It doesn't seem like a big deal now, although it did when I started 3 years ago.

With a 13-mile round trip, riding 4 days is 104 miles, 5 days is 130. Basically, as I work a regular 5-day week, I just consider that the bike is how I normally travel. If I have to make an exception, it's just that; an exception.

The weather patterns here in Philadelphia have changed and really don't prohibit year-round cycling. It rarely snows any more, so you just have to be equipped to ride in cold temperatures. I personally will give myself a pass if it's raining in the morning and the temperatures are under about 45F, but you'd be surprised how rare that is.

So doing 5 day weeks is easy enough in Spring/Summer/Fall; and this year, with the drought, winter didn't really get in the way. The only significant time I've lost from commuting has been due to injury, vacations, or the occasional business trip. (I spent much of last week in Vegas at a conference, for example, but since I was off the bike due to a rib injury anyway it worked out.)

As to your other questions: I'm 50; I'm the AV manager of a major urban museum; I ride a touring bike (Novara Randonee)and a light-touring bike (Airborne Carpe Diem) depending on the weather and the load; and once I started commuting in '99 it took no time at all to realize that I could do it every day.

Like a lot of older people I started out doing this for my health, after years of neglect and the onset of a suite of illnesses related to bad habits. But I grew up on two wheels, and never even got a driver's license until I was 25 and moved to the suburbs, so returning to cycling was a natural response to the need to recover my fitness.

My bike commute consumes little more time than driving/parking/walking, and takes about as long as the train. It's the ultimate multitasking, turning the most wasteful and frustrating part of the day into the most productive and beneficial. There's no downside.

RichC