We are over run with bikes like this... my touring bike is a Kuwahara Cascade ('87) that shares the same geometry as my Shasta, is the same colour, and differs in that it has a slightly heavier and stronger Ishiwata quad butted frame while the Shasta has lighter Ex tubes.

It is a truly expedition worthy bicycle and has carried me at least 40,000 km since I bought it 4 years ago.

Both these Kuwaharas fall into the range of upper end hand built models so they are a little harder to come by than many others that were more widely sold like Trek and Specialized.

I have a short commute these days so the answer is all of them. Even the Western Flyer.

If no chance of snow, usually 4 days on the Pinarello and one day on one of the MTBs (sometimes with panniers, sometimes pulling a trailer).

The only bike I currently own, of course. I really should get a decent camera/lighting setup, so I can stop burdening everyone with these horrible iPhone shots.



- Scott

The winter bike... Norco Mountaineer with a 3 speed IGH and studded tyres... fenders will go on before the snow falls and have since wired the headlight to the rear generator.

Have found the three speed to be pretty much ideal as it will run smoothly in temperatures that freeze cassettes and freewheels and the drive train is much cleaner and simpler to maintain.



I ride almost every day in the winter and through November to April I usually ride 4000 km in what are some pretty harsh conditions... this bike is taking over from my Kuwahara Shasta which has served me well for 3 winters and before that I used my Cascade.

The Kuwies are such nice bikes I thought they deserved an easier life and a break from the tortuous winter conditions we see.

My commuter started life out as a single speed steel framed Trek beach cruiser. Later I added a sun mammoth rear rim and a Sturmey Archer S2C hub. I ended up shelling 2 of these. Finally S/A gave me a 3 speed coaster brake to replace the S2C since we obviously did not play well together. The bike came with fenders, I added a rack and trunk bag so I can haul some stuff.

The 3 speed has been great, no problems at all. The bike is tough albeit slow, but it gets me where I need to go faster than walking and it can take the worst our crummy streets can dish out.

Ive noticed the trend myself. You reach a breaking point where price for these and prices for something newer begin to crossover. But until that range is reached, these bikes remain a good value for what you get. Up to about $200, as long as the thing is intact - you can hardly go wrong.
Hard Rock here, too. CX bikes are great, if you like the road bike style. Ive come to like the aggressive upright positioning of the large frame ATB's, myself.

usually this


occasionally this


sometimes this


this if I'm going to have to lock up in a high crime/theft 'hood since it's a dumpster rescue and cost me almost $0

1995 GT Outpost Trail MTB, converted to hybrid with the following changes:

* Deore crankset, FD and RD
* 9 speed Deore shifters
* Ultegra 9 speed 21-27 cassette
* Alivio V-Brakes
* Brooks Champion Flyer
* Rear rack
* Bar ends for switching hand positions
* Mirror
* Bell
* Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 26x2.0 tires


Next year I wanted to get a new commuter bike as well as a new road bike, and convert the GT back to mountain duty. One big problem with it is that I can't find fenders that fit without messing with the brakes, so rain commuting kind of sucks.

Sadly I will not be able to commute as of the end of the year anymore, because my company decided to close my office and make it virtual, so we'll be working from home now, and thus I do not need to commute anymore. I think when that happens I'll buy some bigger panniers and go grocery shopping with the GT, but I won't be buying a dedicated commuter anymore.

I don't like panniers or on-the-bike rack for anything other than full-blown touring because I would rather carry the weight on my back or hips, so I have several different backpacks that I use instead. This gives me the freedom to choose more widely when I am selecting a commuter bike, but recently I have begun to think about building a dedicated bike to use for grocery or hardware store runs. Until then however, I will continue to use one of the three bikes that put the biggest smile on my face when I ride them, or suit the conditions the best:


My primary commuter/transportation bike is a Serrota T-Max steel mountain bike frame with a full collection of carbon fiber and XTR parts (just 'cause they look so cool, work so well, and they give the bike character). The frame, derailleurs, shifters, and chainrings are just about the only parts that aren't carbon fiber, so it weighs in at just over 20lbs. with the Spinergy Rev-X-Roks bladed wheels, and just under 20lbs. with it's other set of Spinergy Xyclone spoked wheels (even with the steel frame and lights!). It rolls pretty quickly on its Maxxis 310g tires (not much use off-road, but great for road use), handles very lively, and it gets me where ever I need to go with a big smile on my face everytime.





