[Closed] Thinking of trying a road bike - should I?

The darkside is calling my son. Come on over.

So yeah, don't worry about lycra, it'll soon make sense. If you can, get an old steel beater off ebay or the like. Aim for anything with reynolds 531, but anything will do, then get out and give it a go. It might need some work, but road bikes don't wear out like MTB's so don't worry about it being old and s**tty. The first time you fly up a hill, or hit 40+MPH you'll get the bug!

Also, the idea of lycra certainly doesn't appeal, would it be wrong to wear my mountain biking gear on a racer

Avoid buying something old steel and rusty, bits will break, the bar tape will be horrible cheep stuff (or that really bad plastic stuff from the 80's) and you'll probably end up with the wrong size.

Go on the Canyon website, use the road bike sizing calculator and a tape measure and it'll give you a size, then find something fromt he last few years on ebay with the same top tube length and you wont go far wrong.

Many are called, but few are chosen.

You will learn to suffer, to embrace the pain and to revel in the desperation.

It's all good.

I recommend using a vintage razor for shaving your legs!

It's all riding, and another excuse to get out more.

Do it...

I recommend using a vintage razor for shaving your legs!

I tried this, seriously, dont, I've never bled so much as when I tried it with a safety razor!

I've actually been offered a brand new boardman road team which currently sells for £999 in halfords for under £600.

My thinking is to give it a go and that if I don't enjoy it, I'll probably recoup most if not all of my money.

Lycra one day maybe, shaved legs - not a chance 😆

Its the speed that is drawing me in. It has a compact 50x34T chainset, is this more beginner as I've read some of the standard doubles are really tough going up the hills?

Its ace - buy one but dont listen to old blokes telling you to get steel frames. Carbon is calling.

Get some razors and lycra and dont think it will be easy. It never gets easier only faster.

Noooooooooooooooooo!

Yeah, get one. You'll find it all adds to your fitness anyway, so you'll ride your mtb better.

I have the self-same Boardman and its excellent, good vfm brand-new, better second-hand. 50/34 sounds about right.

I haven't changed down to the granny ring on mine since about June of last year, thinking of going 1/9 now.

I really fancy the ease of just riding out of my house and covering a nice distance with relative ease.

Oh, and you'll soon understand why we wear lycra.

Get one but if you think they're an easy option to cover miles then you'll be in for a bit of a shock. They're bloody hard work as you never get to rest as you do when mountain biking.

Haha, I've noticed a fair few comments ref this. Always assumed with light weight and low rolling resistance that it would be easier?!

Many feel happier on a compact (34-50). I've been fine on std chainsets. Give it a go.

I'm quite new to it myself and... mmm, enjoying it isn't right, tbh it's just like going to the gym, boring and sometimes quite unpleasant, yet still satisfying. Aye, satisfying is the word.

It's no alternative to mountain biking IMO- really very dissimiliar- but it's a good way to spin the legs and I'm hoping to get some fitness benefits too as it gets me out at times where I wouldn't take out an mtb.

Oh aye, and still wearing all mtb kit and not in the least bit bothered.

Haha, I've noticed a fair few comments ref this. Always assumed with light weight and low rolling resistance that it would be easier?!

Yes it is easier, but you don't rest, if you consider how you ride off road you'll realise that for a lot of the time you are actually coasting, over roots, rocks, etc. On a road bike you pedal.

The speed is addictive, so you pedal more, you pedal faster, you feel your legs and lungs burning, you pedal more....

go out with other road riders, that is more fun.

I'd get that boardman if it fits ok, sounds a good deal. I got my first road bike a year ago with some trepidation but I love it. Great for doing decent rides from home, just done a quick blast on dark country lanes - never thought I'd enjoy that but it's brill.

Still love the mountain bike, it's all good.

Get one!

i often ride up the rhigos and bwlch on a roadie and an mtb , roadies are not easier up the hills their just faster up them , faster down too .

still not as much fun as a mountain bike though .

