Originally Posted by DAkilles

I can't say I agree with this. I have commuted comfortably for about 3 years now 25 miles a day on either a road bike (Kuwahara UL) or my new Raleigh (Rush Hour). There is a movement out there for the comfort-ride cyclists and that's fine I guess. But everytime I see a bike with a sofa sized saddle and 3 inch springed shock absorbers I suspect the rider doesn't really want to be on a bike at all.

I do have an ideal situation though. My lab has an attached shower/bathroom so I don't worry about what condition I'm in when I arrive at work. I know I'm going to shower anyway. I keep supplies at work like soaps and towels so that I only need to carry the clean change clothes with me on my commute.

Aggressive is as aggressive does. Posture on the saddle, the manner in which you ride and the duration etc all factor in. Just because a bike has "aggressive geometry" does no exclude it from practical commuting options.

I only use a rear clip on fender when its actually raining. Why have a frame giddied up with fenders all the time? Why a a rear rack? How much are you hauling? In my case a small sized messenger bag is often more than sufficient (like today).

Do people feel more secure/comfortable if their bike is kitted out with every possible product?

Some suggestions:
1) When possible, create a route that takes you near to your LBS. Most incidents and accidents I have suffered are taken care of by simply rolling or walking to the LBS. In this way I don't have the need to carry any maintenance gear with me (except for the crank bros mini pump I basically got for free and which stashes nicely in my bag).
2) Consider undecorating your bike with crap. A clean unencumbered frame is a happy frame. Accidents can happen when something gets snagged or something snags you or some piece of crap you've attached to your bike. Also less to steal and less to go wrong.
3) Vary your riding style. I suppose I am one of those "aggressive" bikers here, but I vary my style so that I'm not caught in some dilemma. There are some hills I am particularly fond of attacking. I detour through the park to decrease the amount of car traffic I have to deal with and at those times I sit up and chill out. Inevitably on my last ascent on a false flat 2 miles from home I catch sight of a FRED and the cranks really start hammering down into a thrilling competitive sprint.

Uh-oh, tiny rant...