commuter bike – road vs. hybrid vs. mountain

I’m by no means an expert but having started out commuting on a MTB I’d suggest you stick with the road bike, provided of course that you are actually comfortable and confident with that bike.

I’m riding 14 miles one-way on a Trek FX 7.3. It’s a performance oriented hybrid and it’s proven to be comfortable, sturdy, quick, and reliable. It does however leave me wanting for a true drop-bar road bike. I think there’s always going to be times during your commute where you can appreciate, and take advantage of the faster speed. Then again, being weighed down with gear I don’t know how much of a difference the bike makes.

Anyway. I think the best bike for commuting is the one you’re comfortable with and that suits your needs. How’s that for a non-helpful generic answer?

I commute from Pentagon City to L’Enfant Plaza on a road bike with drop bars, rack, panniers, and tektro brakes. I use 25mm Armadillo Elite tires which are fairly bullet proof (at most, 1 flat per year). My bike is only a 44″ so fenders won’t fit but the rack acts as a defacto fender. I must admit that I take metro when it is raining hard. Getting into the drops is occasionally useful when the wind is really blowing along the MVT or George Mason bridge. My only regret is not buying a frame that would allow me a greater range of tire width so I could install studded tires. I had to sit out much of last winter for that reason but it was a rare year for snow.

I’d advise commuting for six months to a year on what you have now since the pannier/fenders/rack/lights etc can be easily moved to another bike if need be and they don’t cost much. You need to figure out what route(s) you will be taking, how often you will be riding, your riding preferences (some prefer backpacks, some panniers), whether you enjoy/feel comfortable riding in the dark, etc. After a year you will have a much better idea of how much you will really be commuting and/or riding your bike for other reasons.

I’ve commuted on both road bikes and mountain bikes. I don’t think one is better than the other.

My current daily commuter is an old (1992) mountain bike that I’ve kept alive. I installed racks and fenders. With panniers on the racks, I can haul a lot of stuff, including food for breakfast and lunch, coffee, and clothes. If I needed to, carrying a laptop would be no problem. I’ve even hauled a new coffee maker on the back of my rack.

I’ve also commuted on an old road bike (Lemond Zurich) which was nice and moderately high performance for its time in 2000. No rack, no fenders, 700×23 tires. I’d carry whatever I needed in a backpack or a messenger bag. But when I used that bike, I’d drive in to work a couple of times of week and would haul some of my stuff in my car on those days. The nice thing about that bike is that it was faster and lighter than my old mtb, but OTOH, when I’m commuting, I don’t really care about speed.

Whatever you do, don’t get a bike from Singapore, Hong Kong or North Korea!

Seriously, it depends on comfort. I’d say pick whatever bike is most comfortable, or you won’t want to spend time on it. I used to ride a hybrid, which was okay, but when I switched to a road bike I was happier. An upright bike like a typical hybrid can feel more comfortable on the first few miles, but as you build up, a road bike tends to be better. But everyone is different.

As others have noted, the tires – width and tread – are a big factor in speed and effort needed to ride. You can change out the tires on whatever kind of bike you have and make a big difference instead of getting a whole new bike.

You may find a road bike is harder to handle in city traffic though. I really like the cyclocross-style second pair of brakes on the upper handles of my road bike for when I want to be more upright and handle the bike in traffic. This is what I mean:

I believe they are easy to add to a typical road bike if it doesn’t have them, unless the cables are threaded internally.

On a shorter commute, speed isn’t going to make too much of a difference. For a 5-mile trip, you might only save 5-10 minutes on a road bike, give or take a couple minutes. I guess that can add up, but if you like riding already, riding an extra 5-10 minutes really isn’t punishment. Plus you said that safety is a priority. I feel much more comfortable on my mountain bike or CaBi than on my light triathlon bike. (I don’t have a road bike, so maybe that feels different from the sometimes unsteady tri bike.) I find that the heavier and more stable the bike, the steadier I am in many situations.

This is particularly true on CaBi. I’ve run into unmarked construction ditches (located right in the middle of roads and crosswalks) while on a CaBi bike. While the front tire lands with a thud and my jaw rattles a little, I remain upright and stable on the bike, because CaBi bikes are so heavy and balanced. I’m pretty sure that if I had been on the tri bike, I would have fallen off or even done a header over the handlebars. It also helped that you can’t ride that fast on CaBi. That lessens the impact of riding over unmarked obstacles. It also makes it easier for drivers and others to see you and avoid accidents (assuming those drivers aren’t texting, which many people do nowadays).

For long commutes, speed is more of a factor in the overall decision. It also depends on which routes you take. Are you going to get stuck at a lot of intersections? If so, speed will be less important than if you are able to ride most of the trip on trails without many intersections and grade crossings.

If you live near a CaBi station, you could try that out and see the pros and cons of the slower but steadier ride. (One significant downside is the full stations in downtown DC during morning rush hour, and empty stations in the evening. Those stations fill up quickly on weekdays and empty out by early evening. Check the Capital Bikeshare website and the Spotcycle smartphone app for current bike/dock info.)

I think you’d be good with the road bike with a rack and maybe fenders. I’ve commuted with various combinations of road/hybrid bike with backpack or rack and panniers. My preferences vary on the storage solution, but the drop bars and position on the road bike are TREMENDOUSLY more comfortable than the hybrid over my 15 miles.

The comfort factor is large enough that I’ve started looking at replacing my hybrid (current foul weather bike) with a drop bar gravel grinder. Riding the fenderized hybrid in rain keeps my Jamis nice, but the ride isn’t nearly as much fun.

Which brings me to another recommendation: if you want another bike (n+1) have you considered a gravel grinder? Something like a Giant Revolt or Anyroad, Specialized Diverge or GT Grade. All have good reviews for combining speed with versatility. All have disc brakes for all weather stopping. Most easily take racks and fenders. These seem to combine comfort of hybrids with performance of road bikes. All of the above will run from 700-1000, so they’re pretty reasonably priced too!

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@jabberwocky 102567 wrote:

Lots of companies also make commuting specific bikes that are heavier duty but more road-ish than traditional hybrids (the Kona Rove or Surly Straggler, for example).

Straggler FTW!

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Seriously, though, if you’re considering finding yourself the perfect commuter, take your time and do lots of research and test riding. I gained lots of excellent information and advice from scouring this forum. Also, spending a lot of time learning the pros and cons of the bike I was already riding gave me a very specific wish list for my ultimate commuter. I did a few months of research, and ended up with the Straggler, which has yet to fail in meeting my expectations. It’s a dream come true to be able to ride your perfect bike all the time, so don’t rush it. Besides, the process of shopping for the perfect bike is thrilling in itself!