My point was just about the actual abuse the bikes take all season long and how well they hold up.

My Jake the Snake didn't get Raced this year but was subjected to miles and miles of singletrack and fireroads and my total damage was nil...I had one busted spoke up front from getting run down by a riding buddy when I fell after riding a set of steps in the woods :) and the rear wheel needed to be trued 3 times (I'm a big guy...205#'s...Landscape Mason...hard on my gear :) )

RJ

I ride my MTB on the road sometimes it's ok. The longest trip I've done on is the New River rail to trail ~ 56 miles one way did round trip in two days. That being said I also ride my touring bike on dirt roads. It's a Bianchi Vlope modified with the large gear in back 34 and an adjustiable stem. It has 32mm tires. Defenitly seems better for long rides no it's not as fast on super smooth pavement, but there is very little of that around here anyway and the 32mm tires seem good on rough pavement with loose stuff on it and of course dirt/gravel roads.

Ride what you like.

Joe

I ride a Giant Iguana hardtail for commuting and touring. I use semi-slick tires, carbon riser bar and SRAM 7 speed shifter/derailluers (more like a XC set up). My longest ride (road) with this bike was a 60mile trip last fall (upstate NY). I have a K2 hardtail exclusively for trail riding. But, I often go off road with my Iguana. Its a light frame and pretty smooth ride. Wish I had a lock out fork.

I have a full-on mountain bike for my commuter ('97 Breezer Storm). I changed the cassette so it has taller gears, a rigid fork and 1" slicks. Otherwise it's all mountain bike. I'll be the first to admit it's not the fastest bike around, but I like the comfort it gives me for my 20-mile one way commute which I ride 4-5 times a week. The longest ride I did was 126 miles and take it on 40-60 mile rides about once a year. I don't take it offroad as I have another bike for that......

I use my old hardtail as a commuter (short trip of 4 miles or so) with a slick on the back and a non-aggressive knobbie on the front, both inflated to 65 psi. It feels very stable in all weather but is fast enoguh for short road rides.
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My mtb has the full commuter setup now; slicks, rack, fenders, lights, bell, etc. I'm even thinking of swapping out the susp. fork for a rigid fork. Works fine on urban streets and I have no hesitation about hitting potholes, curb jumps, stair jumps, etc.

Nope, you're not alone. I'm 46, and bought a mountain bike to ride on the road a few months ago because I wanted something low maintenance that would give me a good workout. I also wanted something that would be somewhat similar to riding a motorcycle, and figured a mountain bike would work on both counts. It's got some sort of semiknobbies on it, and the tires sound just like snow tires when I'm able to get it going fast enough, and can't tell you how they work off road because I haven't made it off road yet.
I bought it for the exercise, and haven't been too worried about what others are doing. Just keep pedaling if that's what you're after.

I regularily ride my mtn bike on the road and don't own a road bike. I commute to the store, work, wherever I have to go. I have two wheelsets, one with slicks, one with knobs. I'll do an eight hour ride on the road with thinking twice. If someone gave me a nice road bike, I'd certainly take it but have no plans to buy one.

I think my longest ride with knobs was ~175 miles in one day. I went in a semi-circular route and ended up at a friends house and rode 60 miles home the next morning. I was extremely fit and strong, but it was a long day and have to say that the knobs do slow you down some.

Penguin

I have a friend that's got some low-end Alu frame, hooked up with some '04 LX parts.
He uses his bike for both off-road and road trips. He's got two tire sets, some Continetals 2.1 for off-road, and some Ritchey Slicks for the road (1.9 or 1.75, can't remember for sure).

In my opinion it's the best solution :)

Man the responses are great. I am in it for the exercise so I don't mind the heavy weight. After all I get a better workout on the mtn bike than the road bike and don't upset in the gravels near as much.LOL

I have two MTBs now. One is a rigid, rigged as a commuter (fenders, rear rack, et cet) and I use it mostly on roads, sometimes on trails (especially MUPs and rail trails). Like the OP, I like the comfort and the toughness. I've ridden two metric centuries (63 miles) on this bike, and one imperial century (100 mi).

I strongly recommend ditching the knobbies unless you plan to do a lot of seriously 'gnarly' off-road riding. I switched to semi-slicks (continental town & country) and I instantly gained 2-3 mph without changing anything else. They're quieter and smoother and work surprisingly well off-road, too. The only time I don't like them is on a steep uphill on a rough trail.

That's what the other MTB is for (with its front suspension and knobbies). Maybe someday soon I'll finally get a road bike....

yup, i ride my mtn bike on the road... as a commuter. I have two wheelsets for it so when my buddies want to go ride off road, i just "plug and play"(the second wheelset).

What is a wheelset? I am new to this. Do you just put on new wheels and tires? Or do you change the tires when you want to switch

He has two complete sets of wheels, tires and probably has an additional cassette so that he just takes off his Quick Release hubs and changes. I have space so I keep a really old mountain bike and an old hybrid as my 'road' bikes.

A wheelset is a complete set of wheels: hubs, spokes, rims, tires, and gears.

I have two wheelsets since realistically speaking, I will infrequently change between slicks and knobby tires on a single wheelset. I would say, "It will take me 5-10 minutes to change tires..nah, I'll just ride"

Others have mentioned what it is like to ride knobbies on the road (slow, loud), but also don't forget that knobbies wear more quickly than a set of slick tires. Wearing out a $45 knobby on roads is a bad idea when a slick cost $20.

'Guin

I only rode mountain bikes on the streets and offroad for years as it was assumed that road bikes were uncomfortable. They are far more comfortable when set up correctly than a MTB (to me at least) and now I have one road and one mountain bike. The road bike never goes out in the rain or mud, the other one usually only goes out during bad weather. It has semi-knobby tires that work great in any situation, Specialized Infinity that came with the bike. These will probably be swapped for a slicker tire next for easier pedalling on the road.

You really can do anything with an all-terrain bike but don't discount a drop-bar road bike, I did for years and missed out on a lot.

A mtb is great on the road, but a cyclocross would be a better choice as an all around bike; for dirt or road. Comfort, performance, and a little more overall speed. But I have four bikes: road, touring, cross, and mtb. But if it came down to one I would just stay with the cross, with a front suspension and shock seatpost.

like rocco said... i have an extra set of wheels that have knobby tires on them. so... when i want to ride single track, i just put that wheelset on and go. of course, the extra wheelset has a cogset too.... it's really just a time saver.

i've tried switching the tires everytime, but that got old real fast...

absolutely. i bike solely on the road with my mt bike. find it more comfortable.

I love riding my Specialized Stumpjumper FSR (full suspension) on the road and in urban areas. I'm riding a bike for aerobic fitness/weight control and don't worry about rolling resistance, aerodynamics, etc... comfort is a top priority for me...and I feel great on my Stumpjumper. I do about 70 miles a week offroad and about 30 on-road.