road v mtb v commuter

Neil0406

I have a Marin mountain bike, which seemed a great idea when I bought it, you know, all that off road cycling that seems great but I never get round to doing.
In reality, most of my cycling is on the road, actually commuting, and very little off road.
What difference in speed could I expect from a road bike or a hybrid if I changed?
Say I cover 12-15 miles an hour on my mtb, what would I cover on a road bike?
Is it worth the expense, or would I be better changing my wheels/tyres to a road tyre?
I don't cycle much, but want to do more. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Phate

I use a Cube X-race Comp to commute, it took my commute down from about 45-50 mins on my old MTB to 30-35mins!

Find the crosser better for commuting in Edinburgh than a proper road bike as there are a lot of cobbles and very poor potholed roads!

ndru

In this case I would recommend you get a proper town bike which eventually will mean that you cycle more and not only to work. Knobby tyres have a lot of drag, but that's not really a problem - you will only get about 5-10 min advantage with road tyres and roughly the same time with a town bike. And riding a bike isn't about speed that gets you dripping with sweat but more about comfort and utility.

Duffer65

I also have a Marin. Why not try putting on slick tyres and maybe locking out the suspension. See how that goes and if you still feel you need more speed get a fast hybrid or road bike.

meanredspider

I ride a road bike on a 15+ mile commute (one way) and an MTB when there's the risk of ice (with spikey tyres) or snow (like yesterday :roll: )

The road bike is soooo much faster and saves me 10-15 minutes each way. I actually find it more comfortable - especially as there are more hand position options. They are (cost-for-cost) lighter too and being able to tuck down in a vicious headwind is another advantage. There's lots of options inbetween an MTB and a road bike (cycloX, hybrid, tourer etc) but they are compromises IMO

Drysuitdiver

I use a MTB to commute with no problems . I have remote lockout on the front fork , and have michelin XC+dry tyres I average 15mph without really pushing myself and when i do push can get 18mph fairly easy.

its stopping at Red lights that adds the time onto my Journey.

Stuey01

Phate wrote:

I use a Cube X-race Comp to commute, it took my commute down from about 45-50 mins on my old MTB to 30-35mins!

Find the crosser better for commuting in Edinburgh than a proper road bike as there are a lot of cobbles and very poor potholed roads!

Have you tried a road bike for comparison? It says you went from a MTB to a crosser, you don't mention a road bike. How can you have concluded that the crosser is better if you haven't tried it?

In answer to the OP, most people report significant reduction in journey times when going from MTB to roadie. Particularly if the MTB was running knobbly tyres.
If it is mostly commuting consider something that will take mudguards to keep you dry.

jeremyrundle

Duffer65 wrote:

I also have a Marin. Why not try putting on slick tyres and maybe locking out the suspension. See how that goes and if you still feel you need more speed get a fast hybrid or road bike.

I agree 100%, I only use MTB to commute, hate other bikes, personal choice, spent £1200 on new MTB to commute just last month.

http://sirpatrickmooresales.co.uk/Ourpage.aspx

Stuey01

Drysuitdiver wrote:

I use a MTB to commute with no problems . I have remote lockout on the front fork , and have michelin XC+dry tyres I average 15mph without really pushing myself and when i do push can get 18mph fairly easy.

its stopping at Red lights that adds the time onto my Journey.

Is that a genuine end to end average of 15mph, or is it your typical cruising speed?
I ask because my typical cruising speed on my roadie is about 22-23mph, however I'm lucky to average 15mph on my commute due to traffic and lights. If you are genuinely averaging 15mph on an MTB you must have a very clear route or be Chris Hoy.

Twostage

I fitted tribars to my MTB to speed up commuting. looked weird but it worked. I could average 17-18 mph but it was a time-trial. It was a heavy bike with heavy slime filled wheels (about 35 lbs) and I'd arrive at work bathed in sweat.

I now use an Alu road bike, average speed is about the same but I can do it comfortably.

Neil0406

Thanks to all for your replies...I appreciate your input.
I think a good starting point would be to change the set up of my current bike and give it a shot before laying out too much money.
I haven't even tried a road bike yet, but I have read that some Evans stores allow you to test ride some bikes.
Any recommendations on a tyre that would work well as a commuting tyre?

Thanks again all.....

jeremyrundle

Neil0406 wrote:

Thanks to all for your replies...I appreciate your input.
I think a good starting point would be to change the set up of my current bike and give it a shot before laying out too much money.
I haven't even tried a road bike yet, but I have read that some Evans stores allow you to test ride some bikes.
Any recommendations on a tyre that would work well as a commuting tyre?

