I've got a couple different choices to make to build up my new commuter. I ride into work (~7 miles) in the early AM, ride 1.5 miles round trip at lunch to get to the gym, and then rack the bike on the front of the bus for the ride home (85% downhill into work means 85% uphill on the way home )

So I'm leaning towards a road-bike type commuter, but was interested in how many of you went the road bike frame route, and how many went the mountain bike frame route when it came to building up your commuter. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. Oh, and if you don't mind sharing, post up your distance and reason like my example above (15 miles round trip to work? school? etc.) and spec out your ride!

NOTE: This is a general poll. If your bike is a cruiser with 26" tires, then I guess you can opt for MTB. A touring bike with 27", 700cc. or 650b wheels would fall under road for example. There's a ton of bike types, I just tried to make the poll pretty general.

I wouldn't commute on a bike without "commuter add-ons" - and certainly not on a mountain bike. I really prefer my hybrid over a road bike, but given only the choices "road bike" and "mountain bike" I'd choose road.

My ideal commuter would be 700C wheels with clearance for 35mm tires and full fenders, no suspension (maybe a carbon fork and/or sprung saddle at most), racks, perhaps IGH though that limits frame choice, lights and a Brooks saddle.

I'd like to participate, but i'm not really sure where to put my vote in since I have a hybrid (Trek 7200) all loaded up with commuter extras.


*edit*
ok, I'll use MTB type with commuter gear

mtb (rigid, with 1" slicks, 12-23 cassette). Bell and light on the handlebars, red blinkie on bag. Reflective tape on various things

I tried the rack & pannier thing. so nice to not have a sweaty back but I got tired of the ponderous weight and poor handling. Back to a bag for now.....

Recumbent hater

I put MTB type with commuter stuff. It is a heavy duty recumbent with big fat tires and 26" wider disc wheels like a MTB and takes a beating. I got tons of bags, fenders and a rack on it.

Unlike the road bike type recumbent I'm going to get with thin 700c road bike racer type wheels and nothing but a cell phone, patch kit, spare tube and a mini pump on it.

I think the categories are a little limited, perhaps by desiign...what is a hybrid....a road bike?

ie I clicked road bike with racks etc. but my current commuter is my "utility/commuter" which has an upright positions, with "english 3 speed type bars.

I've got a hybrid that's either a flat-bar road bike or a MTB with 700C wheels, depending on how you look at it. Schwinn Super Sport Ultra for the curious. Aluminum with carbon fork/stays, road triple gearing. I picked road bike because it's very different from the MTB I used to ride as a teen.

Definitely rack and panniers though, for my 10-mile-each-way commute. Every pound on my frame is a pound that's not pushing my butt into the seat. Took the fenders off a month ago because I got tired of hideous toe-overlap and because it never rains down here.

Dualie MTB with lights, computer, and incredibell, plus trunk rack and bag. And a kickstand.

3 sets of tires. Knobby, slick, and studded.

My fault all, never intended for it to be quite this restrictive, and I've never heard of a recumbent commuter. That is pretty cool!

I was looking at it from a frame build-up perspective (grab an old "X" and turn it commuter). I would guess that pupose built bybrids would depend on tire configuration- my wife's Trek Navigator 50 falls under MTB in my book. The 26" wheels and more upright riding position are my reasoning. The Trek Portlands and the like would be more road-bike'ish.

I ride a Dahon MU P24 foldie WITH commuter add-ons (Racks, fenders, panniers, etc.), but I don't know which box to check. Haha!

ATM, I'm riding my Raleigh Pro, but it's hardly a commuter - no racks, etc. with tubular tires.

Usually though, it's a Free Spirit 3 speed (IGH with drop bars.

I have two bikes that I commute on. However, I spend most of my time on the FG\SS road bike with add ons. My MTB makes the commute when it snows.

You forgot hybrid, recumbant, BMX, cyclocross, beach cruiser, commuter specific, folding bike, and touring bike that I can think of. I see all these commuting here in Dallas regularly.

I use a flat bar road bike set up as for now, buying a new touring bike this winter.

+1.



Reminds of that scene in The Blues Brothers:

Jake Blues: "What kind of music do you have in here?"

Lady: "Oh, we have both kinds! Country and Western!"



Oh, yeah, I commute on a folding bike. It's the only kind allowed on the commuter train.

Same here, my foul weather bike is a MTB with all the additions and my warm weather is a Hybrid with the extras.

You really need an "other" in this poll:
mtn bike frame
disc brakes
road wheels with skinny tires
road bar
removable rear fender [only goes on when it's wet out]
lights
no racks

A mountain type bike with commuter add-ons. I do want to trade it in at some point for a cyclocross, touring or other road bike variant, but that's going to be into the future as my current bike is working just fine for now.

Cyclocross bike. The only stuff I have on it are a saddlebag with emergency flat tire stuff, lights (front and rear), and a computer. No fenders, no racks, no panniers.

The choices are limited, and even further for those who commute on different bikes.

I have a mountain bike pimped out with a rear rack (and soon to be a front rack), semi-slick tires, fenders, light mounts (I have one headlight and one tail light that I move between bikes), and some other things suited for commuting on it.

I have an old Schwinn World Sport road bike which I recently acquired. I put a rear rack on it, mounts for the lights, and am going to be adding a front rack/basket (undecided) as well as toe clips in the near future. This is my "main" commuter now that I have it.

And all summer I commuted on a Giant Kronos road bike, which was admittedly a poor choice for commuting since the chain stay isn't long enough for the racks I had (heel strike was insane). I love commuting on it though because it is by far the "fastest" bike I have, with the skinny tires and gearing and position just feel right. It's been relegated to recreation and very fair weather rides since I picked up the World Sport.

So the general trend is towards "commuterized" road bikes definitely, but the MTB also serves its purpose with the fenders and general "truck" feel for a bike.

+1

That's my setup as well. I made the switch from my hybrid with rack/panniers/fenders, and will not go back to it unless my CX bike dies on me.

None of the above. Old (37 years) Raleigh 3-speed.

Yep, another recumbent commuter here!

None of the above: roadster

I ride a folding bike as well (Xootr Swift). I wear a backpack, but I have front and rear lights on the bike.

Another cyclocross bike here. Pretty much stock, as I commute with a backpack rather than panniers. I need to hit the LBS and pick up some lighting and spare tubes as soon as the paycheck hits the bank this weekend.