I have much longer commutes now, some days it's more than 25 total miles. And it's hilly and 5000 feet. I'm space limited too, I wanted an n-1 bike. Time for a drop bar commuter. This is my commuter/gravel grinder and loaded touring bike. Here it is in commuter mode:
Soma Saga Disc 57.5mm with Woodchipper bars, Shimano 9 speed bar cons and Cane Creek brake levers. PlanetBike 45mm fenders, Thudbuster and Topeak rack/trunk bag:
Shimano dyno hub, BB7 road calipers, DT 2.0, SunRingle Helix TR27 rims (520gms) with Pasela PT 38mm @ 60psi (mountain bike wheels). Rides like a cream puff over all the bumps. Phillips headlamp with matching taillight:
Shimano 756 rear hub and custom 9 speed cassette, disc brake goodness:
Tiagra triple with PD-324 pedals:
I have ~200 miles on it, 50 of them gravel grinding, the rest urban errands/commuting. I really like this bike. Handles great and when I hit the crappy parts of the gravel roads it gives me confidence that it's going to hold up.