Originally Posted by Poguemahone
Just go look for a good, older, used steel road bike. I bought a Panasonic Touring Deluxe a while back for 35$ and I'm in the process of getting fenders for it. Plenty of clearance. Probably a better bike than anything sub one grand nowadays. A lot of older road bikes have ample fender clearance. I'd agree with Helmet head on the road bike v. hybrid, but find the smaller tires make the ride rougher; I prefer 700x28 on urban bikes.
Amen to that. Your commuter will be beat to hell anyway. This is no fairweather bike you are talking about. It is a commuter: might as well go with old technology. I ride fixed- but it sounds like you want some gears. Try an old 7 or 8 speed- and skip STIs. You want something bulletproof that can take a beating, rain or shine. Old-lugged-steel. They are almost giving these away. Modern touring bikes will often be steel anyway. Get something that you can afford to have stolen.