I hate this over-analyzation of "commuting" bikes. You can commute on any bike. I have a multispeed road bike and a fixed gear road bike and commuted all winter on the multispeeder (in -7 degree weather no less). Cheapie used road bikes (recent models, i mean) are less than $300 and usually have clearance for fenders or even *gasp* larger tires. I don't know about offroad but I ride over grass and dirt a lot on all these skinny tires.

Just don't downhill or anything stupid like that...

Yes, but maybe I don't want to commute on just anything. I was already aware that you could on basically any type of bike. I don't plan on just walking up to the first bike that fits and buying it.

I wasn't over analyzing anything; I just didn't know enough about any of the types.

Any comments on carbon forks?

I don't really have much more to say about what I think you should get...I know I'm highly biased towards road bikes which can take a beating and a lock-up (either some entry level kit in steel or tough aluminum or a singlespeed/fg with bombproof components).

My choice in equipment is well thought out, but you might not agree, so I can't try to push my opinions on you.

I can't recommend carbon simply because I know I'm going to get in minor accidents in which carbon could escalate the amount of damage done. Who wants to hit a huge pothole and have to deal with getting a new fork? If you're into the weight savings and bump-dampening though, go ahead!

I'm willing to hear you out. Like I said I don't really know a lot about bikes yet.

The main usage would be for errands around the neighbourhood, pulling the kids in the trailer, and late night roaming to blow some steam.

I don't have my mind set on anything yet so I'm will to hear what kind of rig you think would be good for this kind of riding.

I don't _really_ have a budget but I don't want to spend more than I have to and I'm okay with buying used.

Sounds like a comfortable road bike would do you well...a lot of entry level roadies have a more relaxed frame design, and the skinny tires just make riding effortless...a lot of people talk about cruisers and stuff as relaxing but I'd rather have my little road bike. I can go fast if I want (and do), and I could put a rack if I ever felt I needed more than what my gigantic messenger bag holds.

I think it's great you want to ride with your kids, it'll be something they fondly remember hopefully!

Carbon is a material like any other, it has its strengths and weaknesses. The quality of the product comes down to the skill of the designer and the manufacturer. This is evidenced by the fact that there are mountain bikes with full carbon frames which are not falling apart beneath their riders.

I often commute on my road bike with a carbon fork (Cannondale CAAD9 Optimo1) That model has an agressive racing geometry frame + carbon fork combo which has won the Giro de Italia and several tour stages. Although I don't actually race I love the ride, I love the fact that I can pump my tires up to 140psi and if there were brail on the road I could read it with my ass. I love the fact that it has a carbon fork and a carbon bar (FSA K-wing) which means my hands and wrists feel fine after a double century. I don't worry about some of the rough country roads I ride because I'm on quality components.

Any particular suggestions?

It really all depends on what your LBS carries. I know Schwinn makes a clear distinction between their "racing" road bikes and "comfort" road bikes, but I don't know what other companies do. The entry level Trek 1000, Jamis Ventura, and Specialized Allez were three bikes I was looking at which all had a tighter geometry than the Nishiki Century I ended up with (bought used at a very nice price). Not all "comfort" road bikes are entry level though, since they are very close to what might be considered "touring" road bikes (which have always been road bikes with a slightly more upright, relaxed geometry). My cheapie Nishiki happens to have braze-ons for racks and fenders which just enforces this fact.

My suggestion is to go to your LBS and tell them what you want, and try out some bikes and see what's comfortable for you. It might be worth asking about a touring bike just for the geometry.

First, the car stuff:
My wife drives a stick almost every day, my sister used to, my Mom can, my Grandma can.
I learned to drive on a 1959 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite in 1987. We still have a '63 Big Healey (BJ8) cottage car in Michigan. My truck is a stick too.

I find the Mtn Bike the MOST flexible platform:

I commute 25 round trip miles on a mt. bike with 20 year old knobbies. It wasn't $500. It was $50. 1987(ish) Jamis Diablo. Rigid bike. Got it at the Pawn shop. Easy to mount up a flea market $2 rear blackburn rack, and let's face it, bars are bars when it comes to mounting lights.
1 bolt to pop on a set of semi-effective fenders. (I have to lift up my feet for deep puddles.) So was it tough to make it a "commuter?" no.

What is my commute like? Well, with the mt. bike I can vary the route. Single track dirt, MUP, and a little road. If I had a hybrid or a road bike commuter, I don't think the singletrack would be as "fun." Bashing up a curb, running over snakes on the single track, rollin' through the mud where the trail is under construction = give me the mt. bike!

Weight of chaingaurds and stuff: Who cares! It is a steel framed bike with a rack and panniers for crying out loud. My lunch weighs way more than a chain gaurd! Downshift and wait a little longer to get to work, or pedal harder.

Maintenance: Well, so far, I've oiled the chain and greased the headset. I'm confident that is all the maintenance this bike has seen in 20 years besides a new back tire. Shifts fine. Shoot it is even indexed shifting (thumb shifters).

Tires: I know it would be easier on my slicks, but they SUCK SUCK SUCK on anything but pavement. They even suck on wet grass. I bet a better tire would make a 1 MPH difference with the same amount of effort. I'll stick with the dry rotted gumwalls. I'm savin' the planet runnin' my once rubber tires into dust.

Brakes: Rim brakes are not the best in the rain. Fine. I know that. I pull the lever a little harder. The ol' cantilever front and U-brake have nver left me thinking, "gee, I wish I had better brakes on this thing."

