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They stopped making those a year or so ago.

Nice toolkit Gene! But you missed the latex/nitrile glove. Tires can be dirty and rear gears greasy.

There are several racks that are designed bikes that don't have rack mounts. Here's 2.

Expensive, but extremely lightweight, the Bontrager Backrack:
Bontrager: BackRack Lightweight (Model #08214)

On a full carbon Trek Domane:
**********-ITEM-?Y's Road ???

http://ysroad-funabashi.com/itemblog...x525-22972.jpg

Or for something much cheaper, the Axiom Streamliner Disc:
Amazon.com : Axiom DLX Streamliner Disc Cycle Rack, Black : Bike Racks : Sports & Outdoors

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...L._SL1200_.jpg

The Arkel Bug is both a pannier and also a backpack. It works well, though it's not cheap:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYEmp4toAck

Alternatively, you can get a basket that goes on the rack, then put your backback in the basket.

I'd probably choose a road bike for a 30 mile daily round trip, which is about 4x my commute. I share the misgivings of many others, about theft, as I live a few blocks from a university. A nice road bike would be pretty conspicuous in the bike racks on campus.

Sorry for being a geek, but... (pulling numbers out of thin air) it occurs to me that if a bike would cost $1500 to replace, and has a 20% chance of getting stolen or destroyed, that's an expected $300 loss on average. You could buy an ugly old road bike, and the typical commuter accessories (rack, fenders) might be cheaper as well if the old bike has the traditional mounting points. Then you'd still have the Trek when you want something light and nimble, for pleasure rides or good weather days.

My preference for carrying stuff is a side basket. If I'm transporting a computer, I throw it into a backpack with a notebook sleeve, and put that in the basket. I think it helps to have the valuable stuff in a detachable bag in case you want to stop at a store along the way, etc. I leave my repair kit attached to the bike in its own pouch.

I am curious to know what the OP has decided to do.

I have decided to keep my bike for commuting purposes and to invest in a good U-lock. I will be visiting my local cycling store to ask about the best locks for me.

I also purchased a messenger bag that I gifted myself for Christmas ( one day early!) and so far it seems to be just large enough to carry what I will need for both school, cloths, food and a few items for biking.

I appreciate everyone's advice and I hope to see you all around these forums more often as I become accustom to this online community.

All the best! It looks like it'll be fun to ride.

I completely approve of this and wish you the best of luck with your commute. I am currently using a Kryptonite U lock and have been happy with it.

On the lock - you'll want to lock that bike with a good U-lock and a heavy chain. You don't necessarily need to carry the locks with you; sometimes you can leave them on the rack at school, but be aware that the school maintenance folks probably cut off abandoned locks occasionally, like over breaks.

Two u-locks are probably ideal on a college campus with a theft problem. You'd need a very heavy chain to be much of an additional deterrent to a competent thief (and they exist).

That sucks. The one currently on my B commuter works well. While not full coverage I do like the normal raceblades and many people recommend the crud mk2s.

I should note that it's possible to cut out full coverage road bike fenders so they will fit on almost any bike. You can buy a special bracket here:

Reacharound Fender Brackets | River City Bicycles
http://rivercitybicycles.com/wp-cont...7637142294.jpg

Why is it so?
Economic hardship causing students to prey on fellow students? The carelessness and irresponsibility of immature students making the campus easy pickings for outsiders? Something else?
Knowing the who and why behind the problem is helpful in avoiding theft.

I reckon mainly because there are typically bike racks FULL of bikes on many university campuses. Some of them will be quite nice. It's possible townies can easily pick bikes off the racks there and sell them in nearby towns. It's possible local police will care even less about theft on the University than they do elsewhere in the jurisdiction. Lotsa possibilities.

It's not just universities, either. Downtown Portland or Seattle you don't wanna lockup nice bikes for prolonged periods. There are scads of thieves cruising for bikes there. Just across the River from Portland it's not as bad. I usually even leave my lights and pump on the bike here in Vancouver - they'd be gone in 20 minutes down in Portland. Probably harder to find someone that'll give you $5 for a stolen bike light here.

Better to ride the worst looking but still nice-riding used sub-$200 road bike than the practically unridden flashy-looking crabon Trek that MSRP'd for $2000.

regarding fenders, you can DIY on any road bike with a little clearance under the front calipers. If you're not worried about an unconventional DIY look:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=425013http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=425014http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=425015http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=425016

1.25" aluminum carpet seam strip, 3mm steel rod, air tubing from the aquarium. Small corner bracket for the front mount.

Bonus points for commuting with Campagnolo! :)