Originally Posted by
asforme
This is something I've been wondering about, except the other way around. In my mind what makes a bike a commuter is that it has a rack and fenders and slightly wider tires. So my question is would such a bike be acceptable to bring to group rides or do centuries? Currently I only have a mountain bike, but I want to get a road bike, actually probably a touring or cyclocross bike for added durability, and equip it for commuting. But if I want to go on group rides do I really need to start thinking about n+2 right now? Or should I take the rack and fenders off and switch to skinnier tires for road riding? Or should I just leave them on and show up for group rides as is?
Does anyone else ride group rides with their commuting bike?
Absolutely. I find touring bikes make excellent commuters and workhorses as well as being able to fit in with most group rides. FWIW, I have one bike, a '95 Novara Randonee, that I use for commuting, grocery shopping, and group rides alike.
I don't use fenders, but all I do for group rides is take off the panniers. Rather than change tires, I'd just find a good middle-ground tire and stick with that, if possible. I run 35's, which many consider to be tank-like, but you might consider 32's.