+1

This is my bike philosophy! :thumb:

I have a dedicated commute bike (steel), but it could be pushed into service for club rides (has happened!).
I have a different bike (titanium) for usual club rides (lighter, faster), and . . .
I have a different bike (carbon) for centuries, double centuries and climbing rides in the mountains (lighter, geared much lower!).

Rick / OCRR

I think we all have delusions of unflattable tires.

I don't do events. 100% of my riding is for commuting. If I did events I would ride the same bike I commute on. I get on a bike to get away from people so there's no way I would do group rides. I can't figure out why I would - having people along seems like a good way to wreck a perfectly good bike ride. But to each his own.

I ride a road bike for commuting during the summer. I have a heavy bike with fenders and IGH and discs for winter commuting.

I would like to start touring, but I have no time for it. I might buy a different bike for touring.

I have about 25 bikes, half of which I have used as cummuters.

Like many others, I have more than one bike, but I use all of them at one time or another for my commute. Which one I chose depends on weather, road/MUP conditions, ride length, what else I have to do that day, bike condition, and probably most important, personal whim at the time I am leaving the house.

I have a winter bike that I ride in snow, slush, and other assorted crap. It is a good bike which I like and keep well maintained but I built it up from an old steel frame and excess parts I had lying about. When the weather is nice I will ride nicer bikes that I own. I have had as many as eight bikes but lately I have made a conscious effort to thin the herd to the essential bikes. I am now down to four but I could get rid of one that I do not ride much anymore.

I think I had this once in a fortune cookie.

I used to have a dedicated commuter bike but it was stolen last year so I started riding my Surly Disc Trucker to work that was supposed to be my touring bike but I haven't done any touring in years. So it has become my dedicated commuter bike. I also use it for shorter club rides on cold days when we only do 20-30 miles around the city and I'd rather have fatter tires. For longer rides I have a skinny carbon road bike that I would never commute on. Plus a full suspension MTB for those rare trail rides as well as rigid MTB with 2.2 tires and a rear rack for riding carriage/gravel roads and simple trails that don't justify full suspension but are long enough that I'd rather carry a trunk bag on a rear rack.

Although I didn't commute this Winter so I will probably either build a Winter bike next Winter or convert the rigid MTB into one.

I have two ATB/mountain bikes. One's a rigid frame commuter. The other's for weekend trail riding. I'm currently looking to buy a bike to use for touring rides and bikepacking trips that I'm sure I'll commute on occasionally but it won't replace the dedicated commuter.

I own multiple bikes and commuted for (about 25) years. Personally, I found the English 3 speeds very comfortable for commuting and errands, and used them for club rides also. I'll admit this worked for me but none of the other club riders tried ths. My commute was a bit shorter than yours, maybe 15-18 miles round trip, depending on errands.

I found having additional bikes useful for several reasons:
Backups if one bike needed repairs - I had space to store them, so I could wait until weekends if I needed to make repairs
Weather - with snow, ice and rain, a MTB had much better (cantilever) brakes than 40 year old 3 speeds. Studded tires are also much better on ice.
Guests - extra bikes are convenient for visiting friends without bikes, especially folding bikes

In the unlikely case that your current bike is more recreational and doesn't yet suit your transportation needs, feel free to make changes (fenders, etc.).

Get another bike if you enjoy it; if you're commuting 20 miles daily I'm sure your current bike will be fine for anything short of 300 mile randonneuring tours.

I don't have a dedicated commuter bicycle. I choose which bicycle I want to commute with based on which direction I feel like taking that day as both ways lead to work.

Weekend rides are the same way, road or dirt, just depends if I shaved the night before or not.

I'm just happy that I'm able to ride a bicycle everyday.

On days I turn right onto the paved road

http://24.media.tumblr.com/6635d1aaf...pa6go1_500.jpg

On days I turn left onto the single track

http://31.media.tumblr.com/3ffa25bbb...pa6go1_500.jpg

Thanks everyone! You all have really great words of wisdom.

I bought a new bike to use as backup/commuter but it's just not as fun or comfortable to ride as my good road bike.
The commute is long and difficult enough that fun and comfort is important.
My road bike has served well commuting to work with a quick release beam rack to carry light panniers or trunk bag.
My office has secure parking, so that wasn't an issue. The backup bike was also supposed to sit on a trainer over the winter, er, hasn't happened.
The commuter bike does have a wider range on the cassette (11-28T), so I do use it on short slow but hilly rides or for parades where the bike gets decorated and we'll be riding < 4mph.

I have an 8 mile commute and usually ride a Specialized Sirrus Elite because of its more upright position compared to my Roubaix. Besides that, I am way more tolerant of scratched from the lockup on the Sirrus than on the big $$ Roubaix. Either would work and it takes about the same amount of time on both bikes given traffic and lights so there is no reason to put the money machine out there every day.

Wabi Classic fixed gear for my fair weather commuting. If I did it rain or shine I'd add fenders. I love riding the fixed gear bike but it doesn't work out so well in a pace line.

Wabi RE for group rides.

Both bikes have identical geometry, seats, and bars.