Road Is All The Rage
Judging by the forum and talking to various people a lot of mountain bikers are interested in getting a road bike, the idea of keeping fit over winter and the appeal of riding a bike without getting caked in mud for the third time that week being a big draw.
Now, I’m a mountain biker, I’m not a cyclist. I ride mountain bikes and that’s it. My knowledge of road riding amounts to just above nothing, I don’t know who won the last Tour de France, I have no idea how to change gear on a road bike and I have never shaved my legs. The one skinny wheeled bike I did own, a Cotic Roadrat, ended up with the biggest tyres I could get in it and was used more off road than on.
Due to my ignorance of all things road bike I’m putting myself forward for a series of online articles tentatively entitled ‘Road To Now Where’. I just made that name up, right now.
Anyway, the name might change but the idea of the articles is for them to be a mountain bikers’ guide to road bikes from working out how road bike sizing works and which one to buy to what pressures to run in your tyres and the etiquette of tea stops. Some of it will seem painfully obvious to some of you, and to others, like me, it’ll answer some of those questions you’ve always wanted to ask about road bikes but were too afraid to ask.
To that end, if you have any road bike based questions you want answered feel free to send me a mail at sim@singletrackworld.com or just post something in the comments box below and I’ll try and find an answer for you along the way.
I’m not shaving my legs though.
Posted on: September 22, 2009 by Sim
Why.
I’ll put that on my list of questions to ask Olie.
You could tell people about things like braze-on and band on front mech attachments as these do not cross the MTB-Road divide
Maybe a terminolgy section about hoods and other tech jargon specific to road bikes 
If you think you don’t get caked in mud riding a road bike through winter then you’re wrong. Which begs the question, what mudguards?
I’m sure you’ll have fun staring at the rider in front’s arse and dodging pot holes and drains!
“If you think you don’t get caked in mud riding a road bike through winter then you’re wrong.”
Proving my lack of knowledge perfectly
Terminology section, yes, good idea.
I just knew Olie would be involved ;o)
What would be quite good is if you contacted a couple of clubs, and asked to ehad out on their Sunday club runs to see what it’s like.
Might confirm or deny the stereotype MTBer prejudice that all road riders are miserable.
Where did this idea come from, BTW – was it all MBUK’s doing?
Riding with a club is quite far down the line for a complete novice I reckon, but yes, that’s a possibility when/if I’ve warmed to it.
Idea came chiefly from this thread: http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mountain-bikers-who-ride-road-bikes
Idea came mainly by looking at bling road bikes more like.
“Idea came mainly by looking at bling road bikes more like.”
Must talk to Stanny on Thursday night…
How does road distance correspond to mtb distance? Make it easy and have the same amount of climbing in both.
How fast can you go on a road bike? Is it true that like some on the forum suggest that 25mph solo is easily obtainable for anything less than 200miles? Seriously though, what’s a good pace for a mtber to aim for on a 25, 50 and 100mile ride.
How much difference does it make to ride in a group (in terms of speed)?
Another one, what’s the deal with roadie groupsets? What’s the XT/XTR equivalent.
road dist = MTB dist + 30-60% dependent on the terrain in the “training” articles I’ve seen.
Sim riding with a club, should be really early on for a novice IMHO – as soon as you are comfortable with you your position on the bike and shifting. There is a whole sh1t load of stuff going on in a bunch ride and aroudn traffic that is not overly obvious from the outside looking in; certainly opened my eyes the first time I went out. And comutting on the road is not the same…
Why no disc brakes, never heard a satisfactory reason for that.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of a compact chainset?
Brakes are only as good as the grip you have from you tyres. No point having a disc brake on a road bike as it will lock up a 23mm road tyre that only has 10mm in contact with the road. You’ll skid and you’ll crash!
Dura Ace = XTR
Sram Red = Sram XX/XO
Compact chainsets help people who don’t like hills get up hills without resorting to a triple road chainset.
yes I’m a MTBing roadie…….
