Originally Posted by
Big Ron
My 2 Cents...If you're on poor/nonexistent pavement you need the wider tires such as on an MTB. If you have good pavement and/or are in hilly terrain, or fairly regularly have windy conditions, you'd be better served by a lighter road type bike with the skinnier tires. The best all around commuter (in my opinion) is a touring bike set up with fenders and racks. Ideally I would suggest you should try to find a good quality used touring bike. A good 5 year old bike might only cost you ~ $200 or so. New, prices start around $500minimum.
This might sound like a dumb question, but is there a tire that has the best of both worlds? I'm going to start commuting to work next month (I'm a teacher enjoying the last few weeks of summer right now), and I'm thinking of either upgrading my old department store MTB or buying a new bike. My commute is less than a mile, and all on hard, level, paved surfaces. I'm in the Chicago area and will have to bike in all sorts of weather - rain, wind, snow, ice, and maybe even some sunshine! I'm wondering which kind of bike will work best for me, a MTB or comfort bike with wide tires, or a hybrid with narrower tires - or is there a tire size that's light and fast but also good for all weather? I've looked in a couple bike shops, and so far my favorite bike is the Trek Soho, which has 700x32cc tires and a proud price tag.
I really appriciate all the great tips on this thread. I've learned a lot and feel like I'm going to be very prepared when I start.
Jigs