Road Bikes for Commuting
 

I posted this in the Road Cycling forum, and it sunk like a rock. I guess nobody had a clue. :p

Do you use a road bike for commuting? What bike is it? What do you carry, and how do you carry it? How far is your commute?

I have a steel Allez Sport 80's with a rack and grocery pannier that is a great commuter. I've had trouble fitting fenders on it, so I ride my old Raleigh road fixed gear conversion for rainy weather. I'd feel sluggish on a hybrid or MTB commuter.

I usually use my old Trek 700, with a rack, for my 7 mi. round-trip commute, although today I rode my son's '86 Trek 300 Elance that we just aquired yesterday. It's lighter and faster, but no rack.

I ride a 2005 Giant OCR C3. I carry my stuff in a backpack (wingnutgear adventure). I use SKS race blades for rainy days. Commute is 64 miles round trip. I work from home more than going into the office though.

-D

Wow, now I'm getting some answers. ;)

...what about "flat bar road bikes" or "performance hybrids?"

I'm looking for a new bike...

i ride an old, steel schwinn 12 spd. i ride 36 mi round trip on 700x28 tires. no fenders yet, but i'm working on it.

i use a seat post rack with sides so i can use panniers, mostly one (left side) but sometimes two.

I've been commuting on a full carbon LOOK KG461 or a steel LeMond Zurich (mostly on the LOOK though) for about 2 years now. My commute is 10 miles one way and it is not flat at all. I live in SoCal though where we have wide bike lanes, relatively smooth roads, and almost no rainfall to speak of. I carry the bare minimum in a back pack or a small shoulder sling and leave things like towel, shoes, belt, toiletries and a couple pair of slacks at work.

I love commuting on my road bikes and wouldn't trade them for anything else. They are responsive, fast, and I always enjoy my commutes on them.
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/625/lookkj6.jpg
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/92/img1591ft1.jpg

LeEmond Buenos Aires
MAvic open Pro Ultegra wheels
25 miles each way usually 2x a week maybe 3. I like the gym so I try to mix it up.

Handlebar bag, no racks.
I use a backpack when needed.
Rear Fender when the skies look threatening.

I use this also for my long distance ride.

I may get a seatpost rack.

I have 3 road bikes I use for commuting. First is an all weather steel Centurion that I've fitted with fenders. The other two is a Schwinn Fastback and Litespeed Teramo. These two are strictly for dry weather only. I don't have racks on any of them. I use a backpack to bring 5 days worth of clothes to work. This allows me to ride with nothing on my back for 4 days. The trip in on Mondays and the trip back Fridays means a backpack full of clothes but its well worth it.

I have two routes I take. A flat 22 mile rt and/or a rolliing hll 29 mile rt. All on paved roads.

Thanks, friends.

I'm gonna stay tuned.

I can't resist any attemp to show off my bikes too :D.

Here they are
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/commuter.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a.../FastbackC.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC02857.jpg

1990 Trek 1400 with 2X7 speed DT shifters. I commute 19 miles each way. I carry my stuff in a large backpack on my back.

Summer time, nice day, light loads (i.e. did not take home 20 lbs of crap to work on):

'87 3Rensho
'86 Faggin
'84 Peugeot PSN10
'81 Araya Aero

It's nice to ride like a bat outta hell every now and then.

Just bought a 1986 Puch 190. Steel frame, 12-speed, enough of a "road bike". Commuted all summer on a 1999 Trek 520 Touring. Another steelie road bike.

Both 21 miles RT with a rear rack & a Nashbar trunk bag. The backpack is avoided unless vitally necessary.

I carry everything in a backpack and I ride 5 days a week, rain or shine. I see numerous others like me who commute on road bikes and backpacks that I see everyday. I usually leave around 6 am and wear lycra and jerseys for my commutes. Just because we want to be fast doesn't mean we are not serious commuters.

I ride a 1984 Trek 520 tour bike (basically a utility road bike) April to October. I switch to a mountain bike around this time of year - because I like the fatter tires on the soggy fallen leaf slime or in case of freezing rain. Both bikes have head and tail light mounts, rear racks, and fenders for commuting, and I lash my back pack to the rear rack with a bungee cord. I'll ride till it snows.

+1. Morgul-Bismark Manx aluminum frame with carbon fork and seatpost. If there's water on the street (can't fit fenders on my frame), I'll switch to my beater MTB. With either, I use a backpack.

I average 4 days a week. If I had to ride the beater every time, the number of days would definitely be lower. If it's fun, you'll ride more.

If your route and/or legs can tolerate it, definitely go single-speed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1..._SS_loaded.jpg

15 years ago I was a serious road racer. Then mountain biking consumed me. I've commuted by bike most of that time and my commuter reflected whatever else I was into. A rigid mountain bike with slicks took me to work for about 10 years on a daily ride of 10-15 miles each way. It was pretty fast, great for urban riding and ****ty roads and hardly ever flatted. I'm back to a road bike now but prefer tires >28 for their softer ride and ability to take abuse. I don't think they are noticeably slower for commuting. I despise backpacks and prefer a rack but many road bikes have chain stays too short and my feet will hit the bags. In rainy Seattle I love fenders. So as far as road bikes go, cyclocross bikes work great IMO. (Are those still counted as road?)

I commute 2-3 days a week on my road bike. Most I've done is 4 days in a week (4 days straight actually). Been doing it for 2 years now.

25km commute each way + 25km on the train. Occasionally I ride the full 50km each way. Cannondale R800 - not the ideal commuter bike, but it is fast and comfy for these distances. I carry my gear in a backpack and drive into work enough that I can ferry in clothes and such.

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I'm not a fan and here's why. "Road bikes" and anything "performance" will typically put you pretty far forward on the bike to give you a stonger, more aerodynamic position. This means more weight on your hands. For me, my wrists are a lot more comfortable on the hoods of drop bars than with my hands on a flat bar. Consider how your hands hang by your side. That should be their most comfortable position. Again, i'm sure there are people who disagree, but that's my opinion.

As for commuting on a road bike, I do it everyday on one of a couple old steel road bikes. I carry all my stuff in a backpack. Then again, my commute is only 5 miles each way.

I put a backpack on everyday and ride a 70's nishiki custom sport. Steel's best for commutting.

About 50% of my riding and commuting this year has been done on a 1962 Peugeot fixed gear conversion.

http://members.shaw.ca/feynn/biking/bridgette3.jpg

Of my other bikes my 1982 Trek 750 probably has gotten the most use.

http://members.shaw.ca/feynn/biking/...e/trek750a.jpg

1982 Trek 750