So I’m a mountain biker through and through. Came to it from a background in mountaineering and love getting high up in the hills and so on. My only experience of road biking has been quite lanes in the Dales/Lakes to link up the trails!

But….This winter I have got increasingly fed up with the weather, the bike cleaning vs riding ratio and my lack of time. And this weekend having watched the TdY I found myself pondering road bikes and googling cycle clubs etc. So for a numpty who knows nothing about road bikes can I have some advice

The million dollar question – how much do I need to spend on the bike. Thinking of using cycle to work, and hoping to spend 500-700 – is this realistic?

I’m confused by the terminology – road bikes, racers, tourers, hybrids etc. What do I want? I thinking of pleasant jaunts round the quiet roads of the Pennines/Dales plus perhaps the occassional commute to work (8miles on B-roads and lanes)

What extra gear do I need, not wanting to spend a fortune initially. Can I start with my MTB clothes and shoes before buying loads of new kit. Will it really make much of a difference to an overweight middle-aged dad???

What sort of distances should I look at to start with? A leisurely half day for me in the Dales is 25-30km with maybe 6-700m climbing, a full day is 50-60 with upto 1300m climbing. How will this relate to the road? A lot of clubs/rides seem to talk about average speeds. On the MTB I average 8-10kph, but this includes faffing, stops, photos, pushing, riding a bit twice etc. What should I aim for initially? How much difference/easier is it riding in a club or group??

Is their anywhere you can hire/demo road bikes for a day before I commit to buying one? I’ve never even riden one so it seems a lot to purchase one before even seeing if I enjoy it

Thanks for the advice

I was in a similar position to yourself. I have a hybrid as a commuter, and whilst its much quicker than a mtb its a lot slower than my road bike. Drop bars or flat bar? What do you want to do with it?
Mainly commuting? Then a flat barred disc equipped bike with full mudguard mounts may be what you need.
My road bike is an ‘endurance’ model, basically means its a little more relaxed in its angles than a full on race bike – if you’re not racing do you really need a full blown race bike?
You can happily start with mtb SPD’s and shoes although I find road specific versions better for me.
Distance is up to you, just get out and ride, you’ll find yourself going further soon enough.

if you’re not racing do you really need a full blown race bike?

Yes of course you do. The whole point of road cycling is the speed and the ease of climbing hills, so buy the best road bike your budget will allow.

I went through exactly the same process as you about seven years ago after getting disenchanted with the mud and the wear and tear and the need to drive everywhere to ride. Here’s what I discovered:

That for an untrained cyclist in their forties or fifties and endurance bike is perfect; I started with a 2006 Specialized Roubaix and now I’m on my third, an SL4, which rides like a dream. Every manufacturer has endurance bikes in their lineup.

That flappy mountain bike clothing is hopeless and irritating on a road bike and there’s a reason for snug-fitting lycra. Wiggle’s own brand dhb is excellent value for money for a starter cyclist.

That you can ride from your front door and come home an hour or two later feeling asolutely beasted.

That your fitness will rocket and your resting heart rate will drop to around 52.

That road bikes come with cheap wheels and it won’t be long before you understand enough about road cycling to want to trade up to some better, lighter, stronger wheels.

You’re lucky in that there are now some great road bikes with disc brakes so you won’t even need to worry about wearing out your rims. Look at Roubaix disc, which has to be one of the best all-rounders – we have ridden our Roubaixs with rim brakes on gravel and stony tracks without problem. However the new “gravel” bikes are eevn more flexible, being half way between a roadie and a cyclo cross bike and built to take quite fat tyres.

Budget around £500 to £1000 for a good starter although Decathlon offer excellent value entry-level bikes.

MTB shoes will be fine with matching pedals.In fact all your clothes will be fine, but expect some odd looks from ‘real’ cyclists.
As to the bike, depends on lots of things (like mountain bikes).

Er.. Globalti, you Sa you need a full blown race bike but then go on to talk about endurance bikes – which is exactly my point! Race bikes and endurance bikes are very different beasts. A middle aged bloke who’s never ridden a road bike before isn’t going to be anywhere near flexible enough for a full on race bike, but will happily get on with the more relaxed position of an endurance model.
Also look at the gearing. Where do you live/how hilly is it?
Lincolnshire fens etc & you’ll be fine with the bigger gears of a 52/39 racing set up, if you live in Devon you may prefer a compact 50/34 chsinset.
I live in the Pennines and find a 50/34 with a 28T cassette to be fine for me but everyone I different. But to give you an example, a mate of mine who is a former old school roadie sneers at compact chainsets yet isn’t anywhere near fit enough now for a full size one and really struggles with 39/25 gearing on our steep hills.

