Mountain Biking!!??
steve23
Posts: 2,202
no im not in the wrong section!
i bought a MTB for use after the crap weather we have had, and went out for the first time today on it, through my local forest!
and it was murder! i was struggling to get and speed up on the "fire roads", the main roads through the forest. and when i went down some twisty, muddy sections it really was killer!!!
does anyone else struggle like this?
having said all that, i did enjoy it. it must be a good source of cross training?
thanks
i bought a MTB for use after the crap weather we have had, and went out for the first time today on it, through my local forest!
and it was murder! i was struggling to get and speed up on the "fire roads", the main roads through the forest. and when i went down some twisty, muddy sections it really was killer!!!
does anyone else struggle like this?
having said all that, i did enjoy it. it must be a good source of cross training?
thanks
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If You Can't Cut It With The Big Dogs, Then Don't Pi$$ Up The Tall Trees!
If You Can't Cut It With The Big Dogs, Then Don't Pi$$ Up The Tall Trees!
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Riding a bike is riding a bike!
Different type of hard on the MTB I guess, usually like one horrible interval session!"A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"
PTP Runner Up 20150 -
A bunch of us went out Thursday night. Did 2 hrs around Clumber Park in the snow. I can still feel it in my legs now. So it can be a proper workout.
It's great training & I enjoy the moutain biking anyway, even when the weather is good. In fact I've got a new one being delivered Monday...0 -
steve23 wrote:no im not in the wrong section!
i bought a MTB for use after the crap weather we have had, and went out for the first time today on it, through my local forest!
and it was murder! i was struggling to get and speed up on the "fire roads", the main roads through the forest. and when i went down some twisty, muddy sections it really was killer!!!
does anyone else struggle like this?
having said all that, i did enjoy it. it must be a good source of cross training?
thanks
Yep, in fact I struggle at all cycling disciplines except riding at one pace for a long time. I train a lot, then I go out with people who go out once a month and it's me who's struggling!
I've got a feeling though that equipment does make a bit more of a difference when mtbing over road biking. I've also got a feeling that the right tyres can make a big difference and I bet you had the ones that came with the bike on, correct?.0 -
Don't let yourself be seduced by the dark side0
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haha no way! im a roadie!!!
yea i rode with the stock tyres already on the bike, i just found it so hard going!_______________________________________________________________________________________
If You Can't Cut It With The Big Dogs, Then Don't Pi$$ Up The Tall Trees!0 -
Yes - all roadiessteve23 wrote:does anyone else struggle like this?
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We did about 3 hours in the snow last week and it was good fun but tiring as there was no freewheeling at all. I go mtbing with friends that, whilst fit, aren't serious cyclists, so the pace is quite slow. I just treat it as a low intensity endurance session
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I race MTB and ride road 90 percent of the time for fitness, tyres and pressures make a diff.
Depending on your weight 30psi to 32psi seems to work well for me, blowing them up to hard causes you to png off every stone or rut and also loose traction in the mud etc.
I use a carbon Hard tail for everything, so full suss not always needed.
I must admit that i do see some roadies doing mtb races and some of them not all of them do struggle on real technical stuff.
Flame suit on.
Saying that though i'll be doing 3 sportives this year, Lakeland Loop, put a entry in for the Fred Whitton and the Cumbria Christmas Cracker again so i'm not adverse to abit of being a roady!
Just enjoy your mtb, good for getting the legs spinning.0 -
Tire pressure witn MTB makes a big diffrence. I run 27.5 - 28.5 psi in my Specialized Adrenelin 2.0x26 tires. Our trails have alot of roots so the lower pressure helps and I feel the bike rolls the fastest with this pressure. If your running high pressure keep taking a little out until you get that mix of rolling efficiancy and traction.
I like both road 75% and MTB 25% mostly riding mtb in the coldest winter months and for sure the two are not the same. Without mtb I don't think my road abilities would be where they are today as far as leg strength and endurace. The mixture of the two is undeniable. Both sports have thier place but I believe mtb riding will make you stronger on the road..it has for me anyway.0 -
Bronzie wrote:
Yes - all roadiessteve23 wrote:does anyone else struggle like this?
I wouldn't say that! I went out with some MTBers who are (apparently) pretty good. Any sections that was flat or uphill all the roadies dominated them.
They just all flew past us on the downhill sections!"A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"
PTP Runner Up 20150 -
ShockedSoShocked wrote:
I absolutly agree with that.0 -
My tongue was firmly in my cheek!ShockedSoShocked wrote:
Truth is, shock horror, the more you ride MTB the better you get at it - I've ridden my MTB way more in the last 6 months than ever before, mainly because my lad enjoys it, and I enjoy riding with him.
I used to look like a pig on roller skates off road, now maybe more like a sheep on roller skates! Seriously though, I'm much more comfortable sliding around off-road - a few days spent on the trails at Afan will sharpen your bike handling no end. And that feeds back into road riding, especially on tricky stuff like cobbles etc 0 -
cheers for the advice/info guys!
i did really enjoy it, and cant wait to have another go! i just didnt realise it was so hard! it didnt seem it when i did it back in my teens!!!
as for those who says it helps on the road too..........im glad of that, as i need as much help as i can get! any cycling must be good cycling.........unless its a unicycle!!! _______________________________________________________________________________________
If You Can't Cut It With The Big Dogs, Then Don't Pi$$ Up The Tall Trees!0 -
Using a mountain bike will in no way improve road performance compared with riding a road bike. Riding a road bike (or turbo) will significantly increase mountain bike fitness compared with just mountain biking all the time.
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reppohkcor wrote:Using a mountain bike will in no way improve road performance compared with riding a road bike. Riding a road bike (or turbo) will significantly increase mountain bike fitness compared with just mountain biking all the time.
Correct ! In order to find your best form on the road, it has to be done on a road bike. I think whats being said is a mtb will just add to your form and fitness but not improve yourself over miles on the road with a roadbike.0 -
I am an MTB rider who now rides on the road. On an MTB ride i am out of zone on my HRM for about 2 or 3 % of the ride time. On the road it is more like 35%, so MTBing would seem to be higher intensity, like a series of intervals. However i would agree that i am not so good on long even rides.
One great thing is that with both type of riding is that you get out more and dont get so bored.
It is a shame that cyclists can be so narrow minded. MTBing used to be the home of the free thinker, however even this is now segmented up so that beginners feel that they can only do a narrow range of activities without huge investment in kit.0 -
I use my MTB to work during the winter, would't really fancy doing any thing to technical but enjoy "easy" routes long or short . Just bought a cyclocross, used it today to work and wow, it's fast compared to the MTB (about half the journey is "off road"). 0
