New bike commuter with questions!

As someone who velo-commutes and, since giving up my car 2+ years ago, bikes everywhere, I approve of all the advice above. I have a only a few things to add: 1. I totally re-affirm that the most important thing is to just keep riding; your body will adapt. A lot of advice you've been given is a wee bit technical and in-depth. The thing with bikes, if you keep turning the cranks, you keep moving forward; everything else is commentary. 2. My trick with dealing with hills is to remember the advice my Dad gave me when he started dragging me out on 60 mile rides when I was 12 (thanks Dad, sorry I complained so much), "Throw yourself at hills." The faster you are going at the bottom of a hill, the faster and easier you go up it. So when you're in rolling hill territory, the trick is to never ever coast down a hill. Pedal your damn heart out so you have all the momentum you need to make the next hill your bitch. Dad also used to say, "I like hills, they give me something to do," but that's just because he's an insane masochist. 3. Ride bikes. Have fun.

"B. there are steep, mile-long hills to slog through on each side of the commute." When my husband started bike-commuting and had to conquer a hill, our Dutch friend looked at him like he was crazy and informed us that when commuting and faced with a hill, the bicycle-loving Dutch jump off and walk. There are no awards for conquering hills in a commute setting, and they may make you stink when you get to work.

Slap a Maxie Pad in the crotch of your undies and Voilà!... padded shorts ;-). Seriously, you DO have to harden your ass, so to speak. Just ride a little bit at a time and don't over-do it. I ride a http://www.profile-design.com/titec/products/saddles/el-norte/el-norte-expert.html saddle on all my bikes including my road bike. Technically it's a downhill mountain bike saddle, however here is my theory on bike fit ergonomics... Bikes are static and somewhat rigid, the human body is not. So don't try to force anything and give yourself options. That said, the El Norte is a long saddle with padding along it's entire length. This gives you the option of scooting back and forth along it a centimeter at a time or so to provide varying positions and to work different muscle areas (little things like a centimeter or a degree in angle make HUGE differences on bike fit). It's a common misconception that a wider saddle helps, however it simply interferes with the pedaling motion and creates sore spots. As for hill climbing... I've heard it said that your quadriceps (thigh muscles) are the strongest in the body. I'm not sure about that but I do know that when you isolate that muscle group while riding it makes you instantly more efficient. Here's how to do it... "Quiet" your upper body as much as possible while riding, then concentrate on bringing your knees as close together while pedaling, even grazing your bike's top tube with every stroke as a measure of how close you are getting. You are now pumping using the muscles right above your knee caps. Try this and then try pedaling as bow legged as you can and you'll instantly feel the difference in efficiency. Then, when you need the power on a hill or any other time, bring those knees in. (If you observe other riders for this aspect you can almost always tell the difference between a cyclist who trains and positions and one who just lolly-gags along).

A granny gear would be a small front and/or a large rear gear. A larger front gear will make it harder to pedal.

Oh! And if you have a smartphone, and want to turn this into a game (ie. to beat yourself), download http://runkeeper.com/home, and record each commute to keep track of how you're doing.

No matter what the weather, clothing that wicks makes a huge difference, especially as a base layer. This can be proper cycling gear, or just whatever cheap exercise or hiking gear you can find. I don't wear padded shorts for my commute, but without wicking underwear I get swamp crotch and saddle sores. REI has a nice selection. Your tires probably take Presta valves (the skinny kind). It's a good idea to replace one of your valve caps with a http://bicycletutor.com/presta-valve/ so if you're out without a pump you can fill up at a gas station or a bike shop's free air hose. If I'm sweaty when I get to work I clean up with a washcloth at the sink if I can. Otherwise, I use http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002PA382U/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/. Or actually, I used up my bottle so I just made my own mix of ethyl alcohol, witch hazel and a little water.

If you want to hit a certain cadence but don't want to invest in a bike computer that tracks cadence, use a song! When I'm not sure what my cadence is, I sing "Santeria" by Sublime, which has about 90 bpm, and adjust accordingly. I am not a crackpot.

Thank you all. I'm ok with walking up part of the hill, I'll certainly need to for a few weeks. And yes, the shop did fit the seat, handle bars (I forgot to mention I'm new to drop down handle bars as well), etc. I don't have clips, but I do have the foot cages for my toes. I hadn't thought about the knee stress from trying to power along in too high of a gear. I'll definitely change that. My large (for me) ride on Monday was very casual, I sat mostly upright, slowly traveling in a low gear. So, new, hard seat plus upright relaxed position, plus long ride seems to be a perfect recipe for a sore butt. I do feel like I'm getting more used to it already. (better response in a bit, maybe I shouldn't have asked this on such a busy day!)

One thing that took me a while to figure out was http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html#frontback. There are specific pains associated with an improper fit that are easy, at the beginning, to assume are fitness related. Keep reading and keep adjusting until things feel right. Fenders are the next purchase you should make. Rain will sneak up on you. I've got a set of SKS Raceblade (or something?) that are temporary fenders that work pretty well if your bike doesn't have the proper braze-ons for mounting permanent full fenders.