Originally Posted by FBinNY

The sad irony is that the bikes I most often see ridden are the so-called BSOs sold by big Walmart and the like. Yes, those of us who fancy ourselves as real cyclists would never own these. But these low end bikes are all that many people who use bicycles as daily transport can afford.

On weekends I'll see folks out riding nice bicycles for sport, but every day I see many people riding pretty crappy bikes on 5-10 mile daily commutes, rain or shine (though some take the bus if it rains). Much as we love to deride these bikes, I'll venture that many of these BSO's see more miles per year than most $3k+ bikes do.

The real beauty of the bicycle is how little it takes for one to serve fundamental needs.