Originally Posted by
Ember
So far I have found the Kona Sutra and Trek 520 which are touring bikes, and I'm not sure if I want a touring bike for a commuter (plus according to some reviews I've found they're quite heavy).
This bike will be for spring/summer/fall all weather commuting (I have another bike for the winter) and would basically be in place of a car. I don't have a car and I would like to keep it that way. Which is why I'm not afraid to put in the $$$ for a nice bike.
Two of my three bikes are touring bikes, so I'm perhaps biased. Ever so slightly.
I think a touring bike is the multi-purpose vehicle of the bike world. If you want to go fast, put on some light wheels and go ride. If you need to carry home a half bushel of apples (done that!), toss the panniers on and ride to the orchard. Commute, add a headlight when daylight time ends and keep going.
I get a bit of guff occasionally (especially when I'm in shape and can ride with the wanna-bes on their carbon bikes). But I ride 50 miles on the days everybody else is riding 26 miles, and the extra weight is reliability. Spokes are less like to break, tires are less likely to flat, and I barely notice the "GRAVEL!" everybody else is shouting about.
At least until I notice the tire is worn through...