no motor?

I love my Hardrock and the way it keeps on getting better over the years as I keep on adding things to make it more useful. One of the things I added was an 8 speed cassette in the back, and I use a lot of those gears out here in the flat lands by Chicago. You must be shifting all the time on those hills.

cooker

I decided on quality second hand bikes as it would be less of a financial loss if they were stolen and less worrisome to park them outside. I chose a tour bike as my main commuter so as to have a fairly comfortable but still efficient ride to avoid sweating, and a slightly fatter tired rigid mountain bike as my off-season bike to better handle spring potholes and autumn leaf slime on the road.

bowser29

By affinity, because my road and mtb bikes are by the same manufacturer

GovernorSilver

I'm observing that too in my area, and just looking around in the workplace bike parking room. The colleagues I've ridden with favor race-oriented road bikes and - surprise! - feel that I should upgrade to a lightweight road racer like theirs. Another colleague rides a decidedly different type of bike - Surly Disk Trucker. I also see mountain bikes, cruiser bikes, etc. in that room.

I cannot deny that factors such as color scheme come into play, looking at bikes that I want to try for my 2nd commuter bike. There are a couple of brand/models that should logically fit what I'm looking for in a bike - except they're all a color I don't like (black or silver).

Gresp15C

I'll admit that I care about how a bike looks, but I'm also fearless with a wrench, so I don't mind just taking an old steel road frame and building it up the way I like.

devianb

I hated waiting on the Bus's time table. I had a 12 mile round trip commute to work. By bus it would take an hour including waiting, but by bicycle it was only 45 minuntes. Any bike available was my only requirement, which at the time was my mom's old Diamondback Hybrid.

Rode it for years until the bottom bracket broke and I had no knowledge or tools to replace it. I opted to get a new bike ASAP to avoid riding the bus again. I had a limited budget, but I had to have discs. I really wanted a flat bar road bike with disc brakes, but they were not common and way out of my budget so I ended up with a Dawes Haymaker MTB.

I probably should of went with a larger frame, but I made it work. Spent lots of money buying and trying out different combination parts to see what I liked and what worked for commuting. It had its odd share of configurations over the years. I never really liked the feel of 26" wheels compared to 700c so I eventually got a 700 disc wheelset. By then I had acquired enough tools and knowledge to build another bike, which is just what I did. I had an all weather bike and a lighter bike that was faster.

Then I moved and my commute became 6 miles round trip. I also saved up and bought a car so I didn't have to ride in the rain. Now back to using one bike for commuting and the other for long distance fun rides. If I could go back in time I would have just gotten a used road bike and calling it a day.

Supermau

I started commuting on my old 26" hardtail MTB with slicks (because it's what I had) then quickly moved to a Trek FX7.3. it was a nice upgrade but I sold it seven months later and moved to a Giant Anyroad 1. I bought the Giant because I really can't afford the cash or space for multiple bikes and wanted something versatile, affordable, and fun. It's kind of a do-it-all bike and so far it's been great. Much more comfortable on my 28 mile round trip. Rigged it with some Revelate Designs bags so I could lose the hot backpack.

On my way into DC.

brianinc-ville

My first commuter bike was an '84 Peugeot road bike that I got back in '98 (before fixies, before everybody wanted them) mostly because it was $40 at the Salvation Army, though I was also pleased because it was the same color and era as the bike my dad rode when I was a little kid. I later crashed that one, but was able to replace it with an identical bike that got quite a few practical upgrades (moustache bars, fenders, dynamo hub and lights).

My second was a 1980 Raleigh DL-1 Tourist, bought in 2006. Practical, in the sense that upright posture and IGH really are good for city riding, but the Cult of Sheldon had a lot to do with it, too. Rod brakes are definitely not practical.

My newest city bike is pretty much purely practical: 1984 Takara frame with a modern 5-speed Sturmey IGH, dynamo hub and lights, Hebie Chainglider, moustache bars. After 17 years of commuting, I finally got everything I really need on one bike. So what do I do now?

fietsbob

It was a different bike/setup for my hour each way commute, than my present 1/2 mile.

many changes of address , during the intervening decades between those .

jfowler85

I love how easy the fishing is around here.