Originally Posted by
BarracksSi
Disc brakes aren't allowed in all cyclocross competitions (not yet, anyway), and the cyclocross label is usually attached to bikes meant for racing. So, when you peruse a catalog, the 'cross bikes likely will have cantis.
Ahhh, that explains
that bit of curiosity.
That leaves the "commuter" and "road" categories. Commuter bikes, as far as catalogs are concerned, are stereotypically flat bar bikes, maybe lighter than a manufacturer's hybrids (if they're different at all). Road bikes are usually expected to be race-ready, and weight weenies don't like disc brakes.
One thing I noticed when shopping is that "commuter" bikes that are advertised as such often have even more upright stances than hybrids.
So, after all of that, we're left with the understanding that a popular form of do-it-all bike is difficult to categorize. Drops like a road bike, mounting tabs like a commuter or tourer, fenders like a cruiser, discs like a mountain bike -- what section of a manufacturer's catalog would you put that into (hypothetically speaking, anyway)?
I'd probably put them in the "city" or "urban" category that some manufacturers are creating now (which often includes "commuters"). I think it's descriptive of their purpose of dealing with whatever might be encountered in a messy urban environment, ranging from smooth pavement to potholes, curbs, and dirt paths.