Originally Posted by
badger1
Fair enough, from YOUR perspective/tastes/needs; the problem is not with that, but with the tendency to draw unwarranted, generally applicable 'rules' from what are, after all, just one's particular preferences. I could do the same thing: e.g. 'why ANYONE would choose/spend the money etc. to ride a road or cross bike for commuting is beyond me; the relatively weak braking, awkward-in-traffic restricted visibility aero position; the relatively weak rims/tires; uselessly high gearing which reduces acceleration 'snap' at intersections etc. etc.; road and cross bikes should be reserved for their original intended functions: riding/racing on the open road or racing 'cross' -- that kind of thing
"the relatively weak braking" -Many cross bikes come with disc brakes now. Up until a few years ago, cantilever brakes which are the cyclocross standard were also standard on MTBs.
"awkward-in-traffic restricted visibility aero position" -Cross bikes have brake levers on the tops so you have the same position as a mtb available as well as having 2 other viable positions(on top of the briefters and in the drops).
"the relatively weak rims/tires" -Sorry, many MTBs have the same problem. They make plenty of strong wheels, rims and tires for 700c / 29er. Hell even Industry 9 makes 700c/29er wheels.
"uselessly high gearing which reduces acceleration 'snap' at intersections" -What? I don't understand this one. MTBs have uselessly low gearing for the road. I run out of gears on my 44/32/22x34-11 MTB when I used it for commuting. My cross bike with 50/34 front and 34-11 rear cassette seems perfect for commuting.
A cross bike is basically a 29er mountain bike with in-between(road and mtb) gearing, drop bars, slightly narrower tires, braze ons for racks and fenders and a rigid fork. I will say though, if all your commuting is in-town with lots of stop signs and traffic signals, a rigid 29er MTB would probably be better. My commute is about 8 miles of rolling hills on rural roads and about 4 miles of in-town so for me, a cross bike really is perfect.