Originally Posted by
maddyfish
Sure there are better bikes than those you listed to commute on, but, commuting should be fun, and you should ride something that you think is fun. Skip the fixed gear, get a single speed, and it should have brakes. BAsically the same look as you want, but more rideable. Use a backpack. And clip on fenders for when it rains.
+1 on all of this. I built up a bike like this three or four years ago from an old Trek tourer and a BMX freewheel, just because I had the bike and wasn't using it. I ride it more than all my other bikes combined.
Don't skip the fenders.