Thanks again all.....

Puncture proof :?

Neil0406

One last quick question.....how do you lock out the suspension? The bike is a hard tail so I only have the front to do.
Thanks.

Stuey01

Neil0406 wrote:

One last quick question.....how do you lock out the suspension? The bike is a hard tail so I only have the front to do.
Thanks.

That will depend on the fork, it may not be possible. What fork is it?

re: tyres. I used spesh nimbus armadillos with some success. They are a bugger to get on though, so much so that I'm looking for alternatives that don't fill me with dread at the thought of having to change a tube at the roadside.
(this after I punctured and proceeded to snap two tyre levers and ruin two tubes in my efforts to get it back on my rear wheel - DT Swiss rim. Ended up walking to the train station as I ran out of both levers and tubes).

Duffer65

I had Continental Sports Contact tyres on my old bike which were fine and rolled pretty smoothly. But any good quality semi-slick or slick tyre would be fine. I'm sure lots of people have their opinions on what's the best tyre to use.

Stuey01

For the avoidance of doubt, I am NOT recommending Spesh nimbus armadillos.
I seem to recall the rear wearing pretty quickly as well.

Neil0406

The forks are Manitou I think, but I can't be more specific than that as I'm at work and the bike is at home....not yet a commuter!

jeremyrundle

"Hard trail" is what I use, and if you do not have shocks that allow lockout such as Rock shox recon air, dart air and or similar then you can not do it, cheap sus does not allow it.

Non locked off road, locked road is what I use except in rain/snow when I also use unlocked on road.

The make you have are good, have you googled the manufacturer :!:

godders1

Neil0406 wrote:

Thanks to all for your replies...I appreciate your input.
I think a good starting point would be to change the set up of my current bike and give it a shot before laying out too much money.
I haven't even tried a road bike yet, but I have read that some Evans stores allow you to test ride some bikes.
Any recommendations on a tyre that would work well as a commuting tyre?

Thanks again all.....

Evans will take £50 off you to try a bike but you do get this back in full though (or if you buy a bike from them it comes off the price).

I've been commuting for the past year on Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres and haven't had a single puncture (was averaging one every week or so on the old stock tyres). You can get lighter tyres but there's nothing worse than having to fix a flat miles from home in the middle of winter so as someone already said puncture resistance should be the priority.

meanredspider

Somebody has 50% off Schwalbes. Look in the Bargain I Have Found thread.

AndyF16

Neil0406 wrote:

Thanks to all for your replies...I appreciate your input.
I think a good starting point would be to change the set up of my current bike and give it a shot before laying out too much money.
I haven't even tried a road bike yet, but I have read that some Evans stores allow you to test ride some bikes.
Any recommendations on a tyre that would work well as a commuting tyre?

Thanks again all.....

Lockout your forks and invest in a pair of Specialized Armadillo Hemispheres, 1.95" wide so very stable but roll really well on Tarmac, will handle rougher stuff fine and are very p******e resistant too 8)

ThatBikeGuy

I average approximately 15-16 mph on my MTB, though it is through rural country roads so very little i have to actually stop for.
I use knobblies but i have some semi-slick schwalbes coming to make the ride a bit smoother, bike must weigh about 12kg so not very light at the moment...
As for road bikes i'm currently building one up so can't really comment though through high traffic areas with lots of stopping and starting i could imagine MTB's and roadies being very similar. On country roads however a road bike would be best IMO.

waddlie

I have some spare Conti Gatorskins (26 x 1.175) free to a good home! Probably the fastest 26" slick tyre you can by. Couldn't believe the difference when I fitted them to my Rockhopper.

Then n+1 combined with my hatred of swapping tyres every five minutes so I bought a flatbar roadbike...

Ad Hynkel

Schwalbe Marathon have been doing me proud for a few years on my irregular commute. Tore a hole in one after an encounter with a broken bottle but other than that no punctures! Heard the Pluses are even more resilient, but heavier. Conti Top Touring were my previous best commuter tyres and gave up with an Armadillo before that (that doesn't sound right at all).

Blue Meanie

You can gain real aero-advantage by loosing the baggies and gimping up like a roadie.

However, the more efficient you get, the less you'll try. Even if you try just as hard, as if measured by hrm/powertap, you'll only exercise for less time so will have to lengthen your route to get similar workout.

