I did it for 12 years. You've got to keep an eye on weather reports for the next day (you'll quickly learn who the best weather person is).

Yea, that would be a lot of work on an ice-rutted trail. For the most part, I keep off of the trails in the winter and stick to the roads exclusively.

I generally do about 12 each way, and find it quite manageable even at my slow (12.5-13.5 MPH avg) pace - even as a fat guy (I'm not technically a Clyde - just fat). I find doing the entire 20 mile distance each way from home to work a bit much, but that's largely because of time (what I ain't got).

BUT as a caveat, I also have the option of a very short (1.5 mile) ride to metro, a longer (but still under 12 miles) ride to metro, a wife to take me to metro, etc... so I am not bound to cycling every day, no matter what. Presuming you have alternatives if needed, I'd say 15 each way should be no problem.

I went from a 7 mile to a 17 mile commute (each way) about a year ago. Here is what I found:

. Not enough hours in the day when I ride.
. On a 7 mile commute, once I warmed up, I was warm. Somewhere before 17 miles, though, I can start to get cold again (toes, fingers, etc.)
. Things that didn't discourage cycling at 7 miles each way are more likely to keep me from commuting 17 miles. For instance, I used to dodge thunderstorms and feel pretty safe, but now it's tougher to avoid them.
. Riding 17 miles, then resting at work, then riding 17 miles home 9 hours later takes more out of me than riding 34 miles continuously. I think in that time, my body starts to go into rest & repair mode and then the ride home interrupts it. Doing it again the next morning makes repeats the cycle.
. I found it much easier to stop on the way home for social events or errands with the shorter commute than with the longer one.

Two things that are different between you and me is that you are already commuting 5 days a week. I used to commute 3-4 days a week; that has dropped to about 2 days a week on average. Also, you say you have plenty of time. Time is the single biggest factor that keeps me from commuting. I simply can't get all the stuff I need to get done if I devote 3 hours a day to riding.

I can echo some of what Doohickie says. my commute is 13 miles each way, which lets me brag that I "do a marathon daily" but...

- it takes about an hour, a bit longer on the way home. two hours is a lot of time on a bike. great exercise, but it's a lot of time. I'd rather be biking than driving, but if I take the commuter rail I could get some work done... it's just a long time. longer in the winter with all the gear
- heat-wise I'm OK for about the first half hour and then my toes freeze. only solution I've found is the chemical toe warmers, which aren't cheap.
- although the ride is exhilarating when it's warm (i.e., above freezing), in winter I find the ride exhausting

I sure wish my commute were more like 8 miles. I'd think twice before doing this again.

From Nov - March I use my "b" ride 12 miles each way, about 50-55 minutes
From Apr-Oct I use my "a" ride, 17 miles in about 55 minutes, 13 miles back about 45 mins

As far as the time question goes, I figure it take about a half hour of "family" time per day longer than driving. If I drove I would still need to find an hour or more to go to the gym, run etc etc, so biking is for me and my family a win win situation.

good luck

I am in much the same boat as Doohickie. We just moved this summer and the commute went from 9 to 15 miles each way. All of the points Doohickie mentioned I have noticed also. One thing that helped me is to pay attention to eating after getting to work, this helps greatly with the ride home. I think you will be fine, besides this is the response you really wanted. Get the house and enjoy the ride.

"You can do it!" - Robert Michael "Rob" Schneider