My Fixie usually gets used for short runs or dedicate training rides within a ten mile range, but I have done a few fifty mile plus rides on it and it never fails to cleanse my head of complicated thoughts. If you haven't ridden a fixed gear bike you should try it sometime. It really returns you to the roots of what cycling was about a hundred years ago, and there is definately a "spiritual" aspect that you will not get on a more modern configuration. Basically its just a Pake frameset with a collection of eBay-aquired parts, but it get borrowed more than any of my other bikes....





Lastly is my Opie, which usually only gets used for commuting during the winter, but is used as a freeride/urban assault bike year round. It has two extra wheelsets, each with Nokian studded snow tires (one set of Extreme 294s and one set of Hakkapeliitta W106s) and when no one else will drive to work, I get there. It's really just a mix of otherwise unused mountain bike parts that I didn't want to just throw out, but it just takes any abuse that I dish out to it and keep rolling.




Come to think of it, I really don't need a dedicated "commuter" bike. If I can't carry enough groceries in my backpack during one run, I get to do two.....

I went the "one bike to rule them all" route. Bought a Surly LHT frameset, and spec'd it with leftover MTB parts, the whole bike cost me around $800 including the lights. I can do everything with this: group rides, centuries, touring, off-roading, grocery runs, you name it.

I commute on road bikes. The roads are in good shape on my commute but hilly, so I don't want a heavy bike to lug up the hills. For the past 3 years I commuted mainly on a touring bike (Bob Jackson World Tour) but I have transitioned over to a sport touring bike (Salsa Casseroll) because it is lighter and nicer riding. I also ride my other road bikes (De Bernardi, Eddy Merckx) on nice days when I don't need to carry much gear. I recently bought another sport touring frame (Waterford RST-22), and I am swapping all of the components off my Jackson to build it up. Riding the Casseroll for 5 months convinced me that a full touring bike is overkill for my commute, which is about 22 miles roundtrip. Also, my commute distance is increasing to about 30 miles in October, making a lighter, faster bike even more important to me.

Holy Mother of Fred.


(PS: That is one sweet bike, but don't tell anyone I said that)

Freds everywhere want to date your bike... the economy build really does it for me.

2007 Schwinn Le Tour GS

'93 Rocky Mountain Fusion. Nice bike, and if it was bigger I wouldn't be shopping for a new one.

I ride a mid-90s hybrid tricked out like a LHT

Today I decided to change things up and decided to knock the dust off my Rocky Mountain Blizzard... installed a rear rack a while back to make the bike a little more utilitarian and it really makes for a fun urban assault vehicle what with some fat rolling 2 inch knobbies and a front suspension that I can dial in to be nearly fully rigid for this kind of riding.

nice bike bro....but a Texas spoke card? Really?

And as I recall he said he grew up in Buffalo once... TRAITOR!!!

I spent a week in Buffalo one day

Meh. There's bad places, just like any city. It's what you make of it. Great food, great people, great cycling, great weather. I love it.

I rode the bike to a party which happened to be a Texas Independence Day Party. They gave out spoke cards. I don't seek them out, but if they're being given away at an event I attend, I'll put one on my bike. My single speed has a Freedom card (friend's divorce was finalized) and another friend's card commemorating his birthday party. Don't really think about them too much.

LOL. It is indeed Fredly. I get flak from all the carbon roadies on group rides. Thanks! I must be doing something right.

Thanks, I am proud of building that bike. For you single guys, her name is "Shirley."

pfft, I'm from Cleveland

I was just messin with ya...you know I like to yank on you Texicans...when I can find the lil feller.