Cyclists - what's your ideal commute distance?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m moving to another part of the UK shortly. New location, new house means new bike commute to work (and will also determine location of said new house). What’s the sweet spot for your commuting distance?

I think 8 - 10 miles, is about the ideal benchmark for me (20 miles a day, 100 miles a week at the top end). Everything is right for this distance for me - it’s substantial enough that you can enjoy the ride and it will probably keep the baseline fitness ticking over. Feels like it’s worth getting changed for. But it’s not too much effort that it will wipe you out for your recreational riding at the weekend, say [the cumulative effect of commuting miles can be quite substantial IME. 10 miles is an easy distance to cycle, but 10 times a week and you do feel it.]

Time it takes is dependent a lot on terrain and route, but it’s going to be less than an hour so not a huge dent into the working day. It’s also not too onerous a distance if you feel a bit under the weather and not really in the mood.

This sort of commute can be in a straightish line, or you could have a shorter distance to work and just choose to lengthen it to 10 miles. Advantage of this latter arrangement is that you can belt it in / out directly if you’re pushed for time - disadvantage is that it’s tempting to take the shorter route home if you’re feeling lazy.

2

I think 8-10 mi is a pretty decent, well rounded amount. Age is a huge factor though. I used to commute to college almost 18 mi each way over hilly road terrain, 4 days per week in pretty much all weather conditions (I live in Michigan, was riding during winter wearing a snowmobile suit).
I wouldn’t want to do that now, I think it would pretty much kill me.

Another factor is weather - if one plans on doing this, even if it’s cold outside. It’s a little tougher in the cold, but it also takes a minimum distance to make getting all decked out in proper attire for the ride to be worth it, all the extra garb is such a hassle. It’s hardly worth a short commute, you spend more time getting ready for the ride than the ride itself.