I'm a production baker working in a brewpub with plans to go back to school for a third time to get a degree in an indeterminate field of engineering.

If you think about it, surfing a web forum or facebook is as productive as sitting on your couch watching TV. Many people have found themselves to be more productive if they hold off on social media until after lunch time. Some even go as far as not checking their work email before noon in order to focus on a work priority as a first priority.

I think this may possibly be the future of commuting. Smooth hard roads were primarily built in the late 1800s for bicycle usage, which then made it possible for cars to get around. And the manufacturing of geared chains and pneumatic tires came first as bicycles before someone strapped a motor on a trike to invent the automobile. Now we have the infrastructure of highways, but with traffic congestion people are looking for a way out and many people want to find time to excercise in the morning. And the rising cost of gas will be an incentive to seek other options. Currently, pedal-assist e-bikes are popular in hilly regions of japan. Motors and bikes have got along great for 100 years. So now it's time to go retro with electric.

For me, cycling should always about enjoyment. Utility is just another plus. I use my car(seldom), but I enjoy my bike.

I am willing to help moderate. Thanks for the offer.

I too am new. The formatting help displays offscreen on this mobile device, so here's a pic of my bike: http://imgur.com/Cz32qPt It's a Raleigh Misceo 2.0, a hybrid bike with an aluminum frame and Shimano disc brakes and gears. I've flipped it, highsided it, and given it more abuse than it deseves and there's barely a scratch. I commute on it most days in Minneapolis, MN. To descrive the utility and enjoyment I get from this bike, after work I can sustain 18-20 mph on roads, and then ride on gravel, beach, and mud. As a 210 lb guy who has killed mountian bike rims, this 33lb bike does what I chose it for; it comfortably survives my fun and still works efficiently too.

My interests include bicycling, bread, beer, coffee and tea, mechanical design, hiking and camping, wood/metal working, homebrewing and pro brewing, metal, punk rock, classical, folk, and making things work. I've worked as a chef, studied computer networking, am employed as a bread and dessert baker, and I'm going to school for engineering.

For my plans here, I believe that communities which share with one another are good for the world. I plan to share.