[Closed] Mountain biking is better for your health and fitness than road

You may have a point but too many other variables...

- The work/rest/up/down/stop/start/HIIT nature of it

no

Fitness is a side-effect of me loving riding bikes rather than any sort of objective.

Cynic-al: Loads of other variables, absolutely loads, totally right. I'm dealing in generalisations here and think for the average person they will get better health benefits from mountain bike style riding than road.

Thomthumb: Well argued.

The roadies i know are way fitter than the MTB ers, god love you but roadies dont need baggies or carry pies on rides

MTB ers rest going downhill as well - pathetic

I find that road riding improves my fitness far more quickly than MTBing.

It's better for your health from the perspective that you don't have to avoid being runover

very obviously..

particularly mental health.. 😀

Altaz: Totally agree, but it's a nice side effect that adds to the experience. Especially nice if I enjoy MTBing more as well.

Taff: Another good point.

Yunki: Again a good point. I know some people like the "time to think" aspect of road cycling, but for me the more social aspect of MTB riding is far more beneficial to mental health and well being.

I guess it depends what you see as your ideals when it comes to health and fitness. If it's super low bodyfat, a skinny power to weight ratio body and a high VO2 max as the ideals of health and fitness then you have a point. I however don't, I prefer an more all-round fitness, skill development, and not having to mess around with my system and insulin levels by eating endless carbs.

I think for the average bloke out there this favours MTBing.

1) Road for fitness.
2) Off road for bike handling skills.

I think that I'm at the point where 2) is slowing me down on the trails. That and no suspension. I had no trouble dropping people on the inclines at Gorrick, implying that fitness derived from road riding is fine. Of course they caught me on the descents.

you only have to look at the ratio of corpulent to slim mtb'ers compared to roadies to see that your theory is wrong.

a lot of mtb'ers are carrying extra round the middle because of the stop-start pie-eating nature of a lot of the U.K. mtb scene.

Road riding for fitness, there's too much time spent not peddling on the mtb imo. Although the rough terrain of mountain bike is better for your long term bone health, I think.

HIT needs to be structured, not just ride up hill, ride down hill stuff.

hmanchester - Member

Compared to the steady state grinding of road cycling.

This is the key part.

Road riding is constant, no rests (unless you stop) and most of the time i'd say around 80% of maximum effort.

Having said that I see your point. More body movement on a MTB

I agree, I'm always amazed at how fat roadies are, and how slim and beautiful mtbers are....

Road riding is constant, no rests (unless you stop) and most of the time i'd say around 80% of maximum effort.

Er, no. Sprints for town signs, hills, flats, downhills, taking turns on the front vs hiding at the back etc etc.

Maybe people ride mountain bikes as it is fun and that is while there are all sorts of shapes and sizes. I go riding with some roadies and they are super fast on the flat and slight inclines so they are generally faster than me but on steep or technical climbs or downhill. I suppose on a mountain bike you do not really get any benefit on momentum on a lot of surfaces so I do not spin as much.

MTBing gives me more of an all-over body workout.
Road riding does more for my endurance, which improves my MTBing.

Generally.

Is what I find, anyway.

And of course any moving bike is going to work you core much more than an exercise bike... Even more so over rough terrain. I reckon given the same amount of pedal time MTB would be tougher on you than road riding, obviously in the real world roadies spend far longer in the saddle.

finbar - Member

Er, no. Sprints for town signs, hills, flats, downhills, taking turns on the front vs hiding at the back etc etc.

Ok, well more constant. With the above you are always putting in effort, all be it slight more in some cases. Guess what i was saying is that with MTB you often get rest periods.

I reckon given the same amount of pedal time MTB would be tougher on you than road riding

[i] I reckon given the same amount of pedal time MTB would be tougher on you than road riding[/i]

what does this even mean? 'pedal time'? does twiddling along in 22-32 for 2 mintes and pushing >400W in 53-11 for 2 minutes both = 2 minutes 'pedal time'?

what does this even mean?

that whoever wrote that has never really ridden a road bike at a reasonable speed for a few hours without stopping?

[i]that whoever wrote that has never really ridden a road bike at a reasonable speed for a few hours without stopping? [/i]
FAIL.

Suspect it depends on where and how you are riding. Quite a few chunky riders of both disciplines around 🙂

Put in the miles on intense routes in either and you get results.

I love both but prefer off road because of the health hazards associated with the Great British motorist!

If I have limited time, then I'll get fitter spending that time on my road bike than I will on my mtb - assuming that I'm going to use my mtb for riding off road - too much time coasting or not pedalling when mtbing. And if riding with mates, too much time stopping to chat 🙂

MTB ers rest going downhill as well - pathetic

If you're resting going downhill you're missing half the fun! Downhill done right is as physically demanding as uphill but with much more fun as a reward.

I reckon my road bike gets me fitter quicker than my mtb, but occasionally wonder about the car fumes I must be breathing in on the roads can't be doing me much good!

