Mountain bikes are designed for off-road trails but can also work well for urban journeys – if you make some modifications

Mountain bikes are built for comfort and control off road. Wide, knobbly tyres grip the ground better, suspension absorbs bumps, and low gears and fantastic brakes provide winch-up and plummet-down performance. These features make sense on a Scottish mountainside but are less obviously useful on city streets. So why use a mountain bike for commuting?

Maybe you only have funds or space for one bike and you’re a mountain biker as well as a commuter. Or maybe you just want a more bombproof urban bike. Wide tyres and tough frames are untroubled by potholed roads and off-road shortcuts. The flat handlebar gives a head up riding position that’s good in traffic. Brakes and gears are in easier reach, and those brakes are awesome in any weather. The handling is super stable, too. Their suitability as everyday transport is illustrated by the fact that some manufacturers sell urban mountain bikes, such as the Cube Hyde One and the Cannondale Bad Boy 3.

Those two bikes are tweaked for use on tarmac instead of trails. You’ll need to make similar changes to get the most out of your mountain bike for commuting. Exactly what depends on whether you’re turning your mountain bike into a dedicated commuter or will also use it off road.

Tyres

Tyres are the first thing to change. Knobbly tyres provide traction off road but on tarmac create noise and energy-sapping drag. Invest in a pair of large volume, fairly slick tyres designed for city streets. Schwalbe’s Big Apple and Continental’s Contact Urban come in diameters and widths to suit mountain bike wheels.

If you want to use your mountain bike on trails as well, you can swap back to your off-road tyres at the weekend. Switching tyres that are fitted with innertubes is a 10-15 minutes if you have a floor pump. It’s not practical to switch tubeless tyres every weekend, so in that situation it makes sense to have two pairs of wheels: one for road use, on for off road. Then you just swap the wheels over.

You can use the same tyres on road and off but will have to compromise between on-road drag and off-road grip. The least bad option is a lightly treaded cross country tyre for the rear wheel, such as the Maxxis Ikon, paired a front tyre that has more off-road cornering grip, such as the Maxxis Aspen. Pump the tyres up hard for road use, drop the pressure for mountain bike trails.

Suspension

Most mountain bikes come with a suspension fork and many have rear suspension as well. You don’t need this for commuting. In fact, it’s a hindrance. Suspension can bob up and down as you pedal, especially when riding out of the saddle, which wastes energy. Assuming you want the suspension for off-road use, adjust it for commuting: many forks and rear shocks have lever to lock out the suspension, so it doesn’t move, or to limit its travel, so it moves much less. Use this.

In general, less suspension is better on road. A hardtail is better for commuting than a full-suspension MTB, and a rigid-fork mountain bike is better than one with a suspension fork. While rigid-fork mountain bikes are rare, it can be worth replacing a suspension fork with an aftermarket rigid fork such as Identiti’s XCT2 if you’re turning your MTB into a dedicated commuter. (The fork needs to be the right length and have the right axle type and steerer tube dimensions, so seek advice before buying a new one.)

Mudguards

Mountain bike mudguards exist but are designed only to keep the worst of the mud off you rather than to keep you completely clean. For commuting, full-length frame-fitting mudguards are better… if they’ll fit your mountain bike.

Many MTBs lack mounting points on the frame and/or fork. You can use P-clips instead, although you may need to hunt around online for ones big enough for a suspension fork. Cable ties can be used to fasten the mudguards at other points, such as the fork brace. Make sure that the mudguards are big enough. SKS Bluemels Style mudguards and PDW Full Metal Fenders come in sizes wide enough for mountain bike tyres.

Frame-fitting mudguards can jam with mud or twigs off road. So for actual mountain biking, it’s best to remove them. Too much hassle? Use mountain bike mudguards and leave them permanently in place; they’ll do a reasonable job on the ride to work. For maximum coverage, use a long rear mudguard such as the Mudhugger Mk2. For the front, as long as there’s sufficient clearance, you can combine a fork-crown mudguard such as the Mucky Nutz Mugguard Long with a down tube guard such as the Mucky Nutz Gut Fender.

Luggage

Entry-level hardtails often come with frame mounts for a rear rack, which is all you need for commuting. Just make sure the rack is tall and wide enough to fit over your mountain bike’s big tyres, and that it won’t interfere with the disc brake calliper. Topeak’s Explorer Disc 2.0 is one good option, while the M Part City AVS Adjustable Rear Disc Pannier Rack is a cheaper alternative.

You can leave a rear rack on your bike while mountain biking, so long as you don’t mind the extra weight. But it only takes a few minutes with an Allen key to remove it. If your mountain bike lacks rack eyelets, however, you’ll need another way to carry your commuter load.

• Backpack or messenger bag. Carrying a bag on your back can be uncomfortable and sweaty on longer commutes but works well for shorter trips into and around town. A backpack is particularly useful if you also use your bike off road as you don’t have to adapt it to take luggage, and there’s nothing left on the bike when you’re not carrying luggage.

• Special rear rack. Not all racks require frame eyelets. Thule’s Tour Rack clamps to the seatstays, and will even work on full-suspension bikes. The Aeroe Spider Rack is similar. The Tailfin Pannier Rack fits to a replacement rear axle and to the seatpost, and like the Thule and Aeroe racks goes on and off quickly if you want to ride without it.

• Bikepacking fork bags. Front pannier racks aren’t designed to fit suspension forks but bikepacking fork bag systems sometimes have adapters for suspension fork legs. You can fit Ortlieb Fork-Packs and Tailfin Cage Packs like this. They’re smaller than front panniers but the volume should be sufficient for commuting.

• Bikepacking seatpack. These large under-saddle bags fit to the saddle rails and seatpost. They’re a bit fiddlier to use than panniers but you can get quick-release seatpacks, such as Ortlieb’s Seat-Pack QR, which go on and off quicker. The Ortlieb bag also has an adapter for use with a dropper seatpost.

• Bikepacking frame bag. These bags fit under the top tube. Some fill the frame while others, like the Apidura Expedition Frame Pack and the Restrap Frame Bag Large, have room for water bottles or, depending on the bike’s configuration, the rear shock of a full-suspension bike.

Lights

Like any bike, a mountain bike must be equipped with a white front light and red rear light for use at night. Lights you’d choose for any other commuter bike will be fine for riding to and from work. The only thing to look out for is that, if your mountain bike has a dropper seatpost, you may need to mount the rear light to the saddle rails rather than the seatpost.

If you’ll also be riding your mountain bike off road at night, a word of warning: dedicated mountain bike front lights are often too bright for use on road and will dazzle others. Either swap your mountain bike front light for your everyday light when commuting or choose a powerful front bike light that has an easily accessible non-dazzle mode, such as the Ravemen PR2400 or Exposure Strada Mk12 RS.

Bell

Your mountain bike will have come with a bell because all new bikes have to be sold with them. If you’re going to be commuting anywhere there are pedestrians – whether that’s shared-use paths or city streets – fit it and use it. People appreciate a politely pinged bell. You can also use it on off road trails, although the Timber bell is better off road.