Originally Posted by zandoval

What I like about a 5 mile ride to work is if I have bike trouble I can just walk it. I think you should also consider how much room you will have for storage and how safe the storage area will be. If you are going to store it out side when working ya might consider an old steel beater bike ta start.

If you have never done regular bicycle commuting take a step back and just do it a few times a week. That will give you time to set up a proper route and prove your gear and method of clean up when you get to work.

I commuted to work for several years. It took a while to get my gear and route stable. It was 15 miles to work but my route took me about 20 miles as I chose to go around heavy traffic. I was working at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio Texas. I found an old bike rack covered in weeds and started parking my bike there. With in 4 months the bike rack was completely cleaned up and at least 8 of us were commuting daily.

Another thing is that if you are ridding on a regular basis people get to know you. Or rather know your bike as they too are going to work. I once got a flat, rolled my tubular tire off the rim, and flipped into the thick grass of someones yard. I guy I never knew pulled up behind me and gave me a ride to work. I am thankful to this day...