Trek took 65's advice and created the FX series of bikes.

My wife's 7.5 FX


Has 700 x 32 tires, rack mount points front and rear, room for fenders. Fast, too.

There's a lot of old rigid fork mountain bikes out there that could easily be converted to a commuter. Narrower, slick tires, rack and fenders and off you go. Cantilever brakes are good stoppers and not too expensive if you need to upgrade/replace.