MTB'er v Roadie

njee20

Just ride the deer, it can do the work, and you still have a range of convenient and biodegradable hand positions.

YeehaaMcgee

njee20 wrote:

Just ride the deer, it can do the work, and you still have a range of convenient and biodegradable hand positions.

But you'd have to feed it.
I haven't had to feed a bike since, ooh, the late 80s at least?

njee20

diy

supersonic wrote:

I'd take anyone on on this.. ;-)

The scientific question is if you would beat yourself on that, rather than something like this..


PS - what you built IMO is a hybrid.

njee20

Bit of an insult to hybrids, I'd at least have stuck some 700c wheels in there for that!

Unless you have the flexibility and core strength of a plank of wood anyone will be quicker on the Boardman.

arthur_scrimshaw

not very scientific but for my commute to work of 6.5 miles each way which includes 50/50 town and country roads, fair bit of stop start through town. I do find it hard work on the mtb - I'd agree most of it is the non aero position but also more work getting it up to speed and on hills. Averages are for this year, however the mtb gets little use, the CX most and 6 only when it's dry!

hardtail mtb (on offroad tyres) avg speed 13.0mph
Boardman CX avg speed 15.5mph
Cannondale 6 avg speed 17.4mph

b45her

go for a roadie , riding 100+ miles on an mtb on road will get very uncomfortable on the arms/shoulders due to the very static riding possition , drop bars will alow you to vary your hand positioning to stay more comfortable.

plus the roadie will be faster , it might only be 3-4 mph faster but over a 6+ hour run than equates to quite a distance .

try blagging a demo bike for the weekend of the event haha.

SUPERSUTT

Well only two days left till the big ride . cant get my hands on a road bike so i've got , some road slicks for my bike borrowed of my brother-in-law (schwable city). hope they make a diffrence, i havent done any training in the last three weeks ,ALL inclusive all you can eat two weeks in cyprus [hotel gym didnt open till 10am :-(]

Cymru-dave

I'll average 16-17mph over a 60mile ride on my road bike, I use my mountain bike when I go out with the mrs for short rides, I find it so much more work, you'll be slower than them, but probably fitter.

twist83

njee20 wrote:

Can you average 17mph though? Fairly irrelevant how much the bloke at work weighs if he's fitter than you!

What he said!! I have been road riding seriously for about 6-7 months now. Averaging now around 100-150 miles a week. On a 40 mile loop on my Road Bike with 2400ft climbing we averaged 16.7mph 2 weeks ago. So if you think he can 'only' keep up a 17mph average and you expect to do 100 miles on an MTB with hills averaging over 17mph, you my friend and are going to be Ultra fit!!!!

Also I do not see the reason for not eating and training so you perform better on the day when you eat. That is backwards. That is like running a car on empty so when you put fuel in it, it will run better. If you fuel for the ride in hand and eat afterwards you will recover quickly and improve.

Training hard and not eating correctly before, during and after is not going to see great gains. Anyway best of luck.

Having commuted for 6 months on my Santa Cruz Blur all locked out and then getting on the road bike the difference in pace, ease etc was staggering.

twist83

SUPERSUTT wrote:

Well only two days left till the big ride . cant get my hands on a road bike so i've got , some road slicks for my bike borrowed of my brother-in-law (schwable city). hope they make a diffrence, i havent done any training in the last three weeks ,ALL inclusive all you can eat two weeks in cyprus [hotel gym didnt open till 10am :-(]

Local bike shop and rent one?

jonnoak

What about gear ratios .. I can only just about get over 25mph downhill on my old mtb but on my road bike it's 40+ !!

If you have a choice use a road bike it's what it's designed for.. If you don't have a choice use the mtb with road tyres.

Just try to enjoy it what ever

Red.Devil.Ghost

Well I am guessing he is doing it today. I have to echo the comments about training on an empty stomach like that. If you have the same routine as the day of the event, it would have given you a better indication of what you might be able to achieve on the day.

Having only ridden a road bike for a tiny distance (and not liking it) I would prefer using a normal bike but having been out with a mate who was in his road bike, putting in minimal effort just to loosen his legs, I was working really hard to keep up - up and down hill! He is much fitter than me though.

