Originally Posted by
lostarchitect
I concur with most of the advice you have received. When I started commuting--and my commute is about the same distance as yours--it took a few weeks for me to get used to it, but it's my favorite part of the day now! Some advice I have, some of which repeats what you have above:
-Get road tires! This will make a big difference.
-Ride the bike you have for now. Don't worry about getting another bike until you've done this for at least a couple seasons and know what you would want. (but do change the tires).
-Don't worry about trying to be in high gear except on the hills. The gears are there for a reason, use them as much as you need to.
-I ride 4 days a week, taking Wednesdays off because I have an early meeting that day that I don't want to be sweaty for. This is, for me, an ideal break in the middle of the week to rest. Might want to try something like this?
I have been doing a lot of the 4 day commuting with Wednesday off as I build strength (I have been commuting 2 months about 6 miles each way). That locks in both commute time and recovery time. I plan to go to full 5 day commute weeks soon. I am already starting to add weekend fun miles. The strength in the legs comes steadily. If you track your times, they will gradually improve (except for windy days). Stick with it, hopefully it will be as great for you as it has been for me.