A racing bike for commuting isn't that sensible an option either though. Unless you race in your spare time and want to get miles on the bike, a hybrid or touring bike will be a lot more comfortable and durable on city roads.

People don't actually commute on racing bikes in Seattle all that often. At least not the ones I see. Touring bikes, cyclocross, and similar with slightly larger tires and often disc brakes seem more common.

I used to ride to work in Seattle, about 5 miles with one hill.

I rode my ancient 10-speed I'd had since a teen, and wore street clothes.

It was before the silly bike madness rolled over the city. I first noticed it when I invited my gf out for a ride, and she had to go buy a special bike outfit first.

Where are the hills in Seattle? It may not be as flat as Amsterdam, but it certainly isn’t San Francisco (or even LA, for that matter).

I had the good fortune to essentially never get in a car in Seattle — I always took the subway, or the trolley, or walked. Granted I only ever spent a lot of time at Amazon and the Hutch, most everywhere beyond walking distance of south lake union or the subway is a blank spot on the map to me. But it seemed like a pretty casual place to bike commute.

I rode to work most every day when I lived in SF, and in DC, and for a while in LA. Perversely, it was always safest where the traffic was worst (gridlocked) as drivers couldn’t get going fast enough to severely injure me then. Northern Virginia by contrast was terrifying — soccer moms barreling around at 70mph in SUVs while on cell phones. I think it’s a cultural issue — that wouldn’t fly in the Netherlands.

"Capitol Hill", "First Hill", "Beacon Hill", "Queen Anne Hill". Seattle has a lot of hills, especially if you're traveling east-west. They're called drumlins: https://youtu.be/oSSxdogrv1s?t=190