Why am I even thinking of buying a road bike?

Boy Lard

I love my mountain bike and I love off road.

I've only just started cycling again to try and lose some weight (I have now lost just short of 2 stones in 2 months) and pushing a mountain bike (hardtail not full sus) around on the road is good exercise anyway.

I go out and off road 3-4 times a week.

I cycle to and from work 5 times a week, all be it a short commute, but I do end up off road most evenings on my way home, (by choice not just bad cycling).

My mountain bike has finally lost it's last little bit of reflectiveness (the pedal reflectors were first to go, then front wheel reflector, then white reflector on handlebars, then back wheel, and finally the red one under the seat). I crash a lot.

When it starts getting dark before I even leave work it will be pretty difficult to do the off road stuff I am doing now unless I start strapping torches everywhere.

I have never ridden a road bike. Only ever BMX and MTB when I was a kid.

I have no money (I have a wife and kids, they some times give me some pocket money).

Baring this in mind I find it odd that I am constantly looking at road bikes and wondering if it might not be fun to get one, not just for the commute, but to start having a blast on the roads as the nights draw in. The problem is I look at cheap road bikes, and they have the same issues as a cheap mountain bike, just how long would I be riding it before I was annoyed and wanted an upgrade?

I was just interested in what people thought. Stick with the mountain bike? get a cheap road bike just for the winter? or get a not so cheap road bike and risk turning into to some lycra clad speed freak.

holybinch

You know you want it.
The MTB needs a lil' brother.
And yes, you will upgrade.

rjsterry

Boy Lard wrote:

... some lycra clad speed freak.

And what's wrong with that?

CiB

It's part of growing up. Eventually everyone has a road bike as that's the right thing to do when it comes to cycling.

A bit like eventually most people grow up and realise that they want to vote Conservative <runs for cover>

will3

rjsterry wrote:

Boy Lard wrote:

... some lycra clad speed freak.

And what's wrong with that?

curiously MTB riders on the continent seem to wear lycra. Not sure what the problem is here.

rjsterry

CiB wrote:

It's part of growing up. Eventually everyone has a road bike as that's the right thing to do when it comes to cycling.

A bit like eventually most people grow up and realise that they want to vote Conservative <runs for cover>

Oddly enough, my parents gradually swung to the right as they got older, but this then started to reverse, and they are now Lib Dem supporters (with more emphasis on the Lib bit).

Stevo_666

By all means get a road bike, it's a very good way to get/keep fit and it can be fun ! You can always stay true to you roots by wearing baggy gear and a proper helmet with a peak. Or if you don't do that you can always stick to riding at night :P

PS: never ditch the MTB. Otherwise you will end up as one of those odd looking lycra boys

Boy Lard

I don't really care what I look like, I'm all about the comfort when on my bike. It seems a very bewildering array of road and commuter bikes though. I don't think I'd know where to start.

...and having said I don't care what I look like, I am strangely drawn by the Mongoose Maurice, which combines 2 things which baffle me. Trying to look too cool for school, and single speed.

aaaggghhh

must stop looking at bikes.

Stevo_666

For christ's sake don't ask whether a roadie or a hybrid is better, you'll get everyone all excited unnecessarily. There are several hundred threads on here with endless conflicting opinions

cee

will3 wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Boy Lard wrote:

... some lycra clad speed freak.

And what's wrong with that?

curiously MTB riders on the continent seem to wear lycra. Not sure what the problem is here.

mountain bikers here wear lycra too.....it is true that fashions around different 'aspects' of riding shunned the lycra in a bid to look more moto-influenced....

in general xc riders will don the lycra, shave the legs etc with no shame or discomfort...
in contrast, DH riders generally go full on moto racing pajamas.

everyone else seems to sit somewhere in between the two....

I don't have a road bike....my commute is only 4 miles each way, so don't really see the benefit over that type of distance and I would rather spend my leisure time riding off-road.

I have two mountain bikes though....one a proper DH bike that gets hauled out maybe once or twice a month (while it is possible to push up DH tracks, organised uplift is the way and this doesn't happen locally every weekend), the other is a nice light hardtail with a 140mm airsprung fork. Perfect for 90% of the riding that I do.

If my commute was double what it is now...i reckon thats where a road bike would start to make sense as a commuter vehicle for me, but at the moment...I'd rather spend the money on other stuff!

Boy Lard

If you think that's fun, bob over to the MTB forums and ask them what tyres are best.

I think it's not knowing what it even feels like on a road bike that's got me all frustrated, I don't know any short arse people with road bikes for me to have a go though. I might just have to pretend I am actually going to buy one and convicne the lbs to let me have a go.

itsbruce

Boy Lard wrote:

...and having said I don't care what I look like, I am strangely drawn by the Mongoose Maurice, which combines 2 things which baffle me. Trying to look too cool for school, and single speed.

