hi all,

So for the past 3 summers I have been doing a once-weekly commute; 1 mile + train + 3 miles in the AM,
and 32 miles home in the PM. Only when the weather is nice and after the daylight saving time change. I accomplished doing that 32 times total over the last 3 summers.

This year I decided to buy a folding bike (Downtube IXNS) to do a more frequent commute. My first
was Feb 28, and it was a success (total 8.5 miles round trip, including a 300 ft elevation gain 10-15%
grade on the way home from work), plus Amtrak train. Well, except that the Amtrak conductor didn't allow me to board on the PM train home so I took SEPTA (Philly regional train) instead. I'm still working on that
issue.

This morning was my 3rd commute, using Amtrak on the way in. My time is 63 minutes home to sitting in
my office chair. That is very competitive with driving, which has averaged 43 minutes over the past 3 years. The home trip is longer, about 1 hr 30 using SEPTA (versus 55 to 75 minutes driving).

I plan to do this 2-3 times per week, in addition to my summer "long ride home" using my normal hybrid bike. I will probably not do any true rain commuting, and when it gets hot out I'll probably have to change into a t-shirt for the ride uphill rather than wearing my dress shirts.

Using the train for both directions (and the folding bike to allow Amtrak access) is great, I should be able to do this clear into November-December depending on how much lighting I decide to buy.