My Daily Commute Is Only 1.7 Miles, And Only Uphill Coming Home

[Lizzie Poppet]

5. I'd go with the Kona.

As tinrobot points out, re-equipping your Schwinn is a do-able thing, but your Kona is already really well set up for that climb. I don't know what model year yours is, but the latest ones have an 11-34 cassette out back, and the small chainring is a 28...so you've got a nice, low "granny gear" to use. And a pair of fenders would almost certainly be cheaper than reworking your Schwinn, particularly if you don't do the parts swap yourself...

If you do decide to splurge on a new lightweight carbon bike (and there's nothing like a new bike!), I'd suggest taking a look at one of the various options that come with SRAM's Apex group. It has a wide-range cassette (32-tooth big cog) paired with a 34-tooth small chainring, so you get pretty close to a triple's range, but with a double's better shifting and lighter weight. And although Apex is SRAM's entry road group, it works really well...equivalent to Shimano 105, imo.