Roadie or Mountain(ie)

SuperBOB
SuperBOB Posts: 33
edited November 2009 in Road buying advice
I cycle to work on a mountain bike, usually with skinny tires on. How much easier will a similarly priced roadie be?

Currently I only cycle a 5 mile round trip - however this is about to go up to 16 miles in January, and I am considering my options :-)

So you have all the facts my budget would be £500 and I am a heavy guy. (260lbs)

Cheers for any advice.

Comments

  • dbb
    dbb Posts: 323
    i use a mtb for my winter training bike.
    i have skinny tyres and drop bars etc.

    i find it hard work to keep up with my mates on this bike whereas we are about the same on our good bikes.
    the only difference that we can identify is the much smaller wheels of my mtb - harder to get rolling and up to speed.

    so i would say a roadie would make your ride a whole lot faster and easier.
    regards,
    dbb
  • soveda
    soveda Posts: 306
    For me the difference was a 3mph average speed increase over 14 miles (200m of climbs). The weight difference between the bike seems to be the biggest factor though (15 kg rigid MTB vs 9kg road bike)
  • APIII
    APIII Posts: 2,010
    The biggest improvement will probably come from the change in position to a more aero one. My speed on my cyclo-x bike with it's knobbly tyres is not much lower than my roadie, as the positions are very similar.
  • Rich Hcp
    Rich Hcp Posts: 1,355
    The weight makes a massive difference and the rolling resistance of the tyres.

    3-4 MPH quicker on the roadie, at least
    Richard

    Giving it Large
  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    Also gearing- any bits where you can wind it up and you might quickly run out of gears on your MTB.
  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    soveda wrote:
    For me the difference was a 3mph average speed increase over 14 miles (200m of climbs). The weight difference between the bike seems to be the biggest factor though (15 kg rigid MTB vs 9kg road bike)

    That's one hefty mtb!
  • soveda
    soveda Posts: 306
    Chunkers1980 wrote:
    soveda wrote:
    For me the difference was a 3mph average speed increase over 14 miles (200m of climbs). The weight difference between the bike seems to be the biggest factor though (15 kg rigid MTB vs 9kg road bike)

    That's one hefty mtb!

    Steel Raleigh M-Trax 2000 with project 2 forks, lowrider rack and full mudguards. The frame is "oversize" but the tubing hasn't been made any thinner to compensate (think cheap steel thickness with mid 90s aluminium size tubes! It's a heavy beast all right.
    MIght only be 14 kg to be fair to the bike...
  • Barrie_G
    Barrie_G Posts: 479
    due to your weight I'd stick to the mtb, the wheels on the road bike may be fine for your weight but it's going to make for a harsh ride due to the much thinner tyres and higher pressures.

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