Advice re: spare wheelset of new bike?

[mongo]

I'm new to the forums -- I've been lurking for a few weeks -- and have been impressed by what I've seen.

I am a Clydesdale of the short/wide variety: 5'11" 325 lbs. In perfect condition (and, yes, I was once upon a time) I can only get down to about 230, and I ain't perfect now. My wife lovingly calls me the phat bahstid....

Time to climb back on the bicycle. I have a Gary Fisher Subercaliber MTB, no suspension, that I have been taking on forestry roads and trails with my kids for a number of years. Great bike -- very light, responsive -- for that purpose. On pavement, it is a different story... knobbies and friction mean a tough time.

I want to get into road riding again (I did it a lot in my early 20s, riding everywhere on an old Crescent), and am trying to decide whether to get a road bike or buy a wheelset for the Subercaliber and swap them around depending on what I am doing.

Any advice?

[Tom Stormcrowe]

You can pick up a really nice road bike cheap on Ebay or Craig's List.........;)

I'm new to the forums -- I've been lurking for a few weeks -- and have been impressed by what I've seen.

I am a Clydesdale of the short/wide variety: 5'11" 325 lbs. In perfect condition (and, yes, I was once upon a time) I can only get down to about 230, and I ain't perfect now. My wife lovingly calls me the phat bahstid....

Time to climb back on the bicycle. I have a Gary Fisher Subercaliber MTB, no suspension, that I have been taking on forestry roads and trails with my kids for a number of years. Great bike -- very light, responsive -- for that purpose. On pavement, it is a different story... knobbies and friction mean a tough time.

I want to get into road riding again (I did it a lot in my early 20s, riding everywhere on an old Crescent), and am trying to decide whether to get a road bike or buy a wheelset for the Subercaliber and swap them around depending on what I am doing.

Any advice?

[andymac]

I would suggest you just get some slicks for the Fisher and use them with the current wheelset, swapping tires is pretty easy.
Having a spare wheelset sounds like a good idea but it isn't as seamless as you may think (experience speaking in this case). A spare front wheel can obviously be swapped easily but if the rim width is not the same between your two front rims then you have to adjust the brakes when you swap between the two wheels.
The rear has the same issue along with the issue of the cassette. If you have only one cassette you need to swap this between the wheels, if you have a cassette on both rear wheels then there is a good chance that they will not both be a good match for the chain you are using due to different amounts of wear.
I still keep a spare front but when I cracked my spare rear I didn't bother replacing it, I went the "spare" bike route instead.

[Velo Dog]

I'm with Andymac, unless money is no issue at all. More bikes are always good, of course, but I got back into cycling on a mountain bike in my 40s after a 20-year post-college layoff. Over a couple of years I realized I was equally interested in road riding, but I had a new house, new job and new baby, so I couldn't afford a road bike. I put road tires on my MB and rode it about half on the road, half off for a couple of years. Even did some metric centuries and 75-ish mile road rides without much trouble.afford a

[jaxgtr]

I got my road bike off craig's list and it came with such a nice set of wheels, my Bonty Race Lights became my spare. :D. I also have a spare bike for the days when it will more than likely rain and I don't want my road bike to get all messed up with road grime and dirt. The spare bikes route is a nice luxury to have.