As spring progresses to summer to autumn my commute begins to include extra roads and loops. The 'long-cuts' I add to my commute are all rural, leafy country lanes. Feels great to leave home and immediatley turn the wrong way for work.

meanredspider

Blue Meanie wrote:

You can gain real aero-advantage by loosing the baggies and gimping up like a roadie.

However, the more efficient you get, the less you'll try. Even if you try just as hard, as if measured by hrm/powertap, you'll only exercise for less time so will have to lengthen your route to get similar workout.
.

Absolutely right. I couldn't believe how much difference ditching the flappy jacket made. And I know how much harder the MTB is than the road bike.

That said, I don't mind a bit of payback for the winter months of grinding away on the MTB and Ice Spikers in the cold and dark with some flying runs into work on the road bike. I do tend to work more on my aerobic fitness on the roadie. I'm constantly pushing to achieve my best time whereas the MTB is more of a calorie-burning haul countering the propensity to eat more in the dark months.

cjcp

meanredspider wrote:

Blue Meanie wrote:

You can gain real aero-advantage by loosing the baggies and gimping up like a roadie.

However, the more efficient you get, the less you'll try. Even if you try just as hard, as if measured by hrm/powertap, you'll only exercise for less time so will have to lengthen your route to get similar workout.
.

Absolutely right. I couldn't believe how much difference ditching the flappy jacket made. And I know how much harder the MTB is than the road bike.

That said, I don't mind a bit of payback for the winter months of grinding away on the MTB and Ice Spikers in the cold and dark with some flying runs into work on the road bike. I do tend to work more on my aerobic fitness on the roadie. I'm constantly pushing to achieve my best time whereas the MTB is more of a calorie-burning haul countering the propensity to eat more in the dark months.

+1.

I've used a roadie, crosser and mtb to commute on. Over the course of the week, the mtb leaves me knackered! It's fun or a novelty to start with, but then becomes hard work (it's a 30+ mile round-trip in the winter). As above, I find it gives me a better work out at a lower speed, but, generally, I prefer commuting on the road bike or the crosser. They're quicker, so I can do more miles if I feel like it and I can also add in the Park trail on my way home if needs be.

It's all down to personal preference, though.

Avoneer

What cjcp said.

I've used everything over the last 20 years.

My choice would be a road bike over a MTB any day of the year - but go for a more comfort orientated one rather than a stiff racer - like a Specialized Allez.

Hopped kerbs and hit potholes even on the road bike and it's still going strong.

If you don't wanna make that jump yet, get some 1.5" slicks for your MTB and even some rigid forks (suspension corrected ones) - that will make a lot of difference (front suspension forks are so heavy and so un-necessary on a commuter).

Pat...

meanredspider

Avoneer wrote:

(front suspension forks are so heavy and so un-necessary on a commuter).

Pat...

Yes - I lock out my forks (then I have to lock out the switch with a tie wrap because it's too easy to operate). I bought the MTB (a Cube Reaction Race) on the CtW scheme to do the commute with Spikers but also for running the trails around here - but the forks are a liability most of the time.

Avoneer

You can't beat seing people on those cheap y-framed full sussers bouncing along the road ;-)

Drysuitdiver

Stuey01 wrote:

Drysuitdiver wrote:

I use a MTB to commute with no problems . I have remote lockout on the front fork , and have michelin XC+dry tyres I average 15mph without really pushing myself and when i do push can get 18mph fairly easy.

its stopping at Red lights that adds the time onto my Journey.

Is that a genuine end to end average of 15mph, or is it your typical cruising speed?
I ask because my typical cruising speed on my roadie is about 22-23mph, however I'm lucky to average 15mph on my commute due to traffic and lights. If you are genuinely averaging 15mph on an MTB you must have a very clear route or be Chris Hoy.

I suppose it depends on how you want to calculate your average speed.

its a 3.5 mile commute. 8 sets of lights , 4 of which are grid controled so if i hit a green i am laughing. or if red i use the on pavement cycle lane to miss the lights.
the last 10 mile commute i did was done in 40 mins cycling time 45 minutes overall.

the best i did was 9 minutes cycling time for the 3.5 miles

thats what the cycle puter says . and yes it is set up correctly. I have mapometered the route i use and its within 0.005 of a mile of the reading on my puter. I regularly hit 24 mph on some bits of the run. I didn't beleive it at first , i got SWMBO to follow me in her car and the sat nav confirmed my speed. My wife says my legs are the best bit of me.