Originally Posted by
Fiery
Why is it so hard to accept that a road bike is actually faster on the road than a mountain bike of similar quality? Noone would argue the opposite off road.
Sure, it's possible to adapt a MTB for the road, but then you no longer have a MTB, you have a road bike wannabe that's still not as good as the real thing.
No, you would still have the MTB, but one with narrower smooth tires for pavement. You can get an extra wheel set, one for trails and the other for roads. In fact, there are dropped bar conversions for those beefier frames, which work very well for some people, especially commuters. But even with the slick tires and dropped bars, the MTB would still not have the same efficiency as a road bike. And this is again, due to the differences in geometry, heavier frame, and lower gearing.