Originally Posted by
badger1
Hmmm -- food for thought! Again, I really don't disagree much at all -- in fact (out comes my 'self-critical reflective intellectual geek' side), to an extent, I see your point. I wonder: perhaps another factor ('mtb on road') is that here in N.A. a modified mtb is the easiest way to get to a 'bike type' very common in U.K./Europe, but not so much here: the flat-bar, 26" wheel, 'fast-touring/commuting bike, such as this one from Thorn in the U.K.
Here, I'm obviously referring to those of us who do choose a 'roadified' mtb for commuting purposes; I have to admit, this kind of bike (pref. with discs) is pretty close to my 'dream bike' (though I'll never be able to afford it
Another thing to ponder is that the two people in our office that bought bikes specifically for commuting didn't get an ATB, a road bike, or even a cross bike.
One got sort of a half recumbant and the other got a "Trice" (trike). Of course both of them spent a lot more for their bikes than I did.
Neither of bikes I use for commuting were really purchased for that purpose, and I realize that my preference is geared not only to the type of commute I have, but to my other bicycling needs/hobbies.
My commute is not just how I get to work. It's also exercise and training for the couple of triathlons I do a year. That two mile stretch of uninterrupted trail in the middle of my commute is pure joy on the road bike and frustrating on the MTB because I can't maintain the pace I want. If my commute was mostly downtown, the speed advantage of the road bike would be almost irrelevant. Funny thing though is that most of the messengers downtown used Fixed Gear road bikes.