I hope so, too, Alan. Not only from a commuter's perspective, but from a parent's perspective as well. I'm dog gone sick and tired of driving my kids everywhere! The suburb I'm in is only a couple of miles on each side! Kids could ride everywhere.

However, the popular bikes are bmx and mountain. No chainguards, fenders, racks, or lights. The mountain bikes have lots of gears. Go look at them at a school. They are in a state of disrepair! Gears rub or don't work. Or the kids don't know how to use them. Brakes need adjustment.

My oldest kid is 16. He can't use a frickin' wrench. Few kids can.

Kids need simple, maintenance free or low maintenance bikes for commuting. Breezer's need to offer a coaster brake version for them. They need fixed speed or 3 or 7 speed internal gear hubs, with very little maintenance. They need chain guards desperately. Could it rain on them during their ride home? Duh? Get them fenders!

The old Schwinn Racer was the perfect bike!

I don't know what happened with the bike industry. However, the manufacturers are missing the boat--if you increase the miles people ride a bike daily, more bikes will be sold. It could again be an American pastime. This will only happen with a huge increase in sales of appropriately equipped bikes.