[Closed] Mountain Bikers Who Ride Road Bikes

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.

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...

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

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.

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

While you're at it you could change the frame for something a bit lighter. You might find you need some bigger wheels as well and thinner tyres. In fact you could call it a "road" bike...

😉

crazy-legs - Member

While you're at it you could change the frame for something a bit lighter. You might find you need some bigger wheels as well and thinner tyres. In fact you could call it a "road" bike...

😆

Are some people trying to say an mtb with slicks is as fast as a road bike?
Because it's not. Fact.
I recently had to do my commute on my mtb and it was hard work all the way. I missed the fast rolling, lack of resistance of the 23Cs, i missed the 52 big ring, I missed the drop bar geometry. Had to pedal for nearly the whole 12 miles - even downhill.
I must say its the only time I did miss my road bike!
There's more to life than going fast you know. 😉

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Had my road bike 'bout a year - really love it - soooo fast - corners like it,s on rails - just give it a lean over - Has made me realise how fast i can take a corner - on road or my fave bit of singletrack.
Everyone should give it a go - i was a "dyed in the wool" mtber (since back in the day - 1990 ish!!)now i ride both & wish i'd started earlier.

[i]I am off wednesday and weather doesnt look to bad so I will pop the slicks, 10 speed block and Easton carbon bars[/i]

Sorry to bring this one up again but I'm a bit confused here. How do you get a 10 speed road block to work with, I presume, 9 speed shifters? I thought you would need to use some sort of flat bar hybrid type shifters to run 10 speed. You're also swapping the bars? Crazy, what will this achieve?

I do know where I'm going wrong though now so I'll try some easton riser bars on my road bike and see if I can up my average speed.

Looking forward to Wednesdays creativity.

Bonkers.

Spending £1000s on a bike that can only go on tarmac....that's really bonkers 😆

Averaged 20mph into work (though traffic as well) this morning INCLUDING stops at lights, junctions etc.

If it wasn't so windy I'd be claiming my Prophet with 36 Floats weighed 25lb as well 😀

[i]Spending £1000s on a bike that can only go on tarmac....that's really bonkers[/i]

Not if you've got the money to spend, it's all toys.

"Spending £1000s on a bike that can only go on tarmac....that's really bonkers"
Perhaps you underestimate the amount of technology & engineering in road frames these days
IMHO a road bike probably needs to be better aligned than a mountainbike.!!??

[i]Averaged 20mph into work (though traffic as well) this morning INCLUDING stops at lights, junctions etc.[/i]

If I push it on my SS road bike I can get that too on my commute into work. Unfortunately the ride home is all uphill and my average speed drops quite dramatically! 🙁

WARNING! Anti-fashion post

The reason I'm posting this is to share my own experience as a MTBer riding a road bike but also to protect you and other people from sheep-like fashion nazis lacking their own confidence (fitness?) and style.
Use and wear the stuff you really want and need, not the one what fashion dictates.

TYRES
Forget 23mm tyres and go for 25-28mm instead. In real life (bad roads) you'll be as fast or faster but with plenty of comfort and reduced risk of pinch flats. Nothing reduces your average speed more than punctures:)

PEDALS
Go for MTB clipless pedals if you don't want to walk like a duck and want to clip in quickly and reliably. With stiff shoes there wont be any noticable difference in power transfer.

HELMET
Instead of a cool looking (?) peakless helmet use an MTB one with adjustable visor. I find a peak very usefull on a road
as it protects your eyes not just from the sun but also from car lights. You can always adjust it if you spend more time on drops.

HYDRATION
Your Camelback doesn't care what bike you ride so if it works well offroad than there's no reason why it wouldn't work on a road. When you really hammer it at your treshold on a bad busy road, the last thing you want to do is to reach for a bottle.

CLOTHES
Wear what's comfortable not what fashion Gestapo wants you to wear. If you have legs and speed to show, no one will care what shorts you wear. If they do they are t***s

GEARS
Compact double chainset is the way to go. There's also no shame in using larger cassettes like 12-28, 12-30 as it allows you to spin nicely. Hammering up the hill feels macho but you'll be more efficient spinning.

I hope that helps. Good luck with your purchase 🙂

Hi

I've got 5 road bikes and four MTB (yep super bike nerd). I love riding both, it just gives you a different kind of buzz. It also give you a chance to do so many different things. I've done for instance 5day stage road races, La Marmotte, Belgian classics (Paris-Roubaix sportif x3), track racing, 10000 people mass start Fondo's in Italy. All great experiences. Plus all things that MTBing can offer. Bike's I love'em!

