I Need a Commuter!

[KnottedYet]

My commuter tires are 700x32, and fairly low pressure (75 lbs) Love them. Narrow enough to be juicy-fast when I want, wide enough that they handle road conditions nicely.

[Crankin]

Well, MD, you are a better woman than me, with that speed on the Jamis. Of course, I do have a bag, a rack, and my lock in the bag. It feels like I am dragging a load on the rear, even on a flat. I can up to speeds of 16-18 on a flat, but I guess there's not a whole lot of flats around here.
I guess I have come to terms with the fact that I will be using this bike for "fun" rides around town and errands. I still love the way it looks.

[Harley]

I test rode a Kona Dr Dew today, for a replacement for my Marin Palasades Trail that I have been commuting on. Love the 700c wheels, and the flat bar, upright position, good gearing for hills, Disc brakes. It's a sweet bike.
Now I just need to sell my Marin... sigh, too many bikes, too little money.

[Aggie_Ama]

Ugh the only shop in town with the Konas doesn't have any of the Dews in a small size. They would order it but seemed kind of weird about what to do if the fit didn't work or I didn't like it. My quest continues......

I am thinking maybe a road bike with a more upright geometry might work? Being short torsoed (is that a word?) is really frustrating because many bikes don't work for me.

[NbyNW]

I'm also short-waisted/short-torsoed, or whatever the correct term is. Bikes with short top tubes seem to be a WSD or custom feature, which hasn't always been available and is not affordable to everyone. I've always compensated for this by building up my core strength to take the strain off of my neck and shoulders.

I think it really comes down to trying out a lot of bikes and figuring out what feels comfortable to you.

If your LBS has to order your frame size -- are they trying to commit you to this bike before you've really tried it out? That seems strange. I'm sure they'd still be able to sell it even if you decided it wasn't right for you. Don't let them pressure you into a decision you're not fully comfortable with.