BobbyG

I bought a 1997 Nishiki Blazer MTB in 1997 for commuting. I put a 53-tooth ring up front, the largest that would physically fit. It took a while to dial in the front deraillieur, but it made a slower-cadence "masher" like me much faster and very happy. I switched out the original knobbie tires for hybrid-knobbies with a smooth center-line, but knobs on the sidewalls. Those made cruising even better and faster, but cornering was dicey. I eventually switched to full road tires 26 x 1.75 and have never looked back. Over the years I added inboard bar ends and an aero bar. Stretched out low on the aero bars I can maintain 24mph for a while on the flat (and low traffic) sections of my commute. Last year I bought a new commuter, a light, steel, semi-touring bike. I put knobbie studded tires on the old bike and have been enjoying the snow and ice.