Originally Posted by
Saving Hawaii
Man, I don't get the hate for road bikes in this thread.
You're not going to have any issues commuting on a road bike. Many of the frames may not handle great with a big load on a rear rack but there are still ways to mount racks and do that if you want. I usually just wear a backpack or a trailer for groceries.
Ride a bike that's fun for you and gets you where you're going. For me that's my Specialized Allez. No issues using that as my only form of transportation.
Road bikes are literally road versions of... track bikes. They are fantastic for going places fast. In my own experience, they are not as easy to live with in terms of car free. They are not built to take cargo, they are not built to hit pothole after pothole. I do not think it is "hate" just people speaking from experience. I had a 21 speed diamond frame flat bar road bike before my cruiser. It was fantastc for leisure & fun rides, but i could not ever see me hauling groceries on it. As soon as i got my cruiser, i was off all over doing errands & starting to get groceries and so on. Road bike for a route that includes gravel sounds dodgy at best to me, based on my own experience.
- Andy