Maybe it's a grass is always greener scenario, but I'm considering getting a shiney new road bike.
I'm getting pretty fed up with cleaning my bike which gets caked in mud every day, as my local trails haven't been dry in about 18 months.
I was going flat out on my MTB commute this morning, and I was overtaken by a roadie who made it look effortless.
Would life be better if I ditched the MTB?
you'll go too fast and suffocate.
Just get one. Mountain bikes are great for mountain biking, road bikes are great for riding on roads. Great fun doing both.
Black ice.
You will clean your road bike just as much, road salt and winter grime will soon destroy it otherwise.
Road bikes ruined my life - Using one caused partial paralysis of most of the muscles in my body.
Now I can't ride at all.
It would only a matter of time before the shear spirit-crushing tedium of it will have you nodding off, falling under a car and dying horribly
If you should live, you'll immediately lose every vestige of your sense of humour and promptly disappear up your own arse
They're shit*
*This isn't actually the case.
Find some long lanes, get off the busy roads n shit and open your eyes n ears and listen to that big fat heart beating in your chest.
Then die a pleasant death.
*Though it could be if you wear multicoloured Lycra, then you deserve all you get.
They're like meth tbh, you know it's not a good idea or socially acceptable, or even all that good compared to the alterntives, but once you've had the idea, you're basically ****ed.
TBH though for my commute I've got an old mtb converted to a hybrid and it's miles better than my road bike- costs nothing to run, better riding position for traffic, nice fat tyres for lumpy roads, and impervious to all harm as it's made out of scaffolding. I'd never take it out instead of the road bike, or the road bike out instead of the commuter, it's just different things.
Road-bike deniers are GAY.
They're horrible, those skinny tyres and big gearing make you go so fast you forget everything and just zone out.
Pretty soon you'll catch yourself not wanting to carry a bag and stuffing everything you need into your pockets.
You might not even stop for cake and prefer to eat riding along.
DON'T DO IT!
Hope that helps.
Lycra 😯
Roadies have 12 different words for tarmac. And 23 different words for boredom. You don't need these in your vocabulary.
You will clean your road bike just as much, road salt and winter grime will soon destroy it otherwise.
Utter pish. I show my road bike a cursory trickle from the hose perhaps once over winter, never had any undue issues.
They're like meth tbh, you know it's not a good idea or socially acceptable, or even all that good compared to the alterntives, but once you've had the idea, you're basically ****ed.
😆
I commute on a road bike. I want my commute to be over ASAP, and a road bike facilitates that!
They're good fun, I'd not be without one. In fact in the last 3 months I've ridden my MTB twice, and done about 1500 miles on the road.
They are very boring, not exciting until you are close to crashing. The only times I have been exhilarated on a road bike were when I was close to death!
They're brilliant-a great addition to any fleet of bikes.
Don't swap your mountain bike for one, get one as well as.
Remember N+1, doesn't really matter what sort of bikes, just N+1
They are one of the biggest improvements for improving your mountain biking.
Commuting you say? N+1 you say?
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5116/5892055346_ae413ac518_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/53860438@N06/5892055346/ ]IMAG0010[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/53860438@N06/ ]Northwindlowlander[/url], on Flickr
I love mine, got so much fitter since riding one. Still tempted to go back to a Langster though, think it would be a better workout for my short rides.
Road bikes ruined my life - Using one caused partial paralysis of most of the muscles in my body.
How did you manage this?
They're like meth tbh, you know it's not a good idea or socially acceptable, or even all that good compared to the alterntives, but once you've had the idea, you're basically ****ed.
Love it 🙂
yeah get one, next thing you know you will be looking at Zipps and ASSOS. Good fun and do alot of good for your fitness
Its a start of a slippery slope
Next will be
Mudguards
Road clothes
A rack
Grey hair
Power output & cadence
A very slippery slope into deviancy........
in the last 3 months I've ridden my MTB twice, and done about 1500 miles on the road.
in the last [u]4[/u] months I've ridden my MTB[u]s[/u] once, and done about [u]1501[/u] miles on the road[u]s[/u].
