Hi all - I'm sure this topic has been posted to DEATH somewhere out here, but with the search function down, it's all little hard to get the latest and greatest on everyone's experiences.

For a non-trivial commuter (>5 miles each way) on generally good quality roads, I was wondering what people's EXPERIENCE was with mountain versus road bikes.

I would love to hear specifically from people who have actually USED or OWNED BOTH mtn & road for COMMUTING; I know at least a million "theoretical" reasons that would be a legit argument, but I'd like to hear about the real deal from anyone who has made the switch and why.

To start off, would love to hear about:
1) Speed - how much faster and on what terrain?
2) Price
3) Comfort & carrying capacity
4) Flexibility - is it worth the whole new road bike if you just use it for commuting, or is a mtn/hybrid the best bang for your buck?

If you can, say a little about your rig and your route so we can all get an idea of where you're coming from.

Thanks all, great forums here!
Agarose2000


PS - I'm on a Gary Fisher Mamba with knobbies, doing a 5-7mile commute in the LA area each way, and am an occasional (but increasingly frequent) mountain biker on the weekend. Installed a rear rack and Jandd economy panniers (I highly recommend panniers!) but don't have fenders. Also use a rear red blinker. I ride fast (for me) and on well-maintained roads, but do duck out onto sidewalks (and go slow) in heavier high-speed traffic, especially on one-lane roads. Change at work, and do the full shirt & tie thing - no wrinkle problems yet with a decent folding job in the packing. (Did I say panniers help?)