I think the mountain bike definitely has its purpose and shines in technical terrain. There are some very skilled mountain bikers that really can do amazing things on the bikes.

But for the average Joe who just noodles around on smooth gravel roads, a mountain bike is a waste. Its kind of like how people buy these lifted 4x4 trucks to commute in and they never take it on the beaten path...

My neighbor commutes a considerable distance on pavement using a cheapo Walmart mountain bike. I told him about road bikes and he just looked at me funny, like he didnt even know they existed! He assumed road bikes and mountain bikes were basically the same thing.

I just think mountain bikes are a little over rated in the eyes of the general public and way too popular for no good reason. Whenever I tell my non--cyclist friends and family I ride road, their eyes become unfocused and they simply dont process the information.

The only thing the MTB is good for is the particularly rough stuff. They suck at everything else!