I commute on a road bike. I agree its not very maneuverable compared to a 26" mountain bike or 20" bmx bike but I never need that level of maneuverability on my commute. I need to be able to haul my lunch up and down asphalt hills and flats as fast and easy as possible(while cycling anyway).

I'm not sure I understand what some of you mean by "maneuverable". The way I understand that word, there's nothing more maneuverable on the road than a road bike.

I use a road bike but bumps definitely hurt. the speed I can get makes up for it. my commute is only 14 miles round trip tho at most, but it is all road. only problem is pot holes, I just try to avoid them as best as possible. I wish I had gotten wider tires tho, silly me. Oh well, live and learn.

How tight and slow can you turn? How many ways can you turn? Can you ride backwards? Can you ride on 1 wheel? Can you squeeze your bike through a 1.5 ft gap at speed? How about 1 ft? How high can you bunny hop over obstacles? How fast can you stop in any condition? After your stopped how long before you have to set a foot down(track stand)?

Road bikes are fast and efficient but maneuverable[edit: compared to mountain bikes, hybrids, bmx bikes]...nope.

It doesn't matter how manuverable a bike is if it has me as a motor.
I don't mean that it will be more maneuverable but the inverse. D'oh!

Road bikes generally have faster steering than most other kinds of bikes. Most mountain bikes and hybrids feel pretty clunky in comparison, and because road bikes accelerate so fast, sometimes you can just accelerate out of bad situations. I don't see why it would be any slower to stop on a road bike than other types. In any potential braking situation, you already should have your hands on the hoods or in the drops anyway. Modern dual pivot brakes provide excellent braking with minimal hand power, even from the hoods. And they are road bikes, not ride-only-on-fluffy-cloud bikes (but I would use at least 25mm tires, maybe 28).

I commute on a road bike (with a racing frame). I wouldn't really commute on anything but a road bike. I tried commuting on a hybrid for awhile, and the upright posture made me feel like a human sail. One of the advantages of the nice smooth roads here is speed, and the hybrid didn't allow me to move all that fast. I'm converting a bike with more of a touring frame geometry (and fittings) as my all weather bike. It's a road bike too.

Since on-road racing is carried on with road bikes I can't see responsiveness as a problem, although stability under load can vary considerably. Even the racing bike handles the sort of things I carry to work well, though (a change of clothing, my lunch and snack, whatever work-related manuals I've carried home, and the tools and accessories related to the bike itself)

Ahhh ... now I see what was meant by maneuverable. My road bike won't do track stands, and bunny hopping, in addition to not being useful for me, probably wouldn't be advisable on my bike, but I haven't personally found any compelling needs for those abilities in my commute. As for stopping I can do some awesome emergency stops and swerves on a road bike. I'd have to think about those gaps, but road racers maintain some very tight clearances on sharp curves at high speeds. Luckily squeezing through a one foot gap at speed isn't a normal part of my commute.

I commute and run errands on my single speed road bike. It is an old school triathlon frame so I am more upright and not as stretch out as I would be on a modern racing bike.

Also, it is light enough that most of the hills around me don't create a problem and I can just throw it over my shoulder when going up (or down) stairs.

Ah, but while riding in the city, you should be upright so you can take in and process your surroundings, and see that car before you hit it. Which directly conflicts, but that's why I said to get inline levers.

I have a mtn bike and a road bike, both of which I've used for commuting. The mtn bike is rigid. The road bike has a suspension seat post and larger diameter wheels. The road bike is more comfortable for commuting than the mtn bike, so I'm using the road bike now.

That would be a matter of opinion. I see just fine on my racing bike while riding on the hoods. Our messengers tend to favor a more aero position while riding in heavy traffic. Of course those guys are nuts anyhow.

