As a kid it was the most efficient way to get from A to B, and look good doing it - especially on my sissy-barred, banana-seated, ape-hanger handlebarred, Lightning Blue Sears FreeSpirit 3-speed. Then came the BMX craze in the 80s (I think for me it was that cool chase scene from the movie ET.) I bought a decent mountain bike after I started working for a living but it was stolen within the first year. Now, after an almost 20-year hiatus from cycling, I'm back in school after a workplace injury and I needed a form of exercise that would work for me. Bicycling just made sense. After riding all summer I decided to start commuting to school to avoid the parking headaches and fees. Now I have studded tires and fenders and am ready to tackle my first winter commutes. I'm loving my new (old) obsession.