In reply to GingerBread22:
It was 50 years ago - and I was still schoolboy relying on pocket money and a Saturday job to get me in to cycling. Within 12 months I was riding on tubs and competing in junior road races with guys who went on to be pros!
With regard to gearing, back then about all you could get were 5 speed freewheels. I was one of the first in the club to go to a 6 speed.
A 12 mile each way commute should be no great issue on most bikes, unless you have serious hills to negotiate. When I came back in to cycling after about a 32 year layoff (age 58) I was riding a bike with 42/52 chainset, and a 14 - 26 6 speed freewheel and could get up most hills that were less than 10% without too much difficulty.
A lot of people spend a lot of money on a first bike - then find it's too much like hard work. You can get in to cycling relatively inexpensively, however if you find you get hooked on this cycling mularkey, you'll soon be lusting after carbon fibre and 20 gears. Your first cheap bike can then be relegated to duties as a winter hack.