[jamesdak]

Well commuting on a bike is just not an option for me. But I do have an errand bike I use in the small mountain town I live in. I'll also take it out for 20+ mile rides around the valley carrying a decent stash of DSLR gear while doing photography.

My choice as of a couple of years ago is this Azor Dutch bike. 8 speed IGH for plenty of gear range, oversized roller brakes for the hills, sprung Brooks saddle for luxury ride, dynamo front hub to power the front and rear lights. Full fenders, dress guard, and chain cover keeps all the water and snow slush off of you. Built in frame lock for the rear wheel and a 40 lb weight means no one is easily stealing it. Step through frame may be considered a women's frame in the U.S. but reality is that it's just a totally practical frame to mount when fully loaded, dressed in regular clothes, etc. Oh and the racks are rated for a lot of weight. The front rack is supported by mounts on the frame instead of the front wheel and do not effect handling at all. Plus it slides easily in and out of the mounts so can be removed in seconds.















I probably loose cool points when I ride this but it's better than any other errand bike I've had. It's just so practical and bombproof.