Maybe you've seen Gav and Fred Marx's photos of many of the nifty townie and commuter bikes on display at Interbike.  My first response was to hate them all.  For me, commuter bikes should be re-purposed frames (or rescued from dumpsters).  So, I was slow to warm to the idea of spending real money on a commuter bike.

I came around, but still, I'm vain and want to show off the bikes I've probably spent most of my time on the last several years.

How did I get two commuter bikes?  It's my teen-age son's fault.  After building up a nice frame for him, we decided he shouldn't ride it to school.  Thus, HE needed a commuter bike.  That bike was to be my trusty 1990 Trek 990--kitted out with road bars and a rack, (and newish wheels since I wore through both front and rear rims.  And I mean wore to the point the rims cracked along the brake-tracks). Set up as a single-speed (using a campy super-record rear derailleur for chain tension), I love this bike.  The 17 year-old tolerated it, but then a variety of after-school responsibilities requiring cello transport developed.  Oh well.

Pedals, crank, bottom bracket, and seat-post are original (and beat to hell and back).

Mid-80s aluminum frames are supposed to be harsh, unforgiving monstrosities.  Don't tell my wife's old Klein Quantum.  Since hoisting it down from its attic exile and lovingly retro-fitting it with its own Super-Record crank-set (plus a C-record rear derailleur for a chain tensioner, C-record brake levers--cabled to tektro dual-pivot brakes because even though I do have a pair of period campy brakes somewhere, I like stopping more than I like retro, and best of all, a great pair of tubular wheels), I've grown to love how this bike rides.  Commuting is super fun.  The main downside:  what was I thinking when I glued on an almost dead pair of Vittoria EVO-CX's?  Latex tubes and commuter-bikes is a bad combination folks.