Mountain Bikers Who Ride Road Bikes

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Mountain Bikers Who Ride Road Bikes

191 posts & 85 voices | Started 2 years ago by dandan | Latest reply from Junkyard

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I_Ache - Member

I am a MTBer with a road bike I only really commute on the road bike and occasionally go for a little bit of an evening ride.

As regards to ooOOoo's question when I commuted my 16 miles (each way) on a HT with semi slicks (that really needed a good service) it took me around 1.3-1.5 hours now I have my road bike I normally arrive in just under an hour.

Yes I am slow averaging only 16mph but I'm faster going along and up than I used to be and I do think that is down to commuting. Really couldn't be bothered with being a roadie with a MTB as its just not as enjoyable.

Posted 2 years ago #
I_Ache - Member

Hmmm double post strange.

Posted 2 years ago #
Gary_M - Member

Really couldn't be bothered with being a roadie with a MTB

Do you need to be pigeon holed?

Posted 2 years ago #
njee20 - Member

I am a MTBer with a road bike

Really couldn't be bothered with being a roadie with a MTB

What the hell's the difference?

Posted 2 years ago #
cookeaa - Member

How are people working out their average speeds? are you just believing your computers? are they holding the clock for stoppages? surely total journey time/distance is the most "honest way"...

I'll own up now to having a spreadsheet with the precise route distance and time taken (rounded to about 30secs), I let Excel tell me how slow I am (15.63MPH Avg from june up to now)I' sure it's excessivly geeky but I like to keep a record and look for improvement... There has been none...

Posted 2 years ago #
Gary_M - Member

cookeaa I do the same thing. I track my distance, time and average speed on a month by month basis and a ytd total.

Posted 2 years ago #
clubber - Member

Average is average of time moving. Assuming that you're not doing anything silly (eg riding flat out for an hour then stopping for 12 hours then doing another hour and taking the average of both as an average for a two hour ride) then that's perfectly logical and perfectly honest too. Stopping (well, starting again) most likely drops your average, not improves it compared to riding without stops since having to get back up to speed creates more fatigue than stopping for a short period will ever get you back.

Posted 2 years ago #
DezB - Member

All this fascinating discussion of average speeds. Makes me realise why I'm not a roadie. ¦-O

Posted 2 years ago #
ooOOoo - Member

Yes me too, I'm yet to be convinced by road bikes. I commute on my HT with slicks, and while I could be a little faster on a road bike, I'd have to be compromised by not jumping kerbs, worse brakes, less steering control and no sus for smoothing out our sh!t roads. Plus I find roads are full of too many cars, they're too wide so you really notice how slow you are travelling and you never feel you can easily stop at your leisure. An efficient way of getting from A to B, but just not that enjoyable IMHo.

Posted 2 years ago #
Gary_M - Member

I'm with you on that clubber. I base my average speed from that on my computer. On my commute for instance I don't gain anything by stopping at traffic lights so why include that time.

Generally on road rides I don't stop anyway so my 'real' avearge and actual are the same.

On the mtb I don't really care what my average is.

I'm yet to be convinced by road bikes

What are you hoping to be convinced of?

Posted 2 years ago #
Coleman - Member

Where can I buy one these cycle computers which give you a TDF standard average speed of 25+mph. I want one! Mine seems to have a ceiling of 20mph no matter how fast I pedal.

Posted 2 years ago #
Jimbo - Member

...I'd have to be compromised by not jumping kerbs, worse brakes, less steering control and no sus for smoothing out our sh!t roads...

You wouldn't be "jumping kerbs": you'd be on the road.
Worse brakes? Road bike brakes are bloody powerful. Enough to take you by suprise...
Less steering control? A road bike can handle, certainly better than an MTB.
No suspension? Not an issue: the roads aren't THAT bad.

Posted 2 years ago #
njee20 - Member

Watch footage of Cancellara's descent on stage 7 of this years TdF to see quite how 'badly' a road bike handles under the right rider. You'd be first down on the tarmac after trying to corner that fast without a clue what'd happened!

Posted 2 years ago #
DezB - Member

Watch footage of Cancellara's descent on stage 7 of this years TdF to see quite how 'badly' a road bike handles under the right rider

If only the roads round here were like that. But they're not. In so many ways.

Posted 2 years ago #
cheers_drive - Member

All this fascinating discussion of average speeds. Makes me realise why I'm not a roadie. ¦-O

Shall we talk about how much our trail bikes weigh then?
I don't believe most of what's posted in those threads either

Posted 2 years ago #
njee20 - Member

Neither round here Dez, don't worry, my point was merely that anyone who thinks that a road bike doesn't handle as well as an MTB needs to watch a video like that!

Posted 2 years ago #
DezB - Member

They have to handle well - dodging all those moronic motorists!

Posted 2 years ago #
sofatester - Member

To find a STWers true average speed, you need to take claimed speed and minus 1mph per stone overweight.

