Yesterday’s 20-mile ride on the Rails-To-Trails turned into a 22.5 mile ride, just because I was having so much fun exploring new territory (well, new territory for me … it was actually a paved and well-traveled bicycle path, hah). I let my speed decrease a little, but it still stayed around 13 mph during the trip. Not at all bad for me.
Today the commute was met with cool weather and moderate rain, but was still pleasant with my Ultrex Human Powered Machines Rain Cape. I love that thing. I don’t get hot/sweaty because it’s completely open underneath. On the downside, it does require me to use fenders if it’s really coming down hard. Today, however, I opted to go fender-less because it wasn’t raining too hard and I knew I could avoid any puddles on my way to work. I was pleasantly surprised that the frame of the Giant Defy 3 actually seems to act as a fender, as long as I turn by leaning instead of with the handlebars. I expect this to be the case only with milder wet conditions, and will still resort to using the SKS race blades on days that it’s really coming down.
obesyclist 
I just came across your blog today while doing some research on bike commuting online. This week I decided to start riding a bike to the nearest train station (about 3.3 miles) to get to work. It’s great to read about what you’re doing. This has been an exciting week for me and I hope to continue to ride more and more. I get excited as soon as I take off. Now I just need to learn how to take care of the bike and how to get my backpack on there (and off my back). I have no idea how to even change a tire. Youtube here I come! Keep writing…
Thanks for the comment, and I’m glad to hear there’s another commuter joining the ranks! If you haven’t been, the Bike Forums are an invaluable resource that has helped me greatly… There’s even a “Commuting” sub-forum that’s quite active, too. They (myself included) would likely suggest that you get and install (or have your LBS install) a “back rack” … Basically it’s one of those racks that goes over your back tire. For commuting, they’re invaluable. I can’t imagine not having one. I can tie down just about anything on it (backpacks, baskets, lunch, laundry, I even put my dog on the back rack inside his secured doggy basket). With a couple bungee cords to tie things down, just about anything is possible with the back rack.
What kind of bike do you have? I’m looking forward to seeing how your commuting experiences go.