On the other hand...
Since I crossed over to cyclocross. I haven't had much use for my MTB [which is actually a very nice MTB... but I digress...]. I find that I my 'cross bike is ideal for singletrack and fire roads. It's much lighter and more nimble than my MTB and I find that I can get up to speeds on grass and hardpack that I could never have dreamed of on the MTB.
On the other hand...
My cross bike isn't exactly ideal when the going gets rough. Technical descents can get a little sketchy and, though I can blow past MTBers going up on the fire roads, going down can be an exercise in shoulder pain and fear. Having said that, I've never been much for the really technical stuff, anyway, so I'm happiest off road on the 'cross bike.
RacerX makes some very good points, but I disagree where he says that a 'cross bike is a compromise. It isn't. It's a well-designed bike for a specific kind of riding. It's happiest on rolling terrain of various surfaces, excelling in hardpack, mud and snow [I live in a wintry part of the world, so there you go], and climbs better than it descends.
The position is similar, but not quite the same as a road bike -- a bit more upright and not quite as flatbacked. Nevertheless, with the fat knobby tires swapped out for rskinny oad tires, it makes a perfectly satisfactory road bike. With fat knobby tires inflated to 50-60 psi, on the other hand, it's a great dirt machine.
If I had it to do over again, I would go straight to the 'cross bike and skip the MTB... But then, I don't do North Shore riding...
Last edited by velocipedio; 09-01-02 at 12:52 PM.