*waits for ILTB*

Commuters who have to commute due to funding issues tend to not frequent computer forums or for that matter can not afford many of the bikes used here.
AKA ILTB's real commuters.

Many of us enthusiasts could use any forms of transport we choose but for whatever reason have chosen bikes. Note my caveat "many" not all.

MTBs are readily available and cheap.

they're more durable, especially in the wheels
the wider tire and lower psi is more forgiving but still reasonably quick
the riding position is a bit more upright and comfortable while still being very responsive

I'm agreeing with the availability of mountain bikes being cheaper and a lot more sturdier feeling probably gives the MTB the edge. For those that are not seriously into cycling but ride to work/wherever, a road bike probably seems a little overkill and maybe even appear dangerous with regard to road hazards.

I use my Centurion LeMans to commute on, 700x25c and 28c front/rear respectfully, it's not ideal with having no fenders, but I flat-out prefer this bike than my MTB. It's lighter and faster, and that's what makes it more fun to me. The 'upright position' hoo-har seems like balls to me, I can ride on the tops of my drops and be as upright... I didn't like not having brakes there (I remember asking about suicide levers here, in fact) and ended up adding in-line levers to solve that (~$25CAD). I ride on the hoods/corners mostly anyway.

Oh lordy...:rolleyes::D

Very true. Which, as you so rightly point out along with the rest of your post, leads to the numbers of them you will see on a commute.

I think your "sample" is skewed. Many of us commuters ride something like this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...D/DSC00622.jpg

Do you work or live at the beach. ;)

Al

I wished. That's my bike dressed up in it's commuter "garb" for this ride:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ap-to-OCMD.jpg

Oh well, I guess you didn't take that picture from your front porch. ;) But that ride route looks great. Ever go for a swim at the destination?

Al

Here's the one at the front porch before I started that ride that day (July 4th, 2007). I hadn't thrown on the good lights yet:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...D/DSC00601.jpg

I've gone swimming at Ocean City, MD many-a-time.

:D I'm the only one with dual-suspension MTB selected. :eek: Why? It's Vermont. Lots of dirt trails I can wander off on during my commute if I get bored. And I do this frequently. Up/down hills, single track stuff, etc. I like it because I can go anywhere with it.

Noracer- those are some big *** bottles in your cages... lol

I bought my current MB to pull my kids on a tow-behind bike. The road bike was not geared for hills with a kid!

Since I had it, I now commute on it. When I replace it, I will look at a different style to see if I like a cross bike or ???

If my commute were longer than the 20 RT it is, I would definately go to something else. My road bike does not have rack mounts, otherwise I might have used that for speed when the weather is nice.

I've never seen new bikes suitable for off-road use at that pricepoint.

I rode a road bike as a commuter for many years. For my 17 mile comute in San Diego where most of the route was along Kearny Mesa road I had a nice road bike. Another 7 mile commute in San Diego actually saved me 4 miles of riding by going through the center of a nature preserve. You know I rode a mountain bike for that.

So it all depends on where you are riding. When I swapped the flat well-paved roads of Palm Springs for the potholed hills of west Little Rock I took along a 15 year old Mountain Bike and put on slicks, fenders, lights and a rack. My commute is short, only 3 miles each way. So I just need a bike to power up hills and descend them immediately and back up the next hill. The low gears of the mountain bike are great for that. And the rims can take the abuse given by the bad paving. The bike is tough, inexpensive, maneuverable and takes on rain, snow and ice. And with the fenders, it has the good looks of a cruiser.

I'm involved in the local Bicycle Advocacy group and this bike goes to frequent events where it is displayed as a model for a commuter designed for Little Rock. It's low cost makes it appealing to beginning commuters who may not be able to afford a good road bike, or want one.

http://www.pointhappy.com/gcf/BikeParked.jpg

How many commuters offroad their MTBs on their way to/from work/school/errands?

MTB doesn't mean offroad.

Actually the frame is a small--makes those 24 oz bottles look huge.

I see a few roadies and a few people commuting on mtbs. The mtb is definitely slower and I'd never give up my road bike to commute on a mtb.

<--Commutes in the concrete jungle.

me sometimes- not true "mountain bike" action, but off on dirt roads etc.
I did once accidentaly take my 1.5 slicks to the state park MTB singletrack, forgot my other set of wheels with the nobbies. I rode the entire dam' 16 miles with 1.5 slicks. sand, roots, rocks... i spooned & walked a LOT:D
cheers

I did a quick check on Wallmart web site.

