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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!