ISTEA defined bicycle commuting as commuting between work or school and home. Shopping, errand running, or other utility trips did not qualify. Most of my non-recreational bicycle trips are utility trips. Your host assured me I would be welcome to BikeCommute. I live in a small town, pop. 18,000, except for one weekend in Aug., 1994, when it was 368,000. Temperatures gets to -20 degrees F. Terrain is hilly. A trip to the supermarket is about 14 miles round trip. I haul 80 lb. catfood with my bike. Groceries can weigh as much as 65 lb. I have hauled a bike in a box on my back on my bike. I have done a number of utility trips at night, but it is not a regular event. Although I ride mountain and road bikes, I do not normally make road trips with a mountain bike. In winter I switch my road tires to 35mm width. The bicycle I normally use for utility trips has full fenders. I recently acquired a three-speed bike with full fenders and rack I intended to use when there is snow on the road, but there hasn't been much snow.