So am I crazy, or do I need a new bike? ;)

[Crankin]

I could see why one would not want to commute on a hybrid. During part of the time I commuted, when I was teaching, I had a Jamis Coda in addition to my road bike. It had a rack and a pannier. I never used it to commute (13.8 miles, with some hills) because it felt slow and cumbersome in comparison to my road bike. But, mostly, it was the handlebars. The lack of hand positions got on my nerves. So, I chose to use the road bike, and wear my Camelbak, with the bladder taken out, to bring a few necessities to work. I brought my clothes in on Mondays, in the car.
Now, I already rode much more slowly when I was commuting, as opposed to a recreational ride. Given the fact that I was leaving at 5:45 in the AM, so I could beat some of the traffic, and get to work, clean up, change, and eat before too many others got there, there was a time factor involved. I usually did the ride in about an hour, give or take 5 minutes on either side. That was considerably slower than if I was out for a fitness ride, when I would have arrived in about 50 minutes. If I had been on the Coda, that trip would have taken me at least an hour and 15 minutes, as I never got my average speed past 12.5 on that bike, when I had a pannier on.

[Melalvai]

That actually makes more sense. I can't stand a flat handlebar-- I have a trekking bar on my hybrid. Also, it occurred to me that a hybrid wouldn't be as good for a longer commute. I've never had a commute longer than about 5 miles one-way. I go further to run errands, but that isn't a daily thing.

[lph]

I don't know if you need a new bike, but you need to commute on a bike you love (or at least like), otherwise you'll start dreading it or just not do it anymore. For me both a pannier and an upright position are absolute nonos for commuting, not to mention rubbing brakes. I commute on a flat-bar mtb that is significantly heavier than my road bike, but it's efficient on climbs and I can get way down out of the wind.

I would bring the bike into the foyer, out of the elements, and lock the wheel to the frame. And preferably get on friendly terms with the guards.

[fallstoclimb]

I kinda like my pannier, although the weight is slowing me down for sure, and is probably more significant a factor than the fact that I can't get any real power with standing climbs on the hybrids. I would like to get down out of the wind though. I'm tabling this purchase for at least a year, but I think I'll end up with a cross -- it'll be much better suited for our bike vacations, as well. Of course this is a want and not a need but what better way to reward myself for paying off my loans?

I think I will start parking in the foyer and see how that goes. I'll just have to pretend to be a morning person for the few minutes it takes me to get through security, so that they actually like me!