Off road to On road fitness conversion!

tjdixon911

Hi,

I have recently entered the London to Cambridge Cycle event in July, 6 months away, and need to start my training, I've not ridden a road bike in alot of years however do do alot of Off Road riding and therefore do not really know where my fitness level on road lies.

I'm not the fittest/fastes of people but off road (xc) I can ride for a couple of hours and cover 15-20 miles I was wondering what this sort of fittness level might convert to on a road bike? I'm sure there isn't a science to this but given the lower resistance, lighter bike etc could I expect to see 30miles in 2 hours?

My target for the event, realistic or not, is to complete it in 4 hours therefore averaging 15mph over the 60miles - obviously I need to get to a level to keep my legs going for 4hrs!

Any thoughts / tips on training would be much appreciated, I've not got a road bike yet but have been considering a Giant Rapid 4 with straight bars.

Thanks

Tom

Jon8a

Is this a one off or a new change in direction? EIther way I still think I'd recommend a proper road bike with drop bars.

Very roughly road distances are half off road distances. Onviously depending on a huge number of factors which can make this well off.

6 hours is realistic. 15mph on a road bike is quite cruisy unless there are any big hills. I struggle to average over 11mph in most long mtb races I do but can comfortably manage 18mph over a hundred on the road (when I'm racing fit).

If you want to practice on the road then consider getting some slick tyres. They make a massive difference. They might be worth considering rather than a flat barred road bike to save you a considerable amount of money. You'll spend a lot of time in the big ring though.

IF you are mechanically able then switching to a road casette will give you closer gears which are better for road use

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=5851

Rouge Penguin

I do both. As you'll have a good base from the XC, you wont find it a big difference. Obviously its not exactly the same, but its more or less the same muscles and you just need to get out and build the miles up.

Defo get a drop bar road bike. Over the longer distance, the extra weight of an MTB (even with slicks) will be an arse to drag along and the riding position will leave you in bits. The lower resistance of the skinny tyres makes it easier to cover longer distances.

tjdixon911

Thanks for the tips / pointers.

I can't say as to whether or not this will be a one off or a long term thing, until I really try it I don't know. I am hoping it will be a long term thing as with the soaring cost of fuel, I could save the money of buying the bike by using it to get round town, visit parents etc. Also due to the value of my MTB I am not keen on leaving that locked up outside shops etc, where a cheaper bike I probably would from an insurance point of veiw etc....

I've even been looking into joining the local cycling club which will also encourage its use!

WIth regards to the drop bars, there does seem to be alot more available which may mean grabbing a bargain might be easier, as I have no knowledge of road bikes what should I be looking for if I had a budget of £4-500? Could they be converted to flat bars easily by replacing the Stem/Bar etc or would the geometry be all wrong.....

Thanks again for the advice!

ireland57

Most could be converted to flat bars but unless you have a back problem and have difficulty bending I'd go for a drop bar setup.

A mate trying to convince me to get a roadie loaned me a flat bar bike just to get the idea and feel of a road bike. I'd brought a drop bar within a month and there's no way I'd run flats. And I do have a back problem.

You get used to them fairly quickly. There are more positions to hang on with drops which is handy when you start to hurt. And they're quicker than the upright position.

stoponasixpence

Hi guys just a quick add on from the previous question.

I have just purchased a bordman pro hybrid bike with flat bars mainly to commute and train
.I also ride an expensive mountain bike and but due to the appaling maintance costs and endless days caked in cr*ap i have started to use the hybrid to train to improve my fitness levels ready for the drier weather. I am doing around 50 70 miles a week on the hybrid, would this bike be out of geomerty with drop bars on it?

Thanks for any suggestions

dawebbo

Not sure about the specifics of the boardman and whether this could be countered by appropriate use of spacers and stem angle, but hybrids typically are much more upright.

Another thing to consider is STIs aren't especially cheap and you may need to replace gears/brakes if not compatible (you'd need to check), so you may find converting isn't price effective.