After a year-and-a-half and over 1,000 miles on the Breezer Uptown 8, I thought I'd write a review. There is a dearth of material on commuter bicycles and bicycling. The trade press is advertiser-focused and almost all of their bicycle reviews are non-critical and improve as the price increases. Most bicycle stores don't focus on the commuter cycle market segment. If one store started doing it in or around DC, I suspect they'd get a hardcore following pretty quick. There's a rush-hour on the CCT even in the winter. (Minneapolis claims 3,000 winter bicycle commuters -- they plow 50 miles of bicycle trails there.)
First: my ride. On days that I ride (I'm not a 5-day-a-week rider yet), I ride seven miles (mostly downhill) into work in 35 minutes. That same ride home (mostly uphill) takes about 45 minutes. I carry a laptop and a full set of work clothes each way in panniers on a rack.
Overall, the Breezer Uptown 8 is a great bicycle. However, there are some things to nit-pick about, mostly because commuter bicycles are relatively new in the United States. Nobody reviews them because they're not sexy.
First off, the Uptown is comfortable. I ride in an upright position. The seatpost is suspended, and overall it's a pleasure to ride. However, it's not a fast bike. It's got full fenders and a fully-enclosed chaincase. The only place I get splashed in rain is my feet.
The built-in Shimano front hub generator and lights are great. The headlight is pretty bright. I did get a Niterider light because the trail is not lit and pitch black. The rear light connections are weak and the light failed after going over a few bumps. Some new wire fixed that. The generator does add a little drag when it turns itself on. It's great having lights without ever having to worry about a charger or batteries. I have two Planet Bike flashies (one works consisently) mounted on my panniers. That worked out especially well after I wrecked and my black laptop pannier fell off and onto the dark, unlit trail at night.
The stock tires, Schwalbe City, are heavy. I replaced the front with a Conti 1" which works fine. The rear tire I haven't replaced because the rear wheel is a pain to take off. You need to shift to 4th gear, remove the tiny screws in the chaincase, and then use a 15mm wrench. Not something to do on the trail after dark.
You can see photos of my nitpicks here.
I bought the bike at Bikes at Vienna in Vienna, and get some help with maintenance from Griffin Cycle in Bethesda. There's nothing wrong with the service at Bikes at Viennna, it's just that Griffin Cycles is close to home.
Update: After 1700 miles, I needed to get the headset and bottom bracket overhauled. There's a long comment thread on the bottom bracket of the Breezer, but I think mine had regular wear. Someday, I'll replace it with a Phil Wood BB so that I don't have to think about it again.