Condor Italia with 105 groupset and Continental Ultra Gatorskin tyres to keep (most of) the glass out.

Last year I commuted a 15 mile round trip and put in 3000 miles in the year, since then I've moved house and commute a 10 mile round trip (which isn't far enough!) and with other riding as well I'm set for about 2500 miles. I'm very comfortable on my roady and carry everything including the groceries on it in my Crumpler (Donny Frank).

My bike last year was a Marin flat bar hybrid and since I got on the Condor I haven't been able to get back on it, even at 30 MPH it feels slow and boring by comparison.

I commute on four road bikes:
2004 Fuji world [built 9 speed double] with aerobars, panniers, rear fender & DIY halogen lighting
1986 Schwinn Paramount with track clip pedals/straps & backpack
1970's Raleigh Gran Sport single-speed conversion with full fenders and panniers
1990 frame Miyata (CF covered aluminum lugged, built 9 speed double] with TT bars & backpack

I have a 1996 Giant Yukon MTB that I"ve bought Nokian studded snow tires for the week or two we have snow/ice

My ride is 18 miles RT half paved MUP, half road

How far and what sort of terrain and traffic?

I rode my buddies drop (older Cannondale of some sort) bar bike for a week and just couldn't get used to it. It was fine and sometimes better on more open roads but I didn't like it in town mixed with traffic (just my experience). For traffic, I really like my flat bar best because of brake and shifter locations. I would recommend some bar ends should you go this route, extra hand positions are good and I have to agree that a straight flat bar is not the most natural position for longer rides. I tried a few sets of bar ends before deciding on these for mine

https://ritcheylogic.com/web/Ritchey%...7927&live=true

The bend and angle inward really seems to fit my natural hand/arm positions and end up giving me another position choice (half bar end/half flat bar). Didn't like the straight bar ends nearly as much. Stick your arms out at a 45 deg. angle and you may see your hands naturally going to a near 45 deg too (if that makes sense). Other people and bike/handlebar set-ups may be different.

2 bikes:

A) road bike for nice days and days where I'm not carrying cargo. No rack, no panniers, no fenders. I do that up to 4 days a week.

B) 15 year old hybrid bike I call 'Sherpa'. Steel frame, probably 30 pounds or more. Rack, fenders, 700Cx37mm tires. Once a week, I haul all the crap I'm going to need all week (clean clothes, lunches, snacks). Also use it for bad weather conditions which will probably include most of the winter.

I heartily recommend the 2-bike setup because trying to get the 'all-in-one' bike results in too many compromises in my opinion. And the cargo hauler doesn't need to be expensive - no point getting all weight weenie with a bike that you're about to lash 20 pounds of cargo to. $100 or less for an old bike plus about the same in Nashbar upgrades and you have a very serviceable sherpa.

I don't commute on a road bike but I could. I commute 5day/wk all year round (120F thru 25F) with rare rain but sometimes very heavy. 8.5mi each way.

I as have a shower/locker I only need to carry laptop and change of clothes to work, so I carry everything on my back.

The bikes I use are a Jamis Sputnik FG or a Lemond Poprad with nothing attached I wouldn't have on a road ride. Lock up has security cam on work campus and is better than being on the street, however there have been waves of bikes stolen, mainly those which were poorly locked.

25c tires, relatively good roads.

Al

Oh yeah, I run a Conti Ultra Sport (no kevlar, just the regular) 700x28 on the back and an unknown 25 on the front (will replace it with the same 28 on the back when I need to).

I did a few upgrades to my Centurion, including a Brooks B-17 (had a black, now breaking in a copper/British racing green one), now running eggbeaters (will be moved to my fixie once built) and a new back wheelbuild (Mavic Open Sport rim laced onto the same hub/cassette as original).

I have DT shifters, which I don't intend to change but put in some Tektro cross levers so I can comfortably ride the tops/corners in traffic (and they work very well).

My frame is actually damaged (it was a free bike anyway) so I don't like to put much money into it directly, the wheel was the big deal - everything else I can move away - but I love the bike nonetheless, it's probably one of the best, if not the best bike I've ever owned to date.

I have a 28 mile RT commute that I do year round. I really only ride my road bikes for the commute (unless I am meeting a group to go mountain biking before or after work).
The bike that gets the most use is a 1982 Peugeot converted to a single speed. I LOVE this bike. At the thrift store, I initially balked at its $40 price tag but this thing has been worth 10 times that much to me over the last 2 years. It has clearance for 35s but I need to find something else for the fenders. It is comfortable and suprisingly fast (it can hang with my buddies on their fast bikes). It is so versatile, I can mount knobbies, slicks, studded tires. I can gear it or not in a heartbeat, depending on my mood, by simply adding a rear der. and a bolt on pair of downtube friction shifters.

My "nice" bike is a giant TCR 0 that is used about 70% of the time in the summer but never in the winter. It is very fast, to say the least.

I also recently bougth a cyclocross bike but have yet to figure out how to incorporate it into my commute as I really prefer to commute single speed but want to keep this geared up for off road riding. It has recently seen use on days when I ride off road at lunch.

All three have drop bars and I would not have it any other way. 14 miles is too far to ride sitting upright.

I've owned bikes for, I don't know, maybe 30 years by now, and have only owned a bike with drop bars for a couple months.

I'm finding it really difficult to want to get back on a flat-bar bike. I'm totally surprised.

Why is it that, in most of the pictures I've seen, the road bikes don't have kickstands? How do you prop them up?

