Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
Don't overthink it. Ride a bike -- any bike -- to work and then back home. Take note of what works and what doesn't. Then buy accessories and new bikes based on that.
For example: I bought a $179 mountain bike from Target and started my bike-commuting career on that, putting my extra clothes and stuff in a backpack. I don't do that anymore, but it got me started.
This is an excellent point.
I've been riding for years but I just started commuting 2 years ago. This year I got a nice hybrid bike that suited my riding style, road surface quality, body size, and style preferences. Last year I learned what all my needs and preferences were by riding a bike that wasn't well suited to commuting at all. I was on a 15 year old 26" wheel mountain bike with knobby tires.
It was not great for commuting (but it was a hell of a workout!) despite being a super fun bike on dirt trails in the woods.
However, I learned last year what I needed different in a commuter bike.
So this is really good advice.
If the bike you have looks like the tires are flat the problem is the tubes/tires, not the bike. Nothing about the bike will make the tires flat. So slap some new tubes/tires on the bike you have (this can be done for under $50) and ride that one for a while. See what you like and don't like. Get tires without a lot of tread for this purpose. Not something with deep knobbies that looks aggressive. (You might just need new tubes, so this could cost you all of $15)
And work yourself up to 10 miles like someone else said. If you aren't used to 10 mile rides, it'll kill you. Especially if there are hills. The drive halfway option is good. You can also take longer rides on the weekends to break your body in. Go to a 20 mile ride on a Saturday when you aren't in a rush and can take breaks every 10 minutes.
And I cannot stress this enough...DRIVE YOUR INTENDED BIKE ROUTE FIRST WITH THE MINDSET OF A BIKER. Make sure it's suitable for biking. Do NOT just assume you can figure out a good route on the fly. You'll find yourself on a heavily traffic road with no room for a bike or going through an intersection that shouldn't be traveled on a bike or some other road hazard that makes biking dangerous or impossible.
Studying satellite maps is really helpful for planning a route. You can find a lot of options you wouldn't see in a car or that aren't marked on your GPS maps. For example I cut through an access road between a strip mall and a cemetery. It's a great route because there is no traffic on it. It's just an emergency access route no one knows about that doesn't appear on maps.
You'll also find things like 2 parking lots that butt up against each other that you can't go between on a car but can easily go between on a bike. Things like that save distance or help you avoid heavily trafficked areas where you might get run over.