Road Bike as Commuter Bike?

[amandar]

What sort of touring are you talking about and how much weight are you planning on carrying?
I love my Salsa Casseroll, it serves as my road bike, commuting bike, and light tourer (loads under 20 pounds)
You'll want to keep in mind what the roads are like around you. The roads where I live are terrible, so my commute bike needs to be able to run at least a 700x28 tire. You also need wider tires for touring.

Does your current bike have fender and rack mounts? A lot of modern road bikes don't.
Fender mounts are a plus, but not a necessity, race blade fenders along with waterproof shoes work fine for me.
The same for rack mounts, you can get by with a roomy saddlebag or seatpost rack.

[colorisnt]

Don't know if this is a really late reply. I have been so busy with school that I haven't been around a lot lately, but I have two road bikes - one is dedicated for touring/racing and the other is only a commuter. I don't like the idea of having to take that stuff off when I ride because I want to go pretty fast and be pretty competitive (at least that is what I am training for now). However, if you are okay with having those things on there, I know plenty of people who tour with fenders/a rack and do great! They don't care and only have room in the budget for one bike.

I really don't like MTB's or hybrids, but I love a good road bike. It's all preference. My Dad has a commuter that he likes that is a hybrid and thinks commuting on a road bike is nuts, but when you deal with the hills I do, you are happy to have a carbon fork and a very light bike! It's all personal preference. Some people can't stand road bikes (my mother), but love an MTB or a hybrid. Who cares what anyone thinks! You love your bike, that is all that matters!

[VeganBikeChick]

Thanks for your reply, colorisnt. I decided to go ahead and get fenders and a rack for my road bike. It doesn't bother me so far, and if I decide I really want to get into riding, I may get a more decent road bike down the road.

[colorisnt]

Awesome! Glad to hear it!

[Velocivixen]

Hey Veganbikechick, not sure if you are originally from Seattle, but I live in the Portland Metro area and I can say for certain that a road bike decked out for commuting would seem perfectly "normal" here. I don't imagine that Seattle is too different. I can say this with certainty because we've got some weird/unusual bikes around here. So go for it. Knock yourself out with accessories. Soma makes some nice road bike sized fenders of different colors even. Civia has Market 48 fenders of anodized metal in a lovely red that I may end up getting if/when I get my road bike! Have a great time too.
Cheers from down the way.

[Christopher]

I have a bike like Sky King's and similar to what the OP wants. Can't fault the reasoning - the one problem I had was getting sufficient clearance for fat tires and fenders. I think the various Surly models deal well with that.

No need to take the rack off unless you want to - here's my light tourer at the top of the Paterberg in Belgium, complete with rack and fenders! It handled the cobbles better than I did, but everyone on fancy bikes ignored my greetings and waves!

[VeganBikeChick]

What a beautiful photo!!