Reading all these posts it strikes me that context is very important. Road bikes are great when you are riding on...roads. But in a city, with potholes, crazy taxi drivers, people in parked cars opening doors and not looking, unaware pedestrians, etc. reaction time is critical. I was test riding a bike the other day and zoned out for only a second when I snapped back and found myself needing to brake hard and fast. I was on a Jamis Aurora. It took me longer to stop than I wanted. I remember thinking, "this is how long it should take me to stop" about halfway through my braking! Are brakes slower on road bikes? I don't see why they would be. Anyway, I think maybe being in the upright position of a mountain bike or hybrid helps in this kind of situation. Safety first!

Once I finished building up my road bike, the touring/commuter bike started growing spider webs. The road bike is lighter, more nimble, and just overall much faster. I can't seem to talk myself into riding the other bike now.

Yes, you have to watch for potholes and such, but really you do on any bike. I do have 23 cm Armadillos so I can ride through glass and debris without issue.

In the end, if you can haul your stuff in a pack, I vote road bike. If you need rack/panniers then touring/commuter is the way to go.

For the record, 1 foot is about 30.5 cm. Please post a picture of your 30 cm handlebars.

And thanks for the explanation that my road bike isn't maneuverable. I guess I need to get a hybrid for my next criterium race.

+ aliens. It always pulls my chain when folks hammer on hybrids around here. Especially when they imply I'm stupid because I like them(I distinctly remember one person posting that hybrids should be illegal). At Bike to Work Day here in DC,most of the bikes that showed up were hybrids or MTB's.

If you're riding open roads or trails,or doing centuries,then a road bike makes sense. But in a heavily urban area like DC,they quickly lose their advantages. Lightweight wheelsets don't like potholes,ruts,and curbs. I've had two friends get blowouts from potholes running 23's,I don't run anything skinnier than 28's and have had zero probs. Most road bikes won't take full fenders. Few can be had with disc brakes,which have many advantages for commuters,especially in bad weather. And drop bars are mooted in heavy traffic. The multiple hand positions aren't necessary when you can't go for more than a mile or so without having to stop at an intersection,most don't have cross levers limiting your ability to cover the brakes,and riding in the drops makes it hard to see up over cars and gives you a smaller silhouette.

Sorry for the bit of threadjack,but folks need to understand that we don't all ride the same way. We all have different road surfaces,traffic,skill levels,and physical needs.

That's the point, with a mountain bike you zig zag rapidly at slow speeds to get through narrow areas. Can't do that well with a road bike.

Mountain bikes stop much better than road bikes because of suspension, geometry, tire width, tire pressure and flat out superior brakes. You can shift alot of weight forward and back to help you stop where road bike geometry isn't really made for that.

Does any of this matter on a typical new hampshire commute? Nope. It does mean road bikes are less manuervable compared to other bikes though.

I find your points highly suspect but have no desire to debate something that is a matter of opinion.
The brakes on my tarmac are far superior to those on my MTB and my wife's hybrid. That and I can shift my weight forward or back. So...anyways...

Not really. Also, any bike that can be endoed can be stopped amazingly fast if you shift you weight. If you can't endo your bike, the brakes aren't tuned optimally. I can do a stoppie on my road bike, but it took a lot of tweaking with the brake system to get it to that point. Now, to stop as fast as possible, I dart up, get my weight back as far as I can, apply front brake almost to the point that the rear wheel wants to rise, then apply enough rear brake to almost lock it up. You'd be surprised how fast I can stop. On the road, I can stop faster on my road bike or hybrid than I can on my MTB. First off, my MTB's knobbies have less contact with the asphalt and the tread blocks distort. It's easier to lock up my MTB tires than it is to lock up any other bike I have. Therefore, I can't brake as effectively. Also, the front suspension loads on my MTB during heavy braking, making it a little more difficult to shift my weight back to bias the brakes.

The road bike and hybrid on slick tires can turn much, much harder at a higher speed. The mountain bike's knobbies are a compromise on the road yet again, as the tread blocks produce uneven traction during hard cornering. At a very, very low speed on the road, all of my bikes have about the same turning radius. On pavement, the mountain bike offers no advantage over any of my other bikes.

