[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by pylon

Sorry, but once you cross the $2500-3000 barrier on a current carbon road bike nowadays, unless your last name is Armstrong or LeMond, you aren't going to see a measurable difference to a $10,000 bike. You might shave off 1/2 - 1 pound at the expense of less durable components, and you'll get to work 18 seconds faster.

If I was commuting on a drop bar road bike, and am buying Aluminum frame with Shimano 105 and Panniers. If it gets dumped, it's still rideable, it it gets trashed or stolen, it is replaced for less than the cost of your Aero bars, and giant disk Velodrome rear wheel. Need a new crankset? $120 on ebay. For $1200 you'll get a bike that will last just as long, if not longer, that weighs 2 pounds more, and slows you down a minute.... maybe, over your 64 kms.

My bike weighs about 55lbs. No way is it light. Light bikes at the speed I can attain would snap as my average speed is well over 40km/H. Alumnnuim frames wouldn't handle pot holes or bumps at that speed as they are to rigid.I only use steel as they have some flex. Its not a road bike either. I have different options of what's a commuter and what's not. My defintion of a commuter is what you use as daily transportation and not a toy.