I think that riding a Vanilla or any other pretty bike to work would dpend where you have to ride and where the bike would be stored during the day. For example, I have a secure parking garaga with a camera that views the bike parking area. I am therefore not nervous about leaving my bike in the garage. I occasionally ride my custom Spectrum Ti with Campy Record and Ksyrium wheels to work.

When my wife and I worked for the same company, we would occasionally ride our Santana Ti tandem to work. My feeling if anything happens to a bike it can be replaced. I commute 200 miles per week and want to make sure that I am as comfortable as possible riding to and from work. I also view any bike as being replaceable. I would be more woriied about crashing and losing skin that I would be with a scratch on my bike. Just my two cents.

Foehn, if you drop you bike off of a roof (make sure no one is underneath) it will probably break..... (big smile)