Mountain Biking - Is a Mountain Bike right for me??

Hi all,
first off I'd like to say, yes, I am a newbie and I have questions about what bike I should buy, but I'm not asking about which brand to buy (i've seen several posts from other fellow newbies who are wondering about what bike to buy, and I've seen others get frustrated with such a question since it's rather vague, and i don't want to upset anyone either... I just want some friendly advice is all :))

That being said, I do have a dilema about what bike to buy. My dilema is this: I know what I want to do on a bike, and i've been thinking maybe a mountain, but I'm not sure if this truly is going to fit my needs. I mean, there are so many different types of bikes out there. What I want to be able to do with my bike is ride the bike trails (paved) and hopefully commute to work, etc, but I don't want to be restricted to just roads (partly because I've never had a road bike and am more used to a mountain bike style). I also know that I don't want to race or anything like that (at least for now, maybe if i get into it more sometime down the road... well, that's a long way from now and I don't think i want to go that route quite yet ;) )

I've been recommended by my LBS that I could just get a mountain bike and get slimmer tires on it to be able to go on and off roads alright. My question is is this common? Do others out there do this (commute on a mountain bike)? Does it work well, or am I going to be disappointed because I'd rather have a faster bike that I can ride for longer distances? I've read about others who have bought mountain bikes and then later regretting it after awhile because they've said "in retrospect i should have gotten a roadie", and I don't want to drop money on a bike that i'll "outgrow" in a few months. But I also know road bikes are more expensive, and I don't know if i have the funds for that either.

Does anyone out there have advice for my bike dilema? Is a mountain bike what I'm really looking for? Or does anyone have and advice/feedback from their own experiences with similar situations? All input is helpful for I want to get a bike as soon as possible but without rushing into it. (i'm getting so anxious!!)

Thanks all!! :)

I'd get a hybrid, it would fit your needs perfectly.

Well, a Hybrid is a mountain bike with larger diameter wheels(700 c). The tires are much narrower and thus have a higher psi rating. This would be a good choice for a "mostly road" and commuting bike.

Another option is a comfort bike which is a mountain bike (26" wheel and wider tire 1.75") but your position is very upright and (duh) comfortable. This is what I consider a good "neighborhood" bike. If your commute isn't far (less than 10 miles) this may be a better choice as you could put some tires with more knobbies on them if you go off-road ever.

But, my recommendation would still be a hybrid since it'll pedal faster (easier) and you didn't mention going off-road.

The issue becomes is if you ever see yourself going OFF-road and hitting some dirt trails. If so, then YES get a mountain bike and swap the knobbies for some slicks. I've done this on my bike and used it for commuting and it works great. I also have a road bike, but when commuting (around here anyways) the drivers are so bad, I want a mountain bike if I ever needed to get off the road right away. My road bike and it's 25mm wide tires would buckle and I'd flip (most likely). My mountain bike with a 1.5" slick could handle a curb hop and/or some dirt ruts if I had to do an emergency manuever. However, I don't know the condition of the roads where you ride. Plus, I like to jump curbs and "play" whenever I'm on my bike. The mtn bike is more suited to this.

L8R

Yes. I think a Mountain Bike is what you want. If you don't want to be limited to the road than this is a good choice. The tire thing gets overstated sometimes. Sure you can go a bit faster on narrower tires but that is not to imply that you can't go fast on MTB tires. I ride a lot of gravel roads along with quite a bit of pavement. I usually average 14-15 mph over my 20-25 mile daily rides. I figure if i really need speed i can get in my car.

I run a mountain 2.0 MTB tire (Bontrager Connection Trail) on one bike and a 1.95 on the other. THe tread is a center connected tread that has minimal rolling resistance yet can give you a bit of bite when needed. One thing that may be more important than tires, is stem height. If you do not plan to do a lot of real aggressive riding than a taller stem will allow you to be a bit more upright. I prefer a bit taller stem because i do not ride aggressively and the taller stem allows me to sit a slight bit more upright and keep my eyes on the road with less effort.

You won't go wrong with a MTB, but if you purchase one i would at least swap out any knobbie tires for the ones i have mentioned.

Bontrager Connection Trail

Sounds like mountain bike, but a hard tail and fork. My Stumpjumper was my favourite bike until stolen (may he suffer eternal hemerrhoids), light, great on road and you don't have to worry too much about potholes. I had slicks mounted, surprisingly good on wet pavement.
you can always ride a MTB on road, you can't ride a road racer on dirt easily.

Later on , if your really into it, you'll find a way to get a cool road bike, my bikes cost more than my car.

Sounds like mountain bike, but a hard tail and fork. My Stumpjumper was my favourite bike until stolen (may he suffer eternal hemerrhoids), light, great on road and you don't have to worry too much about potholes. I had slicks mounted, surprisingly good on wet pavement.
you can always ride a MTB on road, you can't ride a road racer on dirt easily.

Later on , if your really into it, you'll find a way to get a cool road bike, my bikes cost more than my car.


A lot of good advice so far, keep 'em coming! :) I agree with the thought that you can take a mountain bike on the road, but you can't easily take a roadie in dirt. That's exactly my thoughts and what worries me about figuring out what to purchase.

I'm not too interested in a hybrid though, prob be riding a bit more serious than that (from what I understand about hybrids). My goal is to start eventually (hopefully!) commuting to and from work, which is a good 10+ miles to work. And on weekends I'd like to go for much longer rides and explore the trails. So I'm thinking I'd rather pass on the hybrid.


Doc, what more can you tell me about your fav bike (expense, etc)?

Any other thoughts on the issue?
Thanks much! :)

old bike, now I don't think you can even find Specialized bike without a front shock (?).
It was a Hardrock, not Stumpjumper.

My only advice is look at the $500 bike thread, and avoid full suspension bikes, unless you spend big bucks and do alot of downhilling. Buy used, a lot more bang for the buck, if the bike isn't abused.

its coming up on new bike season and a lot of shopswill want to get rid of some of their old stuff in a few weeks so they dont carry a big inventory over the off season.you can get new for used price if you are willing to wait until after labor day( at least thats how it works here)