I hate to see someone choose not to bike to work, but these reasons do kind of point that way. That said, I'll add my voice to the counter-point.

1. Flats

Some perspective here: I ride 3000+ miles a year and average about 4 flats per year. There are tires I could choose that, without question, would reduce that number. When we say you should be prepared to change a flat, you should understand that it doesn't happen often AND (as tjspiel noted) changing the flat isn't necessarily the only option. The reason that so many of us express this as an urgent consideration is that we've had the experience of getting a flat tire when we didn't have a plan. Usually the worst result is embarrassment (the "call of shame") but human brains are wired in such a way that embarrassment is disproportionately represented in our memories.

If you get good flat resistant tires and being late for work once or twice a year isn't disastrous, you really don't *need* to worry about flats.


2. Sweat

This really depends on the weather, your local topography, your physiology and your riding style. For me, my commute is also my daily exercise. I show up at work dripping with sweat even in the middle of winter. But you might be able to avoid this. Some of us have a tendency to think that avoiding sweat would take too long. I think this way. It's probably not true.

How hard you can work and not sweat is where your physiology comes in. For most people, though, there is some speed at which you can ride a bike without sweating. Let's say for you it's 10 mph. That would get you to work in a little under an hour (figuring 5-10 minutes for stop signs and traffic signals). At a more vigorous pace, say 15 mph, you do the same 8 mile commute in 40-45 minutes (again, accounting for stopped time). So, if you leave home 15 minutes earlier, you can maybe avoid sweating.

3. Clothes

This is a corollary of the sweating point. If you ride at a pace that doesn't produce sweat, you generally can wear anything you like. You will still produce a bit of extra body heat, so you might want a lighter jacket than you would normally wear, but the reality is that casual cycling does not require special clothing.

I would bet that everyone on this forum who changes clothes at work rides at a "workout" pace. It's a choice, not a requirement.


One final consideration, not to be overlooked: