I'm no help, but I'm wondering about the same thing.

For years I've commuted the same 8 or 9 miles to work on my mtb, sometimes stripped down with skinny tires, no fenders and no rack, sometimes with all the doodads, in winter with studded tires. I'm just trying out a new route to work which is almost twice as long, but a lot smoother pavement and with hardly any intersections, to use my road bike on. I don't think I'd want to ride there in rainy weather though, then I'll be back on the mtb and the "fast track". I'm worried about messing up my pretty new road bike

Mainly because all the parts still look weird to me and I haven't figured out yet where to lube and tighten and adjust and stuff...