Tony

Crazylegs, downhill with a tailwind is the only way I get up to "quite slow" by STW standards as well 🙂

Obviously we'll ignore the ride home on the average as that will be about 14mph at best unless the wind drops.

[i]Obviously we'll ignore the ride home on the average as that will be about 14mph at best unless the wind drops.[/i]

Lol, I know the feeling. 20 mile ride home last night into a 20 something mph headwind across an exposed moor, got blown all over the place, haevy rain, average speed 13.9mph. Still loved it though. Was a fair bit slower than the morning 19.6mph.

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

which is why some road bikes don't have 73 head angles and 23c tyres, they're like mtb's and come in different styles.

a road bike can be the most fun thing on a fast descent.. i'd go as far as saying that 55mph or so during a 20km + alpine descent is about the biggest buzz i've ever had on a bike. get the bike set up well and feel confident in the amount of consistent grip available and it makes the climbs more than worth it. UK roads aren't as smooth in general, and the hills are smaller, but they're usually steeper too 🙂

almost every mountain biker i know has a road bike - i got one years back after noticing that the guys who'd bought one were way faster after a winter of road miles. and then you realise how much fun they can be, just in a different way to mtbs.

I'm sure they are. But for the financially constrained like myself, a pair of slicks for the HT is a significantly cheaper & more versatile arrangement.
If I'm on the road and see an interesting looking bridleway, I want to be able to ride it fast! The roadies I sometimes follow seem to have to avoid every manhole, drain, rough section of road etc.
Maybe a CX bike would be as close as I'd get 😕

Yeh a cx bike is good for trail finding - it works like this, I see something interesting whilst out on the road bike, if its a fair distance from home I'll go out another day and check it out on the cx bike. No point struggling on the road for 15 miles on the mtb to ride a 100 metres off road.

Avoiding potholes isn't really that much of an issue.

ooOOoo - Member

The roadies I sometimes follow seem to have to avoid every manhole, drain, rough section of road etc.

They don't have to, they choose to for comfort and to avoid punctures. If you've got a set of slicks on your MTB it'd probably be sensible to do the same...

CX bike is not the way to go IMO. If you ride to work on the road then buy a road bike with mounts. I agree with Dez about riding on the road, its good to save money on juice and be green. Its not so good when lorrys and women drivers are cliping your bars! at 50-60MPH. I don't mind riding a road bike to get to work or to get from A-B. I just find it hard to motivate my self riding on depressing country lanes and busy dual carriage ways, for no real reason but fitness. I prefer to see rabbits, owls, horses, various other wildlife and stroking labrador retrievers and chatting to walkers and bikers. As opposed to tossers in cars shouting and piss taking out of there Saxo or Clio windows as they drive past giving you an inch of room, grumpy stuck up roady riders and feeling like a second class citizen!

I think its Marmite thing! I hate Marmite

Road riding is just like mountain biking but WITH OUT the fun!

I'm with you there Seth. Roads are for cars these days! Too busy out there for it to be fun. Plus you can't stop when you feel like it, which I do often on the MTB. Even on my commute I'd rather take the longer, cycle path route as the crossings give me something interesting to ride through!

And you don't need to dodge anything on 2.3 slicks 😛

I aim to average 10mph on the road. Usually means I have lots of nice long stops for a cup of tea and a look at the view. (Average based on total journey time including stops)

I don't like speedos - they keep tempting me to go faster than I want, especially when it's hovering just below the 50mph mark*

I only have one so I know the distance covered for navigation purposes. Are there any like the old mileometer type which show only distance covered?

I prefer a cross type bike for the road because it means I can poke my nose up any interesting tracks I see. I just have a single speed because I have not yet worked out what gears are for. Maybe when I'm old and frail...

*slight exaggeration, but with so many TdF riders on this forum, I don't wish to embarrass myself by admitting my real top speed. Let's just say the world hour record is safe from me.

I just have a single speed because I have not yet worked out what gears are for

Gears are for not having to coast down hills slowly 😈

Thats a highly original thing to say Whos_Daddy, if you're not enjoying it then you're obvioulsy not doing it right. Why do you say it's not any fun?

It's all bikes, its all fun.

Interesting thread, it's inspired me to do this: http://www.singletrackworld.com/blogs/2009/09/road-is-all-the-rage

Gary_M - Member

I am off wednesday and weather doesnt look to bad so I will pop the slicks, 10 speed block and Easton carbon bars

Sorry to bring this one up again but I'm a bit confused here. How do you get a 10 speed road block to work with, I presume, 9 speed shifters? I thought you would need to use some sort of flat bar hybrid type shifters to run 10 speed. You're also swapping the bars? Crazy, what will this achieve?

