Originally Posted by
NormanF
If its a road bike, that won't come with bosses.
They're generally lousy with loads.
In a commuter bike you want stability and the trade-off is some loss of speed when carrying a load and also when riding on uneven terrain.
Sorry, lots of road bikes come with bosses for a rack. Specialized alone has two or three models so equipped with them..
My Allez is a pure road bike, but definitely a low end one. I had a rack on it for a summer. It worked fine but I definitely prefer the more spritely handling with it unloaded.
Outside of winter, my main criteria for a commuter bike is that it works and that it's fun to ride. Actually pretty much the same criteria I have for a bike whether or not I'm commuting.
I'm quite happy to wear a backpack for commuting and don't particularly care if the bike is stable with 60 lbs of gear on it. I do have a bike I can use offroad or would make a decent tourer if I were inclined.