when i switched from being a multi-modal commuter with my folding bike, to just biking the whole 30 mile round trip distance everyday, i got my old mid-90s hardtail mountain bike out of my sisters garage where it was collecting dust. it only took a couple weeks of riding on the worn and tired knobbies before i replaced them with some slicks. that change alone is the most signifcant change one can make when taking an old mountain bike and turning it into a city pavement commuter.

after about 6 months, i determined that the suspension fork was too much of an energy suck, so i switched it out for a rigid fork. then last fall, after getting used to and falling in love with my first proper road bike, i decided that i wanted more hand positions for better comfort along with a more down riding position for a little bit better aero on my old MTB, so i put on some bullhorns with rapid fire shifters and reverse pull levers. so yes, i ride an old hardtail mountain bike frame as a winter/back-up commuter, but it's been so monkeyed around with, that it's not really a mountain bike anymore.

i have a very hard time understanding why anyone who rides 100% pavement would want to commute with big fat knobbies and suspension everyday, unless they're only going really short distances. knobbies and shocks certainly have their proper place in the cycling world, but commuting 20+ miles a day on paved city streets is not that place (winter commuting excepted, obviously, as knobbies can provide a real advantage in snow).