Road v mtb: different muscles used
samsbike
Posts: 942
I commuted for the first time on Monday using my road bike and my legs are still killing me. It could be that my cleat position was slightly off (am not sure) but my muscles ache as well. I did not push any faster, so out of curiousity would I use a different set of muscles (as I stood up out of the saddle more)?
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there are no rules to this
stand up when you want, and sit down when you want
just spread the load around the different muscles0 -
AFAIK you don't use any muscles riding a MTB0
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Standing does indeed use different muscle groups to seated pedalling.
This can be used to your advantage as you can vary seated or stood to let other muscles take the work for a while (for climbing as an example).Yellow is the new Black.0 -
+1ShutUpLegs wrote:AFAIK you don't use any muscles riding a MTB0 -
lol at the mtb hate.
for the OP, you do use the same leg muscle groups, although you may just not be comfortable with either the gearing, or position of the road bike yet. I ride mtb as well, and everything feels completely different at first. Road bikes also have different gear combos, so you may find it a bit akward until you get used to that.0 -
samsbike wrote:I commuted for the first time on Monday using my road bike and my legs are still killing me. It could be that my cleat position was slightly off (am not sure) but my muscles ache as well. I did not push any faster, so out of curiousity would I use a different set of muscles (as I stood up out of the saddle more)?
You may have a different position.
More likely, efforts on the road are quiet different to MTB efforts.
MTB efforts are much bigger, shorter efforts, whereas road efforts tend to be longer and (relatively) smaller.0 -
klep wrote:
+1ShutUpLegs wrote:AFAIK you don't use any muscles riding a MTB
+1
MTBs have easy gears.. road bikes have harder gears so you will find yourself pushing bigger gears more often.
I also find that my road bike makes me want to go fast.. whereas my MTB makes me want to go slow so i don't get shaken to bits
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Rick Chasey wrote:samsbike wrote:I commuted for the first time on Monday using my road bike and my legs are still killing me. It could be that my cleat position was slightly off (am not sure) but my muscles ache as well. I did not push any faster, so out of curiousity would I use a different set of muscles (as I stood up out of the saddle more)?
You may have a different position.
More likely, efforts on the road are quiet different to MTB efforts.
MTB efforts are much bigger, shorter efforts, whereas road efforts tend to be longer and (relatively) smaller.
+1
You can push hard on an MTB or take it easy on the road. It's actually easier to take it easy on the road as you don't get shaken to bits!
But the efforts are different. It's short and sharp on the MTB where as the road is more constant.
In addition, to push hard on the MTB you also need to have the technical ability; I notice that when I haven't ridden the MTB for a while and I'm "a bit rusty", the limiting factor becomes my technical ability rather than fitness.
It makes me laugh people stating that road riding is harder... it's not harder (or easier). The effort you put in that makes the ride hard or easy.Simon1 -
ALIHISGREAT wrote:klep wrote:
+1ShutUpLegs wrote:AFAIK you don't use any muscles riding a MTB
+1
MTBs have easy gears.. road bikes have harder gears so you will find yourself pushing bigger gears more often.
I also find that my road bike makes me want to go fast.. whereas my MTB makes me want to go slow so i don't get shaken to bits
You have the wrong mtb then, my mtb is a far smoother ride than any road bike ive been on due to the state of our countrys roads1 -
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appy wrote:ALIHISGREAT wrote:klep wrote:
+1ShutUpLegs wrote:AFAIK you don't use any muscles riding a MTB
+1
MTBs have easy gears.. road bikes have harder gears so you will find yourself pushing bigger gears more often.
I also find that my road bike makes me want to go fast.. whereas my MTB makes me want to go slow so i don't get shaken to bits
You have the wrong mtb then, my mtb is a far smoother ride than any road bike ive been on due to the state of our countrys roads
I have a hardtail XC bike which i ride off road -> which oddly enough isn't as smooth as a tarmac road.0 -
ALIHISGREAT wrote:appy wrote:ALIHISGREAT wrote:
+1klep wrote:
+1ShutUpLegs wrote:AFAIK you don't use any muscles riding a MTB
MTBs have easy gears.. road bikes have harder gears so you will find yourself pushing bigger gears more often.
I also find that my road bike makes me want to go fast.. whereas my MTB makes me want to go slow so i don't get shaken to bits
You have the wrong mtb then, my mtb is a far smoother ride than any road bike ive been on due to the state of our countrys roads
I have a hardtail XC bike which i ride off road -> which oddly enough isn't as smooth as a tarmac road.
So you are saying that MTB is easy because YOU use easy gears and YOU ride slowly because you don't like a little bit of vibration
I do agree my road bike is smoother than my (full suspension) MTB (off road)... on road it's like riding in treacle!Simon0 -
I don't ride my MTB nearly as much as I used to since I got a road bike but I can say that the difference road has made to my fitness is astounding, hills that used to absolutely kill me now barely make me break a sweat.1
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Could your cadence have been lower on the road, due to gearing, i know i have to think about my spinning more on my road bike or i start gridding big gears.Ridley Boreas
Spesh RockHopper pro
Boardman cx comp0 -
Nickel wrote:I don't ride my MTB nearly as much as I used to since I got a road bike but I can say that the difference road has made to my fitness is astounding, hills that used to absolutely kill me now barely make me break a sweat.
Think most serious MTBers use a road bike for fitness.. but still ride the MTB most of the time.
My fitness has improved since getting the road bike, but that's mainly because I don't have the skill level required for riding hard offroad anymore... got a bit old for thrashing about in the dirt.
I can't say I struggled the switch from MTB to Roadie.. the hills still hurt both on and off road, but probably doesn't help being 85kg.
