Originally Posted by
Roody
Thanks for your permission!
You might want to look at an older fully rigid MTB for your purposes. It'll probably be lighter than a hardtail with lockout. And for less than $200 for a good one, you really can't go wrong.
Forgot to mention that - I do have a 15 year old hybrid "beater" that's sort of like a rigid-suspension mountain bike - so I have that one covered too. But I've been riding some trails that are getting kind of hairy with no suspension - on big rocks and roots taken at speed I'm feeling like the front tire gets skittish, and I'd think that a little bit of suspension would help me out there.
Originally Posted by
Roody
I commute on a MTB because I never know when I'll want to venture offroad, and because the streets around here are in such bad repair that they're starting to look like superwide single track. I use 2" studded knobbies in the winter. In the summer I use 1.5 inch slicks at 85 psi, unless I'm planning to do a lot of offroad riding, in which case I'll put a knobby on the front wheel.
That's pretty much why I'm looking to get an MTB too, but it seems like the OP's just riding roads. What I'd really recommend is just what you said - swap it for an old rigid-fork MTB and put slicks on it.
Originally Posted by
Roody
I'm not sure this last sentence is correct. The typical gearing on a road bike should give you a better workout than you'll get on a MTB ridden on the road. If you're using the taller road gears for more speed, that is. (IOW, If you're using the "tool" properly.) I often max out the gears on my MTB, not very often on a road bike.
I totally agree with you, you'll get a better quality workout on road with a road bike, since it has proper gearing. I was being a bit facetious - my point on the "workout" on a MTB is that the MTB is so much more inefficient from pedal bob and rolling resistance that much of your energy is lost as friction, and you'll end up getting a workout whether you want it or not. As for gearing, you do bring up another issue - a rider who commutes every day will probably get somewhat quickly to the point that he runs out of gear on the MTB, and will find himself in the highest gear and spinning faster than he'd like. And there you'll definitely get a cardo workout, or your speed limited if you coast. A stock road bike, in most cases, has a better selection of gear ratios for on-road riding than does an MTB - in the same way that if you used a bike with road gearing offroad, you might find yourself walking up a few hills.