Think it's a location thing really, personally riding on the road frightens the life out of me at times so I struggle to enjoy it. Rather be out of the hustle and bustles way in the sticks.
Each to their own though, whatever strikes your match.
I also moved from mountain to road due to being able to go on a ride without needing a two hour drive. The more I got into road riding the more I enjoyed it. A large part may be down to the clothing
I have to agree with the convenience thing. 99% of my riding is off road, but only because it's convenient and I'm off road 100yds from my front door with miles of trail to play on. If I had to drive to mtb then I think 99% of my riding would be road (assuming the road riding from my door was any good). All down to limited time and getting the most out of my 'me' time.
I was a dyed in the wool mtb'r for around 5 years and couldn't for the life of me fathom why ANYONE would prefer riding around boring roads with no features 🙄
Been mostly a sour faced roadie for last 10 years with the odd foray off road 😆
A good mtb ride beats a good road ride but it's much harder to get a good mtb ride than road. Easier to get out on the road bike too.
I think the OP lives near Leek and if you ask me it has some of the best road riding in the country. I spent a big chunk of the summer training for my Pyrenees holiday in the Staffordshire Moorlands and its fantastic on a road bike. There is good mountain biking locally but it's a slog to get to without getting in the car.
I've spent much more time on the road bike in the past six months and i'm a much better mountain biker for it. A year ago I was the slowest in my group now i'm the fastest but I usually stay at the back chatting on a group ride.
I think the OP lives near Leek
Argh! I'm being stalked 🙂 You are of course correct.
I can report that I did, in fact, get out on the MTB tonight. It could not have been further removed from a road ride with plenty of hike-a-bike and techy riding/walking. It were grand 🙂
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5803/21894901145_aae0f9c265_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5803/21894901145_aae0f9c265_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/zmM6iB ]That was a nasty crash[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stilltortoise/ ]stilltortoise[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5646/21273691043_f0d068916c_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5646/21273691043_f0d068916c_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/ypTebB ]Cheeky[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stilltortoise/ ]stilltortoise[/url], on Flickr
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
Both are as good as each other.......the trouble comes when you I have is come Sunday one lot of mates want to go roadie and the other half fat biking???....the truma??.. 😀
TTh can only afford one decent bike, but I'm lucky in where I live on the edge of the Pennines, so an XC hard tail does it all for me.
There are no rules though, ride what you want, where you want.
I've just ridden the road bike and spent the entire time wishing I had got up earlier and got out on the MTB.
Apart from the satisfaction of a long ride it is a ****ing boring way to get fitness. Where's the feeling of speed and excitement? I never get in from a road ride and wish i was still riding unlike with the MTB where i wish I still was.
****ing mundane way to spend an afternoon.
'Road' riding is a necessity round here as there are no hills or trails for miles. About 1% of the riding I do is off road. However off road is what I look forward to and is my occasional treat. Also motivates me to at least keep a low Base level of fitness for the times I do manage to escape for the day.
You poor thing. Hopefully it'll wear off.
There's only crap mountain biking in my area. I tried organizing rides on a local forum but stone cold zero interest in going local.
Despite the crap mountain biking I'd still miss it going roadie.
For these situations, tune the bike for speed, high gears ie roadie cassette, fast rolling high pressure tyres - but not slicks you still want to do xc and ride down steps and drops.
...it is a **** boring way to get fitness. Where's the feeling of speed and excitement?
This could apply either way. Let's face it, it's not just the type of bike you're on that makes a ride good, bad or indifferent. The weather, the terrain, the company and what you had for dinner the night before can all make a difference to how enjoyable the ride is. A fast and twisty road descent is considerably more exciting for me than plodding along the side of a flat and muddy field.
I've rarely if ever been disappointed by a road ride; they're all good. I have had quite a few MTB rides that haven't met expectations though. So back to my OP, I guess I've realised that if I want a guaranteed enjoyable ride, road is the best bet.