^^^^this is the type of one-upping behaviour displayed by roadies.
They serve a purpose in getting somewhere efficiently or as a way to gain fitness, but they are also soul crushingly boring instruments of torture.
PS You will still have people flash past you on a road bike when you get a road bike but instead you will no longer have the mountain bike's inefficiency as an excuse 🙂
Discouraging words you wanted - ask Alessandro Ballan perhaps
We get too many roadie threads on stw as it is - DON'T DO IT
You're always a hair's breadth away from death no matter bike you're on I_Ache
😉
Would life be better if I ditched the MTB?
No, if you like MTBs for fun then road bikes don't quite compare. As much as I like my road bikes, I get bored of riding them too regularly and need an off-road fix. Get a basic road bike for doing some miles and feeling the speed, plus a good winter MTB, SS rigid with mud tyres for sliding around in the mud and not cleaning - then winter's not so bad and it's a good combo for general fitness.
Discouraging words - sharing roads with cars can try your patience and makes you appreciate the muddiest trails.
Getting a road bike to do a commute you already do on a mountain bike will surely make you less fit, it may be quicker but you'll get fatter.
Cars
patriotpro - Member
You're always a hair's breadth away from death no matter bike you're on I_Ache
Very very true.
There is still time this year for me to get a hattrick of broken bones.
You'll wear lycra and believe you look good in it.
(You won't)
They are terrible for doing poached eggs.
It's impossible to tile your bathroom with one.
Other than that, they're ace.
You'll have to brag about your winter training camps in Eleven and Twelverife to your roadie mates.
^^^^this is the type of one-upping behaviour displayed by roadies.
Oh, and as of five minutes ago, it seems that the little lady has bought one.
Just like others have said it is a slippery slope.
A few years ago I can remember saying to my mate that I would never get a road bike. Now I own more lycra than a man should ever have. I would post a picture of my bright yellow skin suit but it truely is not decent, and people would need to rinse their eyes with bleach.
Espresso and Panatonne rather than Tea and Fruitcake
Thats is all.
If you peddle quick enough the World revolves around your back wheel whilst you stay stationary.
It does you know.
GP4000's for training rides if you must ask.
[i]Great fun doing both.[/i]
This man is a liar. There is no fun to be had on a road bike.
Mark Cavendish said something to the tune of: "if you can't stand pain, you shouldnt be on a road bike".
^^^ maybe his saddle's too high...
This man is a liar. There is no fun to be had on a road bike.
This is true.
They are soul destroying. I live in a nice area for road riding, and I have a nice road bike, but given the choice, I would never ride road over an MTB. In fact, given the choice, i'd never ride road at all.
However, they are very good for fitness which I cannot deny. I used to commute in my old job and it was an easy way to get decent miles in so it bought my fitness on leaps & bounds, which in turn made riding my MTB more enjoyable.
Occasionally I got a sense of achievement on it, like riding up the 21 turns at Alpe D'Huez when I went out to do the Mega, but that's about it.
Mine stays strapped to the turbo trainer now.
Owning a road bike is one step closer to being a triathlete - on that basis we should all sell our road bikes now, but I'd feel too daft in a crop-top and pippi-longstockings so I'm safe.
Are you? )
Read this:
iamconfusedagain - Member
Just like others have said it is a slippery slope.A few years ago I can remember saying to my mate that I would never get a road bike. Now I own more lycra than a man should ever have. I would post a picture of my bright yellow skin suit but it truely is not decent, and people would need to rinse their eyes with bleach.
It's true, I used to know this man before we lost him to the road.
In all seriousness road bikes are great, different but the same as MTB. The thrill of a technical MTB trail and that of a fast road ride on gently rolling hills are not that different. I also find it much harder to dragged into buying stuff for the road bike as it's very much you against the road with no suspension or dropper posts in sight.
