I'm (re)building a 1x8 MTB commuter right now. A Raleigh M-50 with a mid-90's Cannondale Pepperoni Fork as the base. Deore LX rear derailleur. I'll be running 2.4" semi-slicks, FSA Gossamer drop bars with a friction bar end shifter (in case I ever want to go 1x7,9, or 10), in a 48x11-28. It will also be fitted with front and rear racks. Here's a picture of the previous version I built of this bike in college with free parts as a 1x7. Most parts in the picture, except the tires (26"x2.0"),tubes, brake levers, chainring and saddle, were picked up at a bike co-op closing its doors. Obviously it wasn't set up for comfort at the time, and I had the occasional chain drop. This time around I'll be running a chainguard and watcher to remedy that, and I might switch to a short cage derailleur if the need arises. I'm also going with a shorter stem and drops to lessen the reach.