An experiment

linsen

For the same reasons I don't walk the dog in my evening dress (well, not often, anyway), I have been contemplating putting Frank to bed for the winter and instead commuting on Joanne - a proper tractor of a playbike which presumably will be grippier and stoppier. So today I did the "dry run" (except it was wet)...

Aim: to see how much longer I need to allow to get to work on an MTB than on a road bike (hopefully enough to justify having bought the said road bike at great expense)

Equipment needed:
Linsen
Joanne (Specialised Myka elite with lockout forks)
Some warm cycling tights
Some woolly socks (to couteract the breathability of my trainers and to preserve my toes)
A pair of Gore "windstopper" gloves
Some lights
Some hi-energy drink
My HR monitor
A banana
Some wind
A little drizzle (the annoying fine wet stuff)

Method:
Cycle to work
Eat banana
Cycle home

Results:
It took me 17 minutes more than my personal world record to get to work and back (24 miles, bit hilly)
My HR monitor tells me it took me 300 more calories.

Conclusion:
I was surprised that it only added 17 minutes on to the time. It felt like 3 hours.
If I carry on all winter, I can either eat a lot more food or get a lot thinner. A win-win situation

Some other miscellaneous observations:
Gore "windstopper" gloves do not in fact stop the wind. I want my money back.
Winchester has moved. It is now the highest point in the UK
Cars do not give mountain bikes as much space as road bikes (okay, this is based on a very small amount of evidence, but was true today)
People on road bikes do not say hello to people on MTBs (well they ignored me today anyway)



On a serious note, these two things need to be said:

Even if your commute is entirely within daylight, PLEASE carry lights and use them if it gets a bit dull. I cycled between 13.15 and 15.30 today and I needed lights. Use rechargeable batteries and it then won't cost anything.

If you're new to all this and are contemplating a bike.... If your commute is over around 4-5 miles and/or pretty hilly, get a road bike. Despite what you might think, MTBs are NOT good for getting you up hills - unless you want to ride a tractor.

downfader

My father's Giant hybrid has really good gear ratios and is really good for steephills, depsite weighing twice as much as my own bike did. Decent gears help, mine had shimano tiagra and I never really got on with them except on a flat. :oops:

linsen

Ah yes a "hybrid" bike. The smart/casual of the cycling world

I have no doubt it would do the job quite well but I like my extremes - silly delicate road bike vs a tractor. Due to the purchase of said bikes in the last 6 months or so, I fear a third, far more sensible option of something in between is not an option at present....

downfader

I always saw the true road bike, s-bars and all, as the equivilent of the supercar for a LOT less money and better depreciation. True mountain bikes as the 4x4 equivilent - used to cut across the common grass on my fathers in winter :oops:

linsen

naughty!

Totalnewbie

Funny you should post this, as I cycled home on my Eclipse (light tourer) in the dark and the rain I had a similar thought. I've just finished fettling the Spesh Globe (chunky hybrid), which has hub gears, and was going to use it for the first time since Spring tomorrow.

I think, though, with the amount of traffic lights in London, there would never be all that much of a speed difference on my 30 min commute. Five minutes, maybe. The Globe is heavier and not as nippy as the Eclipse, but hey, all good winter training eh...

And yep I've swapped all my lights over too.

Now I should really give the Eclipse a good clean and lube and only use her at the weekends. But I'm a bit of a lazy so and so like that...

tailwindhome

Linsen

Why does Gladys have a full title (the invincible), whereas Frank and Joanne do not?

Do they feel hard done by?

Are you just playing favourites?

Will they rebel in the future, in a misguided attempt to win your approval and affection.


I think you need to give this your urgent attention, else I fear the Jeremy Vile Show beckons.

always_tyred

linsen wrote:

Ah yes a "hybrid" bike. The smart/casual of the cycling world

I have no doubt it would do the job quite well but I like my extremes - silly delicate road bike vs a tractor. Due to the purchase of said bikes in the last 6 months or so, I fear a third, far more sensible option of something in between is not an option at present....

Hydrids are the cardigan of the cycling world.

cee

linsen

So you reckon that it was 17 minutes longer than your personal best......thats quite close, but I feel not a fair comparison.....

Interesting to see if you continue and what your personal best on the knobbly will be....presumably your average time on the road bike is even closer to the time set on the mtb?

hondafanatic

I may have missed it somewhere, but are you running full-on MTB tires? I've a second identical set of wheels but with skinny slick tires on and the difference is about 5mph on the straights...it's night and day difference

Apart from that, thanks for the post, it made me smile which is a very rare thing on a Monday morning.