Road?............Bike??
😆
[i]"if you can't stand pain, you shouldnt be on a road bike"[/i]
I once said "if you can't stand pain, you shouldn't stick a hot poker up your arse"
Same thing really.
Road is much more fashionable than MTB. FACT!
Hello, beoufcube, glad you're still with us.
I bought a road bike for a 20-mile commute when I decided to MTFU to avoid a rail ticket of £1,800 p.a.
I thought it would be just practical but, well, boring.
Now I find (now that the constant pain has gone after a couple of months) that it's actually - gulp - enjoyable!
Go to old boy, go to!! 8)
A work colleague has been hit by a car this morning. He was on the main road and she car pulled out at a give way and side swiped him out.
He's ok but shook up.
She insisted that it was his fault as she had seen him but he should have slowed to let her out.
Mark Cavendish said something to the tune of: "if you can't stand pain, you shouldnt be on a road bike".
To paraphrase Lance Armstrong
'[i]PLEASURE???? I don't do it for the pleasure; I do it for the pain.[/i]'
I've got this for sale at the moment, 55cm frame, Tiagra equipped, only ridden 400 miles, £700 or £670 if you collect or I deliver, Lancs, W.Yorks or Gtr Manchester. Built for comfort and in almost new condition.
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If you have even a hint of masochist in you then road bikes are great, it doesn't have to hurt mind but it's best when it does! 8)
To be fair it is different than mtbing, not worse or better, just different. Give it a whirl.
Roadies are all closet bumders, who dress in drag and tug each other off to keep warm.
Oh and they all take roids. And smell of cheese.
As soon as you purchase a road bike your balls will shrivel up and you will become a eunuch.
She insisted that it was his fault as she had seen him but he should have slowed to let her out.
the death penalty is too good for her.
may she have to ride a unicycle in the firey pits of hell getting run over by a thousand juggernauts delivering infinite pain a million times a day.
(sorry, drinking Prosecco at work is frying my marbles)
OP, I am also road bike curious. But here's the thing:
- There's a 30-mile road loop with no traffic that I ride when it's too muddy to ride anything decent off road. Doing this same loop on the MTB must be giving me better fitness than if on a road bike, all other factors being equal. I therefore don't buy that added fitness argument.
- I overtook a fully-clad roadie up a long hill on that ride last Sat. I'm in jeans and a pair of Vans. Amazing! Have it you t**t! (Apologies)
- If you or I were to spunk a grand on another bike right before xmas, how do you think that's going to go down with the wife?
- Posture, back pain, hand pain etc
I don't know. We're in a similar position and I'm also trying to keep myself at bay!
You will end up brain dead after breathing in all those diesel and petrol fumes, then develop an unnatural attraction toward other men, like Paul Weller, then you'll grow sideburns, learn to speak French, engage in long trips in the Mountains, win gold medals, have bloody media chasing you everywhere..
She insisted that it was his fault as she had seen him but he should have slowed to let her out
😯
If she really did mean that (may have been trying to deal with the guilt of nearly killing someone) then she should have her licence taken off her until she's been re-taught and re-tested. Simply for the safety of anyone else who's anywhere near her when she's driving - whether they're in a car, on a bike or walking!
I've got this for sale at the moment, 55cm frame, Tiagra equipped, only ridden 400 miles, £700 or £670 if
You can get new bikes for less with better spec 😕
There's a 30-mile road loop with no traffic that I ride when it's too muddy to ride anything decent off road. Doing this same loop on the MTB must be giving me better fitness than if on a road bike, all other factors being equal. I therefore don't buy that added fitness argument.
If you insist on riding the same distance there's perhaps something in that, although MTB gearing allows you to crawl up anything resembling an incline, while a road bike requires more MTFU. If you do the same duration of training you'll go further.
