Tips for a n00b?
I'm a novice bicycle commuter - believe it or not, I won an 18-speed mountain bike in a drawing last Fall, and I don't own a motorized vehicle at all. The weather around here is just starting to be teasingly Spring-like, and I know I'm going to end up caught in the rain eventually. What's your favorite foul-weather gear?
As for sharing the road... I had enough warm weather right after getting the bike to scout routes through residential neighborhoods to get where I need to. On the other hand, I did some inner-city bike commuting 30-some-odd years ago during a transit strike, and I remember how vigilant you have to be 'cause no one else will.