Originally Posted by
wolfchild
I have to agree that a hardtail MTB with a rigid fork is a most versatile bike.. but may not always be the fastest.
I have two mountain bikes which I run as SS or FG . What I like most about it is that I can run both 26 inch wheels or 700cc wheels on the same frame, most 26 inch frames have plenty of clearence to run 700cc wheels. Most of the time I run 700cc because they are faster and have less less rolling resistence. I also have a FG Road bike which is much faster then my MTB's..but if I only had to have one bike it would be a MTB. I love those old fashioned and simple ,steel framed MTB's.. I don't like all those modern MTB's with suspensions and fancy paintjobs. I can run skinny tires and drop bars on my MTB and ride a 100 miles, or I can put some fat 26 inch tires and ride singletrack trails.. very versatile indeed.
What about the brake bosses? Do yours slide up and down the fork depending on which wheelset your running? I've inquired about converting my 26" to 700c, but was told I'd have to basically take a torch to the brake studs and then weld back into place...
Edit: Just occurred to me that what I stated would be a problem with v-brakes. Discs, though, probably wouldn't pose the same problem...