I have to take a different attitude with my commuter bike, than I do with my 'fun' bikes. The latter are nice old bikes that have been beat to hell, and I really enjoy the patina, the work it takes to make them ride again... I don't mind the battle scars, and I reject the idea that the bike is worn out.

My commuter bikes, though, are a different story. I buy them new and I pound the hell out of them. My last one I got in 1997 and put about 9000 miles on before I replaced it. I wore out one rim, one Sturmey Archer 8 speed hub, broke one frame, killed countless tires and even more tubes, built many headlights and used them until they couldn't be used any more and then built new ones. I had got to the point, with this bike, that I considered it to be worn out. New problems were coming up all the time. I was sick of it, and when it got to biting me I replaced it! Glad I did, too. The replacement is better in many ways.