Originally Posted by
labrat
One thing I look for in my commuters is a full rigid suspension. I've messed a little with suspended forks, seatposts, etc and keep going back to rigid as there really isn't much advantage to the suspension and it just seems to rob the power that would otherwise propel the bike forward.
I agree for the most part, but one of my commuter MTBs has a suspension fork with lock out and I find it handy when I decide to do some off-roading on the way home. The weight penalty is minimal and is more than offset by the advantages of the suspension. That said, I tend to ride my full rigid more often when I know that I am going to ride solely on the road.
Originally Posted by
FrenchFit
You think discs are maintenance free? Disc users I know are always moaning about their brakes. I commute on a decade old hardtail MTB, it is bombproof and fun to ride with the correct tires...virtually maintenance free. V brakes.
Several of my bikes have discs and none of them are more of problematic than V-brakes, but the discs definitely work better than V-brakes, especially in the rain. There is a bit of a weight penalty but again it is offset by the better braking.
Essentially, how you outfit your commuter depends on how you intend to use it. Any advantage that specific parts will give you are entirely based on that alone.