ChrisAlbertson

Several things about road bikes:

1. There are no gravel paths or dirt trails near my house. If I wanted to ride on one I'd need to put the bike in the car and drive some distance and then drive home. Driving the car is a waste of time. But on the other hand, the city built a nice road that goes right to my house and connects to the entire continent. I can start and end each ride on my driveway with no wasted time. But on the other hand, if I lived in a rural area and needed to put my bike in the back of my four-wheel-drive pickup truck and drive 100 miles to the nearest paved roads, then I'd own a gravel bike.

2. I almost never see riders on cruiser or comfort bikes even trying to go fast and to "train". They seem to be just riding slowly at a social or conversational speed for shorter distances. If your goal is simply to get outside and not keep a pace such that you don't get out of breath then the cruiser/comfort bike is perfect for you. However, if you do want to push a little and ride much farther distances you need a bike better suited for that. While it is theoretically possible to do a 50-mile ride on a highway using an MTB with full suspension and knobby tires I don't see anyone doing this. Why? because it is not fun to work so hard only to go slow.

Here is another analogy that seems far fetched but I don't think so. The road bike is like owning an SLR camera. Why would anyone buy a camera if they already own a cell phone? Because there are two kinds of photographers. (1) People who are out doing something other then photography and decide on the moment to take a picture. these people are not really "photographers" but are hikers, bikers, party-goers or vacationers who want to take a photo. and (2) some people do photography as the primary activity. If they go someplace it is for the purpose of getting photos. They see photography is either their job or as a serious hobby. Road bikes are like SLR cameras in that their riders do "riding" as the primary activity and decide were to ride as just a means to get in some riding. So I see these cruiser/comfort bikes like cell phone cameras. The people are primarily interested in just going out and being active outside at the park or beach. But if the goal is to ride and get better at it then you get the more specialized bike and the heart rate and cadence monitors and start analyzing your performance.

Bah Humbug

The way I put this is, do you want to walk or run on your bike? If you want to do the equivalent of walking, a cruiser or comfort bike works great. If you want to do the equivalent of running, you'll want a road bike (or gravel bike).

SethAZ 

As both an amateur photographer and an amateur cyclist I see your analogy as spot on. I've been riding a lot lately, passing tons of families out cruising together, the kids on kid bikes, the parents on their comfort or cruiser bikes, or maybe a MTB, and they're all doing like 5 mph. It's some good family time, and their purposes are being together, outside, getting in some exercise, and their bikes, their speed, etc. are all fine for that. I blow by them doing 18-20mph on my road bike, by myself, because my goal is getting 20 or 30 miles in today within some average heart rate zone that I've decided is my target for the day. The roads I choose for that aren't chosen for their innate beauty, rather by their availability, safety with respect to other possible routes, and the suitability of the road for me getting that mileage in. Totally different purpose, totally different bikes, yet from a 30,000 foot level people would just say we're all out riding bikes.

morgothaod

With skinny tires, do you have a lot of close calls where your bike drifts? I had that happen to me on my Jamis Citizen 2 when going down hill and going over some dirt. The tires on the bike are Panaracer Tour 700x38c. Also when going down hill, do you get nervous about your brakes? I felt a lot safer on my mountain bike at higher speeds (I had Cantilever brakes) versus my Citizen 2 that has V-brakes. I don't plan on riding in the street (Too many bad drivers in FL) and the areas that I'll ride will be parks and trails found in a recreation guide. I guess for a versatile bike, maybe I should go back to a mountain bike (I had sold my Trek Mountain Track for the Jamis because I wanted a more comfortable riding position but after riding the comfort bike, I found myself missing the mountain bike!)? I just ride for recreation and only ride for like an hour.

HTupolev

What about your v-brakes is problematic? Are the levers bottoming out on the handlebars before you get full engagement, are you having a hard time with grip force, does the braking just have poor feedback (i.e. spongy), or something else?

Drew Eckhardt 

It's awesome.

It's the fastest and most comfortable way to ride on the road.

With proper fit you can comfortably ride as long as you want; e.g. 20 hours around a 200 mile loop climbing two of the three highest mountains with paved roads in your area.

The only annoying thing is most companies omitting rack eyelets and an inch of chainstay for pannier heel clearance, You want road bike efficiency and comfort on the typical 16 mile commute AND some place to hang a laptop that's not on your body. Any two seat sports car you buy has provisions for that.