They are made by hand in american, out of american steel using solar power and they only cost $595.

It has Butterfly handlebars, and SRAM X-7 Trigger Shifters mated to a SRAM rear derailleur and a $12 Shimano front derailleur with SRAM Brakes and levers.

all in all I think I put it together with about $1200 since I had a few components from a road bike that was a few years old that I was able to put to reuse.

I’ve got Schwable Marathon Tires, and a Koobe century seat.

The KM is a versatile frameset, but with the short rear stays on it, I’d be afraid of heel strike. While the frame does have fender mounts, there aren’t any solid rack mounts. I’ve ridden mine with a seatpost rack, and it’s OK for light loads, but I prefer a little more stability and the ability to carry a heavier load if necessary. I’d probably opt for some sort of cross bike frame or a standard touring bike frame if it were my choice. LHT or Crosscheck if you wanted to go with Surly. La Cruz if you wanted to go with something from Salsa.

I love folding bikes, and I’m happy to see one in this list, but this folder has a big flaw: To fold it, you’ve got to lower the seat. This makes a big difference in time spent fiddling at unfolding time, trying to get that seat-height just right again.

I think there are better folding options.

HA! I KNEW it! Another BIKE JUNKIE! I’ll bet, on the days you aren’t cycling to work, you rearrange your auto route to “just happen to go by my favorite LBS … and why not stop in … just to window shop, mind you …” A half hour and a maxed out credit card later, you just barely get all the stuff into your trunk and are plotting how to get it into the house without your spouse seeing it.

Yeah, been there.

But you do have a valid point. This is a fun exercise: figuring out what the best commuter bike would be for an athletic 20-something female (which makes for some interesting dilemmas for a 50-something male couch potato like me), but there isn’t any perfect bike even for one person for all commuting conditions. My recumbent is the best bike, MOST of the time. But for those infrequent stormy days in Phoenix, when the wet roads are ice-slick from the dust storm and the automobile grease and oil, the road tires on the recumbent inspire zero confidence and I’m much more comfortable with the surefooted, wide Serfas Drifter inverted tread on my Giant Yukon MTB.

Uh, oh! I exercise my Fifth Amendment* right to remain silent so as not to incriminate myself.

*to non-USA citizens, don’t ask…