Posted 2 years ago #
ooOOoo - Member

I think those narrow drop bars really scare me!
Surely a nice wide MTB bar gives you better steering control than those?

Yes if we had lovely smooth deep black tarmac like the euros, I might consider one...but as Dez says, we don't.

Posted 2 years ago #
clubber - Member

Road bikes are steered much more by leaning than steering so wide bars aren't necessary for decent handling unless you're planning to ride singletrack

Posted 2 years ago #
aracer - Member

You don't necessarily need wide bars for decent handling off road either.

Posted 2 years ago #
crazy-legs - Member

Surely a nice wide MTB bar gives you better steering control than those?

Different geometry and you don't really turn the bars on a road bike, you steer by leaning or pushing. Try riding along at a decent rate on the drops. Then push your left hand forwards into the bar. The bike will initially nudge right then very quickly move left, almost without the front wheel moving. Using that countersteer technique can shift the bike around amazingly quickly, use it in conjunction with a bit of lean and the bike will rail corners far beyond the limits of what you thought were possible.

Posted 2 years ago #
ooOOoo - Member

OK, but it gives you finer control. Probably not necessary on most roads I admit.
Made me laugh on the TDF when they described the stage round Monaco as "very technical" - you can fit a F1 car round there FFS!

Posted 2 years ago #
clubber - Member

er - Member
You don't necessarily need wide bars for decent handling off road either.

I know - I actually hate wide bars offroad but really couldn't be bothered to challenge it on a thread about road bikes...

Posted 2 years ago #
clubber - Member

Made me laugh on the TDF when they described the stage round Monaco as "very technical" - you can fit a F1 car round there FFS!

Try riding it on a TT bike, on the tribars, when doing 30+ on super hard, skinny tyres. I'll bet it feels plenty technical

Posted 2 years ago #
aracer - Member

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've never seen the F1 cars go up a big climb like they had on that TT.

Posted 2 years ago #
crazy-legs - Member

Made me laugh on the TDF when they described the stage round Monaco as "very technical" - you can fit a F1 car round there FFS!

If you don't find a section of trail technical you're not riding it fast enough. Unless you're on a motorway pretty much any section of trail or road can be technical given sufficient speed.
TT bike, low position, high speed and a bike really not designed for going round corners and it's technical!

Posted 2 years ago #
sofatester - Member

Made me laugh on the TDF when they described the stage round Monaco as "very technical" - you can fit a F1 car round there FFS!

Never ridden fast on the road have you?

Posted 2 years ago #
cpon - Member

Hello all.

I ride both. On road I ride a new Specialized Allez Sport.

I'm using the road bike for a daily commute as I prefer it to the Scott Sportster I've ridden for the last few years which is now about knackered.

The Allez was £600 and got £60 worth of free goods from Minster Cycles in Beverley.

cp

Posted 2 years ago #
Jimbo - Member

I think those narrow drop bars really scare me!
Surely a nice wide MTB bar gives you better steering control than those?

Different. But not better. If anything my roadbike dances around better than my MTB. As already said it (steering) is not done by heaving on the bars alone: bodyweight and an element of finesse comes into it.

Yes if we had lovely smooth deep black tarmac like the euros, I might consider one...but as Dez says, we don't.

The way many bang on about the supposed state of the roads, you'd expect legions of roadies to be lost down giant potholes and chasms: a veritable compost heap of bodies, lycra, buckled wheels and energy gels. Can't say it's ever troubled me, however. Besides, you're supposed to be rufty-tufty gnar-core well'ard mountain bikers, non? What's a little bump every now and then?

Posted 2 years ago #
pantsonfire - Member

Well I seem to have upset a lot of people on this forum I had better back up my mouth then.

I am off wednesday and weather doesnt look to bad so I will pop the slicks, 10 speed block and Easton carbon bars on the Scandal and have a blast to Glasson and post the time door to door if I cant do it in 2 hours then I will bung a twenty to the RNLI. I wont claim to do the journey back in the same time because I will be pooped but I will give it a go. Will post times weds night.

Posted 2 years ago #
njee20 - Member

How on earth is a 10 speed cassette going to help? And do you really change handlebars to go for a ride?

Too much spare time some people...

Posted 2 years ago #
crazy-legs - Member

And how will we know your times aren't a bit um "creative"..?

Posted 2 years ago #
tinribz - Member

Seems to me this is all totally subjective to terrain, distance and road condition.

My current average round a 15 mile local loop door to door is an hour on the RB and + 5 mins / 1mph on a MTB with semi-slicks. But I can 'sustain' >20mph on the flat bit for a couple of miles near the end relatively smoothly.

It's not that easy making up for 8mph climbs with the state of the back roads where I live even on the downhills.

Posted 2 years ago #
aracer - Member

And do you really change handlebars to go for a ride?

If he's putting a 10 speed block on he's presumably also changing the shifters

Posted 2 years ago #