Andy_K 

Most of the beardy hipsters are riding old ten speeds, I think. Some of them haven't even turned them into fixies (because fixies are over). Of course, that doesn't mean the marketing won't still chase them. Trek really needs to spin off an artisanal brand of hand-crafted bikes. I think the market is particular ripe for an artisan steel alloy (and I can't believe someone in Pittsburgh hasn't done this yet).

caloso

Some people even ride their race bikes to work.

MoAlpha

Yeah, really. Why aren't there any artisanal steel frame builders? I bet you could make a fortune doing that.

CrankyOne

Umm, not sure about that. :-)

A friend rides one from his place in Assen NL to his office in Groningen NL which is about 15 miles each way and just over 1 hr.

Andy_K 

Thanks! I'm not crazy about the color either, but I think it works with the rest of this build. My biggest complaints are the ugly crankset and the rear dropouts (where the tubing gets in the way of the rack and makes the rear tire hard to mount). I just took a really nice set of wheels off of this bike to put them on my gravel bike (a 2015 Jake the Snake which is ridiculously close to being identical to this one other than accessories). The wheels on this one now (24-spoke AClass CXD6, pictured) look nice and roll well, but I have some doubts about their durability.

cyccommute 

I thought exactly the same thing when I read the thread title. Your answer is glib, it's just honest. I have ridden everything from my titanium go fast bike to my dual suspension mountain bike to work. I don't own...nor would I own...a Dutch commuter because I live where there are hills but if that floats your boat, feel free.

Andy_K 

To be clear, when I suggested Trek should spin off an artisanal brand of hand-crafted bikes, I was thinking something along the lines of AB buying 10 Barrel Brewing (much better than just marketing something in-house like Shock Top as a craft brand). And when I suggested that someone should develop an artisan steel alloy, I was talking about a small craftsman smelting his own custom steel alloy, making tubes from it and pretending it's better than Reynolds 853.

If this sounds crazy, it's because I've been living near Portland for too long.

CrankyOne

I get to spend two weeks there every other year. The vast majority of bikes are upright IGH. Why would hills make a difference?

BobbyG

"Teachers, the time for the morning commute has arrived!"

Leisesturm

Actually, I believe Passover is rather early this year...

Punchy71

What does "IGH" mean?

tjspiel

Internally Geared Hub. Think of an old 3 speed. There are modern varieties up to 14 speeds.

This:



vs this (a derailleur):

CrankyOne

Hah! And I always thought it was Insane Gecko Hat. :-)

RaleighSport

Depends on the commuter... when I had the luxury of bicycle commuting, my favorite as a track bike.. modernish TT style.

Joe Minton

I just entered this response in another thread but it seems completely fitted to your question as well:

I recommend you consider a full-suspension mountain bike with street tires (Schwalbe "Kojacks" are wonderful). Mountain bikes are designed to get the crap beat out of them, whether it be from jumping off the side of a hill or just carrying one of us (you know-- Big Guys).

I ride my 2008 Gary Fisher "Hi-Fi Deluxe" every day. I'm never gonna treat it the way its previous owner did (a frequent podium finisher). At the same time: it is comfortable, smooth, stable and a lot of fun to ride.

There is no really good reason for us to ride bikes based on what TDF pros use to make money. Be comfortable on a bike that will take your weight and intentions.

Joe

kickstart

They're not as slow as you think, the difference between my traditional Dutch bike compared to my trekking, and road bikes is only around 20 seconds per mile on my very hilly commute, and less than half that on flat terrain.
That may seem like a lot in theory, or to someone who races, but in the real world a few stop lights, a train, traffic, and many other things can have as much, or more influence on my commute time.
My fastest commute on my road bike is only a little over a minute faster than my fastest commute on my traditional Dutch bike. I have to reference my computer to know the difference.

kickstart

Not all Dutch commuters are cut from the same cloth.

caloso

Indeed.

Artkansas 

I think what really sets off your commuting bike is that you can optimize it specifically to your commute since that tends to be a ride that you do repeatedly.

Beyond that, it all depends on what you need for that particular commute. Years ago, I had a 3 mile commute in downtown L.A. fairly flat with rough streets and heavy traffic. I changed jobs and suddenly had a 300 foot hill to climb in the afternoon and a 5 mile run through a nature preserve on a dirt path. This later changed to a 5 mile ride through suburbia. Then a 17 mile ride up and down a steep valley combined with 15 miles of flat mesa. Each ride really needed a different bicycle.

tsl

International Guild of Hipsters.

BobbyG

Unfortunately, just as the musical group Lady Antebellum was overshadowed by a musical performer with a similar name, Lady Gaga; Windsor Canada's own Insane Gecko Hats briefly rode the crest of the Death Metal/Hip Hop Fusion wave of the late 1990's/early 2000s, only to be confused with and overshadowed by a band from across from across the river in Detroit, USA, playing similar music, the Insane Clown Posse. Being polite Canadians IGH disbanded, but in an ironic twist, their flamboyant bassist, London-born Rusty Pall went on to voice the Geico gecko in a series of popular television commercials.

CrankyOne

Steely Dan

the definitive answer.

this thread really could have been locked after the 2nd post quoted above.

there is no such specific thing as a "commuter bicycle", just as there is no such specific thing as a "commuter car".

any old bike that you ride to work is automatically a "commuter bicycle", just as any old car that you drive to work is automatically a "commuter car".

cyccommute 

Sorry but that isn't a classic "Dutch commuter".

noglider 

April 22 is early? Easter is early, and the two holidays are farther apart than normal this year.