It's worth a go, not the same as mtb but good in its own way and it's nice to be able to get riding straight from home. No need to wear lycra, some padded undershorts may be worth a go though.

still not as much fun as a mountain bike though .

I don't know that I agree. There's a lot of fun to be had battering along a flat (or even better a false flat) on a sunny day in the countryside keeping up with or passing cars on winding roads. Descending quickly on a road bike is also a very different type of ride to descending on an MTB but gives you the same buzz. It's just... different.

No need to wear lycra, some padded undershorts may be worth a go though

People ride MTB without padded shorts? Seems like needless comfort avoidance to me.

is this more beginner as I've read some of the standard doubles are really tough going up the hills?

Yes they are far harder and only used by a very select few from here.

But seriously folks, no not beginner at all. It just means you'll be able to manage most stuff. I use a standard non compact and most rides I find myself on a hill in 39x25 weaving all over the place praying for a compact.

atlaz - Member

People ride MTB without padded shorts? Seems like needless comfort avoidance to me.

if you're sitting down enough to need padded shorts, you're doing it wrong.

you don't 'need' lycra, in the same way you don't 'need' to take your jeans off when you go swimming.

it's perfectly possible to ride in baggies, but alas ****ing stupid.

mtbers seem to have this preconceived idea of 'you wont catch me in lycra, i'm keeping my peak on my helmet etc. etc.'

i just don't get that mindset. you aren't going to look cool. your mtb mates will presumably still think you are a turncoat, road riders will think you're a tosser, and the general public will still regard you as a menace to society...

I just use baggies and a peaked helmet because i already own them

Its just a bike, if you want one just buy one.

I love road riding.

fair enough i suppose, but given the level of expenditure displayed on this forum for people to gain the latest, new and best thing in the world of mtb, its a bit daft to not splash out £20 on some new shorts IMO.

First you start riding it during the week, then you start riding it for a couple of hours at the weekend and the next thing you know you're sacking off your mates on a Sunday to go for a club ride and the MTB is sat at the back of the shed, behind your girlfriends bike...

God I hate all the pretentious faux melodramatic bunk people manage to dredge up every time road bikes are mentioned on here. Bikes are great until people start loading them with their own ego-driven, narrow-minded prejudices and preconceptions. Every time someone writes 'darkside' I cringe like a slug parachuted into a salt lake... 😉

I just use baggies and a peaked helmet because i already own them

if you're sitting down enough to need padded shorts, you're doing it wrong.

Not to derail the thread but I can't say I've ridden anywhere for any length of time where I wasn't sitting on climbs or flat trails at least part of the time. If you ride out of the saddle for whole days at a time, kudos.

Why is wearing baggies stupid? The only time I've had a problem with them was when i was wearing old shorts which were about 2 sizes too big so they flapped around a bit and caught on the saddle when stood up. If you use a padded short its perfectly comfy. And bike riders look stupid to everyone else anyway regardless of what they wear.

i give up. do you want me to repeat what i and others have said on the subject? or do you want a new reason why baggies on a road bike doesn't really work?

and the general public will still regard you as a menace to society...

[img] [/img]

o-dog never had a road bike on the DVD version?

then why bother with a road bike, i presume you already own a MTB?

Not all road bikes need to be carbon fibre race replicas ridden in full lycra as if you're competing in the TDF.

Wearing baggies is stupid enough on a mountain bike, its only part of the uniform with no sensible function other than hiding your penis, just like baggy swim shorts. Are you riding or are you poncing about in a cafe or in the car park?

My Monday night riding is with an ex pro downhill racer, (now rapha condor sharp mechanic among other things), and ex GB elite track sprinter who now does mtb guiding abroad and at home, and a top cyclo cross bloke in his late 40's, and a couple of fat knackers like me who have been riding since mid 90's. Quite an accumulation of experience here. All wear lycra without baggies on our gisburn rides.
Road biking is excellent in it's own right, but i've never understood how it has lured so many away from the off road stuff in recent years. Tarmac or woods?

