We came back from California with our financial buffer pretty empty, so we're imposing some frugality measures on ourselves, which led to me finally taking my new-to-me bike out for its first commute. (I used to walk 40 minutes each way, but for the last few months I found myself wanting to save the time in the morning and ubering instead.)
My wife picked it up from Austin Yellow Bike, a non-profit community bike shop for $250. I'd been wanting an old Japanese steel frame for a long time, since before my last single speed road bike was stolen. There was a sticker on the bike when we bought it, which I wish I had taken a picture of. But the recent provenance appears to be a camp at Burning Man.
Overall the ride was decent. The brakes are little stiff and the pedals aren't meant for my fat feet, especially in sandals, but I can dial in and replace them respectively. I also hate all having all the gears I never intend to use. Oh and I need a rack so I can add my bike bucket.
The commute time is comparable to an Uber so I'll probably keep it up, assuming I can figure out how to alternate in walking commutes. In tangentially related fitness news, my hope is the bike will also make it easier to get back to yoga early in the mornings again.