OP I guess my point is that most mtb'rs are pretty casual and most doing road alone are much less so.

I also know plenty of mtb'rs who are lazy ****ers and never work hard-22-34 makes this possible.

I use the road for my fitness and the weekend for bombing about enjoying the trails

My heart rate going down hill tends to be higher than the flat.

Fitness is a side-effect of me loving riding bikes rather than any sort of objective.

This.

MrSmith - Member

you only have to look at the ratio of corpulent to slim mtb'ers compared to roadies to see that your theory is wrong.

Self selection? MTBing is (I believe) more approachable for the non-athletic.

According to my consultant, there's also a very strong correlation between osteoperosis and road cycling- it's a very low impact activity in which you sometimes sweat a lot, for a long time, therefore reducing calcium levels. Whereas there's no reliable indication of a link with mountain biking (though that could be down to a lack of info)

Personally I ride despite the health benefits, but I could do without even brittler bones so that sounds like a good thing.

The point of that report is that 3 minutes intense exercise is better than nothing so don't think you can apply that to compare road vs MTB.

IME road biking is more consistent so you effectively get a longer / bigger workout for a given amount of time.

No body told me while mt biking you were supposed to stop and eat pies.

They are different sports. Haven't we all been out with the supposedly super fit roadies who aren't experienced mountain bikers only to find them busted and floundering on a moderately challenging ride? I have.

Furthermore I've been going out on night rides (mtb) with a few roadies this winter, the first time for them and they are reporting huge improvements in climbing strength when they get back on the road bike, something echoed by their clubmates who are left trailing behind them.

Riding on the road will improve your cardiovascular fitness for spinning a big gear at a high cadence for a long time. This will have a beneficial effect on aspects of mountain biking which require you to do the same. Mountainbiking is a much more dynamic sport which requires a more general type of fitness.

There are plenty of fat roadies out there too, but in general i would say if you take body fat percentage, lung capacity and heart rate as indicators of fitness then the majority of them will conform to what people regard as fit. In the same way as you would marathon runners I suppose. Neither of whom would last very long in the boxing ring though, when subjected to that type of endurance. Horses for courses etc

super fit?
[img] [/img]

If I have limited time, then I'll get fitter spending that time on my road bike than I will on my mtb - assuming that I'm going to use my mtb for riding off road - too much time coasting or not pedalling when mtbing. And if riding with mates, too much time stopping to chat

Exactly my experience too. I had a great MTB ride with mates at the weekend. It was social, it was fun and in places required some skillz. However I didn't feel very exercised at the end of it. Had I spent the same time on my road bike I won't have had as much fun but would have covered 3 or 4 times the distance and been properly knackered.

Find much better fitness benefits from MTBing than road cycling but this could be a commitment/enjoyment/willingness thing. Griding out the miles is exactly how it feels at times on a road bike...

The roadies i know are way fitter than the MTB ers, god love you but roadies dont need baggies or carry pies on rides

MTB ers rest going downhill as well - pathetic

+1 to this.

I like riding my mountain bike but I like riding my road bike too, which is better?

There's only one way to find out...

The fact that MTBers arn't lycra clad ponces that eat the odd pie on a trail is partly why I like the sport.

Mountain biking is just better.

my experience is that roadies are fitter and stronger, but i find if i spend a lot of time on the road i lack a little kick, by this I mean that when riding off road, because of the nature of trails, twisty, short climbs etc, i need to apply a lot of power but only for a very short burst. On the road i don't apply as much power as frequently, but the average on the road is i suspect higher because the riding is more steady state.

Mountain biking is better for your health and fitness because of:

Depends if you're talking about a average punter or an already fit bloke?

I would have pointed new riders in the way of MTB for general fitness and good health. However since running this club I've seen lots of newcomers to cycling ditch their MTBs in favour of road bikes. The new riders fitness since turning to road comes on in leaps and bounds. Though when I've looked into it I've found the reasons are simple.
1) They won't ride MTBs in the winter months due to the quagmire.
2) They've often needed to factor in a drive to the start, so no car for the missus.
3) They simply don't know the best places to ride off road.
4) The bikes they've bought have fallen apart or they can't/wont keep up with the maintenance.
So now I'd recommend one of the many road clubs that pop up now.

For the already fit. It depends what you put in, but I'd say road. I'd say I'm fitter and faster than a lot of my MTBing mates but I can and do get left behind by non fitness related skills.

Furthermore I've been going out on night rides (mtb) with a few roadies this winter, the first time for them and they are reporting huge improvements in climbing strength when they get back on the road bike, something echoed by their clubmates who are left trailing behind them.

Sorry but this made me almost shout out aloud 'utter tripe' totally without doubt the other way around. Unless you mean someone who has just bought a road bike rather than a roadie or roadman

Although I managed just fine without it for a few months, I did notice a big improvement in my fitness and weight loss when I started riding road again.