Many thanks for the respsonses. I think the idea of a Pocket Tourist
with extra strong rims
and kevlar tires makes sense. I was biking in (Needham->Boston on my
old Bianchi Axis)
this a.m. and had a huge rear blowout when I ran over a nasty shard
of glass.

I am pretty close to buying a new bike (the bike shop people laugh at
me when I come in
for repairs, and the old bike is getting harder and harder to
maintain. Eventually, I will
probably use a multi-bike strategy (I intend to blow a lot of money
on bikes with my mid-
life crisis) but I am looking for a good all around bike to get me
through till then.

Is there a way to test these bikes under realistic conditions (e.g.
renting one for a week
and taking it on real commutes)?

thanks

robin