Is a Mountain Bike a good choice for commuting on roads?
I’m moving to Portland, OR and I was wondering if a mountain bike was a good choice to ride around town for commuting. I know the tires may not be good for the road but I have another question considering that.
Can I replace the mountain tires for urban street tires? If they had the same radius could I buy a pair from a sporting good store?
Thanks and have a good day.
I think mountain bikes make great commuting bikes. Just switch to some 26×1.5 tires with a semi-slick tread and you’ll be pretty fast on a comfortable, stable bike.
Just about any bike shop or online bike retailer will have a variety of 26″ tires (the typical mountain bike tire size.)
And if you feel like it, you can explore some dirt roads and mild trails in the area. (I’ve heard of great road and mountain biking in the Portland area.)
I think your best bet would be getting an older road bike and putting larger cyclocross tires on it. The road frame will give you a less bulky, less heavy ride and the cyclo tires will give you stability on the pot holes and off road ventures you may take. A cyclocross is the way to go for commuting. Here is an example and also a link.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/Hastyman/Feb%20Bike%20Tour/IMG_0421.jpg ( you can do all sorts of cool things like that and if you get the bags that fit on the racks thats more storage and an awesome hipster-touring bike feel)
Check the tiresize and go online or to your local bike shop. THey can set you up with an inexpensive tire setup. Enjoy!
Moving to Portland, OR? Lucky you. I am sure pretty soon you will own more than one bike. For commuting, a mountain bike will do just fine. You can lock your front shocks and use tires with less profiles. Check what tires will fit your rims though. People at the local bike shops or REI, etc. can help you with that.
Art
if you have a mtn bike now you can convert over to road tires and mitigate many of the issues. You will do best at a good bike store for the tires. Besides the tires the frame is much heavier than a hybrid or road bike. So if you have not purchased the bike yet, consider the hybrid / cross bike instead. If you got the bike already the tire conversion will still make a BIG difference!
Soccerref