The rest of the best is found here http://www.oregonmanifest.com and here http://www.handmadebicycleshow.com

-First, the bike gets dinged up on the road. An 8-week Vanilla custom paint job isn’t going to look the same after just a few weeks.
-Second, commuter bikes get stolen, in part if not in whole.
-Third, commuter bikes encounter rain, either on the move or parked. Leather and rain in the long term do not mix.
-Fourth, guys run a serious risk of looking like a dandy on some of these bikes, cool as they are. An American in an average city is going to be the only one in 40 square miles riding something like the Vanilla 2.
-Fifth, many men have wives. Wives do not appreciate men spending 3,000 bucks on a bicycle. Generally speaking, keeping a wife is better than having a bicycle with a leather saddle.

So, here are my recommendations for those of you who agree:
-If your commute is more than 4 miles each way, or if it has substantial hills (mine is 8 miles each way and does have hills), you need more than 3 gears. I would say that 8 would be the minimum, and this puts you into derailers instead of internal hubs.
-3,000 dollar bicycles come with hub-generator lights, which are nifty. However, battery lights and a set of rechargable batteries will run you about 30 bucks and work just as well. If they get stolen, go back to Target.
-If you are a serious commuter, you will be wearing a bike helmet, and probably a Camelbak. You will not look urban-chic, regardless of the bicycle, so forget your dreams of being Swedish, Danish, or Dutch. Seriously.
-Safety is important on a serious commute. Lights are required, helmets are required, and a mirror is highly recommended. I also use a “Flash Flag” side-mount safety flag, which has been shown to increase the distance drivers give you when passing.
-Panniers do not need to be made from leather. Leather is heavy, doesn’t stand up to rain, etc. Mine are removable “grocery bag” panniers from LL Bean, 60 bucks.
-Finally, there are dozens of very nice commuter bikes available for under 800 bucks. I ride a 2009 Giant Transend LX, which I got for 540 from my local bike shop. He threw in a free 50 dollar cable lock. It is orange for visibility, has 21 gears with trigger shifters, and came with a strong rear rack and kickstand. I figure with accessories (60 for panniers, 15 for the lights, 15 for the rechargable batteries, 20 for the side mirror, 10 for the flag, already had the helmet and Camelbak), I’m up to 660 total.

Consumerism is not worthy of worship. As the Quaker abolitionist John Woolman said (paraphrasing), just the trimmings of the vain world could clothe all the naked one. Get a grip, people.

@Andrew, I put Brooks on my street locking bikes, I just cable lock the saddle to the frame.