Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
re: "I think the OP is on the right track with some simple, affordable modifications to a bicycle he already owns"
I might agree but do we know how many miles his round trip is?
Oh BTW my "summer" road bike is old school cromoly steel not one of those new ultra light carbon jobs which I would agree is NOT appropriate for commuting - certainly not on New England roads!
I've never owned a carbon bike *shudders*
The ones I've test ridden felt dead to me, and, quite frankly, they felt cheap and fragile under my 195 pound frame. No thanks.
I'm a big fan of well-made steel frames.
I do agree that the road bikes with more relaxed geometry than full-on race bikes (i.e. space for fenders, eyelets for rack, space for 32's etc) make fabulous commuters.