Good luck with the event and you will be knackered later!

njee20

Would you not want to try it for more than a 'tiny distance' before concluding that? It's the most appropriate tool for the job, bit daft to limit yourself based on virtually no experience.

MountainMonster

Red.Devil.Ghost wrote:

Well I am guessing he is doing it today. I have to echo the comments about training on an empty stomach like that. If you have the same routine as the day of the event, it would have given you a better indication of what you might be able to achieve on the day.

Having only ridden a road bike for a tiny distance (and not liking it) I would prefer using a normal bike but having been out with a mate who was in his road bike, putting in minimal effort just to loosen his legs, I was working really hard to keep up - up and down hill! He is much fitter than me though.

Good luck with the event and you will be knackered later!

Just LOL at this. You do know you have to try things for a decent length of time to decide if you like it or not. You can't just ride around the block and say you hate it. I didn't like (wasn't used to the position to be more correct) of my road bike when I first got it, now I much more prefer it even around town.

Daz555

If he wheelsucks the whole way round he should be ok.

Sharpe2002

this interests me as well,

im planning a LEJOG trip in 8 months (also for charity) and have chosen to do it on my MTB, mostly because i dont want to rent/buy another bike specifically for it and becuase im doing it unaided, i dont trust having 20kg of panniers over skinny wheels. ive already had various opinions blurted at me regarding the equipment i should be using

granted that trip is ~10 x the distance of the one started this thread and thus i'd be theoretically 10 times as nackered but i, personally, cant see the issue
i made the mistake of saying to 1 of my mates, "a bike is a bike", which prompted a 45 minutes explanation on why all bikes are not the same blah blah blah -

ive been training this month, mostly blitzing the ride to and from work, which is around 10km, doing it in around 24-25 minutes (sometimes around 30 depending on wind direction) and a couple of 2.5hr rides on the weekend which are putting me in good spirits and are on smart sam schwalbes - not the greatest tires for the road i suppose but ive managed pretty good times on them. i will be swapping them for some 2.0 slicks to see just how much different they make

for the JOGLE trip, am i really that crazy doing it on a MTB? i would have thought it the norm unless trying to do it in the shortest time possible..

ddraver

Are you crazy? No - but you re not using the best tool at all...

njee20

^^ this

Suggest you may want to work on your fitness for a JOGLE too if 'blitzing' 6 miles to work yields a sub-15mph average...

Don't fanny around with 2" slicks, get something 1.5" or narrower.

Sharpe2002

im putting that average down to low psi knobbly tires and takes into account traffic stops etc as per usual on the commute to work.
my average varies depending on time of the day, ie morning i feel fresher and can go all out where as after a long day at work im noticeably slower on the ride home. ive organised it for 8 months time so i can put in the most training possible, and tbh ive only had it 3 or so weeks covering 250km on it so have a long way to go yet

yes a MTB may be the "wrong" tool for the job, but i feel it'd be a safer ride with all that weight on the rear compared to the angles you're at on a road bike.. correct me if im wrong, maybe its personal preference

ive just been down the the bike racks at work to check, maybe 2.0" was a bit wide, a 1.5 looks good enough.

has anyone done JOGLE on a hardtail?

The Rookie

Sharpe2002 wrote:

ive been training this month, mostly blitzing the ride to and from work, which is around 10km, doing it in around 24-25 minutes

I've never been that slow over my 6.7 mile commute, not even on my first (21 speed, rather old (and very heavy) Giant MTB with front sus) commuter......if you really are Blitzing, you've got problems.

I average somewhere between 21 and 22 minutes, PB just under 21.

Sharpe2002

The Beginner wrote:

Sharpe2002 wrote:

ive been training this month, mostly blitzing the ride to and from work, which is around 10km, doing it in around 24-25 minutes

I've never been that slow over my 6.7 mile commute, not even on my first (21 speed, rather old (and very heavy) Giant MTB with front sus) commuter......if you really are Blitzing, you've got problems.

I average somewhere between 21 and 22 minutes, PB just under 21.

i have checked my endomondo stats and most times are around 22 mins for 10km, its the calculated average over a fair few rides, taking into account a few 25 minutes runs, it brings my true avg time up

** and maybe blitzing wasnt the word to use, i just know im a sweaty mess when i get home

YeehaaMcgee

a few things...

Sharpe2002 wrote:

1 i dont trust having 20kg of panniers over skinny wheels.

