The errands aren’t that big of a deal, since I’m engaged to a stunner who just happens to have a car of her own.. we usually work similar hours, so for errands, we’d just use her car.
As for the gear stuff, from reading up here and on some other beginner bike sites, I’m quite convinced and don’t need to be reminded about the importance of gear… I plan on factoring the 2-300 dollars for gear into the price that I can afford for a bike. I won’t be ridng without a full helmet, jacket, gloves, knee guards and boots at the least. I don’t plan on losing my skin in the event that I wreck.
As for the rain/heat.. my average commute is 10 or 15 minutes at the most, so I figure I can tolerate it for that long.
Thanks for the advice, all. I’ve learned a whole lot since I started ghosting around these forums a few weeks ago.