Every LBS in my city has a wide variety of different bikes to choose from, and yet majority of bikes sold to people are hybrids and mountain bikes...And they aren't the cheapest, a lot of hybrids and mountain bikes used for commuting are within $1000-$1800 dollar range...I think the reason why hybrids and MTB are popular is because they can easily be made into great and practical commuter bikes...I love commuting on my single speed MTB as much as I love commuting on my fixed gear road bike. There is no such thing as a wrong type of a bike for commuting.