It's been a long time since I've ridden one of those. I bought one off my friend because I wanted a bike I could ride in the snow this year. Anyway, this morning it was raining so instead of submitting my beater road bike to the elements I took the MTB.

As soon as I started off, ride of the valkyries started playing. Only for a little bit though, until I realized I wasn't gaining any speed by coasting down the hill from my house. Riding a mountain bike on the street is like taking a hummer to suzuka circuit. It doesn't really matter if you hit the apexes because you can drive into the grass or sand and not go much slower than you already were. Eventually I got to the steep hills leading to campus and got tired of mashing up them, so I shifted into the granny gear (1/1). That sure was intense, because I felt invincible, like I could climb up walls or defy gravity. Is that what having a triple is like? So the bike is sitting outside in the rain right now (with a freshly lubed drivetrain).

I guess the point of this thread is that I wouldn't suggest riding a mountain bike on the road, unless it's covered in snow, and even then you might prefer a road bike if they don't gratuitously throw gravel down where you live.