I do know where I'm going wrong though now so I'll try some easton riser bars on my road bike and see if I can up my average speed.

Looking forward to Wednesdays creativity.

Bonkers.

Gary I have only got 2 gears on the scandal at the moment stood up pedalling and sat down pedalling it also doesnt have bars that will fit 10 speed shifters (mary bars) I would like to fit some gears if only to get me up all those massive 10 foot climbs I need to do..

I really have upset you havent I cant think why all I can say is I am sorry but If its okay with you I am going to have a go at backing up my big mouth it will probably go completely wrong but at least I am having a go.

 

I bought a relatively cheap road bike (focus vario) about just over 18 months ago, really just to stick on the turbo, rather then waste a perfectly good MTB. Then as the weather got better I took it out on the road. The fact that I enjoyed it took me by surprise. Over this last year I have spent nearly as much time on the road bike as on MTBs.
I guess I’m lucky as I can be up in the Yorkshire Dales in less then an hours ride. Careful route planning enables me to ride an quite back roads so other then heading out of the suburbs of Leeds I tend not to have to deal too much of traffic
Its taken me time to get the bike set up correctly and learn to ride it properly, and understand that they are very different to a MTB – but I love the speed & response of the road bike and how hard you can push them through corners and downhill.
I still see it as a training tool, it means I can ride my MTB faster and harder and have more fun on it – at the end of the day all riding is good

I had one of my toughest days on a bike today and it was the one with 700mm wheels. Visiting my parents in Scotland, rode solo up into the Highlands from Perth and what felt like a hurricane. By the time I crested above Kenmore the bike was barely moving....first 45km took 2.5hrs, did another 100km after that. I swear I almost cried. Good though, harder than MTB I reckon......nowhere to hide on a road bike, especially with a speedo screaming "Nonce!" if you come off the pace.

Of all the riding i've done in the last year, highlands camping trips, Innerliethen downhilling, Edinburgh singletrack, a Merdia marathon, a WHW end-to-end attempt and some long road rides, I have to admit the most fun i've had is on the road bike sprinting up a long winding climb outside of Inverness, in the drizzle, while listening to the Black Angels.

Scottish scenery + epic music + a bloody fast bike that won't stop till your heart does = a pretty potent combination!

</heresy>

should re name this thread road riders who ride mountain bikes.

maybe we should do a big STW road ride, film it and give it to the big teams to bid for us, or even better entr us into a road race event 😉

pantsonfire I'm not in the slightest bit upset, all I asked was what 10 speed shifters are you using - simple enough question I would have thought.

I just thought it was a bit crazy to swap bars to go on a road ride, but now I realise as you ride the bike as a singlespeed you must also be fitting front and rear mechs as well then I find it even more mad.

So what shifters are you using?

and a longer chain! and some gear cable and a rear cassette!

I went from riding a road bike back to a mtb. Even did a few TT back in the day.
I find riding on the road boring - its not a challenge and dislike being in traffic.

I commute daily on my hardtail mtb to liven it up a bit - at least I can manual and muck about.

Gary I have only got 2 gears on the scandal at the moment stood up pedalling and sat down pedalling it also doesnt have bars that will fit 10 speed shifters (mary bars) I would like to fit some gears if only to get me up all those massive 10 foot climbs I need to do..

I really have upset you havent I cant think why all I can say is I am sorry but If its okay with you I am going to have a go at backing up my big mouth it will probably go completely wrong but at least I am having a go.

Punctuation would go a long way. You can fit 10 speed flat bar shifters to Mary bars if you want surely?

Are you really going to rebuild your bike just to go and do one ride? Or are you going to come on here, cock in hand, and say you did it at a 45mph average and actually your chain snapped and you severed your legs in the resulting fall and had to crawl the remaining 75 miles on your face?

Owwwwwwwwwww that hurt the pain the pain booohoooo I have bust my ego 😥

2 hours 27 mins for 39.6 miles

I am going to have to face it my mouth is faster than my legs 😆

Oh well £20 to the RNLI so it was in a good cause and I had some nice beer and a big bowl of ring sting chilli in a pub in Garstang on the way back

Now then where was I

I can do 17ish for 40 miles and about 12 mph on the way back

Have you been thinking in KPH by any chance?

Oh - and well done for being such a man about it...

Of course if it hadnt been for the wind
.
.
.

Only joking 😆

2 hours 27 mins for 39.6 miles

and good job for being honest, but the wind does play a big factor 😉

Good effort! 😀