theWolf

I commute on a road bike for no other reason then I have blast everytime I ride.

Javan

I use a modifed comfort bike!

Yes, it is a comfort bike, but has a road saddle, clipless pedals, and the riding position is adjusted such that it is similar to a road bike.

riddei

Wait, I haven't read every response so sorry if this was discussed...

Macteacher, aren't you the one who was giving up bike commuting because you perceived you were being squeezed off the road, and thus crashed? If so, +100 for coming back and getting more information.

I rode for two years on what you would call a "commuter-bike", sold with lights, fenders, rack, bell, kickstand all installed from the factory. When I got hooked I chose to start riding my old high school road bike. It felt VERY STRANGE and awkward at first. I thought I would never get used to the drop bars. Fast forward a few months, and I can tell you that I much prefer the road bike. It is a big 1980's bike (old school), no compact geometry. I can stretch out and ride comfortably for long distances. I've never ridden my "commuter" over 30 miles and have no desire to. It continues as my foul weather / winter bike, but that may change in the coming years, I'll probably get an aluminum cyclocross bike for the salty Maine winter roads.

Welcome back! My only other advice is ignore what is in your mirror, focus your attention on the road ahead. That is where your biggest danger is, intersections and driveways are statistically far more dangerous than whats coming up from behind.

And enjoy.

riddei

FYI, this is what I was referring to: It's over. My commuting

Freakin'Chickin

Ok, I know, most of the time I DON'T use my road bike for my commute. Why? -Evil potholes from the awfullest streets in North America (or close): we have poorly maintained roads here in Qc city, mostly because of the low density of population in the province of Qc, and also the abundance of freeze/unfreeze cycles before/in/after winter. Add overcrowded city buses (my main commute route is along the most crowded bus line - which I take in winter), heavy traffic, the "plaster syndrome" (repair? Oh, we'll only patch it now for 1km, it will be okay for a year or two)... well, you get the idea. But I like that road: I'm early on it, and it's the most direct way. And personnaly, I prefer to wait at lights (few of them I have to wait for) than make five dozen of stops when cars blow through them to be faster than you.... So with 1.4" slick tires I feel fine to smooth the bumps -Hills! Did I mention Quebec city? It is not that bad (only a 100m in 1,5k at the beginning, rolling hills to get to work afterwards), but I live in the Old Port, and everywhere I have to go, there are always climbs to make. So I like to have plenty of gears, if I don't use them much when I'm fresh, maybe after a big, long, hard day of work/errands (remeber: hills everywhere!)/training I'll be glad to have them! -Loads: I'm working and studying full time, training in cross-country, ice canoe racing, rugby, and a rugby coach. That means I need often two set of sport gear plus my work clothes plus my books. Sometimes I have to pick groceries.... My older steel MTB has rack eyelets, so I carry panniers (or a rackpack) for clothes/shoes/balls/PFD and my BIG messenger bag for books/lunch/stuff.-Love? I love my old RM bike, I have shared many many adventures with it and continue to (like riding in a thunderstorm with 130 kph winds, hail and 2ft of water in the streets two months ago)... should I say more?-My road bike is an old salvaged bike with a 6 speed cassette: I'm worknig on it presently. I like it for quick shop stops, grabbing an ice cream in town, going to the movies... I like to move faster when I don't have everything to move with me. -My other bike is a mountain bike that I use almost exclusively on trails, but I like to cruise around town and in the city parks with.... very very very rare commuting machine. That said, I guess my next buy as a bike will be a 'cross rig with some commuting capabilities: to race cross, train on the road a little more, and go fast with a load (it'll get less of a load, I'm almost done with rugby and grad studies) on the streets. But I don't think I'll go SS for a little while :-p

Freakin'Chickin

Ok, I know, most of the time I DON'T use my road bike for my commute. Why?

