I first stated cycle commuting to the family business when I was thirteen or so.

I then didn't commute until my mid twenties when I would occasionally ride to campus during grad school. I started riding more at the end of grad school when I acquired a hybrid. But it was tough motivation to ride since I lived so close to campus and was two minutes from a bus stop and it was an 800 foot climb or so in 4 km or so.

When I got my job I drove for a few weeks and decided by mid February I couldn't drive. So I started with a combo transit bike with a bike locker. It was tough since the choices of stations with bike lockers left a somewhat hilly ride. The bike routes were also poorly marked and ended suddenly which made it challenging to a new commuter.

I decided to give up the locker and try another route that transit let me being my bike on. That worked okay. I eventually started to ride home some nights instead of the train. I then realized it wasn't hard to do the whole 30 mile round trip in the same time or faster as the combo with transit. I then started to ride three or four days a week February until November. Each year I extended my riding season. My route itself didn't change much and I would always push hard.

I then get a new bike almost five years ago to replace the hybrid so I could haul the upcoming kid. That was a great and worthwhile upgrade I have yet to regret. I rode for another year out of two, I took time of to be a stay at home dad for nine months.

I then went back to school and took another year off for teachers college and a year off to stay home as homemaker and didn't commute much other than groceries and library and the YMCA.

We moved back to Vancouver and I have ridden every month since September 2013. My commute is 7 or 11 miles each way, daycare run dependent. It is a bit easier of a ride and I ride nearly exclusively and rarely drive and never transit.

I love it and go fast except for the daycare home stretch where I take it slower and chat with the boy.

Distance and hauling needs are the only changes, we are in process of adding a trailer instead of the kids seat. I still race myself and anyone in the distance.

Edit: I have added more lights and made myself more visible. I always wore compression shorts with shorts and t-shirts and sometime I switched to Lycra. I eventually gained a pair of SPD shoes to go with my pedals and that was a nice upgrade. I have always ridden the road and become more comfortable taking lanes and making my presence known with positioning.