floatsinwater

Well... here is my dilemma:

I have two relatively expensive bikes. 2007 Specialized S-Works Tarmac (full carbon, dura-ace groupset) and a 2008 Cannondale six13 3 (aluminum/carbon, ultegra groupset). I bought the Tarmac because I thought I'd be more into competitive cycling (nope...). It's basically like the old gym membership that never gets used. HOWEVER, I do still commute to work everyday on my Cannondale. I do also like to *very occasionally go on weekend rides.

So, I'm trying to sell the Tarmac on Craigslist but since it's a niche market the reaction is kind of spotty. So I had the idea of having both bikes up for sale and commuting on the one that didn't sell. I'm not in any hurry to sell the bikes, but at the same time the Tarmac is just sitting on my wall. I store my bike inside where I work so security isn't an issue.

Is commuting on a Tarmac a crazy idea? Should I just take more time trying to sell the Tarmac? The Tarmac does ride nicer, but I'm not a weight weenie so it's not really a huge deal either way.

treadtread

As long as you have a good, safe place to store the bike - why not? Sell the Cannondale instead!

StanSeven

Why not? Besides it's 7 years old so it's no longer a really expensive and new bike.

tsl

I use a bike with a rack and panniers at the beginning and the end of the week, and in foul weather.

Mid-week, I ride my Litespeed Classic with full Dura-Ace. Who cares? It's my bike and I'll ride it where and when I like.

ShartRate

I certainly wouldn't lock either one of those bikes outside but if you've got space indoors I'd go for it. Maybe try riding the Tarmac a time or 2 before you decide to make sure there isn't anything about it that makes you hate commuting on it.

floatsinwater

Hey guys, thanks for the responses. I guess my main concern is whether the carbon frame can take the beating of a commute? The last thing I want is for me to sell my Cannondale and then go over a pothole and crack the frame of my Tarmac (and have to buy another bike...). The Cannondale is pretty rock solid since I've been commuting with it for 2 years over many road hazards with no problems.

Am I worrying over nothing? I just keep reading these horror stories with carbon frames... I'll be using cheap rims with commuter tires so that's not an issue.

Erwin8r

If you do a bit of research you'll learn that carbon is a very durable material for a frame; and that a carbon frame will, in all probability, outlast an equivalent aluminum frame.

Just ride 'em. If it's a financial thing, sell the one you love least...

caloso

I race and often commute on my carbon Ridley Excalibur. Racing, at least in NorCal, is far tougher on bike and rider than commuting. Unless you're commuting on the streets of Aleppo, the Tarmac will be fine. If anything, put 25mm tires on it to make the ride a little plusher.

Spld cyclist

Having less than two bikes is extremely bad for your karma. Switch back and forth between them so you don't get bored with either. Besides, if you're a commuter you need a backup.

tsl

You may want to read about a guy who crashed his Tarmac SL4 into a tree stump on a descent. He spent 9 hours in the ED. The bike and his Zipp 202 wheels were fine.

No need to concern yourself over a silly little pothole. Besides, you can bunny hop a pothole.

jimmuller 

One thing you might consider is how well the tires will handle the road conditions on your commute.

I've commuted on my Masi Gran Criterium, not easily replaceable. I worry about the tires and the paint getting damaged on the commuter train. Otherwise it's fine. My other commuting bikes have belted, wider tires, and more paint scratches.

Badger6

I commute on a 2010 Trek 7.9 FX. Ride what you got...

Erwin8r

Yup. Matter of fact, more often than not, I'm commuting on my carbon road bike than my "proper commuter."

caloso

Having sufficiently robust commuting/training wheels is important, in my experience.

bikemig 

No. 1; stay away from bad karma and have an xtra bike or two or three or four ready to ride

Engineer

As someone else said, you have to ride what you got. I rode an aluminum road bike for years as my commuter. Eventually I bought a dedicated commuter bike, but ended only using it on rainy days, the road bike was more fun.

Badger6

Nice ride!

Badger6

This.

PatrickGSR94

I also commute on my road bike. Tried it once on my MTB with smooth tires and rigid fork, hated it.

floatsinwater

This is how I ended up with 4 bikes to begin with... lol I'm trying to downsize to 1 bike since a ridiculous amount of space was being taken up by my bikes...

You guys have some nice rides! I think I'll just put both of them on sale and ride whichever one doesn't sell since I like both of them. I'll keep a spare wheelset for those random "tire had a flat when I woke up" mornings...

GuyDebord

I am 6'3" 240lbs and since 2010 my Brooklyn-Manhattan commute has been with a full Carbon Felt road bike with Dura-Ace/Roval Fusse Rims and Conti 4Seasons Wheels (25's). I have crashed twice with stupid Taxi drivers, went thru hundreds of NYC potholes and the Bike is in perfect shape besides a few paint chips. CARBON BIKES Rule for commuting! But my next bike will be built around a Soma Triple-Cross frame, Im to curious about that High Tech Stainless Steel...

WestPablo

Keep the nicest riding bike and sell the other. Next, get a real bonafide commuter bike like a Surly Ogre or something.

droy45

You can commute with either one, it just depends on the road surfaces you have where you live. Here I need a substantial tire and wheel combo because the roads are so broken up especially into the city street areas. I use a MTB frame with 26x1.5 slicks. Its an extremely well built custom frame with all the supports needed for jumping and I have hit holes and unexpected objects so hard at times I thought I had broken something. So in my case neither of your bikes would work but I do occasionally take out one of my steel road bikes but I take it easy on those.

cycle_maven

Either one, but it's good to have a backup bike. Wake up one morning to a flat tire and no spare time, and you'll be glad you kept them both.

+1 about the 25mm tires, too. Helps a lot with comfort and road hazards.

mstraus

I have been commuting on my road bike. Not carbon or as pricey as yours, but many carbon parts (fork, seats stay, crank, etc) and mix of Ultegra and Dura-Ace components. My bike is store inside in a locked office and is more or less in sight of my desk. I notice a fair number of people riding expensive/carbon bikes on the longer part of my commute (I commute from Marin County, CA into San Francisco). When I get to the city I find a lot more "commuter" bikes then fast road bikes.

I do plan to get a second bike that is more commute oriented, though not a cheap bike, just something a bit more comfortable, able to handle a rack, wider tires, maybe disc brakes for the rainy season, etc. At that point I expect I will ride whichever bike suites my mood.

A couple things I have started to learn/observe from commuting on a road bike not intended to commute:

1. Tires - I ride on a number or debris filled roads and my older light weight tires were giving me to many flats. Flats while commuting are not fun. I recently got a pair of puncture resistant tires so hopefully that will help. In theory a wide touring/training tire might smooth things out a bit too, but I didn't want to do that to this bike yet.
2. peddles/shoes - I have been using my road peddles/shoes. I have noticed this is very rare for commuters - most people with clipless peddles seem to use mountain peddles/shoes as they are much easier to walk in. I do have a slight fear of slipping as I carry my bike up the stairs each day...I will definitely set up my commuter with mountain peddles and a shoe with a bit of rubber on them...not sure if I will switch my roadbike if I don't commute on it daily going forward.