[MENTION=179437]CrankyOne[/MENTION], actually, I agree with you. Some bikes are definitely better suited for one purpose or another. It's just that when you do the analysis as rationally as you can, a person may choose a bike that would mystify you. And it is fruitless to tell the person that they're wrong.

Your last paragraph is very well put. It would be nice if average Americans (and Canadians, I suppose) had a kinder eye towards this type of bike. The good news is that it is making inroads here. If you don't see it yet, you will see it eventually. My area is a sign of it. One of the most common types of bike locked up outside is the English three-speed. People lock their bikes up 24 hours a day here, since space is at such a premium, so I get to see what people are riding even when they're not on the bike. Dutch style bikes have also made inroads here.

Another sign of the change is the great acceptance that Citibike has had. That's our big bike sharing program. The program is insanely low-priced. They just increased annual membership from $98 to $150. That's still insanely low. Not only are people riding these bikes happily in huge numbers -- numbers beyond everyone's predictions --, there is a huge fraction of people who don't seem to be cyclephiles like us here on BF. These are just people who want to go places for the least amount of hassle, and they are discovering that bikes make a lot of sense. The bikes are extremely upright. They handle like French mopeds, which is to say you steer them rather than leaning them. They have three extremely low gears, drum brakes, fenders, dynamo lights, and skirt guards. They don't want us using them as cargo bikes, so they have small baskets in the front and nothing on the back. And even though I own too many bikes™, I am also a member of Citibike.