City Commuter

[spokewench]

Just depends on the mountain bike - I have an old Klein rigid framed mountain bike - it does have a suspension fork; but because it is an aluminum racing bike, it is very light, very nimble and I just put narrower tires on it since I had to replace them anyway. You can also buy mountain bikes without suspension forks (rigid forks) and can be pretty light. I myself prefer a bike that is quick handling so I would prefer my mountain bike over a hybrid for that reason.

So, all mountain bikes are not always heavy, cumbersome and slow. Just depends on what you particularly like and what you want to afford. All of that said, I would recommend Breezer bikes if you are just looking for an all around commuter.

spoke

[Pedal Wench]

I hate to ask the obvious, but do you have to ride your road bike in the drops? I rarely do on my road bike -- I get a better grip on my brakes from the hoods.

[MuttNut]

I do generally ride on the hoods on my bike, but even then I feel hunched over/low and not as stable. I used to commute by a mountain bike in Richmond, VA, but I sold that bike when I moved to NYC. I do remember it being slow as compared to my commuting buddy's bike, which was a road bike, but when I was riding by myself it didn't really bother me.

I'm really interested in your response, Spokewench- do you find hybrids to be less nimble than mountain bikes? The roads up here are definitely rough, and there are always a lot of cars to dodge!