I go back and forth on this.

I think some new posters/wannabe commuters are quite nervous about getting back into cycling and want to get the "right bike" to make it go smoothly.

As for those like some of you, who just dive in, for every one like you who got lucky with a random garage sale find, or your high school mountain bike, and found it comfortable and fun, and kept it up, there are probably just as many who tried to commute on a poorly chosen, badly fitting, unreliable bike, didn't like it, and give up. That's a shame.

So if they ask, and are planning to buy a new bike, I think it is good that we give them good advice.

Half the time they ignore it anyway