I've now spent 5 years, altogether, as a carless all-weather bike commuter. Some of that was in London but most of it has been in Portland, OR. However, I take public transit when it's icy, but in both of those towns that's pretty rare, like less than a week per year if at all. My wife is now going on 8 years of the same. We can afford cars, but love the benefits of biking and would rather have the $10k (at least) per year to use towards something other than cars. Also, in Portland, there's no way I could get to work as quickly by car without working odd hours to avoid rush hour(s). It's 7 miles, one-way, but dependably 30 minutes by bike.