Yet another silly question - Off roading

Mr Will
Mr Will Posts: 216
edited September 2010 in Road beginners
I've seen quite a lot of people who are looking at buying road bikes worrying about taking them off anything other than smooth tarmac. Is this really necessary?

I'm not talking about mud and grass, but surely anything except a very extreme road bike will cope with tow paths, disused railways, etc if ridden gently. If anything a lot of these have better (if slightly gravelly) surfaces than most of our roads these days.

Or is there something I'm missing which will destroy a road bike but wouldn't harm a road biased hybrid?
2010 Cannondale CAAD9 Tiagra

Comments

  • father_jack
    father_jack Posts: 3,509
    I didn't like how my road bike handled on asphalt, felt like front tyre was going to lose grip. And it probably would. Rather have some 26 x 1" semi road MTB tyres on asphalt maybe something like Continental Race King 2.2. Not too knobbly just to bite into the asphalt.
    Say... That's a nice bike..
    Trax T700 with Lew Racing Pro VT-1 ;-)
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    how will rubber 'bite' into asphalt..??
  • father_jack
    father_jack Posts: 3,509
    go past the loose layer and into the harder compacted stuff. I wouldn't take a corner at speed on a road bike.
    Say... That's a nice bike..
    Trax T700 with Lew Racing Pro VT-1 ;-)
  • I am the god of hell fire
    I am the god of hell fire Posts: 326
    I took my road bike to France last year

    One afternoon the kids vanished down a bridleway that became more and more loose, rutted and muddy

    They were too far away to hear my cries of "stop"

    I can confirm that Ksyrium Elites shod with GP4000's are not as bad as youd imagine in the circumstances :)
  • flet©h
    flet©h Posts: 88
    Your right, your average road bike will be fine on tow paths and disused railway tracks and it won't come to any bother.

    I've ridden my Spech Allez down gravely tow paths with no bother with the (much derided) factory fitted 23mm tyres fitted. No punctures, no wash outs, no problems at all. Only issue is any stone chips on my nice shinny road bike rather than my mountain bike.
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    I wouldnt worry either when these guys seem 'happy' enough riding on a 'decent surface' at least it was dry
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnoyEYn0BQk
  • father_jack
    father_jack Posts: 3,509
    yeah but they're not paying for new wheels at the end of it lol. My tourer can cope with paths but once you get ruts that's it...rather not knock them out of true. With MTB can fly over them not worrying about it.

    That looks like hard, flat compacted asphalt, where I am you get loose asphalt, the really hard dirt plus 3" ruts...more than roadie can handle.
    Say... That's a nice bike..
    Trax T700 with Lew Racing Pro VT-1 ;-)
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    Father Jack wrote:
    go past the loose layer and into the harder compacted stuff. I wouldn't take a corner at speed on a road bike.

    eh..? asphalt is tarmac - not sure what you mean....
  • father_jack
    father_jack Posts: 3,509
    oh right...umm what's that loose dirt that's used on stock car races, moto-x etc
    Say... That's a nice bike..
    Trax T700 with Lew Racing Pro VT-1 ;-)
  • louthepoo
    louthepoo Posts: 223
    Father Jack wrote:
    oh right...umm what's that loose dirt that's used on stock car races, moto-x etc
    shale
    Riding a Merida FLX Carbon Team D Ultralite Nano from Mike at Ace Ultra Cycles, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton 01902 725444

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