Originally Posted by ducksa

Looking for some opinions on whether or not I'll need a hybrid bike for my daily commute. I am dreading making the wrong decision and ending up with an inefficient or poor bike! It will be my first significant bike purchase.

I will be riding to work (about 6 miles each way), but also riding for pleasure. I think I'll want something fairly fast, which makes me lean towards a road bike. However the conditions of the roads here really aren't the best. I imagine that I'll be riding over small cracks on side of the road for stretches. There are also some nicer roads for pleasure riding and I might be able to find an alternative route with nicer roads for my commute. I do not plan on riding offroad at all.

Like I said, I think speed will be important for me. I'd like to be able to get to work fairly quickly. I've read that hybrids can cut 5-7MPH off your average speed. That's a lot to lose when you're talking about riding 14-18MPH in the first place! However I don't want to buy a road bike if it can't tackle small cracks/ruts and an occasional pothole.

I should also mention that the terrain around here is very hilly. I will be climbing or descending either a light or steep grade virtually everywhere I go. Another reason why I'm leaning towards a road bike.