I mt biked for 5 years before switching to a RB. . The biggest deal for me was how touchy it was on the turns. And of course how fast you can cruise along. I felt that starting off as a mt biker gives you a big advantage on handling the bike. At first I was not used to looking for every little rock,dip,crack,sand patches in the road. I would just go over them with my Mt bike. Did not even think about it. With a road you have to keep a good look out for all that stuff. I feel like I should have gone down a couple times on a road bike. But after Mt biking for so long, it gives you better instinct on handling a road bike, rather than just starting off with a road bike. (hope that makes sense) I love both now and would hate to have to choose one.