Originally Posted by
PaulRivers
Yes.
$800/bike gets you into entry-level road bike range. With a road bike, you won't max out your gears unless you're going downhill really fast
This is ridiculous: the speeds these people are riding at are far below those needed to max out their gears. Being able to get to 45mph on a descent is priority for a racer, but not for a commuter!
There are some road bike frames that accept larger tires, but the only one I know of offhand - Surly Crosscheck (and some of the other Surly bikes), but it's more like $1k. Perhaps someone else knows of a road frame with more tire clearance more around the $800 mark?
The Cross Check is a cyclocross bike strictly speaking - so referring to it as a road bike is a little misleading as it is designed to be ridden
off road. As another poster already suggested, Bikes Direct sells cross bikes from $500.
Drops are good for riding into the wind if you don't mind the *very* low position - depending on traffic you might not think it wise to use them, as doing so reduces your ability to look around very substantially.
But switching to drop bars to increase commuting speed for a 6 mile commute??? Not terribly sensible. Especially if money is tight and bikes aren't enjoyed as toys.