Cheers
David

daniel_b

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

Linsen

Why does Gladys have a full title (the invincible), whereas Frank and Joanne do not?

Do they feel hard done by?

Are you just playing favourites?

Will they rebel in the future, in a misguided attempt to win your approval and affection.


I think you need to give this your urgent attention, else I fear the Jeremy Vile Show beckons.

Hows about:

Frank the unstoppable
Joanne the unflappable

??

Dan

jedster

Linsen,

as others have said - if you are going to persevere with the tractor, it would be wealth worth putting slick tyres on it

J

linsen

Good name suggestions Mr B, but I may have to wait a while before the new two have earned long names - Gladys is a veteran, hence the more lofty title...

Or I just thought of it that day

As for my full-on MTB tyres, hondafanatic - yes they were. I haven't got a second set of skinnies because I don't usually take it on-road (I have a road bike for that, of course!)

I'm not the compromising sort.

And yes, cee, my average time on the road bike is 1.38 (as opposed to 1.47 yesterday),so all in all quite impressive, but it felt like SUCH HARD WORK!!

And today I have just been to a spin class - my legs officially need a rest :?

OldSkoolKona

Great article Linsen

Ditto on the slicks though, I commute on my retired Kona which is set up for commuting, slicks, mudguards, lights etc. If I had a road bike, I would keep it for non-commuting road riding, particularly in winter as the salt, dirt, wet etc isn't kind on the bike unless you're cleaning it regularly. Just my (admittedly mtb biased) 2p

Totalnewbie

I came in on the hybrid today. It took me just over five minutes longer over five traffic-light ridden miles. The wind felt worse though. Overall it felt like harder work.

It has semi-slick 42s on at the moment, the stock tyres it came with last year, but I'm changing these for 35s as I think 42s are overkill even for winter, and anyway they've done over 2000 miles and are looking a wee bit cut up.

Despite flipping the stem I still feel a bit too upright. I might remove a spacer next.

linsen

Ah yes the "put slicks on it" advice

The thing is I'm quite lazy, and if I put slicks on it for getting to work, every time I go out to play I'll need to faff around changing them over.

I think I'll save up for a cheap road bike for winter trashing....

tailwindhome

linsen wrote:

Ah yes the "put slicks on it" advice

The thing is I'm quite lazy, and if I put slicks on it for getting to work, every time I go out to play I'll need to faff around changing them over.

I think I'll save up for a cheap road bike for winter trashing....

Ah yes the "buy a new bike" solution

jedster

yeah, I see the problem but do bear in mind that the slicks on your roadbike probably grip better than MTB nobblies on road - if you don't change the tyres you'd be better sticking with the road bike.

linsen

Good call, Jedster, cheers

Buy a new bike - always the best idea

OldSkoolKona

or buy a second set of wheels (identical width rims) and keep the slicks on them, can choose a different rear cassette from your normal mtb...

linsen

OldSkoolKona wrote:

or buy a second set of wheels (identical width rims) and keep the slicks on them, can choose a different rear cassette from your normal mtb...

That sounds ver sensible, but requires a)knowledge, b)time and c)money - all of which i have little of!!

Clever Pun

linsen wrote:

Ah yes the "put slicks on it" advice

The thing is I'm quite lazy, and if I put slicks on it for getting to work, every time I go out to play I'll need to faff around changing them over.

I think I'll save up for a cheap road bike for winter trashing....

fixed.. do it... you know it makes sense

OldSkoolKona

linsen wrote:

OldSkoolKona wrote:

or buy a second set of wheels (identical width rims) and keep the slicks on them, can choose a different rear cassette from your normal mtb...

That sounds ver sensible, but requires a)knowledge, b)time and c)money - all of which i have little of!!

heh, well its a new bike then

tbh, if I had the money and space I'd get a road bike for the commute, I'm just quite attached to my old lady.

linsen

Clever Pun wrote:

linsen wrote:

Ah yes the "put slicks on it" advice

The thing is I'm quite lazy, and if I put slicks on it for getting to work, every time I go out to play I'll need to faff around changing them over.

I think I'll save up for a cheap road bike for winter trashing....

fixed.. do it... you know it makes sense

Check out the hills between Southampton and Winchester and say that again.....

biondino

God gears are f*cking great.

linsen

Gladys the invincible runs on two working gears these days - nearest to a SS I'll be riding this side of Christmas!