-Evil potholes from the awfullest streets in North America (or close): we have poorly maintained roads here in Qc city, mostly because of the low density of population in the province of Qc, and also the abundance of freeze/unfreeze cycles before/in/after winter. Add overcrowded city buses (my main commute route is along the most crowded bus line - which I take in winter), heavy traffic, the "plaster syndrome" (repair? Oh, we'll only patch it now for 1km, it will be okay for a year or two)... well, you get the idea. But I like that road: I'm early on it, and it's the most direct way. And personnaly, I prefer to wait at lights (few of them I have to wait for) than make five dozen of stops when cars blow through them to be faster than you.... So with 1.4" slick tires I feel fine to smooth the bumps

-Hills! Did I mention Quebec city? It is not that bad (only a 100m in 1,5k at the beginning, rolling hills to get to work afterwards), but I live in the Old Port, and everywhere I have to go, there are always climbs to make. So I like to have plenty of gears, if I don't use them much when I'm fresh, maybe after a big, long, hard day of work/errands (remeber: hills everywhere!)/training I'll be glad to have them! -Loads: I'm working and studying full time, training in cross-country, ice canoe racing, rugby, and a rugby coach. That means I need often two set of sport gear plus my work clothes plus my books. Sometimes I have to pick groceries.... My older steel MTB has rack eyelets, so I carry panniers (or a rackpack) for clothes/shoes/balls/PFD and my BIG messenger bag for books/lunch/stuff.

-Love? I love my old RM bike, I have shared many many adventures with it and continue to (like riding in a thunderstorm with 130 kph winds, hail and 2ft of water in the streets two months ago)... should I say more?

-My road bike is an old salvaged bike with a 6 speed cassette: I'm working on it presently. I like it for quick shop stops, grabbing an ice cream in town, going to the movies... I like to move faster when I don't have everything to move with me.

-My other bike is a mountain bike that I use almost exclusively on trails, but I like to cruise around town and in the city parks with.... very very very rare commuting machine. That said, I guess my next buy as a bike will be a 'cross rig with some commuting capabilities: to race cross, train on the road a little more, and go fast with a load (it'll get less of a load, I'm almost done with rugby and grad studies) on the streets. But I don't think I'll go SS for a little while :-p

truman

Because the way to work is over roads. Additionally, my ride home is against a stiff breeze or wind 29 days out of 30, and I prefer a more aerodynamic position for that. My mountain bikes are for offroad use.

dynaryder

Precisely. Why would you spend the money on drops/STI's if you're not going to get the full use out of them? Around my area,I can't go for more than a mile,maybe two,before I have to stop for a light/traffic. When I stop,I take my hands off the bars and sit up,and everything resets. If I was coming in from the burbs on the MUPs,riding for miles non-stop,it would be a different story. But in the city drops are just bling.

tjspiel

I have a similar city commute and I'm in the drops at least half the time. When I stop at an intersection, I don't sit up. I straddle my bike while standing on the pavement. Often my hands are still in the drops and they remain there when I get back on the bike. To me there is no effort of consequence involved in moving from drops to hoods and back.

I agree with you that if one never uses the drops there's not much point in getting them. I don't agree that riding in the city makes drops nothing more than bling.

Reading these forums I've gotten the impression that many people view riding in the drops as something you do only when you're fighting a headwind or when you really want to put the hammer down. I wonder if they've never spent enough time in the drops to be comfortable there.

For me, although I move around a lot (I also have aero bars), being in the drops is what I'd consider my normal position.

RazorWind

I use my road bikes for commuting because they get the job done without the need for the purchase of yet another bike.

JR97

carbon copy ditto. (remember those carbon copies back in the day that had that purple ink crap?)

Today on my commute, I was on the hoods maybe 5% of the ride stops and all including almost getting run over. My bike doesn't have racer geometry and I can keep my back fairly straight and be comfortable for most of the ride.

On the flips side, when I rode flat bar... well, riser bar... I could only keep my hands on the bar 5% of the time. The rest of the time was either way out on the bar ends or way short on the bar ends. I just don't like my hands in the horizontal position.

AGuyNamedSteve

I ride a road bike because I knew that when I bought a bike it would be used for a 27-mile roundtrip commute on streets and paved trails from Bellevue to downtown Seattle, going over the hilly Mercer Island. I would also use it for longer road rides during the year too. I found a relaxed-geometry 2007 Felt Z65 for just over $1000 right after the 2008's came out and it was a no-brainer. I do use a Banjo Brothers messenger backpack for the commute, which weighs 8lbs loaded. The only change was to replace the Vittoria Pro tires with Bontrager Hard Case Lites in a 700X25 size. 415 miles and no tire issues. Not long after I found a new 2007 Felt FW3 for my wife for only $800, and she uses it for her (much shorter) 3 mile commute on occasion along with riding along with me. No regrets whatsoever!