How long did it take YOU to start commuting?

Good for you. Pin it to win it!

Why were your cheeks rosy?
Are you wearing a full face helmet?

Take the long way home!

I waited about 2 months, but it all depends on your commute and comfort level. I was also very cautious about riding on any morning when I felt tired or was in a hurry.

It's interesting to see how different other countries are :) In Germany you have to do a whole lot of training with a driving school. 12x 45min units are obligatory and you take more units to learn the bike and how to drive in traffic, at night, on the autobahn and prepare for hazardous situations and how to avoid them. Then you are allowed to take the test to get your licence, plus you have to take theoretical classes and do a test for that too.

Because of that thorough training, I felt comfortable to start commuting right away after I got my own bike. As others have said, start when you feel comfortable enough and think you can handle the traffic both at day and at night.

I commuted to work for 5 years, even through the Winter, on my mountain bike in downtown Toronto traffic. When I got my first motorcycle here commuting on it was a breeze compared to the bike:huh

I always treated my mountain bike as a vehicle: don't "share" a lane with me, don't run lights, don't pass on the right etc..... Once you get used to treating all vehicles on the road as a hazard switching to a motorcyle is easy....

I got back into riding motorcycles about eight years ago, after about a 15 year hiatus. Given the extremely heavy rush hour traffic flow where I live, I spent about 3 months re-honing my skills and gradually working my way into heavier traffic patterns. As someone else mentioned, it was a comfort level.

What works for one person, won't necessarily work for someone else.

Definitely! We have some absolutely beautiful regions. If you like the see/oceans, the north has two of it plus Hamburg, a bigger city, but a really nice one (old harbour for example) and many other smaller cities worth a visit. In the mid and south, we have a lot of small beautiful cities with really old parts and nice roads. For example Heidelberg is a beautiful small city at a river, with hills around, an old castle, old city center, a big meadow at the river and beautiful paths around the city and the river :) (lived there for some years).

If you want twisties, we have the Harz, a woody/hilly/mountainous area with curves without ends or the Schwarzwald and Odenwald and of course the Alps in the south.

I would say get over here and have a look, you won't be disappointed :) and the distances are really short, compared the the US

I had a mate ride out on his bike so I could commute in to work on my learner plates BEFORE I got my licence. Clocked up the miles and experience.

Commuting was the reason I bought a bike in the first place.

It was (and is) the main purpose I got the bike for.

+1 from an American point of view. Spent a summer in the southern part mostly the Schwarzwald(Black Forest) and Bavaria. Just beautiful and so many other countries like Switzerland, Austria, and Belgium are a quick ride away.

I've commuted year round as long as I've had a license. No snow or ice anymore but the cold never has bothered me much.

I commute as close to year-round as weather and road conditions, though this past winter that meant I only got out on the bike a handful of times. (next year I'm studding up a set of knobbies and getting better cold-weather gear). I've been riding for about 10 years now, and commuting for that whole time, though not as regularly as I do now.

There have been a lot of hairy moments out on the road, especially during that pre-rush hour time where everyone's still going full speed but the road is packed, but it's still worth it to walk into work with a smile on my face and leave the same way.

i started commuting on L plate on a 125cc bike on main road and sold my car after i passed my test and got a big bike . being doing it for yrs and save loads per years not running a car know as ride 90% of the year. ie i dont ride in ice and snow and will just take the bus.

my wife is commuting on a bike as it a nice and cheap way to get a round so the safest as the bike tops out at 65mph but she is going to get her test done soon then get a bigger bike

Heh, I did the same, except it was at 12. The day I got my license I was out delivering papers that afternoon.

Grats :) It's just the best thing to leave work, hop on the bike and drive off :) Did it today and took a "slight" detour and will do it tomorrow, can't wait :)

yeah i hear you about the "pre rush hour" thing. if morning rush hour is what you mean. some people are in a hurry to get home from work, sure. or w/e they are doing. but i find its morning that brings out the worst in drivers. half asleep, distracted, got up late, etc. w/e it is it isn't good. some drivers are just all over the road, seeming to blindly charge ahead without regard for the safety of others. or even a little on road manners

of course just a little experience riding a bike would change that for them, and they would realize they are really saving no time at all as they will be slowed sooner then later. they seem ridiculous jockeying for every little inch of "forward" they can grab. speeding around a car to cut it off and get behind more....cars!

i always think "why not just get on the road a little earlier and take it easy?" but i guess not. for some their time, space, and life is just more important then others. important people, with places to go and things to do. and apparently, in a big hurry :/

maybe the question should be how long did it take commuting to ruin the ride