My 3rd ever ride on my road bike was 130miles with 10,000ft of climbs (100mile Sportive + commute to event), and can safely stay this was a lot easier than an MTB event I did 5 months previous. But it's not that MTBing is harder, but the Sportive was well a 'Sportive' (timed, but NOT a race), where as the MTB event was a race (although a low profile one)Simon0 -
The key difference is that often the terrain defines the intensity of an MTB ride whereas on a road bike, you simply get on with it - the muscle pain is lilely that you were using you legs muscles more intensely for longer, simply because you could - off road you have lots of micro-breaks due to corners, bumps etc which force you to ease-off the power. Likewise, on offroad climbs, technical stuff etc, the power you apply is often dictated by grip - you simply have to back-off or you spin the tyre.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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sorry I was not very specific. I meant for the same journey.
I think one of the other posters hit it on the head, I think I am pushing harder on the road bike, because it must be faster, when in reality (and according to the journey times) its actually no different. It has been windy this week and that maybe effecting things.
The road bike maybe not be faster but it feels faster.
Sam0 -
I too have just started road riding after years of riding HT/FS mountain bikes.
At the start of riding my road bike I was certainly more tired and had more leg aches than on the MTB's but strangly the road bike felt slower, although, the times showed the road bike was quicker (over the same routes)
For my route to work I'm now 7min quicker riding to work and 20min quicker riding home. I think the thing with an MTB is, its easy to change to a low gear and spin up the hills arouns 3-4mph however you can't do that on a road bike and the similar cadence is pushing you closer to 7-8mph (comparing my climbing speed on the same hill).
You quickly adapt to the road biking0 -
MTB is far more demanding than road0
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I find it harder to do 50 miles off-road across the Downs on my mtb, compared to 50 miles on the road bike around the roads in the same area....0
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white91 wrote:MTB is far more demanding than road
Either substantiate that comment or retract it0 -
ShutUpLegs wrote:white91 wrote:MTB is far more demanding than road
Either substantiate that comment or retract it
Anyone who has actually done both should not need it sustantiating.
As you clearly have never ventured off road, you cannot appreciate energy needed to move you weight around the bike, soak up the bumps and jumps, lose traction, ride through mud and rivers, handle braking forces, fight suspension 'bob', ride tight switchbacks, be able to pick a line and find grip, ride on the edge of physics.
In comparison road cycling is very simple, all nice predictable tarmac, just settle down to a nice rhythm and draft in behind someone. there really is no technical ability needed beyond what a 6 year old can manage.
I enjoy both, and road has done wonders for my fitness, however you need more strength and technical ability to ride MTB, this is what makes it more demanding.0 -
One thing that is missing in this dialogue is the cerebral effort required in XC riding.
This is what I miss most.
I find the road riding quite a bore TBH, the XC stuff simply comes at you constantly and your brain has no choice but to be firing on all cylinders else you'll be having some (more) off's!
I find my mind wanders when on the road as whilst the views are pretty, the next 200m or so is mentally not challenging, then you crest the rise and... damn, you can see all the way into next week. Zzzzzzz.
This is my single biggest challenge, staying interested.
This w/end just gone I spent two day in Cannock Chase mtn biking after no XC since the autumn, boy was it fun!
Ergo: anyone can road ride but you need to be on the ball and be a good all-round cyclist to mtn bike. It's more fun and more challenging too. They use different muscles, but you can be brain-dead and still ride the road; not so mtn biking.
I also find night rides throughout the year far more interesting and challenging off-road too. Night rides on the road just don't seem to inspire as a good thrash XC at night.
You need a brain to mtn bike, not so road ride. Sorry - but that's a major difference in the two disciplines.
If you have yet to taste the difference, I can recommend hiring a bike at say Cannock and take her out on the 2x red routes for 3hrs and then make up your mind about the differences. You may not last the 3hrs mind!0 -
Yawn, done both and don't agree with that road cycling requires no brain, seen lots of brainless mtb riders too and I did it for a lot of years before getting bored of it. and sorry but if you think cannock chase is hard then you would be shocked by other trail centres (yes I used to live in Birmingham so I went there lots of times)0
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Fatamorgana wrote:
You need a brain to mtn bike, not so road ride. Sorry - but that's a major difference in the two disciplines.
Please post some more, this is just hilarious0 -
"sorry but if you think cannock chase is hard"
No, I did not say it as hard. I said it was "fun".
If you mean technical, then of course there are more demanding red routes, but no one said otherwise if you read the reply.
You could do 10 laps of the Monkey Trail as fast as you possibly can, back-to-back laps and that would be hard in most people's books, so yes, the trail centre at Cannock can be hard. But for a red route it's not technically demanding by standards across the rest of the red routes at trail centres in the UK (having ridden maybe 40% of them); then again the FtD is a very different ride to TMT.
Either route is a world of difference to a road snooze-ride around N Herts, Zzzzzzzzz.0 -
ShutUpLegs wrote:Fatamorgana wrote:
You need a brain to mtn bike, not so road ride. Sorry - but that's a major difference in the two disciplines.
Please post some more, this is just hilarious
I love it when things like this are the response from someone in an arguement, you always hear that coming from people with nothing to actually add to conversation.
MTB is much better all around that road cycling, road cycling is nice, but it just is no where near as fun as riding on mountain bikes, having a laugh, and hossing on some trails. You use different muscles, you use your brain more, as picking a line on a mtb is drastically more challenging than picking a line on a bike. But it's always funny to hear the typical response from roadies of "mtb doesn't actually do anything. If you don't do anything, why is the distance doubled for a road workout to meet the mtb level workout?0 -
mtb for strength....
Road for endurance and training...
I enjoy and love both.... But my heart will always lie with blasting down trails personally...Always remember.... Wherever you go, there you are.
Ghost AMR 7500 2012
De Rosa R8380
