as far as weather...that has always been an issue.

The obvious things to consider are:

warm clothes (snowsuit for winter if it's lower than 30f a good part of the year, otherwise jsut go for some carrharts and get out of them when you get there)

Rain gear (rain pants and jacket, I found rain pants to be tricky to buy, but the jackets are easy enough and work well)

for the really bad weather, consider fenders/mudflaps as well...they may be ugly, but ugly is sometimes a fair tradeoff to have a comfortable commute.

Basically it can be done...it's not as cushy as a car with heat..but it's not going to be miserable either so long as the rider is prepared.

As far as people not thinking of it, it's our car-based culture speaking right there...keep in mind the average american is taught from birth up that cars get you places, and bikes are toys....which is why we are at the point we are.

Truth is a bike is cheaper than a car for distances of 5miles or less each way in near every circumstance....as you reach 10 the gap narrows, and above 10 it's relative...some people just don't have time to ride a bike 15mi each way...and I understand that...it's just the guys who can't imagine riding a bike for a mile that make my head hurt. For me counting traffic lights (which are a plenty), it's about 15-20mins for me to do 3miles, which isn't bad at all....heck once the commuter is in shape, it's actually quite fun, but we all already know that

The other end of it is the US for the most part has an absolutely craptacular public transit system...bus is NOT a good form of public transit....light rail is nice, subway is best due to not having to interact with roads at all (best of both worlds, train is not slowed down, neither are the cars). Plus with the way bus drivers drive out here, I wouldn't put my life in their hands if I was at gunpoint....I'm half tempted to think a drunk or stoned guy would drive 10 times better than some of the bus drivers out here...

Really, it's the bad public transit in most cities plus the car mentality that is the issue, not the economics of it....but my point stands, it IS economically viable, and not too hard at all to do....45 mins out of a day for a 6mi daily of commute (i take the scenic way home...well as scenic as I can get without being in 40mph+ traffic), makes for 45mins of the 1 hour of reccomended exercise a day, etc...it's all good!


edit: oh and I forgot to mention we forgot to account for the cost of accelerated engine wear that happens when starting the car...starting your car to go a mile, shutting it off to get your video from blockbuster, then starting it back up and going home does far more wear than you would think. At that point the cost per mile is well over the $0.80 the workplace comp would pay...I forgot the exact figure but it would be over a dollar, i know that much.