Mountain bike on the road? U mad bro?

Initialised

44T gearing had me spinning out so I swapped to 48T. The range of gears is good but a bit to easy to be lazy on hills.

Full suspension on the road is overkill, a little movement with a stiff fork would help if your route is more urban than strictly road. Cobbles aren't fun on 120psi skinnies.

veronese68

i think Simon is right, the actual time difference in riding an MTB is very small. It just feels a lot slower when you're moving along. Fact is you're rarely travelling at full tilt, and for much of the rest of the time the MTB would be moving at a broadly similar speed.

meanredspider

My MTB is considerably slower - 8 to 10 minutes slower each way on my 15 mile commute. And it's not a slow MTB either (Cube Reaction Race). The gap would be smaller if it were on slicks, if it were lighter and if it had drops - but then it would be a road bike. It obviously depends on how fast you are trying to ride and also how fast you are actually riding too - the benefit of a road bike gets greater the nearer flat-out you are trying and the aero advantages get greater at higher speeds.

veronese68

Exactly what I was trying to say. I suspect you don't spend as much time slowing for lights and traffic as the more urban commuters. The biggest difference is when you get up to cruising speed.

rolf_f

SimonAH wrote:

There really isn't a lot in those times is there Rolf? Maybe perception plays a bigger part than one would think.

Of course, on that one example, there maybe other variables to account for - I'm pretty sure there was more of a tail wind on the MTB commute but then temperatures were far warmer for the Dawes.

Initially I thought that probably I ride each bike with the same effort - and therefore the speed differential is just down to the nature of the bike. Now I wonder if I compensate for the bike and at least in part try to ride to the same speed. So effort is increased when riding the slower bike.

Ultimately, I reckon the MTB is maybe about five minutes (at the most) slower than the Ribble for the same conditions (though hard to be sure as the MTB does get out in the really cold weather only at the moment and I've not had the slicks on it for ages). So 40 minutes rather than 35 for 9.5 miles; something over 10% slower - not much really. The route is generally free flowing (probably rare to stop 10 times en route) but there are climbs and the bike is a heavy steel hardtail- that said though, a good chunk of the route is downhill so top speeds are fairly high - eg high 20s to about 30 mph. I'd need a powertap to determine how much of the speed difference was me and how much the bike.

meanredspider

Veronese68 wrote:

Exactly what I was trying to say. I suspect you don't spend as much time slowing for lights and traffic as the more urban commuters. The biggest difference is when you get up to cruising speed.

That's true - occasional stop in a passing place and maybe at the two roads I need to cross - hence the 19mph average. Best I've ever managed on the MTB is 17mph (20mph on the Cayo - hoping the V will be faster: it's shaping up that way) and normally nearer 15mph - so I reckon about 15% difference for me - or more than an hour difference over a week.

EKE_38BPM

Rolf F wrote:

I'd need a powertap to determine how much of the speed difference was me and how much the bike.

This.

When I first started riding my SS MTB, I put in the same percieved effort as I did on my road bike. The 6 mile commute was slower by a few minutes but I'd get to work dripping with sweat and knackered. Eventually I learned to slow down a little and the ride took even longer, but I'd get to work much fresher.

I'd like to find out if I was putting in more effort into riding the heavy, SS MTB with treaded tyres at the same speed as I did on the lighter road bike and once I realised that I was knackering myself out, how much less effort I was putting in and compare to the extra time taken.

bartimaeus

If you have an Avalanche then you should view your road riding as 'training' for when you go off road. You don't want to be making it 'easier' - you want to be making it harder work. So fit proper MTB tyres, get a short stem and some wide bars (none of this 110/680 set-up) and then you are good to go. Works for me... mind you I'm not commuting, I'm just riding to the trails!

Long_Time_Lurker

Bartimaeus wrote:

...you should view your road riding as 'training' for when you go off road.

+1
I'm doing the coast-to-coast, hadrians way and a few overnighters in the new forest this summer. A commute on my 'full-fat' MTB gets me into shape.
It's amazing how much easier the long-rides are when you stick on some lighter rims, slick tyres and some SPDs after 3 months hard slog.

veronese68

I rode my Marin MTB in today. It's fat tyred bounciness was a bit easier on my hangover.

noodles71

I'm only allowed to have one bike. The wife also dictated it must be able to take the Co-Pilot seat to my little-un can come out riding as well. That does limit you to a MTB unbfortunately. That said, I've been commuting on MTB's for 9 years now and find I am not all that slower on slicks. The last one with a 48T up front and a 10T on the back left many a road racer behind if they were not regulars. Put the knobbies on and forget it. Bit like training in running shoes on a running track versus army boots on an adventure course.