Originally Posted by
Hiro11
Cheap good bikes exist, they are called "used mountain bikes". Regardless, I think a far bigger barrier than price is that most people either don't want to commute by bike or can't commute by bike. Both of those problems are far harder to solve.
Those are real and larger problems indeed. But the article was about people who already see a bike as an option - largely because nothing else is. Many here have a surprising desire to pretend these obligate cyclists don't exist, but they do.
The Dutch have the ideal practical bike in the "omafiets". Omefiets are ideal for many commuters and are quickly becoming more readily available in the US.
Indeed, though that's not the only configuration worth considering.