I'm a relatively new commuter and already looking at my next bike (the one I use now is a Schwinn, $149 - DON'T LAUGH! LOL) I'll probably move up to something in the $300-$700 range, and I know very little about which brands are considered the best. I do love the look and sound of the features of this Kettler. What do you experts think? I bike 12 miles round trip 3-5 times a week.

https://www.amazon.com/Kettler-Sensus...sporting-goods

I've got about 13,000 all-season miles on a Kettler Silverstar. Some of this involves hauling a child around on a trailer. The long-term durabiliy and reliability are clearly there.

The lights are driven by a tire dynamo. This is ok during the summer, but is not satisfactory in snow. I'd suggest budgeting an additional $250 or so for a good hub dyanmo. That's what I did.

On the other hand, if you don't plan on doing much winter riding, the bottle dynamo is fine.

The Kettler is a decent bike. If the Utopia is a Mercedes, the Kettler is an Audi -- but that is still good.

Paul

Is there something wrong with your Schwinn? If your current bike meets your needs, don't let yourself be pushed into a "move up" purchase by Internet chit chat from the "experienced experts." What's best for them may not be best for you; in fact it may not necessarily be a move up for you, except in cost.

Keep the Schwinn for the winter commute. Figure out all the stuff you like about it and the stuff you don't like about it. Head out to some bike shops and see what bikes you can take out for a test spin. Try as many as you can, and as many styles as you can. Mountain, hyrbid, road, commuter, whatever. If the Schwinn is fine, keep on it, especially as the weather turns colder and the roads salty.

Come spring time you'll have a much better sense about what you really want in a commuter bike, and the weather will be improving so you can enjoy it more.