I smoked for over 40 yrs, and am just celebrating a year of being smokeless. The benefits show about 3 months after quitting. Riding becomes easier, family/wife thinks you are a hero, money stays in your wallet. I believe that my ressurected desire for cycling a couple of years ago helped make the transition to non smoking. As one of the "quitting" books I read said, after you quit you will realize what normal (without a smoke) feels like. Good luck and go for it. Don't forget to treat yourself with the extra cash. eg. lights, bags, books,etc.