The hybrid, however, is great. It has slicks on it that are 1.25" wide. I can drop it off of curbs, hop curbs, or accidentally bounce in and out of a pothole without getting a pinch flat. The tires are wide enough to avoid getting lodged in most of KC's storm drains that would swallow my 25mm road tires whole. The slick tires run efficiently at 80-85 PSI. They're soft and comfortable, but don't have energy-sapping knobby treads to increase my rolling resistance or to get in the way of hard cornering and braking. If it was geared better and had the drop bars I like, it would basically be a heavy 26" wheeled cyclocross bike with absurdly wide tires.

It has the comfort advantage of my MTB, but the handling characteristics of my road bike. It's just a bit on the heavy side, and as it sits, my road bike is a more stable and efficient machine.

On mud, sand, water, dirst, snow, or unstable surfaces, the MTB will arm you with purpose-built characteristics that do indeed lend themselves to better handling. If you're commuting through corn fields, on gravel roads, and in snow, the mountain bike will have obvious advantages.

Really, though, handling is one minor trait in a sea of variables that go into one's ideal commuter bicycle. I see plenty of mountain bikes on the blighted, pot-holed streets of downtown KC. If I were to stop and ask people why they're riding a mountain bike as opposed to some other kind of bike, the answers would vary from "it's got a softer ride feel" to "it's all I've got, and I can't afford a different one".

The only person who can tell you what's right for you is you. The only way you'll ever know what works best for you is to experiment.

Do I regret owning 3 bikes? No way. They all have their strengths and each of them occasionally becomes the best bike for the job. For my 28 mile RT commute, my road bike is a trade off of comfort and durability for speed and efficiency. The hybrid would be more comfortable over long distances, far less prone to flat tires, and much more resistant to abuse than my road bike, but it would be sluggish, and I would find myself running out of gear on the downhills and long, flat stretches of road that I encounter every day.

That is utter rubbish. I can do anything you stated on my road bike and I have the advantage of narrower handlebars so I can squeeze through areas you could not. The only thing I haven't tried is riding backwards...not sure what you could possibly mean by that actually or how that would translate into normal everyday riding. I'm not great at track standing but I know many roadies who can track stand easily on their road bikes.

I guess if your goal is to slide down a stair railing sideways or ride on a skateboard ramp then a road bike is probably not the best instrument but for typical everyday riding a road bike is very maneuverable and an excellent tool for the job.

I guarantee you that I can take turns at a greater speed on my road bike than you could on a mtb or BMX bike.

I started commuting on a hybrid, but have moved on to my road bike conversion. I was worried about bumps in the road making the commute less-than-fun, but it's not that bad and the road bike is a heck of a lot faster. Occasionally, I'll ride the hybrid, like if I need to carry heavy stuff on the rack or panier, but after getting used to drops, sitting in such a upright position on my hybrid makes me feel like I should be wearing an ascot, smoking a cigar, and reading the Wall Street Journal.

Now that sounds like a good commute! We'll keep an eye out for you on the road. Watch for me too - I'll be the one sipping a dirty martini and reading Vogue

Nothing but! Road bikes are great for commuting!

rofl

I'll be drinking Diet Pepsi reading Recording magazine.

For some reason I'm under the impression that different bikes do different things well. Commuting conditions can vary wildly from person to person so it should be that some people prefer one kinda bike over another.

Everyday riding for me is basically a 13 mile time trial(with my lunch) twice a day through sparsely populated, well maintained roads in NH. A co-worker lives in the city and rides slow and careful through 5 miles of heavy traffic, crappy roads and constant stops. One of my brother's typical riding day is 2 miles on the road then 3+ hours at a skate park. A group of people at work ride 10 miles of trails a day. Normal for you is NOT normal for everyone.

Now that's just uncalled for and insulting. Duh? Different tools for different jobs is all I'm saying.