1. It depends, but I think you should be able to do it in less than an hour (Mine was 10-11 hilly miles and would never take more than an hour).

2. Mine cost $500,

3. It depends on how you bike and where you live. For a ride of 9 miles deodorant and switching clothes should be enough (it was for me). The more you do it, the less your sweat will smell.

4. Start slow, do some non-commuting rides first

5. I've bike commuted for a while and the only decent injury I've sustained wasn't from when I was commuting.

mightshould, everything drezdn says is accurate, to which I'll add: this week was the first time I've crashed whilst riding to/from work since I was a bike messenger back in 1990. And the reason I crashed is because I was being dumb and inattentive. There was a little bit of sand in the corner, I came into it too fast, and then had to brake suddenly because the car cut me off. Eliminate any one of those factors and I wouldn't have gone down.

The more you ride, the more comfortable you'll be with your bike and handling it in traffic. People tend to think riding a bike is a no-brainer, but honestly, a new bike takes getting used to; they all handle differently, and you have to learn how to take corners, how to cross railroad tracks, to watch for things like sand or glass, and how to deal with windy days. Even the simple act of riding in a straight line away from a red light without weaving around takes a few tries to get smooth. I'd strongly recommend getting used to the bike for about a week of 45-minute to 1 hour rides, rather than doing it trial-by-fire.

Skim through some bike advocasy sites like bikeleague.org, planetbike.com, roadbikereview.com (extensive discussion board for every bike-related topic known to man) and even the Wikipedia article has some good sources. For more technical 'how to setup / fix my bike' related stuff, you can't go wrong with Sheldon Brown (RIP).

Also, I highly recommend pre-riding the route and exploring to find bike paths / alternate routes / side roads. Despite the fact that I used to be a courier and have no fear of handling my bike in traffic, I regularly take a slightly longer cycle path underpass loop on my way in to work, mainly because it eliminates 2 left turns on busy throughfares. It adds, at most, 30 seconds to my commute, but removes a host of annoyances / dangers.

I got excited because I thought you meant motorbike. =(

Good on you for choosing people-power!

As an aside, I'm on a motorcyclist mailing list. We've got a Sheldon Brown. Someone hastily posted "Sheldon Brown is dead!" and the non-(bi)cyclists on the list flipped their shit. So weird to think that he's so known (such that there wouldn't even be the thought of confusion) to this one segment of people and completely unknown to others. I stayed out of the "you did that on purpose"/"how was I supposed to know you didn't know who I was talking about?" debate, but man, it was a lesson in communication and collective knowledge.

Drezdn is correct. As for the length of time, it really depends on how fast you ride and factors such as traffic and road conditions. My commute is 8 miles one way, and it takes me anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how quickly I feel like going, etc. If you don't have a bike already, consider borrowing a friend's bike for a day (it has to be the right size though), or renting one, and trying the route you'll take on a weekend to see how long it takes and how you like it.

Also, check bikely.com for suggested routes in your area. There should be something that will work for you on there.

One more thing: Be sure to factor the cost of a helmet, a good lock, and head and tail lights into the cost of your bike purchase. These will add probably at least $100 to the price.

Good luck! Biking to work is fun, though it can be frustrating sometimes.

smich is right; budget for extras. Also, if you get lock + lights, you open up the additional options of running local errands via bike as well.

I might point out here that I did the math, and by not owning a car, I'm saving nearly $800/month, this assumes gas continues at ~ $3/gallon.

I am going to start researching this for sure. What better time to get into something than when the weather is nicer? I don't know anyone locally, so I think my best bet is to go to a local shop and see what they have to offer, hopefully in a used bike to minimize the expense. I'd really like to be able to rent a bike and try one day to see how it goes.

It's been 20 years since I rode a ten-speed to commute and the equipment has changed so much since then. (I don't think they call them that now, do they?) The options are mind-boggling when you start looking into it.

I appreciate all the good suggestions. I'll map out possible out-of-the-way routes to minimize high traffic areas.

Heh, I used to be extremely fit and now am just a desk-blob, so this could be a way to add exercise into my life again... but, I'm not looking forward to the thought of adding bulk to these thunder thighs.

Sounds like a good idea to find a friendly local bike shop to help you get set up. Depending on how much you sweat, you may want to bring a clean shirt with you in warm weather. And never underestimate the ability of pants cuffs to get covered in bike grease.

As for everything else I was going to say, other people already said it. So, ditto.

I'm a gung-ho, recent convert. So I'll let you in on my secrets, such as they are.

1. Any idea of how long a 9-mile trip by bike will take?

It takes 35-40 minutes for me to go 7.5 miles one way. If you ride at the same pace, it should take 42 to 60 minutes to cover 9 miles.

2. What does it cost for a basic commuter bicycle setup?

I paid $250 for my bicycle.... 23 years ago. I think you can get something similar for $400-500 today. Also, plan to spend about $100 on a helmet, a bag for the bike, reflective/flashing light gear, etc. I don't have everything I want yet; I'm getting there slowly.