This is whats confusing me! All these different types of bikes – endurance/racing and so on. What is an endurance bike? I know I don’t want a hybrid. If I want to bimble with the kids along the canal I’ll take my mountain bike. I want a bike thats easy to ride on the road, to cover a reasonable distance and cope with big hills – I live on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. And all this talk of gears really confuses me!!!

beg steal or borrow one before you commit money some just cant adapt to the different position and drops etc you can burn some money like that, or buy a cheapy old bike on ebay and see if its for you.

For me when I bought my first road bike after years of mountain biking, I have to say it felt weird but the pace is remarkable. I’d suggest siting on a few bikes at your local shops or mates bikes to get an idea of what feels right. Budget will easily get you something reasonable.

Spd’s and mountain biking footwear will be fine. I had Lycra and bibs anyway which I wear under baggies so ditch the loose clothes and you’ll be fine.

OP – race bikes and endurance bikes look very similar, both are drop barred road bikes just with different geometry.
Basically speaking a race bike is longer and with a lower head tube for that flat backed stretched out racing position, whilst an endurance bike is typically a little shorter and with a taller headtube and more relaxed riding position.
Most Endurance bikes will come with a compact chsinset, that’s a 50T big ring & 34T small ring married to a wider ratio cassette. Race bikes typically come with bigger rings up front (53T & 39T) and a tighter ratio cassette. For what you want I would suggest looking at the endurance models, as mentioned most manufacturers have them in their range.

The position thing is odd at first, I have a 44cm frame that came with a 90mm stem. At first it felt horrible & I went down to 70mm, then up to 80mm and now back at 90mm & considering 100mm! I now have 4 different road stems! It will take time to adjust to the new position but it will come.

Exactly Like you , mtber for a long time and got a road bike about 4 years ago to try and improve fitness and give me another option in the winter . I spent £400 on a genesis aether in the sales . One of the things that I liked about road riding was it seemed to me that I was the limiting factor so it was up to me to improve myself rather than the bike . I have just replaced it with an Orange rx9 which they were selling for £550 direct from the website . Being totally honest it’s a much better bike for me , I was never going to be a roadie in the sense of club rides and chain gangs so the bigger tyres and discs on the Orange have helped a lot with comfort on the crappy roads near me and has made going downhill a much more pleasurable experience

Same here, MTBer turned to road riding this winter, it pissed it down in October and hasn’t stopped since, covered nearly 4K All on the road, lost over a stone in weight, my resting heart rate is 52 so that’s not well educated advice from above I dug out my old CX bike that I’d never really ridden and gradually turned it into a road going variant with some nice bits on,

My advice would be to look at a Cyclo Cross bike, for lanes and rough roads mine can’t be beaten in my experience.

My resting HR is around 40 bpm at the moment, doesn’t mean much in comparison to anyone else anyway.
There a some lovely bikes out there now, I’ll suggest the OP thinks about what he wants to do and then look at bikes. The problem is ending up with several bikes that all do roughly the same thing!

Go to a good roadie shop and ask them. A Giant Defy or similar would be ideal. Like race bikes but with a more relaxed geometry. Lots of places call them Sportive bikes.

I got my first road bike cheap from the classifieds on here when road riding was still a little unpopular on STW. Sold it for the same price I paid 4 years later after a couple of thousand KM.

Be realistic about what you’re going to do with the bike and buy accordingly. For the first bike, like with MTB, it’s the best way to be. I have a mate who rides road with his CX but he does have a full-on carbon road bike for longer road rides as he finds it more comfortable when the going is pure tarmac. The CX is his commuter which involves a little singletrack and he used it in all the spring classic sportives as it a) has discs and b) easier gearing.

I had a CX briefly but had no real need for one so sold it as I’d never take it offroad in a situation where an MTB wouldn’t be “better”.

OK, bike wise, let me break it down a little:
Aero road bikes – Generally stiff, expensive and very fast on the flat. In truth, not something you’ll need to worry about at your price range. Look at the Giant Propel for a good example.
“Normal” road bikes – Emphasis on light weight and a good all round option, position can seem a bit aggressive for those who are new to road cycling, this is basically how all road bikes looked up until 5 years ago when they started to diversify. Giant TCR is a good example of this.
Endurance bike – Normally a more relaxed position and less stiff frame, marketed nor long rides but in truth are a very good option for those who don’t want an arse up, head down option. Look for a Giant Defy.
Gravel/gnarmac/enduroad – A slacker version of the above with more clearance and bigger tyres, often disc brakes too.

For you, I’d look at an endurance bike, most big names have them in the range, Giant Defy, Spec Roubaix, Trek Domane and they’re all much of a muchness, buy the one you like the look of, from a dealer who’ll help get the fit right and you’ll be fine. Whilst you’re buying get a small saddle bag to stash a tube and a multi tool, a small pump to put in a pocket or mount on the frame and a couple of bottles and cages as a camelback (IMO) just doesn’t work on the road.

