Originally Posted by
PaulRivers
Every time someone says "use the right tool for the job" regarding which bike to commute with, I get this mental image of someone with a with 15 hammers on a belt saying "I carry all these hammers so I have one for every single nail size I have so I can 'use the right tool for the job'". He also has an entire set of hammers for each brand, so he only uses Grip Rite nails with Grip Rite hammers, Paslode nails with Paslode hammers, etc etc. :-D
Wear is about what you'd be doing anyways - it's definitely true that if you're commuting to save money, using a "high end" road bike is not the way to go. But if you'd be taking your bike out for training rides anyways, it's kinda silly to ride a cheaper bike to and from work, then take out the nice bike every night after that for training. :-)
Yep. That's exactly how I got started commuting. I was taking the bus to work and home then going for a ride in the evening. One day it dawned on me that if I had my bike with me at work at the end of the day, it would be much quicker and easier to get on the bike.
Also, FWIW, there are quite a few racers who hang out in "the 33" who ride to work but don't post in the commuting forum. In order to put in the mileage to be competitive it's pretty necessary to ride to work, especially if you have a family.