Lowest cost 'Men's Road Bike" $147.77
Lowest cost 'Men's MTB" $47.77

Which looks like it may last longer? Which looks like it is more comfortable? Which is more versatile?

Al

I started bike commuting on one of those wal-mart mountain bikes. I broke it in six weeks. That's aside the point, though. Fact of the matter is that I see SCADS of "real commuters" (read: impoverished folks who ride because it's how they MUST get around) who do, in fact ride around on roadmasters, huffies, NEXT, and any other el-cheapo Pacific, Dynacrap and Kent-rebranded mountain bikes, most of which cost $100 or less brand new.

Yes and understandably so.

Al

C'mon no question GMC Denali! Didn't we have a huge thread on how versitile that GMC Denali was for riding, not for crashing or getting hit by a car so much if I remember correctly. Edit Denali Review Thread (locked)
From the walmart site "This sweet bike will take you from A to B very fast (I can go at around 25 to 30 mph on flat roads)" :( I can't even do that downhill anymore argh what is wrong with my dang legs. I can't say whether or not walmart censors the reviews but overall they seem pretty positive. Much more positive then many of the mid range bicycle reviews I have seen online.

I am of the opinion that most do not post reviews unless they hate the product.
For instance MBR and RBR.

What worries me is those reviews that mention the lack of mention means it is great
http://www.bentrideronline.com/revie...o26/giro26.htm
"In the recumbent world, it seems like the best thing you can ever here about a seat is nothing at all. Our message boards are virtually devoid of comments about the Re-Curve so people must like it quite a bit."

Personally I didn't get the recurve seat because it seems to be built to stab in right under the shoulders.

For winter commuting, I use a converted SS mtn bike. It's got a steel frame, rigid fork, 1.5" city slicks, fenders & is utterly basic. But I've got a very short commute. I save the road bike for faster/distance riding.

I ride the road bike on all but the worst weather days. Had the MTB out every day this week due to snow and ice, and I've realized I quite like it! It's better feeling on my neck, shoulders, arms and back, but is heavier and not as fast/efficient. That said, I can do the legs on my 30mi RT trip at least a couple of minutes faster on my road bike.

My road bike is light and alu, so I feel EVERY crack on the road of which there are many. I'm seriously contemplating putting together a rigid MTB commuter with some narrow commuter tires (Marathon Plus, for instance) and a rack and fenders.

Love my roadie, love to spin and go fast, but the winter is bad enough it's impassible on a roadie.

Maybe I would appreciate my MTB more if I got rid of the knobbies. Then I wouldn't look at MTB commuters and wonder to myself: "How do you put up with that bike everyday."
Thanks, it's good to hear other perspectives...

Why do I use a MTB for my commute?
The three things you won't find on road bike: Disk brakes which are better for the wet weather, a cargo rack for panniers, and fenders. So really a MTB is more versitile than a road bike.
The wider tires also help. I run 26x1.75 that aren't knobbies but do have good thread pattern as the stream in the park frequently leaves a nice slick coating of mud on the path.
With that being said, my hardtail is my commuter/errand bike, I have a dualie with big knobbies for real mountain biking.
I do notice a large difference in commute time when I use my road bike. I average 12.6 to 13.1 mph on the MTB and 14.4 to 16.5 mph on the road bike. Typical commute time on the MTB is 1 hr 55 min (13 miles each way). Using the road bike takes about 10 minutes off that time.
In really bad weather my commute shortens to 6 miles each way as I use light rail for part of the commute.

just my $0.02

i started commuting on a proflex mtb a year ago because that's what i had. and i felt stable on it, for the most part, because of the bigger tires, upright positioning, etc. knoxville roads can be really crappy, and like most places, lots of road debris. when we have wrecks around here, most wrecker services pick up the big pieces of cars, but don't always bother to sweep up the smaller stuff. that doesn't count all of the beer bottles and other junk i find. i switched to a road bike because my commute route changed to slightly better roads and i wanted something a little more streamlined and faster. i've kept my proflex for trails and the super crappy roads.

my old giant is out in full force today with snow and all! bring on my 1998 rainbow kooka cranks! and yellow frame to match !

There are plenty of road bikes capable of accepting racks and panniers, just not many new road bikes. :D But of course many new mountain bikes still do, and into the '90s many mountain bikes had most of the braze-ons that a touring bike would. I have an '88 Mongoose Alta that has mounting points for just about anything you can imagine!