OK, so I’ve briefly described the different kinds of bicycles. I mentioned that I didn’t think that any of them meet the needs of what I like to call “lifestyle bicyclists”.Here is the problem: None of these types of bikes make it easy to take a laptop between the office and home. None of them can carry a load of groceries very easily, at least, not without some serious planning. You need pannier bags, which are kind of like saddle bags for a bicycle, or a rack, which can’t hold very much at all, or a trailer, which really requires quite a bit of planning to use on a daily basis. Or, you could use a backpack, but that’s not good for your back, and you have a HUGE sweat mark on your back for twenty minutes after you get where you’re going. And, about half the time, you find yourself riding with one hand, while holding the bag on with the other hand. It’s not exactly safe, and it’s a real pain, trust me.My dad is a bicycler as well. But, he is kind of in the middle. While I am looking to replace all of my personal transportation with a bicycle, he enjoys the races and the cross-state rides. But, he also enjoys commuting to work several days a week. He’s kind of got his foot in the lifestyle camp, and the sports enthusiast camp…but I don’t fault him for that Anyway, he found something called an XtraCycle. Let me tell you, these things are cool. They are designed for the commuter. They are designed to make bicycling a part of your everyday life, and not just something for the sport enthusiast or racer! You should check out their website. They have a really cool product.I’ve actually just ordered one, and I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m pretty pumped. I think it’s going to solve most of my commuter bike problems! Now, if I can just find a good solution for rain gear that works for the everyday commuter, not just the serious racer…