I'd suggest using the bike you have for as long as you can stand it. Definitely replace the saddle w/ something more appropriate (smaller). You might like the bigger tires, but I suspect you'll find 32's to be a bit faster and still will give adequate ride quality/flat protection. Get some tire liners put in to help prevent flats. Check tire pressure before every ride to prevent pinch flats and to make it easier to push those tires down the road (less resistance). Tire liners are cheap - around $15.

As you commute, make note of the things you don't like about the bike given the purpose for which you are using it.. Spend time reading this forum. See what works well for you. See what others rant about, and what they rave about. Once you've done it for a while you shouldn't have a big problem figuring out what kind of bike is appropriate for you.

I've been riding a hybrid to work for the last three months. I don't care for it. My biggest beefs are that I can't duck under the wind and I only have one hand position available to me. I hope I have solved it by buying a used early-80's Fuji. I guess in today's parlance it would be considered a great credit card touring bike. It has drop bars, 18 speeds, fairly long chain stays (great for mounting a rack & panniers) and it fits me perfectly. I just bought it, so right now it's in the shop being made ready for use as a commuter. I am putting a bit more into it than I had hoped but when it's all said & done I think I'll have a great little commuter. It is an old C&V (classic & vintage) bike that was made when I was a sophomore in high school. That appeals to me for some reason.

It's weird. The older I get the more I appreciate the things I liked when I was young. I certainly appreciate road bikes of the type I used to ride.

Someone else suggested that you do the ride on one of your off days. This is excellent advice. Do not try to kill yourself doing the ride. Remember, early on you will not be used to the commute. You will still need to have some energy when you get to work to actually do some work. Gotta keep the boss happy, right? Give yourself plenty of time - and allow at least a half-hour extra "just in case" (flat tire). Most of the time you won't have any problems at all on the commute and you can use that extra half hour once you get to work to cool down, wipe down w/ baby wipes, towel off, hydrate and get ready for the daily bummer. The elapsed time of your commute will go down of it's own accord as time goes by. I have a 40 mile round trip. At first it took me 1 hr, 50 min to get to work. I'm down to an average elapsed time of 1 hr, 30 min - and sometimes I do it in 1 hr, 25 min.

Buy some appropriate garments. If you don't want to go full-kit you don't have to. I don't wear the jersey or have the clip-on shoes or any of that stuff. Remember, though, that your hindquarters will be pumping and you run the risk of chaffing. I would suggest getting some sporting undergarments (at least) that wick away moisture and don't rub your skin raw like cotton underpants can. Next up on the clothing food chain would be underwear specifically designed to be used while bicycling. They have a chamois and pad between your skin and your bicycle seat. You can also purchase mountain biking shorts which resemble standard cargo shorts, but have the underpants built in or attached in such a way as you can remove them.

I wore cotton and developed a tremendous boil on my rear end which has me off the bike for a couple of weeks. I've had some suggest that it was more a function of an inappropriate fit (bike-wise), but I'm pretty sure that the wet cotton abrading my skin didn't help matters any.

Good luck. Enjoy your rides. Right now, my bicycle rides are the best part of my work day - although my coworkers would think me crazy for saying that. It's not that the job is that much fun. The bicycling is that much fun.