Would a mtn bike or a road bike make a better commuter?

Question

I have a couple high-end bikes and I want to convert one to a fast straight-bar city bike. Would a full-suspension 25-pound Turner mtn bike or a 19-pound Litespeed road bike be a better candidate?

Answer 1

FS bikes are like riding pogo sticks. And a Lightspeed? Better have it insured. You really don't want skinny tires for a commuter bike. Get a good hardtail beater, re-work it, put a seatpost cargo rack and panniers on it, some 1.5" street tires, and a decent saddle.

Answer 2

Why risk expensive bikes to get stolen? Isnt it easier to buy a commuter bike straight from a bike shop? There are some nice commuter bikes at performancebike.com .

Answer 3

well the road bike would be more efficient as a commuter, but the mountain bike would be more comfortable. I would say just buy a fitness bike.

Answer 4

I would go with the Litespeed conversion. A dual suspension bike on the road is just heavy and a speed drag. Unless you're constantly jumping curbs and potholes, the dual suspension will just take away speed at each pedal stroke.

If you build up your Litespeed to take hits, I think it'd be great as a commuter bike. I'd just also try to make it look slower. The kids/crackheads alike tend to steal bikes that look fast or (these days) like a hipster street-track bike. Litespeed isn't as a recognizable as Cannondale or Trek, so that helps.

Answer 5

no offense but to everyone else, STFU. it depends how far you commute, your budget, and the security level of where you would store it. Also it matters whether your gonna ride along the footpath through the city or if your gonna fly along some suburban streets.

roadbikes and expensive and you would never ride them down anything with a bump.

mountain bikes are cheaper but they arent as efficient at high speeds .

i have a single speed mountain bike that i use for jumping and for street and i battle on with a 25km ride to school and i so it in 45mins. faster then my bus i might add.