Dura Ace = XTR ? Slight correction:
Campag Record = XTR
There’s one for you Sim, why does the Campag vs Shimano battle continue to rage !!
“How fast can you go on a road bike? Is it true that like some on the forum suggest that 25mph solo is easily obtainable for anything less than 200miles? Seriously though, what’s a good pace for a mtber to aim for on a 25, 50 and 100mile ride.”
25mph Solo, someone needs to recalibrate their computer!
A good guide is time trails; run on more or less flat courses, if you can crack 25mph for 10 miles (especially on a stock road bike without aero bars and pointy helmet) you’re seriously quick. On the other hand, 23mph is quite doable.
The limiting factor is wind resistance, and this is highly non-linear. For that reason it’s not hard to hold a 20mph average for long periods over flattish terrain for long periods – but 25mph is a very big step up from that.
I reckon Sim should try putting some big slicks on a MTB, for comparison like.
“road dist = MTB dist + 30-60%”
But what is MTB dist?
10 miles on dry straight trails in eastern england on an 80mm XC hardtail is somewhat different to 10 miles on a heavily DH biased 6″ FS up/down some sloppy woodland in February?
This sounds interesting, though seems a bit at odds as to what the magazine is all about?
…or for anyone with a 29er of course, 700c road or cyclocross tyres will fit and make the comparison direct (am running 700x32c cx tyres on a 29er at present in place of usual 29×2.1″, very very quick but scary in ruts or loose corners).
I bought a Spesh Langster (singlespeed road bike) 2 months ago to improve my fitness, which needs improving. Only been out a few times but it’s changed my perception of pedalling dynamics. Last short ride offroad I hardly changed gear.
Each time I use the fecking evil named road bike I almost kill myself because this fecking useless pile of poo have no BB clearance and my pedals touch the road in the corners…
SO maybe an article about road bike that can be pedaled around…
How about…Why are a lot of MTBers so against road riding, road bikes and ‘roadies’ in that sort of weirdly fearful way?
Also how about looking to dispel the myth that all roadies are super fit, and all MTBers are overweight middle-aged blokes…?
How on earth can you clip a pedal when cornering on a road bike??!!. Are you Valentino Rossi???!!!!!!
Eh? Easy to clip a pedal on a road bike. Unless you coast around bends pedals level, of course (where I reckon not even The Donkey could do it).
How to look good in figure hugging lycra when you are an over-weight middle-aged mountain biking bloke? Actually, forget “good”, more like how not to look a complete tw*t?
ChrisS – if you ride REALLY fast people won’t notice…
vdubber67 – LOL, so that rules out any road rides over a couple of hundred yards then…. alternatively just stick to night-rides.
How about: What to carry with you on a road ride and where to put it? Seems to be topic for endless debate on here from time to time.
mike the only way I don’t clip the pedal is if I stop pedaling… But then I s’pose I loose the point of having a road bike because it’s fast on the road…
What are the widest road/cx bars you can get?
I’d be happy to see them in the print mag every now and then.
Just have to add that discs on road bikes does not equal lock up and death, just predictable braking whatever the weather, lower maintanance and no rim wear –
what tyres for…?
One reason for not having discs on a road bike (apart from there being no hydraulic systems around) is increased weight from the discs and calipers, plus the fact that you’d have to beef up the frame to take on the stresses put on the skinny stays by the brakes.
I’m a road rider too and proud of it – though rather in the minority here. I’ll look forward to Sim’s er, ‘conversion’ with interest.
The lack of discs has nothing to do with the UCI banning them from competition, thereby making them unsaleable as ‘they’re not what the pros use’, then?
the biggest disadvantage of discs is that the fork becomes incredibly uncomfortable. too much power, wheel lock up etc.. are not a problem.
i can’t get on with my road bike at all. i think i’ve spent so long on MTB’s that the riding position is moulded into my body somehow. I reckon i’d be quicker on an MTB with 1″ slicks.
plus its just sssssoooo boring.