Suggestions for a road bike for commute

Are you really fixed on fixies? What are your reasons for going with fixies? Also, do you already own a bike or will this be your first time riding in a while?

To answer your question about steel, there's nothing wrong with it. It's heavy for sure, which is why few road bikes are made of it anymore, but the frame provides a more comfortable ride than aluminum, which is quite stiff.

Give a hybrid a try. I just bought my SO a 2009 Norco Roma for $500 CAD.Very comfortable to ride and it's very fast too. There are many hybrids for less than $500 that will more than meet what you would want out of them! I like hybrids for in-city riding because of the potholes, sewer grates, curbs etc and it's also easy to keep an eye on things morning around you because you're in a more upright position.

Don't let me talk you out of a fixie, but I may try to talk you out of a road bike if this is your first one!

For $500, I would want butted chromoly, even if I had to settle for a less prestigious name than Fuji. They ride better and are lighter.

Whether it's worth it, though, depends on how far you ride and whether you're willing to use a slightly wider tire (which will affect the ride better than a butted frame but at the price of a bit more rolling resistance)-but I'm just saying for that price, I think you could get a butted Reynolds 520 bike from bikesdirect.

They have a model which can take up to a 42mm tire. Many road bikes can't go above a 28 because it will hit the brakes or top of the fork.

garage sale GT said:

They have a model which can take up to a 42mm tire. Many road bikes can't go above a 28 because it will hit the brakes or top of the fork.

I mean a fixed/ss with room in the frame and brakes for wide tires.

You don't need a hybrid to get wider tires to cope with potholes & stuff.