I'm a bit of a bike nerd and I feel like a lot of the author's recommendations are purely for other bike nerds -- Velo Orange, All City? Steel frame with wide drop bars, fat tires and disc brakes?

My go-to recommendation for a bike that will fit the needs of 99% of people riding on pavement, is a Brompton. It folds up small, very quickly, making it easy to take on the train or throw in the back seat of your car. They also come with racks, bag mounts, dynamo lights/fenders/a bell and they have very workable gear ranges. People take them on trans-continental bike tours even.