Anogar

I have a Trek 5200 that I use for my 10 mile commute. It has no fenders, no racks. I wear normal biking attire and keep my work clothes in a small backpack, and I change when I get to my office. I keep the bike in my office with me, so I'm not concerned about theft. I'm pretty much convinced that the people in the "roadies are bad for commuting" camp are pretty much just jealous, but I'm curious if there's some sort of convincing fact that I'm missing.

Anyone?

duppie

No, you are not missing a convinving fact.
Duppie

CliftonGK1

If I still had my Trek 2100 carbon/aluminum, I'd ride that for my commute and use a Camelback pack to carry my lunch. (when it's nice out. I like my fully decked out fendered/mudflapped rig for wet days like today.)

Ken Wind

I don't like to change when I get to school which is why I prefer fenders and a Brooks. Carbon is still pretty expensive too. A lot of bike commuters are frugal (or don't have any money).

UmneyDurak

Main reason I don't commute on my roadie is because I rather lock my $500 dollar fixie then 2k+ roadie when I go to the store. Besides I like riding my fixie.

Junkdad

I have a carbon fork on my $1500 steel commuter with fenders, rack, panniers and leather saddle. It's a ton of fun. to each his/her own, I say.

Really, though, most carbon road bikes don't have attachments for fenders and a rack, so the "serious" cyclist will look for a more practical commuting solution.

AEO

I don't do it all the time, but I sometimes go to work on my fenderless, rackless road bike.
I still prefer using a fendered and racked touring bike since the weather here has been icy, snowy rainy, dirty and wet.

In fact it was dry enough today that I went to work and took a peak into a few shops with my road bike.

Allen

I built my commuter out of a Salsa La Raza, 23 mm tires and all. The only reason it does not have drops is because they don't like me (I'm old and bolted together).

marqueemoon

I rode my road bike to work today. It was fine. I just prefer fenders and fat tires when the weather gets nasty.

Mr. Underbridge

Not missing anything. I don't think the anti-roadie crowd is jealous necessarily, just looking to get something different out of a ride. The ride is a bit rougher on a roadie, if that matters to you, but it's not a big deal.

If you're enjoying it, there's no problem. But I tend to agree because I'm in the same camp. During good weather, I ride my road bike to work 80% of the time. I pack a week's worth of clothes and food to work once a week on a hybrid bike with the rack and fenders setup. The other four days I ride my road bike with no baggage except a small seatbag. It's nice to get up and go fast in the morning.

mtnwalker

There is absolutely nothing wrong with commuting on a road bike. Its just that some people can't use a road bike all year round or not at all because of terrain, location and weather conditions. If I lived in an area where it snowed and iced I don't think I will be using a road bike to commute during those conditions. Having dirt roads on your commute will make a road bike with skinny wheels inappropriate too.

Then, there are those who just prefer to be more comfortable and preffer a more upright position. It could be that their body can't bend that far, physical conditions, or they just want to.

All that being said, all my commuting bikes are road bikes. A steel bike with fenders for rainy days, an aluminum bike for everyday dry weather and a titanium bike for days when I just want to. Oh, I live in the Silicon Valley and all the roads are paved on my commute and the worst weather I will have to face is a storm.

chipcom 

Whatever works for you, works for you. Why do you care what others, who may have totally different situations and environments, might think?

crazybikerchick

Depends if you are stopping for groceries or not on your way home from work

dobovedo

I personally am in the "I put people who 'put people into camps' into their own camp", camp.

[Read it again... it does make sense.]

In other words... I don't worry about camps. Lots of people ride bikes to work, and if anything, there's as many different ways to do it as there are people. The points of view in this forum alone are very wide, which is why I like it.

I do things the way OP does... road bikes, roadie clothes, bike into the office and behind my desk, etc. Only difference is I get to forgo the backpack and keep about two weeks worth of clothing there and have access to coin-op washer/dryer.

At the same time, I have also joked in a number of other threads that I 'do it wrong'. It costs too much, I can't stop at the store, I trash my drivetrain in bad weather, etc.

crhilton

I commute on my vastly cheaper but similarly limited Trek 1500. If it's slick I have a mountain bike, but it's not nearly as much fun to ride.

I think the reason is that commuting isn't about fun. And a $4,000 bike costs about as much per mile as an economical car. Just think about the wear and tear on those how many hundred dollar rims?

dobovedo

**********??? I have fun every day I go out my driveway, PAST my car.

I can honestly say that my day goes better if I ride my bike to work, even if the particular day's ride is 'bad'. We have a saying amongst my ride group... "every ride is a good ride, because it beats the alternative".

Schwinnrider

I don't think many people believe you can't commute on a 5200. I know a guy who commutes on a Madone. But if I lived in Seattle I think I'd want fenders. Trek used to (still does?) make a Trek Pilot which was carbon but with eyelets and room for fenders. That would have been the ne plus ultra of commuting road bikes, I think.

vrkelley

+1 Most Roadies need to wake up. My 5200 handles the "time trial commute". If the bike could do TDF why can't it do 15-25mi commutes?

The downside to that is that the pain chips easily.

chephy

Roadies are not bad for commuting per se. All depends on your situation. If you don't mind a backpack, you don't need a rear rack, but I wouldn't want to commute on a bike w/o fenders. It's not just about dirty clothes: it's about thoroughly soaked bum and road kill juice in your face. Ewww. That being said, I usually found any kind of clip-on fender more or less satisfactory for these purposes.

Another reason some people don't like to commute on nice bikes is wear and tear. You ride in not-so-good weather sometimes, you tend to have to stop and start more often, some urban commutes involve a lot of potholes and a bit of curbjumping. If you think that your commute is not that hard on your bike, or if you don't care if it's tough ("Bikes are meant to be ridden" philosophy ) - this doesn't apply to you then.

-=(8)=-

Where is this camp located ?
Ive never heard of it.
Does it have facilities ?

chipcom 

Por Que? Speak for yourself, gringo.

chipcom 

Thinking of those nice summer days when I can ride the road bike to work are what keep me going on days like today when I am on the snow bike in a freezing rain and all covered in ice by the time the ride is over.

chipcom 

I remember this one time, in band camp...

cccorlew

I've commuted on a road bike, and mountain bike, and now a mtn bike with skinny tires and lights, fenders, a big 'ol baskets. It's just less of a pain, and it leaves my carbon Kestrel clean, shinny and ready to rock on 100+ mile weekends. Plus, it seems really light after riding the red pig all week.

So, enjoy your ride. I'll bet you're quicker than I am on the way to work.

Tude 

Got some skinnies on my roadie - which I use for more long range riding. When I did ride it for a short time, a few years ago, I beat the snot out of the wheels with my city commute - pot holes, sink holes, bolts that could have only come from city vehicles as they were as big around as my thumb and 4" long, etc - I had had a rear wheel rebuilt after several spoke breaks.

Nope, the roadbike sits on the trainer at the moment waiting for Spring "break" into the sticks (avoiding of course the nasty potholes on the way out).

Commute of preference is mtb that I use on and off road at the moment, another mtb on the horizon to build a bit and keep total off road - but in the meantime it's mtb - and well worth the bigger tires and front shock on some of the stuff I go through! Plus I tend to take some different commuting paths thru the city to get around some nasty big intersections (like sets of stairs, small walls, etc).

Didn't intend on the mtb to be a work bike but it has become one. I have another bike sitting here (older mtb) that I intend to change some parts out and make it the commuter (so I have less to lose if it's stolen), but it's number two on my bike projects downstairs.

Shall I spew the fact that I need more hours in a day and more money as well?