As a complete cycling noob in my mid-30's who *just* started commuting to work by bike, I can only offer these nuggets.
1) Nobody will convince me it's expensive to ride a bicycle compared to a car...*any* car. If I were to spend on cycling what I spent on my vehicle, well, even the wealthiest guys in my suburb would be envious of my 2-wheelers and gear.
2) Commuting costs me $0 except for the Gatorades I suck down at the end of each 10-mi commute
I'm a complete noob to this road biking thing and everything I needed for commuting I had already purchased to make recreational cycling more pleasurable.