A fast and twisty road descent is considerably more exciting for me than plodding along the side of a flat and muddy field.
That's a pish argument. Of course a road descent is going to be more fun than a flat field, it's apples and oranges innit?. You're basing your preferences on your locality, which is fine and totally understandable, but your locality is the defining part of this story.
If you lived somewhere that had better mountain biking, would you feel the same?.
That's a pish argument
Yes, yes it is, but it wasn't meant to be an argument. I was just responding to JoeFM's question "where's the speed and excitement?" in relation to road cycling. I'm not naive enough to try and argue that road is better than MTB or vice versa. I love them both and [i]my[/i] circumstances mean I lean to one more often than the other. I do struggle to comprehend roadies who hate MTB and MTBers who hate road though. Some of the reasons I've heard given from people who don't like road riding suggest they've never had the opportunity to ride somewhere good.
This thread isn't the first (and probably won't be the last 😆 ) road vs MTB thread I've contributed to, but I've always maintained that (my) locality is a huge influence on the riding I choose and prefer to do. Even moving 12 miles south from Buxton (my home town) to Leek changed the the riding I choose to do. This is down to a number of factors but way up near the top was the quality of what was on my doorstep.
If you lived somewhere that had better mountain biking, would you feel the same?.
Nope, as I admitted further up the thread.
I've not read any of the above but I denoted you are weird from your op, go see someone loser!
That's a pish argument
Yes, yes it is, but it wasn't meant to be an argument. I was just responding to JoeFM's question "where's the speed and excitement?" in relation to road cycling. I'm not naive enough to try and argue that road is better than MTB or vice versa. I love them both and my circumstances mean I lean to one more often than the other. I do struggle to comprehend roadies who hate MTB and MTBers who hate road though. Some of the reasons I've heard given from people who don't like road riding suggest they've never had the opportunity to ride somewhere good.This thread isn't the first (and probably won't be the last ) road vs MTB thread I've contributed to, but I've always maintained that (my) locality is a huge influence on the riding I choose and prefer to do. Even moving 12 miles south from Buxton (my home town) to Leek changed the the riding I choose to do. This is down to a number of factors but way up near the top was the quality of what was on my doorstep.
If you lived somewhere that had better mountain biking, would you feel the same?.
Nope, as I admitted further up the thread.POSTED 40 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
Fair do's, as ever I couldn't be arsed reading all that shit!. 😆
The problem is, riding a bike that is really really specialized in a certain area.
Road bike is a Ferrari, full suss is a Landrover.
For me, a nice 29er hardtail MTB with fast(ish) XC tyres on is a good compromise. I can ride to the trails in about 40 mins, ride the trails, hit road anytime with little worries, likewise mud, singletrack, rock etc.
I don't think of myself and a 'mountain biker'. rather a 'cyclist'.
XC / trail hardtails with lock out forks means almost anything is kinda fun, ok you aren't gonna be the fastest, but you aren't gonna suffer either. Most bikes are too specialized IMHO, unless you are doing well racing in that genre.
Pick the compromise that means you can cycle from your front door and have a good ride.
For me, a nice 29er hardtail MTB with fast(ish) XC tyres on is a good compromise
Pretty much what I do (slight difference being 26, SS, rigid) with the tyres being key. I use semi slick XC tyres as knobbly tyres too squirmy and slow on the road and just compromise the grip a little off road (while still being very fast rolling).
If I am tired I will increase road ratio, if not then as much in favour of off road as possible. The point is I am not limited where I ride and can change route during the ride. When I used a road bike I just had to ride past all the lanes taking me towards off road routes and look at them longingly.
I enjoy both road riding, and mountain biking, its all good
I have both available on my doorstep (ok, the MTB trails are 2 miles up the road!)
I'll spend mornings before work going mountain biking as the roads around NW London become very congested with motor vehicles
On weekends the roads are much quieter and its easy to enjoy road biking locally, or taking long loops into Surrey or out of NW London into Hertfordshire