I applaud this approach; go for variety of experience. My two bikes are quite different. I might even try a derailleur roadie some time, although the people riding them that I pass on the commute do seem to be struggling with them, so they can't be that much fun.

must stop looking at bikes.

How's that working for you?

SickAsAParrot

I used to ride a road bike all the time until I got an MTB about 8 years ago because I wanted to start using the canals and greenways to get to work, and I've hardly used the road bike since.

BUT, even though it's hard and uncomfortable, twitchy as hell, and I don't like the riding position (scrunched down over my fat gut), it's still a load of fun having a blast on it every now and again. It's the cheapest of the cheap but it's still a lot lighter than my hybrids.

I'd say get one if you can afford it, even if it's a cheap one you're not going to rely on as a main bike, variety is the spice of something somebody said.

wgwarburton

SickAsAParrot wrote:

I used to ride a road bike ... until I got an MTB ...because I wanted to start using the canals and greenways ....

Hmm, interesting: we often see posts asking how to make an MTB more like a roadie but I've not seen one asking how to toughen up a road bike for light offroad.

I wonder why... all it would take in many (most?) cases would be stronger wheels, fatter tyres (check clearance) and maybe an extra couple of gears...

Cheers,
W.

unixnerd

I have a road bike, a mtb and a tourer with mudguards. I wear lycra on all of them, it's comfortable and works well.

On nice days I use the road bike. On bad days or for fun in the dark I use the mtb. Get some goods lights for the mtb. I have a big 10W main light whose battery sits in the water bottle holder and a head mounted spot light. Good lights are cheaper than ever these days. It's also a good idea to get reflective tape for the bike if you're on road a lot.

I use the tourer if I want a road ride in the winter and the roads are wet or it's likely to rain. It has panniers so i can carry waterproofs, food, extra clothing (I cycle down to -10C). If there's too much snow on the off road trails I'll use the tourer and go road cycling.

I don't tend to go road cycling for fun when it's dark. I think it's safer to go off road.

A road bike is no fun for commuting in winter unless it has mudguards.

If you're on a budget go second hand, lots of folk buy a bike and then go off the idea. It gets left in the shed for years then ends up on ebay or gumtree. My road bike cost 1200 new, I paid 400 for it after 3 years and 100 miles :-)

Runoutofgears

CiB wrote:

It's part of growing up. Eventually everyone has a road bike as that's the right thing to do when it comes to cycling.

A bit like eventually most people grow up and realise that they want to vote Conservative <runs for cover>

I agree with the bike bit, (I make no political comment), the 14 to 16 year olds around my way have started to ditch their BMX for colourful single speeders, it's a step, a significant step in the right direction.

A group I passed last week seemed amazed when I said "nice wheels" as i passed by.

Kieran_Burns

Runoutofgears wrote:

CiB wrote:

It's part of growing up. Eventually everyone has a road bike as that's the right thing to do when it comes to cycling.

A bit like eventually most people grow up and realise that they want to vote Conservative <runs for cover>

I agree with the bike bit, (I make no political comment), the 14 to 16 year olds around my way have started to ditch their BMX for colourful single speeders, it's a step, a significant step in the right direction.

A group I passed last week seemed amazed when I said "nice wheels" as i passed by.

It does take a while for a teenagers hormones and sexuality to settle down. Clearly this lot have ended up in the ghey category....

Check for manbags and accessories, you know you'll find them...

Boy Lard

I seems funny to me that most people seem to be saying they have a mtb for the winter, when I'm thinking that's the time I'll be better off out on the roads. Maybe I'll just get a bottle holder for the batteries and some big lights.

wgwarburton

Boy Lard wrote:

I seems funny to me that most people seem to be saying they have a mtb for the winter, when I'm thinking that's the time I'll be better off out on the roads. Maybe I'll just get a bottle holder for the batteries and some big lights.

Me too. There's a school of though that MTBs are better suited to winter weather, don't see it myself.

There's a bit of a problem with terminology- many people use "road bike" to mean "race bike" (cf. unixnerds comment that he has a "road bike" & a "tourer"). It's compounded by the tendency for bikes these days to be sold as recreational sports gear, instead of transport.

Imagine if you could only buy sports cars or 4x4s, with a niche market in saloon cars for the affluent specialist...

Cheers,
W.

unixnerd

I agree, far too many folk who'd be better off with a tourer are sold road racing bikes. The geometry of a race bike isn't going to be comfortable for many folk, especially if they're older and a bit less flexibile. And the current fad for going without mudguards in the UK climate is madness. It's all very well having a nice looking road bike, but sometimes practicality has to come first.

