I use my mountain bike daily to ride to school, usually I go twice in a day because I have breaks in between classes. The ride is about 4km one way, I don’t have much money though so I was thinking of getting this urban bike
([https://www.anacondastores.com/cycling/bikes/urban-bikes/fluid-sprint-mens-bike/BP90149215-black](https://www.anacondastores.com/cycling/bikes/urban-bikes/fluid-sprint-mens-bike/BP90149215-black))
from my original bike
([https://www.anacondastores.com/cycling/bikes/fluid-nitro-mens-mountain-bike/BP90132991-black](https://www.anacondastores.com/cycling/bikes/fluid-nitro-mens-mountain-bike/BP90132991-black))
I’m only really planning on buying it if it gives a noticeable difference though.
by Big_booty_boy99
7 Comments
Your mountain bike is just fine. Keep the tire pressure near the high end of the range. I can’t see the tread design but the rolling resistance will decrease with wear. Pavement is full of cracks, sewer gratings, loose stones, scrap steel, walnuts, twigs, etc. A mountain bike wheel is the way to go IMHO. You can always add fat smoothish beach cruiser tires when your existing tires wear out
Keep the mountain bike and save your money. 4kms is not long enough to worry about what type of bike to use.
The geometry of the bike you are proposing to replace yours with is probably not different enough to make a noticeable difference (similar handlebar, similar posture, etc).
However, you can swap out the default bumpy mountain bike tires for a lower profile “urban” tire like some of the ones on this page: [https://www.biketiresdirect.com/search/city-touring-tires](https://www.biketiresdirect.com/search/city-touring-tires)
It is really remarkable just how much difference the tire makes. Knobby tires are meant to be squishy and do a lot of dexterous trail “grabbity”, great on a technical ride but the tires *also* do that when you’re just going around town and that is *not* a desirable trait for these kind of trips. If you want a second set of rims so you can hit the trail from time to time that’s an easy swap, if you don’t do trail riding then just keep the same set of rims and simply swap on your choice of urban/touring tire. A bit of chain-specific all-weather oil is a good idea, too.
I got a mtb and a commute bike.
What i absolutely want out of my commuter bike: lights, fenders, rack with panniers
Nice to have: e support, step through frame
If you were starting from scratch, the urban/hybrid would be the slightly better option. Suspension adds weight and doesnt add much on road. But from where you are at the moment, ride the bike you got, keep it well maintained, and enjoy the ride safely.
When that bike wears out, and tbh that’ll be a few years, reevaluate your riding requirements at the time and make a fresh decision from there.
Just ride what you have, it’ll do fine for a 4 mile commute.
I would only keep the mtb. They’re just so useful in every situation.