Bikes: Ultimate Commuter! ...Cannondale Bad Boy

I purchased this bike in fall of 2009.  I originally purchased it in Italy to replace my cyclocross road bike.  I lived atop a mountain (literally) there, and finishing each ride going up my 45 degree drive way was punishing.  So, I thought a bike like this would make it easier to climb.  Especially with a child on the back.  I put a European child seat on the bike, a design I haven't seen available in the US, that allows the seat to be removed with the touch of a button.  So, this bike made it possible to grind up the long hills, a feat I was unable to accomplish on the higher geared road bike.

Turns out this bike is great for commuting, too.  I love it!  We just moved to Colorado, but while we were living in Saint Louis for six months I enjoyed commuting 6 miles each way to work on this bike.  It's great for commuting!  ...in fact, considering that I've been bike commuting regularly for over ten years, I should have bought one sooner!  Instead, I had been riding older, used bikes.  As you'd imagine, I end up spending more time and miles on the commuter bike than my fancy and expensive mountain bikes.  So why did I ride, old, worn out, crappy commuter bikes, bikes I typically rode more often and further than my new, light, and wonderfully functional "recreational" bikes?  I can't answer that, but I did alleviate it!  I bought a Cannondale Bad Boy.

What makes this bike so terrific for commuting?  It's the mixture of mountain and road bike parts...  The frame and drivetrain are from a mountain bike, ensuring the bike is relatively relaxed to ride, and it can easily climb any hill.  The disc brakes offer great stopping power in all conditions.  Oh, don't forget the front suspension, also from it's mountain bike "roots".  You can turn the suspension on or off with the flick of a switch.  Having the ridged fork is great for speed, but when you want to smooth out a rough street, just turn the switch, and you get to enjoy the benefits of suspension.  Meanwhile, the road wheels make this bike incredibly fast!  They're taller, and slimmer...ensuring less rolling resistance.  I've  installed Michelin's Pilot Sport tires, with the Protek HD, to provide better traction on wet roads.  This was key for safety and performance in Italy, where I found the roads to be very slick with even a bit of dew, let alone rain.  So, these tires provided the appropriate traction in a country where they put slick marble in the asphalt!
 
I love this bike, and I look forward to commuting to work in Denver!