Hi from the North West
Hello: I'm a commuter, XC and freerider from Vancouver. I've been commuting to/from work & school on and off, and with changing regularity, for over 20 years. I ride year round - so I do a lot of riding in the rain & the dark. My current commute is about 15 km each way - and I ride in about half the time depending on other commitments. I'm now in a family way, so I often ride with a baby trailer (Chariot) on the weekend. I also like to go out with the boys & do some freeriding on the Vancouver North Shore mountains every other weekend or so.
I've entered your forum backwards - as I do many things - first by posting a question and then finding the introduction area (and then posting my question twice - sorry).
My current bikes are a Kona Firemountain - which I use for commuting. It started life as a cheap XC bike (fully rigid & steel frame), but now sports fairly decent componentry that has come from my other bikes as I upgraded or changed bits & pieces. I run it with slicks, full fenders, and a rack on the back - so it does not look cool in any way. My freeride bike is a Brodie Diablo full suspension bike (7x7). My other bike is a Norco Rampage frame (hardtail) that I built up as a freeride bike with 7" up front - built mostly from spare parts.