Wow. It took me 6 hours or so over the course of 3-4 days to finally finish this thread. Good reading.

I was planning on commuting to work (5 miles) by Labor Day. Through late July and early August I had dusted off my 10 year old Pacific bike and was riding around the neighborhood. I had the bike in the hardest settings (is that high gear or low? lol)because I figured that would help me prepare for the commute. I was doing 7-11 miles a ride. Things came up and I missed my goal but I'm still planning on it for next Tuesday. Wish me luck!