In terms of kit, you can get away with your MTB stuff but road specific stuff is just plain better for the job in hand. You may not like Lycra for example but it is the best tool for the job. As a start, get some bibs shorts, a jersey with pockets at the back and take the peak of your helmet. MTB shoes are fine to begin with. In time, road shoes and pedals are worth looking at as is the murky world of roadie accessories such as arm and knee warmers, gillets and other such filth.

Merlin Cycles have some bloody good deals on road bikes at the moment, this one https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-ff1-105-mix-road-bike-84204.html for example. Someone here might be able to read the geometry chart to tell you if it’s likely to be a full bore race machine. I’d expect not at that price point and you could always turn the stem upside down.

OP I bought a road bike 5 years ago as like a lot of people I got fed up having to drive to proper MTB places,& spending as much time getting the mud off as riding the bike .
I bought a Specialized Allez. They’re very different beasts compared to MTB’s so whatever you buy will feel alien at first but you’ll pick it up quickly.
I don’t do the roadie club chaingang stuff so I can’t comment on that,but I like going off on my own & either doing a regular loop for keeping fit or going exploring quiet lanes miles away.The Allez has been great for this & only cost approx £750 in a sale.
In your position I’d have a look at some of those ‘Gravel’ bikes or a road bike with relaxed geometry,just read some reviews
You could always get something that’s been a bit of a dust collector & move it later if you want to spend more money
Regarding clothes Wiggles own brand DHB stuff is great value.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t just buy a bike online because it’s a bargain.

Find a well regarded local shop and ask them for advice on bike choice and, most importantly, set up.

You might end up with a bike which has a lower spec, but on a road bike getting the fit right us far more important.

Don’t go falling in love with the first road bike you try. Ride one from each of the big names.

Lots of people on here are making it more complicated than it needs to be.

You don’t need an “endurance bike” (whatever that is) and you don’t need disc brakes. Yes, you can use your MTB pedals and you can wear what you like.

You don’t need to overthink it. Go into 3Peaks Cycles – they have a couple of bikes in your price range from established manufacturers. Try them out.

Once you’ve been riding for a bit you may or may not decide to get lycra clothes and road pedals. You might decide you’d like to upgrade a component on your bike. You won’t know all this until you start riding. So take the plunge and have fun.

Start with a Giant Defy. Budget to suit. Not too cheap because the weight will rob you of the true road bike experience. Alloy frame, carbon forks and Tiagra or 105 groupset. Buy some nice tyres immediately. Enjoy.

There is a huge amount of choice (like mtb’s) and many flavours. But the Defy is the right side of race bike geometry to make it a good choice for the beginner. And might be more bike than you will ever need – or not, depending on where you go. I’d personally avoid disc brakes at the moment, because nice light used wheels for rim brakes make a very nice upgrade.

Obvious Disclaimer – I have three Giant Defy’s from Cheapest to nicest 😉 And have raced one. I also have a “proper” RACE bike, which I shall race later this evening.

Go to your local LBS and ask to take a road bike out for a bit

You can use all the same kit you have for MTBing right from the start

You just need a different bike

The other option is a 2nd set of wheel for your bike, or some slick on your current wheels. Won’t be the same but it’ll let you get out in the short term

To compare the two, I think you can triple the distances from mtb to road, but its difficult to be accurate on it. I find I can be out loads on the mtb or road bike and then switching to the other, I find quite hard. Its different fitness and muscle needs for me.

Both experiences are quite different – road is more beasting yourself, especially up the hills. And the efficiency of it all in seeing the sights, in your own space, or getting into fast group rides. Mtb is about the fun descents, the mates and the beers. Both great and both totally different.

Go for an endurance bike from a shop that will spend time sizing the right bike and then get one in your budget. You don’t need to spend thousands – mine cost £650 and since then I’ve added some good tyres and some bargain RS61 wheels from Merlin, which transformed the bike.

I bought an ‘Adventure’ type bike. Alloy frame, carbon fork, disc brakes and nice low gearing for hill climbing. Its been brilliant, comfy and fast enough. Used it all winter, out once or twice a week getting fit. I wouldn’t call myself a roadie but i’m now doing 75-80% of my leisure miles on road. Still won’t stop me from heading onto the trails on my MTB whenever I get the chance though!

Get a light weight race bike for the full “road bike” experience; an aerodynamic position with great handling. Ideal if you just want to go as quick as you can.

Get an Endurance bike if you want to look at the scenery. Quite refreshing for a couple of hours after work. Although they often end up with an MTB style setup and hence aren’t as fast and don’t handle as well as a proper roadie.