Originally Posted by
Andy_K
It's hard to argue with the old mountain bike advice, but I'm going to try.
I gave the rigid mountain bike thing a go with a 1989 Specialized RockHopper built up like this:
It was a decent bike, perfectly fine for commuting. I think I've got 26x1.75 tires on it in this picture. It would fit much over 26x2, but you don't need that for commuting. The problem, to the extent that there was a problem, was that I actually wanted a road bike, not a mountain bike, and even when you put drop bars on a mountain bike the geometry isn't road bike geometry.
An alternate view. Many tourers now come with 26 inch wheels, either as standard or an option. Bikes like the Surly Long Haul Trucker come to mind. Geometry of vintage MTBs are all over the map, so you do have to choose carefully. I find the fit on my 1988 Cimarron to be very similar the the 1990 Miyata 600 GT. Tire size is a huge plus on the MTBs, I've gone as high as 2.35 inches wide. Hard to get anything close to that with a traditional tourer or sport tourer.
The other advantage of a rigid frame MTB is cost. Nice rigid frame MTBs are typically around $100. Sure, the super desirable names like the early Stumpjumpers are much higher.
Do be careful on size. I've seen as much as 2 inch difference in top tube length, for the same size MTB, between models and brands.
My Cimarron was a garage sale pickup, in deplorable condition, but only $15. I recently picked up a lightly used 1990 Shogun MTB, full Deore XT, for $65 and did a "transplant". I like how it turned out.
Again, not all MTBs work out that well, and they are not for everyone. Doing an upright conversion, to North Road handlebars, is the cheapest option. That way you can use original shifters and brake levers. I've done a few of those for family and friends.
88 Cimarron 2019 Version by
wrk101, on Flickr
Schwinn Sierra NR by
wrk101, on Flickr
1988 High Sierra 3 by
wrk101, on Flickr