Originally Posted by
Lazy Dog
I could lie to you and tell you that you'll be content with road-biking your mountain bike, but in the end, you will succumb to the road bike. Keep enjoying your current setup. The heavier frame you are riding on will build up your strength and when you finally take the plunge into buying a road bike, you will be blown away at how light and fast it will be.
I'm looking forward to THAT! I, too, ride around on a $300 mtb, with it's original tires. I'm hoping to get my first new generation road bike in May. I say new generation because I had a Fuji 12-speed in college in the mid-90s, back when 12-speeds were still common and more than that was just becoming known.
I did the same thing as the OP with an Trek Navigator hybrid - took off the giant padded seat for a smaller one and put on some 1" Kendas. It made a big difference. And then my mtb was a step up from that, because though it was heavier it was more versatile. Now I'm ready for a real road bike and I can't wait to go FAST!
OP, as others say, I think it's fine to do what you're doing until you outgrow it, which will happen pretty fast. Start a bike savings envelope now!