Personally I just like riding bikes. Road bikes are bikes. MTBs are bikes. I'm quite happy with either.

for me:

simplicity.
fitness.
less need for latest kit.
good race structure.
good club structure.
reduced need to travel.
less broken kit, less kit wearing out.

just seems like a purer form of riding. i still ride mtb, but i'm now fairly strongly of the opinion that sub 2hr rides don't really count, and that the mtb fails to give me a decent workout!

Totally agree atlaz, it's just i have seen a fair few friends in recent years who have eschewed the dirt altogether for tarmac

The thing about road biking I liked best in the UK was just riding from the door. I can ride both MTB and road from the door now so my road rides are more about covering miles to see the new country.

less need for latest kit.

You're doing it wrong.

do you want a new reason why baggies on a road bike doesn't really work?

Yes please. Genuinely curious as I'm on the verge of buying my first proper road bike. Have done 50 miles (I know it's not that far) or so on my fixed gear without lycra or padding and no discomfort. I can appreciate why you might need padding on longer rides but why lycra?

faster/less effort to drag through a given wind. more comfortable, better wicking, no chaffing, no flapping, slightly supportive, better when it rains, better designed pockets for road, better coverage, fewer drafts, mates better with arm/leg warmers, and so on.

that enough?

Thanks. Overwhelmingly a comfort thing then, I assume on longer rides than what I'm used to. Will investigate if I ever get a sore undercarriage or feel my shorts ruining my otherwise flawless aero profile.:wink:

Personally I just like riding bikes. Road bikes are bikes. MTBs are bikes. I'm quite happy with either.

This. There are pros and cons to either - I get more of a buzz from MTBing, but there is more faff with cleaning and maintenace, and kit breaks more often. On the other hand, I love the fact that I can be ready for a road ride in 5 minutes, straight out, and get a useful workout in a couple of hours or so.

Either way, it's all cycling so it's good.

oh and they are fantastic at showing off your massive man bulge.

i can only assume those resisting lycra are worried about people seeing their modest packages.

A road bike is great for mixing it up.

All depends on your local roads though. Cycling in heavy traffic is pretty awful but on scenic b roads it can be amazing.

Wear what you feel right in. Lycra is comfortable and practical.

Not to derail the thread but I can't say I've ridden anywhere for any length of time where I wasn't sitting on climbs or flat trails at least part of the time. If you ride out of the saddle for whole days at a time, kudos.

not whole days at a time, but not long enough to get uncomfortable.

i stand up for the tricky bits. if there aren't enough tricky bits and i'm sitting down long enough to get uncomfortable then i'm riding the wrong trail.

maybe i've just got a very tough gooch...

ransos - Member

There are pros and cons to either - I get more of a buzz from MTBing, but there is more faff with cleaning and maintenace, and kit breaks more often

Haven't ridden my MTB since I ripped the mech off (and replaced it!) but have been on the road bike loads. The 'riding from your door' thing is a big pro IME.

As an ex (below average) DH racer, I used to think road bikes were for fags. Then I got curious and now lycra up every now and then and get out there. I love it. Speed, silence, freedom, fitness - and fitness.

It's massively helped my (previously crap) cardio fitness, which means I enjoy mtb more too. I wish I'd had one when I raced DH.

Road bikes let you go fast, really fast. If you want to go fast, embrace the lycra and get on the drops and enjoy the speed.

If you don't want to go as fast as you can, fair enough, go baggy but why even bother with the road bike?

I recommend using a vintage razor for shaving your legs!

real men use an epilady

if you feel you need to get a road bike...go ahead and get it... i got a road bike this time last year...i wanted to do some extra training sessions and benefitted drom it in the long run.... i was training for a 47 mile off road challenge so i bought the roadie bike for that extra training...lol it paid off..lol .... i do like road riding tho..just gotta watch out for the traffic alot more.. 😉

I recommend using a vintage razor for shaving your legs!

