So, change of job next week is going to leave me with my shortest commute ever – 3.5 whole miles.

Given that it is also pancake flat and largely rideable along traffic-free cycle path through the park, I’m hoping to go from commuting like this:

To like this:

Ride to work in normal clothes at a nice leisurely pace, no lycra, no stuff to faff with at either end (I don’t even have that nice a haircut to worry about like the man in the picture)

Anyone else commute like this? What are your experiences/top tips for riding to work very slowly in your office clothes? What should I look for in a city bike? Current favourite being one of the Decathlon ELOPS range, but I also have a old hack road bike converted to single speed or a cyclocross bike with rack/mudguards (my current ride to work bike) that could be modified in the unlikely event of people on a cycling forum trying to talk me out of buying another bike.

Much thanks for any advice.