For winter, I commute on a cheap ($130, used) 1980s Stumpjumper with 1.50" slicks. My commute runs 3 to 25 miles, usually about 15 (depends on how much of it I take on the bus) and it's hilly, very urban, and often soaking wet. Sure, it's slower than my road bike, but it's geared nicely for the hills, takes loads of abuse, and I'm not paranoid about leaving it outside for a moment when I stop somewhere for a cup of coffee. If I get a flat somewhere in bad conditions, who cares? I can just ride it slowly to a sheltered spot or a bus stop without concerns of trashing a rim. Then, when the road bike gets taken out, it seems even more of a treat than it really is.

I finally took all the bearings apart on the Rockhopper to clean and repack them, and the grease was still clean! They really built these old monsters.