A road bike would work just fine. A lot of us commute on one. Personally I am thr most comfortable on one. I tend to ride in the hoods or just aft of them. I have never had trouble getting to my brakes no matter wherr my hands are. Not entirely sure why so many feel the need to always be hovering over their levers, but who am zi to criticize. By all means switch to platform pedals. Whatever gets you on your favorite bike