difference between mountain biking and road biking

scottbramwell

Hi guys,
I'm more then likely going to be doing the Manchester to Blackpool run this year but I'm just thinking is it going to be harder to do the ride with a mountain bike or should I get a road bike to do it. My uncle says that there is a big difference between the bikes so it would be harder for me and my body to get use to the road bike if I'm just using it the once. Btw i was thinking or lending or renting the road bike. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

cooldad

Fairly easy to change, just takes a few miles to get used to the wobbly feeling (and rubbish brakes). It will be much, much easier on a road bike.

concorde

The hardest part will be not getting bored out of your head doing road riding.

cooldad

That is true. I do a few charity rides a year, otherwise the road bike just slowly deflates.

delcol

one is gay and other is :roll: :roll: :P cool

i have both and use both on a regular basis imo for a longdistance gay i mean road ride it would be far easier and quicker on a gay i mean road bike.

like mentioned it does'nt take long to get used to wobbling around and brakes that feel like you aint gonna stop..
i find my road bike aint as comfy as my mtb,,. 700c-23 wheels/tyres with 120 psi in them roll fast with next to no drag compaired to a 26 mtb wheel even with 1.8 slick tyre on. but the 700cs let you know when you hit a pot hole or even riding over a grid can be whack in the nads :shock: :shock: :shock:

it's a tricky one to decide comfort over speed....

think i would go for speed and use the road bike..

cycle monster

scottbramwell wrote:

Hi guys,
I'm more then likely going to be doing the Manchester to Blackpool run this year but I'm just thinking is it going to be harder to do the ride with a mountain bike or should I get a road bike to do it. My uncle says that there is a big difference between the bikes so it would be harder for me and my body to get use to the road bike if I'm just using it the once. Btw i was thinking or lending or renting the road bike. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Road cycling is for ladies. The sex change op will hurt almost as much as the roadie saddle. Your uncle is absolutely right, there is a huge difference between the bikes, as there is between the sexes and the terrain traversed by the two groups of riders. A road bike will suit you best on the road and an off road bike will suit you best of road. Tarmac is incredibly easy to ride on, I hope you don't die of boredom.

davewalsh

I did it in 2010 on my Inbred with slicks. If I were you I'd put slicks on your rockhopper and use that. It's not like it's a 35lb full susser which would be totally unsuitable.

scottbramwell

yeah i was advised to stick slicks on it, so i may opt for that, save the embarassment of riding a road bike

gezebo

For a one off event like this (assuming you change to slick tyres) the main drawback will be gears. If you are fit then its likely that on the flat and certainly going even gently downhill you will 'spin out' ie. You won't have enough of the higher gears.

diy

I don't know what this ride covers, but if its on the road, then go with a road bike. Your avg. speed will be close to 5mph faster on the road bike than an MTB even with slicks. The rubbish stoppers wont really matter. The only time a MTB might be better is if the roads are cobbled or badly surfaced.

I've done over 50mph on grass on my mtb, I don't seem to be able to get much over 45 on my road bike. Better brakes, suspension and grip give you confidence to go faster down hill, but the road bike wins overall.

If your ride involves a lot of climbing try to get a bike that does not have a compact crank/cassette setup as these are hard work. You can always go with a gel cover to make the seat less painful.

Long_Time_Lurker

All depends what everyone else is riding. If everyone is on road bikes, they will get annoyed having to wait for you to catch up.
A road bike is a lot faster than an mtb and easier tp ride up the hills.

njee20

I've done over 50mph on grass on my mtb, I don't seem to be able to get much over 45 on my road bike. Better brakes, suspension and grip give you confidence to go faster down hill, but the road bike wins overall.

Try harder, I've done 60 on my road bike several times.

If your ride involves a lot of climbing try to get a bike that does not have a compact crank/cassette setup as these are hard work. You can always go with a gel cover to make the seat less painful.

Other way round - a compact is what you do want for hills (generally 50/34), a standard chainset is usually 53/39.

i find my road bike aint as comfy as my mtb,

You need to sort your road bike out - on the road I find either of my road bikes far more comfy than my MTB.

A road bike will be faster and less effort. The brakes are very marginally less effective (depending on what they are), but more than adequate. You don't have a 22t chainring to hide your crap fitness. A Camelbak is uncomfortable because of the change in weight distribution. A peak gets in the way on the drops. Baggies flap around and are irritating and uncomfortable.

If you have an issue with any of the above, then a mountain bike is probably the best bet. Or if you're just too cool for a road bike I'm sure everyone will be really pleased with waiting for you to wheeze up every hill on your MTB :roll:

ddraver

Go njee...Woooohhhh etc

Basically this thread can be summed up as road bikes are better on the road and mountain bikes are better in the mountains and that the Pope is catholic and that bears sh1t in the woods.

bails87

+1 to njee and ddraver

Markmjh

done the manchester to blackpool the last 4 years now. 3 on a mtb with slicks and last yeasr on a road bike.
To be honest mate if yr mates are on MTB's just get some slicks, if they are all on road bikes then work out if you are going to use it again afterwards!
I got a road bike last year with this event in mind bvut got rid of it shortly after due to lack of use. A road bike is a lot faster but if you are just doing the event for fun(and it is a really good day) then spend £30 on some slicks and get on with it :-)

larryb

Concorde wrote:

The hardest part will be not getting bored out of your head doing road riding.

haha so so true

Stu Coops

The clue to which is best is in there names Road Bike/Mountain Bike duhh

Chinley Churner

You'll enjoy it far more on a road bike and it's complete b*llocks about it being more uncomfortable. In fact, with at least three hand positions, you'll probably find it a lot more comfortable. The only thing to bare in mind is that you probably won't have the mincing gears you get on a mtb so you'll have to ride uphill properly rather than twiddling like a tw*t, chatting with your mates and blocking the trail (still a bit angry from an overly busy day at Llandegla).

