Originally Posted by
Michel Gagnon
I would suggest either cyclocross or touring. But in either case, make sure the bike allows wide tires. Two very popular contenders are the Surly LHT (touring) and Crosscheck (cyclocross), both of which allow 700x38 (or 42?) tires with fenders. It means you can have your comfortable ride, use the bike for tours in the mud, or install studded tires for winter rides. For commuting, the differences between LHT and Crosscheck are:
- CC slightly livelier
- LHT has longer chainstays so it would be more stable with a heavy load and more comfortable over bumps (not by a wide margin)
- LHT comes with a wide range of gearing whereas unfortunately the Crosscheck complete comes with a double.
I'll add to the above, if you happen to take a road bike size 54 cm or less, then you'll be able to use a LHT with 26" MTB wheels, that will accept tires up to 26x2.0" with 60mm fenders - which should be a big benefit on bad roads / dirt roads. Maybe you can even fit studded tires in the winter.