In summary for the original post: Ride a bunch of bikes. Borrow from neighbors, bike shops, shoot, you can come ride mine for a week. I don't care. Find out what works on your trails, paths, and streets. Find out what feels best to YOU. Find out if a mountain bike is "fast" enough for you. Strongly consider a used bike for a commuter. The price difference per unit of quality bike is amazing. (A $100 used 15 y.o. bike will get you 90% of the bike that $500 will get you new.)

I'm not sure if the original poster is even reading this thread anymore . . . but just for fun, here's my experience.
I looked for several months at bikes--road bikes, hybrid bikes, "urban" bikes, single speeds, multi-speeds, cyclocross, etc.
After riding a zillion of them I decided on a Marin Muirwoods. It's the lower end of what they call their "city" bikes. Basically it's just a 26", fully-rigid MTB with full braze-ons for fenders, racks and water bottles and comes with slick tires.
For what it's worth, I think it kicks serious ass in the commuting department. I ride it about ten miles a day and it's holding up well, so far. I find the upright position ideal for keeping a look out in traffic (plus it's more comfy for me . . . a holdover from my teenage BMX days, no doubt), the gearing and shifting to be smooth and the steel frame and MTB tires eat up potholes and even handle curbs pretty darn well.
Am I saying you should buy this bike? Not really, unless you ride it and like it like I did.
But you need to ride a LOT of bikes. All different kinds, even ones you don't think you want. You never know what's going to feel good for you to ride on and it'd be a crappy mistake to spend that much hard earned cash to get something you won't like riding.
But again my .02 cents?
Fully rigid MTB's (which no one seems to make anymore, barring the 29ers and SS) are awesome for city riding.

P.S. I agree with whoever said to buy an old Specialized Hardrock and put slicks on it. Great for a city bike on the cheap!

I used to do 15-25 miles (one way) on an old Trek 930 (rigid MTB) with the smallest tires that would fit on the original rims. I made no other changes to it for commuting except adding a rack. It worked fine for gravel trails but I didn't do any real off-road on it.

Then some SOB pried the shell of my truck open and stole it.

When I have a larger home (studio apt) and have finished building up my LHT for touring I will be going on a hunt for another 930. After commuting on it, an old Raleigh Supercourse road bike and a Schwinn Speedster 3 speed I don't think you can beat a good rigid MTB for city commuting.

Like $750 I think? Both types of BB's use lightweight MTB framesets. BBU is Furio,can't remember what the rigids use.

+1 I use a late 80s Specialized Rockhopper, it has double eyelets on the fork and chainstay for fenders and racks, and plenty of space. Got it for $30 on Craigslist, Some maintenance, road worthy tires and cables got it running. Its a bit heavy, or feels that way on my 16 mile commute, but I am getting used to it.

For a 5 mile commute I would just head over to target or walmart and buy a Shwinn road bike (around $200) or the GMC Denali ($150). Inexpensive bike and the most you need to tighten the bolts, adjust the pads, and other basic things. It's easy enough to figure out what size bike to get. You can get all technical and measure and stuff or just take the biggest bike you see (probably 26") and step over it and make sure you have clearance and aren't risking your manhood. It's easy to figure out how to raise a seat up as well as a stem. There are tons of people here that'll help as well as tons of websites for it.

For serious off-roading, I wouldn't do that on a walmart/target bike. I'd start going to lbs's or searching want ads or ebay or something... but for a short commuter you need not spend 5 bills on it. Expecially since you'll still want a good lock, a helmet, waterbottle, pump, spare tubes, patchkit, lights (if you ride after dark) and other stuff. Plus if you go buy some super nice bike from your lbs you'll need even more serious locks to help prevent theft. And even good locks won't stop a bike from getitng taken(or taken apart) if someone really want's it.

I ride my gmc denali in 30 mile runs on our local bike trail, up a mountain road by my house with some above 10% grading, and around my little city. It's good enough for me. If I had a 5 mile commute I'd have no problem doing that on the Denali or even a cheap ridgid frame MTB from one of the big box stores.

There are a lot of anal bikers though that only ride big name brand bikes. Anything under $500 to these people just aren't real bikes or something. Luckily not all bicyclist are like this. The only bike that sucks is the one that you never ride that just sits around and collects dust. Big name bikes can collect dust just as easily as something cheap.

Even a 40 pound mtb can be ridden easily in 5 miles. The main thing is the gearing. A road bike often may not be geared as well for super mega hills... an MTB will be. The Denali atleast for me is geared more like an MTB... which means a lower top end but an incredible low end.

So don't be afraid of non-bike shop bikes. Used bikes most often don't come form bike shops and people have no trouble recommending them. I have no trouble recommending shopping around.

$500 will go far enough to get you a couple inexpensive bikes. If one get's stolen you won't be out as much.

I ride a Trek 4900 to work 5.3 miles one way, I had to switch out the tires for Trek Police tires and gain 3 miles per hour faster. The road in places are rough and have to jump a curve or two, the bike works fine, but considering on buying a Cannondale T800 or the T2000, because they can carry more weight, stronger than a road bike, and are faster than mountain bikes. In my opinion, a Tour bike is the all around bike for short commuting and going long distance. What ya'll think?

Boots

After much deliberation i think I am going the mountain bike route for my style of riding. A nice light xc bike like this one https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...know.htm#specs never heard of this brand but the specs are shure good, needs a lock out fork and some semi slicks and a way we go

I was also considering the Gary Fisher Montare https://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/montare or a Bad boy Ultra (caffeine)(26pounds)

and oh ya, my grama can shift a stick and a derailer