I hope when you say vintage you mean a straight edge, can't be doing with any of that new fangled safety razor crap!

Can't you just inflate your tyres and ride on the road ?

Surley the only reason for a road bike is to have greater speed, you can still ride an MTB on roads... it won't die.

course you can. not half as much fun though. bit like all the worst bits of xc, without any of the going fast bits of road.

I love my road biking, coming from that background to the MTB later in life!!

Doing both has really brough my fitness on much quicker than just doing one or other, i love the fact i can go out for an hour after work do 15 or 16 miles and be home for tea. The MTB i need to keep for the weekend due to the extr time, it means i get more cycling in that i would otherwise be albe to.

without any of the going fast bits of road.

I have 3 motorbikes capable of 170mph+ 🙂

Cheers for all the comments and the banter 🙂

Think I'm just gonna buy the boardman and see how I go. Worst case I'll sell it on and can at least say i've had a go. Best case I'll end up with another hobby I love:)

Anyone recommend some cheap ish flat pedals as it doesn't come with any?

Wellgo B54s lol

hmm. i'll have to check my garmin to see if i've ever hit 170...

[i]it's just i have seen a fair few friends in recent years who have eschewed the dirt altogether for tarmac[/i]

They've given up riding off road, not died. I don't see what the big deal is, its all good and if its what you enjoy then that's great.

Baggies on a road bike or mountain bike - why?

Just my opinion Gary M. I do both and enjoy both, however I couldn't imagine 'retiring' from MTB and spending all my time on a road bike. I think one of the main reasons a lot of us love off roading is that genuine 'get away from it all' feeling that you get whilst hiking, it's just loads more fun on a bike. It is possible to find lovely quiet country roads, especially in God's own country Lancashire, however you are still never far away from an altercation with a sunday driver or white van man

What size frame are you going for? If you dont like it let me know i may take it off your hands, my current road bike is looking very old these days.

Haven't read the whole thread, but if its "just riding" why has it only taken 2 posts to mention lycra and shaved bloody (literally!) legs?!
Get your normal riding kit on and go for a road spin, if you don't get knocked off by a moron in a car you might enjoy it. Then again, you might find it really bloody boring like I do and just use it to get to work. 🙂

wonder what the correlation is between folks that find it really really boring, and folks that wont commit to buying lycra and just try road biking by going for a spin in their normal kit.

😉

Lycra makes it more exciting! I knew I was going wrong somewhere 😆

A road bike is a far safer mid life crisis than a motorbike.

Borrowed a road bike after 20yrs away from them. Hated it, the ride was a badly planned death march with head wind on return, the bike had campag which I detested. After serious mtb injury I got a road bike on C2W to get fit (orbea acqua 105). Ridden it more than the mtb- riding from your doorstep means you can snatch the odd hour here and there. Effort is sustained more so than on an mtb where there is more variation in speed and more stopping. Lycra makes sense for reasons above, I like baggy mtb kit but one road ride with mtb jersey was enough. Peaked lid will strain your neck trying to see out under it.

It's a very pure form, I think the bike is better looking than any mtb I've owned and whizzing along in silence is quite Zen. FWIW I mostly ride road alone, I know a lot of friendly roadies who encourage me to ride with them but I like the solitude and pushing myself, and have known too many standoffish roadies.

I use my old mtb shoes and spds (now use flats off road) and refuse to shave my legs as regardless of all the reasons offered I think its a mixture of muscle defining vanity and a symbol of being a serious roady.

What size frame are you going for? If you dont like it let me know i may take it off your hands, my current road bike is looking very old these days.

Its a 53 cm medium?

Haven't read the whole thread, but if its "just riding" why has it only taken 2 posts to mention lycra and shaved bloody (literally!) legs?!

