Bike Forums - View Single Post - Why so many commuters on MTBs?

12-18-07 | 12:07 PM

#136

tjspiel

Senior Member

Joined: Jun 2007

Posts: 8,101

Likes: 17

From: Minneapolis

Quote:

Originally Posted by badger1

++1

So many of these threads get started; kinda fun to read through, but a few irritating themes always seem to emerge

1. "Serious cyclists" don't ride mtb's on road. Sez who

? What on earth qualifies one as a 'serious cyclist' -- owning/riding an 'approved' brand or kind of bike? -- or, riding a lot/taking one's cycling 'seriously', and realizing (as per, e.g., Richard Hurst) that each kind of bike (road, or mtb) brings its own set of +/- to the commuting/urban table).

2. "mtb's are sooooo heavy/sluggish/unresponsive" blah blah blah. Oh, really?? Take any decent mid-range hardtail, swap out the susp. fork for rigid, add good slicks, and viola -- a (more or less) 25/26 lb. road-going mtb (or, more accurately perhaps), 'atb' (= French 'velo tout terrain'). Apparently, such a bike is 'heavy, piggish, sluggish, unresponsive', whereas a 25/26/27 lb. steel frame cross, or touring, bike is not

And, as said elsewhere here, not that hard to get well under 25 lb working off a decent mtb base.

3. "My roadbike is sooooo much faster than a mtb". Is that so, 'Lance'? Maybe slightly better elapsed time/distance on a long commute over open roads (and/or into a headwind), but otherwise not likely: laws of physics etc. are rather against this one. (We're not talking group rides/paceline here -- those are different conditions). All depends on the rider, and on prevailing conditions on one's commute. I know, beyond doubt, that my blue-pig atb is in fact slightly quicker over my route than my roadie; if my route were different (more 'open'), the converse might well be true -- it all depends. In either case, for MOST OF US, there's not a h_ll of a lot in it.

Here endeth my rant

Well, my name's not Lance, but I average about 2-3 mph more on my 26 lb 80's road bike than I do on my 30 lb 90's road bike. I picked up a newer road bike late in the fall so it's too early to tell what effect that will have on my commute speeds (I ride the MTB in the winter). I've also changed my route a bit so that I
spend less time at intersections. There's a couple of long unbroken stretches of trail where I can ride flat out for a mile or two. I expect with the new bike and the new route there will be an even greater speed differential.

Slicks would help the MTB for sure but it doesn't change the upright riding position and the lower gearing.
A number of posts have talked about weight but that's probably not that big a factor when it comes to speed unless you have a hilly commute. Aerodynamics do play a big role.

I've no opinion about what a "serious cyclist" chooses to ride. To me anyone who commutes is a serious cyclist although they may not be into bikes anymore than someone who drives to work is into cars.

A MTB has its pluses and may be preferred for certain types of commutes but as to the original question, - why do so many commute with them? I would guess it's because MTBs are inexpensive and what people tend to have vs being the ultimate commuting platform.

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