I dunno -- have a friend hold it up then make them step away for a brief second to take the pic? I've thought of using a timer for the camera's shutter, holding the bike up, and stepping away at the last second..

My commute is 30 miles RT. I like old steel touring bikes for comfort and versatility. I hop curbs, ride on grass, dirt gravel etc.

Below are my commuter bikes:

1972 Paramount P-15
1973 Schwinn World Voyageur w/ Nexus 8 & Generator hub
1981 Trek 710

After doing my commute on a flat bar, mountain style bike, switching to a road/touring bike was a revelation. I would never go back. Drop bars forever!!!! (Or moustache!) I also use Jandd Expedition racks as they are very long and allow me to slide my panniers back and out of the way to avoid heel strike. I have size 12 feet. I was also able to get a matching Jandd rack in silver for the Schwinn.

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Lean them against their saddles, lay them down, lean against the drops, and a few other methods.

I use my road bike for commuting. Its a 1996 Cannondale with 105/Ultegra mix that I built myself at the beginning of this year. My commute is 5 miles one way and I don't have any panniers, I just carry everything in my backpack which is: a change of clothes, lunch, two snacks (usually a fruit and smoothie in a flask) and thats it. I don't need to carry any documents to work. Here is a picture:

well what are the cons of having a kickstand on your bike? simply weight?

I'm in the same situation as the OP. I'm not currently commuting but I plan to start shortly. I don't think my TCR would be a good commuter bike so I'm currently watching craigslist for a good deal and looking in shops. As an FYI REI tends to have neat commuter-type bikes and they're generally well priced. Mega bonus is if you order from their site and the bike doesn't fit you can return it at their stores

Cheers

Rob

I love commuting on my TCR. But it is not a good choice for winter due to lack of tire choices. In the summer though......

Commuter #1 - 1985 cannondale sr300 sandblasted/powdercoated sparkle black. Sugino 103mm track bb, Sugino 48t single crankset, sram pc890 chain, pd520 dual clipless, sora calipers and rr der-8/9 sp, stock hb, brk levers, nashbar flatblack tape, nb cages, stock post w/bontrager woman's saddle, black alex aero 20h w/xero hub, black sun mz14 rim w/Shimano Parallax 32h hub, 8 sp nashbar cassette 28x12, dt alpine 3 spokes, black cable housings, old Shimano barend friction shifter, delta mega universal rack and jandd saddlebags, niterider trailrat w/universal taillight and daytona 20mm airless @ 105 psi.

Commuter #2 - 1994 Fuji Discovery mtb, Shimano 118mm sealed bb, Nashbar triple crankset w/single 46t Rocket Ring, wellgo Dual clipless, sram pc18 chain, stock brakes and derailluer-7 sp, stock hbrs and alivio lever/shifter, generic chrome cages, stock post w/Avocet leather saddle, Weinman 36h rims w/generic hubs and spokes, shimano 7 sp cassette 26x12, Blackburn rack w/Sunlite trunk bag, kenda 26x1.75 street tires. niterider trailrat(lead acid) and generic blinkies.

They're both reclaimation projects and are great commuter bikes. I used to use an old Fuji steelframe but have had it stripped/powdercoated and am in the process of making a single speed out of it. It has no derailleur hanger on the frame. Also, an old Nishiki steelframe I'm going to make into a fixie asa I'm done w/t Fuji SS.

My plan this winter is to get 2 of the powerflares. 1 for each commuter. Check them out: https://www.powerflare.com They're awesome.

With your budget, I'd be trying to find a closeout special somewhere. Or possibly something of sort of "vintage". When I was searching for a geared road bike, they start at like 700, with a derailleurs that needed more attention than a Hummer with a one gallon gas tank.

I ended up getting an older steel Peugot. Next thing I know, I'm off doing more and more organized charity rides. From there I fell into the black hole of upgrading. CF fork, new campy groupo, Fulcrum wheelset, etc, etc. It sees the commute every so often, my main steed now is my 07 Schwinn Madison.

I'm saying good luck. And beware, the temptation to upgrade parts is very powerful.

From three pages of response, you've probably figured this out, but road bikes of 80's vintage make especially nice commuters. I'm alternating between two such bikes at the moment. They tend to have more relaxed geometry in road bike form, and longer chainstays that keep you from kicking your panniers. If they were originally equipped with 27" wheels, you can switch to 700s, use long-reach brakes and have huge clearance for larger tires and fenders. And lots of the 80's road bike have eyelets for rack and fender mounting, at least on the rear, and often on the front.

Lean it up against something like a wall, or a fence, or a white garage door.

Seriously though, I haven't had a kickstand on a bike in probably 25 years.

Try this: https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/aerott.htm

Looks like it may be in your pricerange. The component group is entry level, but good. The thing I like is the fact that it's a double crankset...triples can be a PITA to set correctly. Nice bike for the money. I'm thinking of getting one for my wife for Christmas.

I wouldn't notice the weight. I don't like how they rattle & vibrate, though; I haven't had a kickstand that didn't make a racket when the bumps were big enough.

They're great for parking the bike where you know it's safe, like in the backyard, lined up in the garage, etc. Pretty much anywhere I take my bike, though, it's either going to be locked up (which keeps it upright), leaning against a spare wall (at work and at home), or just lying on the grass (picnics, bike meets, etc). The times when I'd actually need a kickstand are far outnumbered by the times when it'd just be an extra thing to bounce around.

Flat bar road bike. It's up and down hills the whole way, so nothing else will do. When the cassette wears out I'm going to strip the silly road-racing drivetrain off and install a more useful mountain bike drivetrain.