Which bike is better for commuting: road or mountain?
This question was posed on an online forum recently and I thought it was a good one. Of course I’m a bit biased but I say the mountain bike is a better choice for commuting - here’s why.
1. Mountain bikes can ride anywhere. Oftentimes you can save time and distance on your commute by cutting across certain areas - parking lots, pedestrian malls, dirt alleys, etc. - and mountain bikes can get the job done. I used to ride my mountain bike to class in grad school since my commute involved hopping a curb and cutting through parking lots and quads just to stay off a busy street.
2. Mountain bikes have easier granny gears. In general a standard geared mountain bike will have easier gears than a standard geared road bike meaning you can spin easier on difficult climbs. And taking it easy on the climbs is not only good for the commuter but it’s also good for the commuter’s cubical-mates. Yeah, you might get to work a little slower but at least you’ll be less sweaty on a mountain bike.
3. Mountain bikes are easier to balance. Those fat tires are great for side-to-side balance on the road, especially when you have a bulky laptop bag slung over your shoulder. Dodging cars on fat tires is easier as well.
4. Mountain bikes are rugged. I know, this is kinda the same thing as being able to ride anywhere but on my commute to a start-up I was working on the most direct road was in HORRIBLE condition, full of potholes and loose gravel. After zig-zagging the road for a couple days on the road bike I switched over to the mountain bike and instantly felt the stress of my commute dissolve.
5. Mountain bikes give you better visibility. Your riding posture on a mountain bike is much more upright than on a road bike which means you can see more of what’s in front of you. Bonus: this means you’re more visible to approaching cars as well.
If you’re concerned about the added rolling resistance of knobby tires on your mountain bike, consider going with a set of semi-slick or slick tires for your commute. Stop wasting your money on gas and get yourself a new mountain bike so you can use your old bike as a commuter 
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July 8th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Of course then there are “commuter”, “urba”, “city” etc bikes that get the best of both worlds! I’ve commuted on a fixie, a road bike, and a singlespeed mountain bike with 1″ tires on it, and all work just fine. As long as one doesn’t lock up like the bike in the photo above! Free bike anyone?
July 8th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Hehe, I was wondering if anyone else would notice the poor lock job in the photo… Guess so
July 8th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I agree with ckdake. Unless you are commuting a long way just get a town bike. They are more comfy, have a chain guard (no mangled slacks!), have lots of places for baskets/panniers so that you can load up with groceries, etc., often have a builtin locking mechanism, have a good gear selection for typical streets, and might not be as tempting to thieves as a $2000 mtb or road bike.
On the other hand, if you don’t want to build a stable for all your bikes (kaching!), for the reasons Jeff mentioned I would probably go with a mountain bike.
July 8th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Ehem - The question was which is better for commuting - road or mountain bike
If we were to throw in town bikes or hybrids I suppose those might come out on top. But this is a MTB site after all…
July 8th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I say mountian bike’s are better for commuting for the same reason’s trek7k listed above and a few more and here they are:
one morning I was riding to work on a bike path and it was pretty early,the sun was barely up and there was minimal light but just enough to make thing’s out but not enough to see deffinitively what was in the shadow’s.In the case of this bike path,the drainage pipe’s from the street’s go right through the concrete bike path so that the path had to be raised for each drain pipe so it kinda make’s a woopty doo wherever there is a drain crossing through the bike path.The kid’s that live in this area get pretty board I guess and they like to leave stuff on the path to block it and obstruct it just so they can get a laugh when somone come’s across this stuff and it get’s in there way,or a biker come’s by and has to slam on the brake’s or run’s into it.Well,one morning they dragged a whole section of chain link fence and layed it across the bike path just on the other side of one of those drainage woopty doo’s so you couldnt see it till the last second and they laid it catty wampus so you couldnt ride into it squarely.All I can say is,I’m glad I was on my mountain bike and I know how to bunny hop pretty damn good because there was no time to stop or avoid it,I just had to launch out of a bunny hop to avoid it or else I would of went down hard on the cement.Thank god for mountain bike’s,I dont think I could bunny hop on a road bike like that at the very last second.
The other reason is so that you can hit all the little single tracks that pop up out of nowhere in the crazyest of places along side of the road’s and wherever or you can ride whatever technical obstacles that might be cool to hit if you were on your mountain bike.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I think converting an old mountain bike to a commuter bike is a great way to keep from (God forbid) having to get rid of an old bike. My GF turned her 1990 vintage non-suspension Barricuda into a pretty sweet greenway cruiser with just a new set of skinny tires. If you were buying something new, there are probably better options (hybrid,etc.).