I just started the whole commute thing to save some money on gas. So far so good! I am currently using my road bike which seems to do the job, but isn't really something I can "get on and go" and I also don't want to affix a lot of gear to it since I use to for training and group rides. I was thinking about getting a new commuter. So..here's my thoughts.

Should I?

Just deal with what I have?

Get commuter MTB style handlebars and shocks? (Something like a hybrid)

Get commuter with drop bars that would be similar to what I have now?

Get Surly Pugsly which would seem like it would work year round in all weather conditions including snow?

Is not wanting to hang gear off of your current bike the only thing you don't like about commuting with it?

If so, there are road bikes that are more rack and fender friendly. A lot of people like commuting with cross-bikes. A Surly CrossCheck would have enough clearance for some good sized studded tires for winter.

Personally I think it would be cool to own a Pugsly but I wouldn't really want to commute on one.

I have a rack on my road bike and some times I show up to my group rides after work sporting fully loaded panniers. I just take em off and they keep them behind the counter for me at the bike shop we meet at.

Just to play devil's advocate, buying another bike would negate the money you're saving on gas.

Yeah I suppose this would be true, but it would eventually pay for itself.

I may just stick to my road bike for now to see if I can stick with commuting.

Very biased here - IMHO: build up a CrossCheck or similar frame set up as a 1x9 with 39 t chain ring and 12-36 [or 11-34] cassette. If you are going to be commuting year around, get a set of well built stout wheels - at least 32 spokes. Key to a CrossCheck's versatility is the ability to accept a wide range of tires; you can put on 25 mm tires for speedy summer commute, 45 mm for trails or 35 mm studded tires in the winter.

There are plenty of ways to get a rack on a bike not made for it. I don't tend to think a rack is all that much of a burden when riding with nothing on it. I suppose if you are really racing hard and need to shed every bit of weight (I don't think most racks would give you an aerodynamic penalty).

https://www.axiomgear.com/products/ge...eamliner-road/

That one from axiom is a slim rack made to fit on a bike with no braze-ons/taps. I do not know how much weight you need to carry, but it should do the trick and I doubt you will notice it while riding. If you do, you will just need to get 640g faster...

The rest of the commuting gear you might need (lights, locks, bells) can all be easily taken off the bike when you don't need them, and of course you do not need to train with any luggage on your rack.

It's kinda fun to show up at training rides on a bike with extra commuter weight on it - as long as you are faster than about half of the group.

If you want another bike, and it's not a financial burden, get it. You have my permission.

I tend to look at it differently, in a year's time the OP can either have new bicycle (possibly full equipped with commuting gear) or a pile of paper gas receipts.

It depends on how long your commute is. I don't mind doing a 20 minute commute with a heavy messenger bag on a road bike.

Work is only 3.3 miles away. But I would also be making trips around the local area for misc things ranging from 3-5 miles.

Y'all are too durned frugal. Of course he needs another bike!!!!!
N+1 baby. This from a guy that's N+5 :-P

Depending on how nice your road bike is you may want to get a good bag. I used to use a Seagull messenger bag (black bag, large), which was very comfortable. The only bad thing was back sweat in the summer.

If you have a nice road bike, I wouldn't lock it up around town much. I take my old Bianchi Bianchi (road bike) everywhere. As long as I'm not getting many large items, I usually take it to the grocery store. My commute use to be about 4 miles.

You don't have to get anything new unless you mean new to you. Your local craigslist might have some nice deals. I personally have a LHT with rack and fenders, and a comuterized hardtail (Although I just lost my job) that i would commute with. Only the LHT was brand new (although it was a year earlier model). The hardtail was hardly used and 10 years old when I bought it.

I say look at garage sales, thrift stores, craigslist etc... for an old steel touring frame. Anything in decent shape that hopefully has a nice frame. Then you're not out much $$ if you don't like it. And if you like it, then you can upgrade it over time.

Plus, as a commuter, an older bike might look less tempting to steal.

I am a big Surly fan and think a Pugsly or Karate Monkey would be way cool especially the Karate Monkey. I find my Long Haul Trucker to be an excellent commuter with the racks and bags I can carry everything I need except my lap top and I am working on a solution for that. The other option to consider is a Burley Travoy trailer for your road bike which attaches to the seat post and has a nifty quick release.

For a 3 mile commute you really don't need a fancy bike. Any old clunker would do unless you are looking to do the entire 3 miles at 20+mph. Buying a Surly anything is way overkill. If you do training on a road bike 3 miles is just a spin around the block.

I've settled in with four road bikes.

Two road bikes rigged for commuting (one of them for all-seasons, all-conditions), and two road bikes rigged for club rides. You need a main bike and a backup for each application.

You also need each bike in both a fixed and geared configuration. That brings it up to eight.

I road a single speed commuting bike with drop bars the other day. I was kind of funky since the brake levers were in a different position on top of not be able to ship up hills. I suppose the simplicity is nice, though.

I would agree somewhat. I was going to buy my buddies Huffy Orcala for 20 bucks, but after the 1 mile ride home I could never see myself actually commuting on it. I felt like I was using 3 times more energy to go twice as slow on top of the fact it was a cruiser setup and I did not like sitting way upright like that.

My only comment is that if you can do the commute with a road bike, you don't need shocks.

80's 90' MTB, rigid, with Big Apple tires. That's plenty , unless you actually want to go more off-road that just dropping off curbs.

I guess that's easy for me to say too. My commuter is a Trek 8000 hard tail mtb with 26x1.5 slicks. It rides pretty well for a 15+ year old bike that has never once been maintained, except for a little chain lube. My commute is 10 miles and it does pretty good. When I ride my roadie the same distance it doesn't take any less time though because of traffic and lights even though I can go faster. Really, bike speed doesn't really matter when you're only going 3 miles or even 10 miles. Catching the lights matters a lot more.

Actually, if you live where it snows and you commute in the winter you also need 2 different bikes - one with the lighter faster studded tires, and one with the heavier monster tires for days that is snows, so we're up to 9... ;-)

A backup bike is a great thing to have... provided you can afford it and have space to store it. I have 3 bikes - a tourer, a vintage road bike and a hybrid for winter commuting. I'd like to have more bikes... but I'd prefer to spend more time riding than fixing them up. Three bikes is a nicer balance for me right now between space, effort and having sufficient backup.