Meatfox

since everyone in the mtb section thinks road bikes are for gays...post this in the roadie section and see what they say.
probably "mountain bikes are for nuckled headed drunks"....to be honest, i can live with that

njee20

Great to see homophobia so rife :roll:

Not everyone here thinks they're gay, at least 3 people realise they're more effective tools for the job.

Frames are bigger too - so you'll be able to rest your gut on the top tube!

styxd

since everyone in the mtb section thinks road bikes are for gays...post this in the roadie section and see what they say.
probably "mountain bikes are for nuckled headed drunks"....to be honest, i can live with that

I dont know, most of the people in the road section seem to be just cyclists who enjoy riding their bikes.

Whereas in the mtb forum, theres far to many clueless nuggets who seem to have an inferiority complex. These are the classic overweight mincers who cant ride for toffee, but feel they need to put others down to make themselves feel better.

njee20

Nail. Head.

You'll find people on road bikes are also far less judgemental about what people ride, or wear, and don't start myriad "the mountain biker didn't say hello to me, so I cried" threads, all unique quirks of 'mountain bikers' rather than 'people who enjoy riding bikes'.

Mojo_666

styxd wrote:

since everyone in the mtb section thinks road bikes are for gays...post this in the roadie section and see what they say.
probably "mountain bikes are for nuckled headed drunks"....to be honest, i can live with that

I dont know, most of the people in the road section seem to be just cyclists who enjoy riding their bikes.

Whereas in the mtb forum, theres far to many clueless nuggets who seem to have an inferiority complex. These are the classic overweight mincers who cant ride for toffee, but feel they need to put others down to make themselves feel better.

Mmmmmm, something just isn't quite right here but I cannot put my finger on it.

oodboo

As others have said just put slicks on your rockhopper. I commute on a cx bike but I have also done the same commute on hardtail and a full sus mountain bikes. The difference in journey time between the cx bike and the hardtail was minimal but the full sus (spesh enduro) really wasn't up to the job. This is based on a 30 mile round trip commute but unless you have easy access to a road bike then I'd just use some road tyres. Have a look at the Schwalbe Marathons. I bought a pair off ebay for £30 (not the marathon plus) and have covered 1650 commuting miles wihout a puncture. Oh and if your forks have a lockout then use it.

njee20

Marathons are a tough commuting tyre, which are heavy and harsh, I'd go for something faster rolling for one event. Conti Grand Prix are good, and come in 26x1.0 if you want to fit to your MTB.

styxd

Mmmmmm, something just isn't quite right here but I cannot put my finger on it.

El Zomba

njee20 wrote:

Nail. Head.

You'll find people on road bikes are also far less judgemental about what people ride, or wear, and don't start myriad "the mountain biker didn't say hello to me, so I cried" threads, all unique quirks of 'mountain bikers' rather than 'people who enjoy riding bikes'.

At least I don't shave my legs like a girly-girl though

While the insults between roadies and MTB'ers tend to lean more towards banter, there's always a few that'll take it too far. It's everywhere. Every sport has it's array of elitist nitwits with a superiority complex, aimed both inward and outward. The same MTB'ers who sneer at Roadies are probably the same sort who sneer at anyone who rides a bike that cost less than two grand. Same with roadies who laugh at anyone who isn't fitted out with full Dura-Ace. The diciplines may differ, but the arseholes remain universal.

As far as bike choice goes, if the route is on a road, use a road bike. You don't use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail. That said, if you don't have access to a road bike, no one should look down on you for using a mountain bike instead.

bails87

njee20 wrote:

Nail. Head.

You'll find people on road bikes are also far less judgemental about what people ride, or wear, and don't start myriad "the mountain biker didn't say hello to me, so I cried" threads, all unique quirks of 'mountain bikers' rather than 'people who enjoy riding bikes'.

Ahem, a recent post in the "Road Beginners" section.....

kingrollo wrote:

. and cycling in a group , with your club kit on - IMO makes you a real cyclist.

As said above though, plebs ride all kinds of bikes.

As was also said above, OP: don't buy a road bike just for the one event. If you can borrow one off a mate then use it, but if not, put slicks on the MTB, maybe fit bar ends, lock out the forks and go for it.

njee20

I said 'far less' judgemental, rather than 'not' judgemental - there are morons in all walks of life, as said!

ddraver

njee20 wrote:

You'll find people on road bikes are also far less judgemental about what people ride, or wear,

Oh now, I can't let that slur past! Ever seen them arguing about Campag vs Shimano vs SRAM, Italian Carbon, Assos vs Rapha, the ettiquette you are supposed to follow, where you keep your spare tyre/tool, should you take a spare tyre/tool (it might look a bit crap)

And heaven forbid you should wear a national jersey!!

ddraver

(damn you bails!)