a lot of the US. Looking at wikipedia the Netherlands' average high is lower that Austin's average low during the summer.

Even with the heat, central Austinities bike at decent rates: https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Public_Wor...

In the summer, I end up carrying around a towel and an extra shirt. It's not so bad.

In addition, the Netherlands is very flat, and I've found this makes a huge difference. The steepest "hills" I've encountered while biking around cities there are the bridges over canals. Cycling is extremely efficient on flat roads and doesn't take much energy if you're not trying to go too fast. But as soon as you get to a slight incline you notice the difference (especially in the summer when you're concerned about sweating). I consider myself fairly/very athletic and I definitely noticed the difference (how easy it was) when I biked around there.

Obviously, these aren't the only reasons cycling isn't as popular in the US. There are certainly US cities which are just as flat and mild.

This isn't a fixed variable. If people start cycling, they will rapidly gain the fitness required to cycle for longer distances.

The variable can go both ways. If I were to start cycling, I'd soon lose the remaining function in my left knee ... not even sure if that could be repaired with a replacement, which I would loathe to have to do in the first place.

I can walk (no problems there and I like walking) or drive, for me there's no in between.

Sorry to hear that. Cycling is usually considered good for the knees provided they are kept in warmth.

We cannot even ride motorcycles most of the year up in the north land much less bicycles.

Technically it's no problem at all. There exists good enough clothing for you and good tires for the bike, making it very feasible. I see people commuting by bike all year around here in my town in Norway.

The problem is that bike lanes are often not maintained during winter. Luckily they are in my town, at least to some degree.

It is not a problem in Minneapolis either.

Its a problem in North Dakota and I get the feeling that you in Minneapolis weren't biking all winter with the extreme chills and snow. If you were, then fine but a normal bike rider would be killed.

My particulars aren't very interesting, but having lived in northern Minnesota near Fargo and Minneapolis, and having spent three weeks in Minneapolis in December (I live in sunny Boulder), running outside each night during that damn cold snap, I've got some experience dealing with cold. It's no fun and requires the right equipment but it's both survivable and enjoyable. But I'm hardly alone: http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/01/29/why-would-you-bike-c...

Cold can be a problem, but it's also a problem for drivers. Rain can be a problem. Heat can be a problem. But all of these can be overcome, and these are just some of the problems with getting more people to stop driving to work (I personally think proximity to work and perceptions of being seen biking to work are bigger problems in the USA, but I haven't studied the problem much).

Quite many people bicycle around the year in Oulu which is quite far north. http://www.ibikeoulu.com/

Some key thing are that it's very flat and there are bike roads which are snow plowed consistently. And there are lots of students.

The temperatures there are very similar to Minneapolis. I guess distance from the ocean makes up for a lot of the difference in latitude.

Winter biking in Minneapolis is real. I bike 5 miles to work most days. This was a cold and snowy winter, but it was better than last year because there was more snow and less ice.

[In Minneapolis, nothing stops bicyclists — not even winter](http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-minneapolis-winter-bikin...)

[Biking is up, even — and especially — in cold weather](http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/236827801.html)

[Twin Cities winter bike community feels the pinch](http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/247300181.html)

[Why would you bike commute in the winter](http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/01/29/why-would-you-bike-c...)

[Ride on in Winter (2011)](http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/114216374.html)

There is no way the average person is going to bike to work in a 40mph wind in -10F weather. It isn't safe. You can keep pointing to people, but for most people it just isn't an option because of distance and safety.

Seriously. Biking in -10F (-23C) is just a matter of clothing. People do this all the time during winter, me included, with absolutely no issues. And I'm definitely not athletic. Although 40mph headwind might make it rather hot & sweaty business...

For 5km and under it should be the option. Would fix a lot of issues.

For the general population, cycling is a reasonable option only for trips of 5 km and under.

Perhaps I'm severely overestimating the shape people are in, but I had a job where I commuted 15km by bike. You can ride 15kph without breaking a sweat, so that's an hour at a relaxed pace and probably 30-40 minutes at an athletic pace.

I'd guess that the median American can ride 10km (6.2 miles) with no issues. I could be wrong, though.

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