Hey, chipcom, great idea for a thread. I’m an old, short, simple commuter.

Our cycling backgrounds sound very similar, though I’ve been at it a bit longer. Hell, I have socks that are older than 30 years (none of which, to the best of my knowledge, have been engaged in any illicit “puppet” activity, though). But I digress.

Like you, I’ve had some longer commutes in the past, through a mix of rural/suburban/urban landscape, using a full-on road bike, and dressing the part. My current commute is about the same distance as yours, primarily suburban. In my advanced state of decrepitude, I like to keep things simple. I put on my business casual office clothes, roll up my cuffs, and go.

My foul weather bike is a single-speed/coaster brake beach cruiser, modified with a 72” gear, higher pressure but still wide tires, full-coverage fenders, toe clips so there’s no need to mess around with changing shoes, and drop bars. On nicer days, I’ll ride the Surly Steamroller-based fixed gear, also equipped with toe clips. I have one moderate climb, so I’m not significantly handicapped with only one gear. My headlight is a Fenix flashlight fastened to my helmet (which I stuff in the backpack for the return trip on hot afternoons), and I wear a belt-mounted red-flashing blinkie facing behind. No need to move bike-mounted lights around when I change bicycles. My backpack is just large enough to hold my lunch and whatever outerwear I shed for the trip home. I’m currently not using my eyeglass-mounted mirror, and don’t seem to miss it much. No bike paths/lanes on my current route – I ride VC with a bit of courtesy thrown in.

Cheers.