Back to the basic premise of the topic of a bike being too nice to commute on.

I bought the old Colnago Super around 1982. I rode it to high school, and college. Not all the time, but a lot. When I lived on campus, it tended to stay parked most of the time, it was more convenient to walk than ride. But, commuting from my Parent's house, it was the only choice.

Then, around 1990, I got a swing-shift job. I drug out the old beater with a generator headlight. That lasted a couple of days until I had enough of it. I bought my NightSun, and the old Colnago road bike became my regular commuter for the next 20+ years.

The bike has taken a beating. Had more than a few parts wear out and get swapped out over the years.

Looking back at it, I don't regret the decision to commute on the bike one bit. Ok, I'd love to have a pristine 1960's Colnago hanging in my garage (was used when I bought it), but I got to ride the bike I enjoyed for all those years. If I take the purchase price divided by the 35 years I've ridden the bike, it works out to be about the value of 2 cups of coffee per year. Not bad to ride a bike one enjoys.