+1. I have been doing a multi-modal commute with bike --> train --> bus --> work. It is only a 3.4 miles a day riding. I went out with a fellow bikeforumer yesterday and tried driving to a bike path entrance, then riding probably 15 miles to what would have been work. It would be a bit much to do daily, at least at first, but I could easily do it a couple times a week. You might find that there are a lot more hills on a bike than there are in a car. Cars flatten them out and we only notice the big ones. On a bike, even a shallow incline and a 10 mph headwind will cut me right down to size.

On a weekend day, commute by bike one way with the option of taking a bus home. (confirm the buses have racks) I think that after 10 years of smoking, you might be putting yourself at risk for a heart attack. So be careful.

Also, if you haven't bought the bike yet, I recommend the Urban-X, or even the Green instead. You'll appreciate the fenders & rack.

As others have pointed out, keep in mind this is a slow bike. Comfortable, but slow, and not aerodynamic. I'm in OK shape. Never smoked, and my average speed on a city commuter bike like that is around 10 mph. Lots of guys here average 15+ on their more road style bikes.

I rode with a local bike forumer yesterday. I had my Gary Fisher Simple City 3, and he had a 23 year old Trek road bike that he had replaced the gear train and pedals on. He's a stronger rider than me to begin with, but even accounting for that, the hills & wind were easier for him to deal with, and he could maintain a higher average speed with the same effort. It only took one 30 mile ride, and I'm thinking of getting a more road-oriented bike. If I lived in a city, it would be different. But out here, I have a lot of open roads and long bike paths.