Mares wrote:Needless to say you are wrong. Bars with drops offer a variety of different positions when compared to flat bars.
And?
A Rohloff gives 14 speeds where a singlespeed gives only 1, so it's always better? It is if you need a big gear range and have deep poclets and don't mind the weight, but if you're riding 3 miles on the flat then suggesting the Rohloff is better "because More" is idiotic. Several of my bikes only have 1 hand position, but that's fine by me as it's the only one I need when doing journeys on those bikes.
Mares wrote:I believe the OP wanted to know if there was a perfect bike for commuting. Not who owns loads of obscure bike types.
Having used road bikes, hybrid bikes, mountain bikes and cross bikes for commuting I can say without a shadow of a doubt that a cross bike on 38mm tubeless tyres is the perfect bike for commuting.
I didn't realise this was a right/wrong quiz!
For your particular commute, done your particular way, you might be right, but there is more than one value of "commuting". My commute is by a Brom, because it's a short, flat trip and the fact I can park it under my desk helps a lot, and the mudguards and easy luggage mean any cargo arrives in good shape and I don't need to change. That's not true on a 'cross bike.
Mares wrote:And I did a local 100mike ride averaging 20mph.
And I can ride on gravel/snow/mud/ice with no issues.
All on one bike. As OP asked.
Well, if they have a commute lasting 5 hours at 20 mph average on gravel, snow ice and mud then that sounds ideal! I'd guess that's not very typical though (and I suspect that without changing tyres for spiked ones, your idea of "ice" is not the sheet of black ice with a fine film of water over the top involving a change of direction along it that some cyclists encounter).
Meanwhile, check out a few hundred commuters here. Since it's a no brainer to use a 'cross bike that would explain why the video is packed to the gunwales with them! (oh, hang on...)
[youtube]Hb0QjASuuqI[/youtube]
The answer to "what is best for...?" is pretty much always a case of "first, define 'best'". Most things are about context.
Pete.