Commuting - quick response appreciated commuter vs. mtb

Visited a store today all set to buy the marin kentfield or larkspur and store attendant convinced me to buy a mtb...for commuting in Toronto because of the trolley tracks...any opinions please?commuter vs mtb?

if there are lots of trolley tracks (is this like a tram) then it might be a good idea to have some wide tyres to try and minimise any mishaps. I dropped into a tram track the other day on my hybrid and it wasn't much fun although I was not going fast. I still would be careful though going over tracks even with an MTB.

An MTB will be OK for commuting but could be a bit less efficient if you have long distances to cover. Just get some slicks (smooth tyres) and keep them inflated to a high pressure and there should be no problem unless you are looking to become a real fast roadie.

I'm not sure what train tracks have to do with it. Surely 99.9999% of the commute is not over train tracks. For commuting on fairly decent streets, mtb's can be overkill. They are good if your commute is over REALLY rough streets, some offroad, and in nasty weather, so you have to factor in conditions, but having to cross a few railroad tracks should not be the determining factor. On any bike you have to be careful crossing tracks, especially if you are not going straight across. Anytime you are crossing at an angle your tire can drop into the slot, and you fall. Period. I prefer touring or cyclocross bikes for commuting. Most of the comfort hybrids do well also meet these criteria. They roll easier on streets but can take rough patches. My first off the shelf bike for commuting was a Giant Cypress Comfort Hybrid. The basic model is only about US$200, and will handle pretty much anything. I haven't really had any experience with what are called commuters.

thank you for your response!

You want a bike that is capable of putting fat, but slick/minimal tread tyres on. A mtb is overkill, you don't need the shocks and you don't need the knobby tires. Those will just make it that much harder to move efficiently on pavement.

Al

Are the trolley/tram crossings mostly perpendicular to the road you're on, or are a significant number at "oblique" angles? If you have a lot of oblique crossings, a tire that will minimize the risk of catching might be in order, unless you can ride in such a way as to cross them as close to perpendicular as possible. There is no rail public transpo here, but there are a lot of at-grade freight rail crossings, and a big proportion of them at are oblique, even extreme angles. I often have to take them on 700/650 x 25 road tires; I just swing out enough to cross them at a safe angle.

IIRC, Toronto's streets are very grid-like, with mostly right angles. If the trolley crossings are mostly right-angle or close to it, I wouldn't worry about crossing them with hybrid-width (28-38mm) tires.

In practical terms there is little difference between a good commuting tyre for MTB or 700c. A 26x1.5" will perform as well as a 700cx32.
You do need rack and fender threaded eyelets on the frame, even on an MTB. You don't need suspension forks.

If you are riding parallel to the tracks, what width of tyre would you need to prevent the wheel slotting into the gap?

If you are riding parallel to the tracks, what width of tyre would you need to prevent the wheel slotting into the gap?

3 inches would be nice. ;)

any bicycle tire (aside from the ones on the rear of those goofy schwinn choppers they're selling at walmart/target/k-mart) is too narrow to keep from getting thrown around by trolley tracks if you're careless. 2+ inch MTB tires are nearly wide enough though.