I'm such a fan of these conversions. I really think that they make the perfect bike for most people. The entrance to Halfords is normally littered with full-suss MTBs for £99 and low-end road bikes.
There's just something about riding a mid '90s, long wheelbase, rigid, MTB with fat road tyres that feels so right.
Let's face it, Thorn and Roberts charge a lot of money for "Global Touring Frames" that are very similar.
To their credit Halfords got it spot on with their "Subway" and I'm surprised that the whole world isn't commuting on their "Subway-8".
Keep them coming.
I'm tempted to keep one eye on Ebay to check for any "classics".