I was commuting with this.



The seat clamp was cheap and always came loose. The Italian BB would get loose. The RD would ghost shift after a while. I snapped the drive side steel crank. Now much of my problems could have been fixed with better vintage parts. But that would have taken away form the "look" of the bike (please disregard the Reelights, I lost those pretty quick).

So I am doing about 3-4K miles a year commuting. I am not gentle on the bike. I cannot be held down by some aesthetic. So I went all in and got a modern bike. It doesn't have to maintain a certain look. I can ride it hard. And best of all, modern components don't require the amount of maintenance. I now just give it a once over at the end of the season. Other than that, air, and the occasional lubricant, this bike I don't have a second bother. I'd rather ride a bike than work on it.

So for me, the perfect vintage commuting bike is modern.