3. I do not have anywhere to shower at work, but can change clothes in the restroom - will I be too sweaty, or can I just wear my work clothes?

There are a lot of things that influence this. If you are covering relatively level terrain and the temperature is cool in the morning, it should be no problem. My routine is to take a shower before leaving, but then I clean up again in the bathroom when I get there, including wetting down my hair and face, new deoderant, etc. The morning temps since I started have been in the 30s-50s and so far no problems. I take a complete change of clothes too. When I get home, though, I simply have to shower.

If your morning temps get into the 70s, I bet you're going to need at least a pretty complete sponge bath, if not a complete shower.

4. Other things to consider?

A helmet. Let me state that again. A. HELMET. This is easily the very most important piece of equipment you need when riding a bicycle. The second time I did my bicycle commute, I went over the handlebars. If not for a helmet, which cracked on impact, I'd be re-learning my alphabet right now.

If, like me, you haven't bought a helment in a while, you will be very pleasantely surprised that even an affordable helmet is very, very comfy. They are well ventilated and quickly adjust for head size and are so well designed it is easy to forget you have one on. Seriously. One thing to look for in a helmet is an accident replacement warrany. I paid $35 for my helmet and I can't ask for anything more out of it.

5. I am also hesitant after hearing the recent collection of road-rash stories. Any thoughts for a potential novice?

The thought of going over the handlebars was, by far, my biggest fear. I've done that now, and lived to tell the tale. If you think about all the things that can go wrong, it will psych you out and you'll be afraid to try. So it goes with many worthwhile things in life. Get a bike, get a helmet, and have fun.

Use Google Maps to carefully plan your route. The have way points now; you drag the route to where you want to go and it will calculate the distance. I was able to plan my route such that the vast majority of it is *not* on busy streets, even though I am going across a pretty big city (Fort Worth, TX). Things to consider:

1. Hills. Make sure there are no hills along your route that you simply cannot climb on your bike. As long as you can get up the hill in low gear, you're fine; you will very quickly gain leg strength with frequent rides.

2. Residential side streets are the best way to go.

3. To cross major thoroughfares, choose intersections with traffic lights. I literally jump off my bike, push the Walk button, and get back on at some intersections.

4. If you have to ride along majorly busy streets, use sidewalks, breakdown lanes, or parking lots when possible. As I ride more, I am be more comfortable riding out in traffic lanes with cars, but in the beginning I tried to stay away from traffic as much as possible. Out of the 7.5 miles of my route, I think less than 1 mile is playing in traffic with speed limits of 40 mph or more; the rest is side streets, parking lots and sidewalks.

5. HEL. MET.

Enjoy!

And never underestimate the ability of pants cuffs to get covered in bike grease.

How true. I invested $3 in a pair of "nerd bands", the stips with velcro closures and reflectors on them. Definitely a good deal.

If you saw my thread where I talked about wrecking my bike, you saw that I damaged it pretty good. I considered buying a new one, but decided not to, at least for the time being. If I were to buy, though, I would really try to find something older, maybe 15-20 years old, that isn't trashed, simply because I am familiar with that. Maybe if I stick with this I'll spend more on a better bike.

This has been a fun thread to read; I had no idea so many people are bicycling. It gets me psyched up!

I'm a new bike convert too! Admittedly, I don't commute, but I am so happy with biking to get around. I'm about to leave on my bike to go to the doctor's (4 miles). Yay bikes!

But, lonefrontranger, or another bike nerd, can you tell me if I'm making a huge faux pas by wearing what is apparently a skater helmet? I didn't know when I got it, I just liked the gestapo shape, and the store clerk didn't tell me!

And I still suck at going straight, without swerving, from a red light.

At my bike shop, they carry a few of those. The owner said some people insist on that style for bicycle riding because it makes them feel more secure. If it makes your head hot, try the other style; they are really, really well-ventilated these days.

I'm going to map out some potential routes over the weekend. Next week sometime I'll have to find a shop and see what they have to offer in a rental bike so I can try out routes on a non-workday. This should take a bit of time, but maybe when that "tax rebate" check shows up, I'll have made a decision about which bike, etc.

So many decisions. Who knew it would be this hard... The last time I commuted via bike, I just simply bought a bike at K-Mart, put it together and went on my merry way.

I commute on occasion, but winter came and I had a torn oblique muscle and I'm lazy, but now it is warming up. I don't like the hill on the way home, but I just gear down and try to engage my clipless pedals efficiently as possible. I ride a cheap, heavy recumbent. It is slow but I experience no numbness or pain to speak of, other than muscular soreness. Then again, I may have torn my oblique while pulling up hill. I'm not sure.

It's worth it to get a decent bike rather than a Kmart special. Easier to work on and repair, more efficient, safer, etc. Stay away from bicycling magazine--they consider a $1,000 bike a bargain. Once you have read reviews and know what you want, start looking at Craigslist (and make sure the bike isn't stolen).