2 i made the mistake of saying to 1 of my mates, "a bike is a bike", which prompted a 45 minutes explanation on why all bikes are not the same blah blah blah -

3 ive been training this month, mostly blitzing the ride to and from work, which is around 10km, doing it in around 24-25 minutes (sometimes around 30 depending on wind direction)

4 for the JOGLE trip, am i really that crazy doing it on a MTB? i would have thought it the norm unless trying to do it in the shortest time possible..

1 - Skinny wheels are actually surprisingly strong. The strength comes almost exclusively from the wheel build quality, not from the width of the rim.

2 - Seriously? You really don't think there's a significant difference between different kinds of bikes? Have you never even pondered why XC machines are very different to the machines they ride in the tour de France, or on the track, or in a world cup DH?

3 - I'm not going to mince my words here, that's pretty pathetic. Sorry to be blunt. That's not "blitz" speed, that's a gentle cruise.

4 not crazy no, but quite seriously hindering yourself. I honestly believe if you tries a road bike, you'd be shocked at how much more suited it is to long distance road rides (take it from someone who's experienced this education )

Sharpe2002

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

a few things...

Sharpe2002 wrote:

1 i dont trust having 20kg of panniers over skinny wheels.

2 i made the mistake of saying to 1 of my mates, "a bike is a bike", which prompted a 45 minutes explanation on why all bikes are not the same blah blah blah -

3 ive been training this month, mostly blitzing the ride to and from work, which is around 10km, doing it in around 24-25 minutes (sometimes around 30 depending on wind direction)

4 for the JOGLE trip, am i really that crazy doing it on a MTB? i would have thought it the norm unless trying to do it in the shortest time possible..

1 - Skinny wheels are actually surprisingly strong. The strength comes almost exclusively from the wheel build quality, not from the width of the rim.

2 - Seriously? You really don't think there's a significant difference between different kinds of bikes? Have you never even pondered why XC machines are very different to the machines they ride in the tour de France, or on the track, or in a world cup DH?

3 - I'm not going to mince my words here, that's pretty pathetic. Sorry to be blunt. That's not "blitz" speed, that's a gentle cruise.

4 not crazy no, but quite seriously hindering yourself. I honestly believe if you tries a road bike, you'd be shocked at how much more suited it is to long distance road rides (take it from someone who's experienced this education )

thanks for the feedback,

as above, maybe blitzing wasnt the right term to use, im just not as fit as i used to be
and yes i do know there are different bikes and the advantages they have on different events like a road race/xc, but im not talking about a road race or racing xc. im talking about plodding along, doing between 80-100 miles a day (a very long day at that)

njee20

The differences are still the same, in fact the longer you spend on the bike the more pronounced they are.

You will be fine on an MTB, but you're making it significantly harder than it needs to be and your fears are unfounded.

bails87

A tourer would be ideal....they're called tourers for a reason

Sharpe2002

a tourer would be nice.. but i'd already spent quite a bit on my mtb before thinking about JOGLE and getting another just isnt possible, im not sure how much renting one would cost over 10 days.

either way il be grinning and bearing it on the mtb, im doing it more for the spectacular views and experience rather than getting a good time. i find it pretty nice to ride, one thing i didnt consider is the gap between the pedal stoke and the panniers that will be on the rear

alfablue

Having done many loaded (camping) tours on a Rock Lobster ti hardtail mtb (fitted with flat bars, bar ends, 1.25 inch slick tyres and project 2 rigid forks of the correct length), getting a proper tourer was a revelation. The most notable difference straight away was stability. The mtb was very twitchy at the front and hard to control at low speed / urban situations, due to the effect of the heavy load at the back and this particular geometry. The other differences were in terms of comfort, with various hand positions, and the ability to ride further at a higher average speed. My mtb tourer was no heavyweight (ti frame, xtr gruppo) but a tourer was significantly better for this use.

SUPERSUTT

Well im back after the charity bike ride made it idone half on my MTB (with slicks) and finnished off on a borrowed road bike which made all the diffrence there so much quicker . im actualy thinking of getting a road bike now so i can mix my riding up a bit

SUPERSUTT

http://menziese2e.wordpress.com/heres a linkto the blog site of the charity bike ride have a peep if you wish