Hey guys,

Don't like to post topics that have been discussed before, so I apologize if this has already been debated into the ground, but I searched and have lurked on the forums for awhile and haven't yet been able to completely answer this question for myself yet.

I'm preparing my rain gear/bike for the upcoming winter, and I'm not sure which way to go, MTB or fixie?

Some background first - I'm located in the SF Bay Area, so our rainstorms are generally not too extreme. I'm never going to be riding in any snow or flooding or anything of the sort, generally light to moderate showers at the worst, with occasional thunderstorms.

I was pretty set on a hardtail MTB with lockout fork at first, Gary Fisher and Jamis have some offerings in my price range, around $500-600. Something like this would be great, since I do like to do occasional trail riding and my old mountain bike has long been handed down to my brother, as my current commuter is a road bike.

With the popularity of the fixies though, some co-workers have got me thinking that might be a better rain commuter. Less parts to clean/lube and pretty good traction due to the tighter chain etc... They tend to be cheaper as well, as I was looking at bikesdirect and their offerings by Motobecane and Windsor are pretty nice. Specifically, I was looking at the Motobecane Fantom Cross Uno, which offers clearance for wider tires, also seemingly a plus on a rain commuter.

I'll save myself a little by picking up the fixie, but not enough to sway my decision completely. The novelty of the fixie does intrigue me a bit, and I don't hit many hills on my 14 mi round-trip commute. The MTB will be nice for those weekend rides, but I have friends from whom I can borrow a MTB for those occasions.

Are there any other pros and cons that I should be considering? What have you all decided as you look ahead to the rainy season?

Thanks for your input!

- Matt