I overtook a fully-clad roadie up a long hill on that ride last Sat. I'm in jeans and trainers. Amazing! Have it you t**t! (Apologies)
No one said that you'd win the TdF if you buy a road bike. You will go quicker on a road bike, that's not to say that you will instantly be faster than anyone on an MTB. I find it odd that anyone struggles with that concept. A Fiesta doing 70 is quicker than a Ferrari doing 60. See how it works?
Posture, back pain, hand pain etc
Are all completely non-existent problems. My MTB is far less comfortable on the road.
- I overtook a fully-clad roadie up a long hill on that ride last Sat. I'm in jeans and a pair of Vans. Amazing! Have it you t**t! (Apologies)
Yes well done, thats happened to me when I've been riding / training in Z2.
Come and have a play when I'm in Z5 with the hammer down and we'll see whose fastest then eh?
A Fiesta doing 70 is quicker than a Ferrari doing 60. See how it works?
Good analogy.
Also an MTBer btw...
Then again, there are other kinds of road bike..
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Just get one. They're great.
£700 for a Bianchi!? Nah, just get one of these [url= http://www.sportsdirect.com/viking-vuelta-bike-933081 ]beeeauties[/url]
OP, I am also road bike curious. But here's the thing:
- There's a 30-mile road loop with no traffic that I ride when it's too muddy to ride anything decent off road. Doing this same loop on the MTB must be giving me better fitness than if on a road bike, all other factors being equal. I therefore don't buy that added fitness argument.
But a road bike would let you go further and go there faster for the same effort, or you could go even faster and even further still and get a better workout, if you wanted. [edit: beaten to it]
I hate riding the MTB on the road now that I've got a road (oriented) bike. (disc braked CX on slicks) So I just plod along, whereas on the roadie I feel like there's a point to pushing hard. I did a 60 mile jaunt around the countryside a while back, no way I'd have done (or enjoyed) even a 30 mile road ride on the MTB.
It's good, but different, not a replacement to MTB.
road bikes make the world a flatter place.
I bought one purely for training purposes, it helped me push bigger gears on climbs basically. On a road bike, on a steep climb, you simply have no choice but to maintain speed and sweat it out, or get off. Gearing of an MTB allows you to just trundle up hills at a snails pace, spinning like crazy. Helped my leg strength and endurance no end. And served its purpose - helped me to enjoy MTBing even more!
Went off topic there - in answer to your post - some discouraging words about road bikes - they smell and listen to One Direction
Wow.
Nearly two pages and we've managed to avoid the patronising and frankly disgusting use of the word
'Darkside'.
Oh bugger, hang on a sec.......
The only real danger with road bikes is that it's much easier to bike up and go, much less fading about.
My stumpy hardly came off its peg for 4 years when I bought a road bike, the plus side is I'm much fitter cause of it so riding the mob is much easier.
Just do it ffs
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If I never had to clean, fettle or replace parts then I would ride mountain bikes exclusively.
Unfortunately I am not rich or talented enough at bike riding to pay someone else or have someone else pay someone else to do those things.
Over the last year the MTB has had new wheels, new brake pads, new tyres, new cassette, new pedals, new grips, new shifters, tubes and tubeless conversion kit.
The road bike I have had for three years. It has only required new tyres, tubes and chains.
Distance road bike: mountain bike is at a 4:1 ratio over a few 1000 kms. Cost of MTB:Road bike is about 40:1.
The discouraging thing about road biking for me is skill doesn't seem to count for as much as strength and endurance do.
Road biking gives you a firmer behind. Scientific FACT
Evidence: I've only been wolf-whistled once. I was on my road bike at the time
Q.E.D.
Kryton57 - Member
Yes well done, thats happened to me when I've been riding / training in Z2.Come and have a play when I'm in Z5 with the hammer down and we'll see whose fastest then eh?
You'll end up giving cyclists a bad name by saying things like this.
There's a 30-mile road loop with no traffic that I ride when it's too muddy to ride anything decent off road. Doing this same loop on the MTB must be giving me better fitness than if on a road bike, all other factors being equal. I therefore don't buy that added fitness argument.
