How hard can you push a road bike

samsbike

I have one of these and its a steel genesis.

I bought it on the basis (as it steel ), I thought that I could use it on a the canal towpath, when it was dry. However, the path has some gravelly and very bumpy sections. I am not worried about the mud bit, as I will only use it when dry and the mud does become quite hard.

Am I correct in my assumption I can use it like this without any serious side effects, don't touring bikes cope with similar terrain?

singleton

I'd probably be more concerned with longevity of wheels and the number of punctures rather than the frame itself.

prawny

they're pretty tough

father_jack

yeah but they're not paying for the bike or the wheels. After the race new wheels...

prawny

I wouldn't have thought they'd swap the wheels unless they're broken. And I'd have thought the punishment the bikes take in Pari-Roubaix would be more than you or I would give out riding down a towpath.

My point is that road bike are tougher than people give them credit for.

singleton

Certainly a Cyclo cross bike is very tough and they don't look very different to a road bike - except for wheel and tyres.

prawny

To be fair these days cyclo cross bikes use the same wheels as road bikes mostly, just the tyres are different.

Fulcrum Racing 5 and the CX version are the same but the hubs are sealed better from the muck.

indysmith

The problem lies in the wheels and tyres, as people have pointed out. Modern factory-built wheelsets with only 16 or 20 spokes are not as hard-wearing as traditional 36 or 32 spoke hand-built wheels.
Skinny road tyres are also more likely to suffer from pinch flats.

Saying that, I find it hard to imagine a canal towpath that's rough enough to damage even the most fragile of wheels.

nickel

Not sure what the frame clearance is like but you could stick some 28mm tyres on to improve the ride comfort and give you a little more grip? Like others have said, I very much doubt a canal towpath can damage road bike wheels, if that were the case im pretty sure most wheels would disintegrate at the first sign of a pothole.

unixnerd

I was cycling down an unpaved section of cycle path on my tourer the other day when the thought came to me that I'd not be able to it on my posh new carbon bike (due in a few days time). Then I reminded myself I'm buying a Specialized Roubaix.... I'd have done a facepalm if I could have let go of the handlebars!

samsbike

The bike is running standard Alex at400 rims which I think are 32 spoke. I am running 25 sized Marathon pluses. Can't fit the 28 as I also have full lenght mudguards. In theory its my best bike, but if I don't commute on it I am never going to use it

nickel

Yer those wheels will be perfectly tough enough, it'll just be a bit uncomfortable, thats all.

cougie

This question has been asked a few times lately and I've used my carbon fibre bike on canal paths with no bother. 23mm tyres too. I've used my cross bike for far rougher stuff - just with more spokes and wider tyres.
Road bikes are very tough - they have to be - otherwise it would be game over with one pothole.

Monty Dog

IME it's the rider that breaks first, well before the bike - riding the likes of the Arenberg full-on is about the biggest hammering a road bike can get and believe me your arms, legs and backside are the controlling factors. I've seen people riding full-sus MTBs on pave wimp-out because it hurts so much. Get your tyre choice and pressure right and the limiting factor to speed is the strength of your legs. I was down in Cornwall last week, taking my CX on many of the cliff-path trails between Portreath and St Agnes - got some funny looks riding a CX bike down some long flights of steps due to the clatter it was making going over each of the steps. I was pleased though of having a lighter CX bike, because I then had to carry it back up the 100ft of steps up the other side.

MichaelW

Road bikes will survive any kind of riding where the wheels are still turning and in contact with the ground. Once you start hitting objects at high speed and jumping from heights, then it depends on the skill of the rider. There is a famous youtube clip of a stunt rider doing BMX and MTB stunts on a roadbike.