MTBers wore lycra too, until fashion considerations dictated otherwise. With you though on the shaved legs - why?

Go for it OP! (roadbike and not shaving the legs)

Once I start requiring regular massages (more than weekly) on my legs I'll start shave them.

If you don't want to go as fast as you can, fair enough, go baggy but why even bother with the road bike?

I ride mine for fitness as I feel I push myself harder on a road bike than I do on a mountain bike on the same roads (not really much local off road worth riding), not because I want to wear lycra and shave my legs. I don't think the clothes I'd wear would have any impact on the effort I'd put in and I'm not arsed about squeezing every last bit of speed out of it.

atlaz - Member

People ride MTB without padded shorts? Seems like needless comfort avoidance to me.

It'd be silly to do it if it was uncomfortable.

tracknicko - Member

or do you want a new reason why baggies on a road bike doesn't really work?

Will any of them get around the awkward fact that actually, they work absolutely fine?

Baggies would flap annoyingly on a road bike. You need snug fitting clothes.

Mountain biking is very popular in South Africa because of the dangerous roads and the well-developed network of superb off-road tracks and dry weather, yet you never see South African riders wearing baggies. I can only conclude that the XC scene there is far more competitive and riders appreciate the benefits of lycra. I guess baggies would also be uncomfortably clingy and chafing in hot sweaty weather.

Anyway... on road riding, yes, I gave up mountain biking for the road 3 years ago and my Rebas are on Ebay right now. Just wish I'd taken up road riding years ago; I've missed out on so much fun thanks to my stupid prejudice against road riding.

Well thought I'd post an update. Popped in my LBS last friday and fell in love with a Cube peleton pro. Sales guy said all the right things and I ordered one which I collected yesterday and did my first ride tonight.

Luckily I managed to get a special order with a compact rather than a triple (which really sold it to me) as cube have done a single batch of 11 bikes with a compact.

Ended up getting some spd pedals and shimano shoes, a saddle bag with all the bits I need which is far nicer than having to carry a hydration pack like I do on my mountain bike.

Was only a quick ride tonight, a fair bit of climbing, wind against me and a little hale, tracked it on my Garmin edge 800. No idea if its a respectable first ride time but found it far easier than I was expecting and could possibly do with a bigger chain ring down the hills.

First ride stats;

Distance: 20.81 mi
Time: 1:19:35
Avg Speed: 15.7 mph
Max Speed: 44.9 mph
Elevation Gain: 298 m
Elevation Loss: 308 m

And a pic

[IMG] [/IMG]

Thanks again for the info guys, definitely something I will enjoy more and more

Very nice - even the cat looks impressed!

Respectable first ride stats, good work fella.

The tallest gear on my Allez is 52:13, nothing much to pedal over 40mph though, need to drop to a 12 or 11 on the back for some more speed...

Wow! Kewl bike and a respectable first trip out, especially on a windy day. Now I'm going to make some predictions:

1 - Within a few weeks (especially with summer coming) you're going to realise you're hooked and have hardly touched the mountain bike.

2 - Being ridiculously young and full of testosterone your leg muscles will bulk up and within a couple of months you'll be wondering if anybody makes jeans with a fuller leg.

3 - In about a month you will jump on your mountain bike and will fly up the first hill then mutter to yourself: "Sheeit, I'm fit! Why didn't I try this years ago?"

4 - You will love the riding so much that this summer you will join a club and start enjoying the thrill of bunch riding, as well as the benefit of drafting at 20+ mph.

5 - By the end of the summer you will have mysteriously accumulated several items of clothing that you would never have worn as a mountain biker.

6 - Within a year you'll be eyeing a new bike and thinking of relegating this one to winter training duties. Or you might keep this one and buy a CX bike as a winter trainer.

7 - By the end of summer you'll be on first-name terms with the owners of all the cyclists' cafes within a 30 miles radius of your home.

Have fun!