Tourers aren't fashionable these days. That's why you see thing like the Cannondale Synapse and the Specialized Roubaix trying to bridge the gap between race bikes and tourers.

For my money a tourer would be the ideal commuter bike, but ideally with disc brakes for better wet weather braking.

will3

WGWarburton wrote:

Boy Lard wrote:

I seems funny to me that most people seem to be saying they have a mtb for the winter, when I'm thinking that's the time I'll be better off out on the roads. Maybe I'll just get a bottle holder for the batteries and some big lights.

Me too. There's a school of though that MTBs are better suited to winter weather, don't see it myself.
.

I guess it's thought that an MTB might be better sealed from moisture/salt/grit which gets everywhere in the winter and also might be better suited to crashing through the potholes that develop in the winter which you don't see because it's dark.

Personally I'd have thought a winterised road bike would be fine for all that, just needs space for mudguards and larger tyres.

Boy Lard

Anything with drop handles looks like a race bike to me, and anything with skinny tyres I think of as a road bike.

I feel like I can say things like that in the commuting forum, the 'Road' forum looks scary from here.

will3

Sounds like you might be interested in a CX to me. Goes well enough on road and is tough enough for the odd off road excursion.

unixnerd

Sounds like you might be interested in a CX to me. Goes well enough on road and is tough enough for the odd off road excursion.

That's a good idea. I saw a girl commuting on a nice Cannondale cyclocross bike just the other day. Good bit lighter than a steel framed tourer. Now that the rules have changed to allow CX bikes to run disc brakes we should see some good commuting bikes coming from that sector very soon :-)

will3

unixnerd wrote:

Sounds like you might be interested in a CX to me. Goes well enough on road and is tough enough for the odd off road excursion.

That's a good idea. I saw a girl commuting on a nice Cannondale cyclocross bike just the other day. Good bit lighter than a steel framed tourer. Now that the rules have changed to allow CX bikes to run disc brakes we should see some good commuting bikes coming from that sector very soon :-)

for example, I;m really quite tempted by the geneis 2011 day 01.
Alfine hub gear, drops, discs, large tyres, mudguard and rack mounts.

Looks like the perfect commuter to me.

wgwarburton

unixnerd wrote:

...For my money a tourer would be the ideal commuter bike,....

+1, maybe audax/light-tourer, rather than full-on tourer.

You're a Unix nerd in Aviemore... do you do UNIX professionally, there? I wouldn't have though there'd be a call for it, unless you commute to Inverness, say...

Cheers,
W.

Boy Lard

I keep looking at things like the Giant Defy 4 though, but nearly £500 for a bike to ride around at night on the road because its too dark to go in the woods seems a bit steep. I think if I went to my LBS, and had a quick ride around the car park I'd realise that it's really uncomfortable and I prefer being able to sit up straight. I just like the idea of having a bike specific to riding on roads, be it commuting or evening rides purely for exercise and the reality would be that I'd rarely use it.

Wallace1492

mmmmmmmmmmmm Tricross..... and get a cape....

unixnerd

You're a Unix nerd in Aviemore... do you do UNIX professionally, there? I wouldn't have though there'd be a call for it, unless you commute to Inverness, say...

I mainly sell used HP/Sun unix kit, amongst other things. I still program though, either from home or in Aberdeen. I used to live in Aberdeen but I found myself coming up to Aviemore to go cycling every weekend and decided as might as well just move here :-) Best thing I ever did.

I do 20-25 miles mtb'ing in the Cairngorms most days or cross country skiing in the winter (went skiing almost every day for five months last winter, even in early May I could ski to the next village and back).

rjsterry

Boy Lard wrote:

I keep looking at things like the Giant Defy 4 though, but nearly £500 for a bike to ride around at night on the road because its too dark to go in the woods seems a bit steep. I think if I went to my LBS, and had a quick ride around the car park I'd realise that it's really uncomfortable and I prefer being able to sit up straight. I just like the idea of having a bike specific to riding on roads, be it commuting or evening rides purely for exercise and the reality would be that I'd rarely use it.

Umm, just a thought, but I'm assuming your local roads are very well lit, otherwise you'll need almost as much lighting on the road as off (You seemed to suggest that needing to fit lots of lights was a reason not to go off road).

wgwarburton

unixnerd wrote:

You're a Unix nerd in Aviemore... do you do UNIX professionally, there? I wouldn't have though there'd be a call for it, unless you commute to Inverness, say...

I mainly sell used HP/Sun unix kit, amongst other things. I still program though, either from home or in Aberdeen. ...

Aha! Yes, I've seen your hardware sales site before, I'm sure--- You're interested in BMWs, too, IIRC?

Cheers,
W.