I was exactly the same before I added a road bike to my collection. Used to go out on an MTB on slicks (and still do). The first day after I'd done the same loop on my road bike I woke up sore. Whether the riding position was a factor in that, I don't know. But the road bike likes to push you. And it really comes alive on the hills.
If you have good riding roads around you it's very addictive too.
@ davidtaylforth - To be honest my comment regarding overtaking a roadie on an MTB was cocky in retrospect hence I was asking or it from Kryton57 and/or anyone else.
Passing a roadie uphill happens maybe once/twice a year. One glance at the website that shall not be named confirms that at least 2/3rds of roadies whip me on the road hills, naturally.
At the Kielder 100 two years back, a young guy who placed very high was telling us how road biking had helped his fitness no end. I hung on his words as he'd done so well in such a hard race, but also couldn't help but think, "can't I keep my heart rate in the same zone(s) for the same amount of time on an MTB, on the road, even if it is a shitty experience? At least I'm saving myself GBP X,XXX". Why is this notion so taboo / unexplored?
Deep down, most likely I'm just trying to last out another winter before N+1, like the OP, whom I was addressing in my post.
Merry Christmas.
OP: I've just come through this traumatic phase myself, I share your pain. For the last 10 + years I've commuted every day on my big fat MTB...from FS to HT, from Alu to Steel frames. Had lots of fun, especially once I'd sussed out where all the wee jumps and bits of dirt track where enroute.....however.....I obviously went through multiple components AND I was always having to fettle with this and that when going proper MTBing. Forks, brakes, chain, seat, tyre pressures etc etc. Much fettling also seemed to got on Mrs Rosscopeco's nerves 😕
After much painful thought, sweat and tears I took the plunge last month and bought a Cotic Road rat....and (whispering) I'm surprised just how much I like it 😯 It'll never replace the MTB, it's just designed to go fast on the road...and being a steel frame is amazingly compliant.
I opted for a Single Speed set up...I guarantee my fitness is improving! Another + side is almost zero maintenance and....much to Mrs R's likings I don't spend half as much time fettling in the garage 😉
Jumping onto the MTB now genuinely seems to be even better fun. Can't explain why, but it is.
Go on...what can possibly go wrong! 😆
Your legs will hurt.
You'll need to buy new 'relaxed fit' jeans.
You'll drop all your mtb mates on the climbs.
You'll need to explain to your SO that "yes I do need bib-shorts".
You'll keep clicking on that road.cc link down there.
You'll have to buy more stuff.
You might not regret it.
You might start thinking of a cyclocross bike as a good idea on your local singletrack
At the Kielder 100 two years back, a young guy who placed very high was telling us how road biking had helped his fitness no end. I hung on his words as he'd done so well in such a hard race, but also couldn't help but think, "can't I keep my heart rate in the same zone(s) for the same amount of time on an MTB, on the road, even if it is a shitty experience? At least I'm saving myself GBP X,XXX". Why is this notion so taboo / unexplored?
Ben Thomas, who's won Kielder, does a lot of road riding on an MTB (5+ hour rides), he does have a road bike, but it's not compulsory. It is a much more enjoyable experience though on the road.
I got a cheapish road bike, mainly to try it out... Love it, it's great. Hammering a straight, getting to the top of the mountain, the downhill on the other side, cruising along twisty country roads... Lovely.
BUT: there are great roads round here for riding, with not too much traffic. If there aren't decent roads near you, don't get one.
After much painful thought, sweat and tears I took the plunge last month and bought a Cotic Road rat....and (whispering) I'm surprised just how much I like it
Overpriced hybrid to appeal to MTB sensibilities, Definately not a road bike.
Mr Smith, that's the the equivilant of being gay without penetration
Evidently it's only gay if your balls touch?
Road cycling = endorphins
Mountain biking = endorphins + ADRENALINE!
Why only go for half the chemical kick???