What will a road bike do for me?

CleeRider

Hi all, complete newbie looking for some advice on buying a road bike, or not...

I'm 38 and I've just started out road cycling 2 weeks ago on a 15kg mountain bike. I'm going out every other day and have upped my distance from 7 miles to 15miles and average speed from 12.9mph to 13.8mph. The current route is mostly flat with 1 short climb of 110 feet which I struggle with but do 33mph coming down.

I don't wear any gear - just trainers, casual shorts and t-shirt lol
My only small problem with going further is saddle comfort - though I haven't had the bike properly fitted for me.

My big question is what would a road bike do for me? Would the reduced bike weight or other features of a road bike improve my speed? What are the other advantages?

One thing that puts me off (being a newbie) is getting my feet stuck in those cleats when I stop at a junction for example, and falling.

I would be grateful for any advice and personal stories of going through the same decision process.

Thank you

Wirral_paul

To be honest - the first thing you should buy is some proper padded cycling shorts!! Casual shorts will rub and potentially cause saddle sores - not what you want for comfort as they kinda hurt!

So what do YOU want from your cycling firstly? Planned istance, intended use etc??

ALaPlage

That's a nice light MTB you have at 15kg.

Horses for courses and fit for purpose. A road bike is designed for riding on the road. Gearing and wheels as well as geometry all add to the mix. Less rolling resistance means the bike and you roll better with more power going down onto the road. Gears suitable for most hill climbing and generating speed on the flat.

For most people making the switch from riding an mtb on the road to a proper road bike they find an instant boost in average speed for the same effort. My buddy went from 12 mph to 14.5 mph average over a 30 mile road ride. He now is up to speed with me and we covered 51 miles this morning in the rain and averaged 17 mph.

If you ride on the road get a road bike. If you do mix of road and off road such as canal tow paths type stuff then a hybrid or cyclocross may suit. If its mainly forest trails then stick with the mtb.

CleeRider

Wirral_Paul wrote:

To be honest - the first thing you should buy is some proper padded cycling shorts!! Casual shorts will rub and potentially cause saddle sores - not what you want for comfort as they kinda hurt!

So what do YOU want from your cycling firstly? Planned istance, intended use etc??

Thanks for the tip - I don't really have any rubbing, sores or even bruising afterwards. It just gets a bit numb and uncomfortable/painful during the ride. I have a gel seat cover/addon. Any tips on the best padded shorts? Is more padding, better?

As for the reasons for cycling - I'm 38, have been very inactive for years and have 3 young children that I'd like to see grow up. I don't have any distance goals as I don't really have much time to ride with such a young family. I couldn't go off for 3+ hours regularly. I'd like to get up to 30miles but probably no more. So it's more about fitness and going as fast as possible.

garethjohn

Take the plunge, you wont regret it. Keep the mtb and get yourself a cheap 2nd hand road bike, you could probably get a good deal on here. Like you i was a little apprehensive getting the spd pedals, bought mountain bike ones in the end which suit the daily commute perfectly as they're a doddle to snap in and out of. I only wish i got the road bike sooner instead of the hybrid which just hangs in the garage now :oops:

Mikey23

... It will make you considerably poorer!

pipipi

You can get cleats for mtb as well. Shimano 520 were my introduction. I kept them very loose so it was easy to get my feet out.( first time riding round local streets I only used cleats on one pedal). You get used to it!

For padded shorts I got some cheap kit from sports direct. It was either karrimor or muddy fox. Certainly good enough to get started.

A road bike goes much further much faster. But only on roads. And you will feel every bump and pothole.

Enjoy!

michael the bicycle

I don`t think padded shorts will be of much benefit on an mtb, especially as you have a gel seat. As for the cleats, well, they are not mandatory, you could just put a pair of steel pedals on at first and step up to cleats when you have got acquainted with your road bike. If your first consideration is to get fitter then the bike you ride isn`t an issue, your mtb will be fine. Personally I wouldn`t like to use an mtb on the road, I have a hybrid for commuting/town/shopping but never use it to go any distance but I have a choice of four bikes, including a fixie and a Mongoose Maurice just for fun riding. There are some nice entry level bikes available so think about keeping the mtb as well.

simon_masterson

I'm not a physiotherapist, but the reason for using padded shorts is that a firm, supportive seat is much better than a squashy one much as an office chair is much better for your posture than a big squashy armchair. However, if you use a firm saddle, particularly when you're working hard, you're likely to experience chafing and soreness. This is what padded shorts are there to minimise (if not prevent entirely).

Please take it from me that it's not pleasant; I've done hundreds of miles of cycling with ordinary shorts, and the ongoing saddle sores I had during that time were horrible to live with (being commuting, there was little I could do about it; I don't drive). Getting some padded bibshorts was one of the best cycling decisions I have ever made.

Does that mean that you - with your existing saddle - have to get yourself some padded bibshorts immediately for the reasons I have given? Absolutely not. What I can say though is that I would expect the gel padding to be inadequate for any significant period on the saddle, but more importantly you may well find that it gets in the way; certainly that was my experience. You will notice that most performance saddles have a very cut away design; there is a reason for it.

As for cycling clothing, you will definitely want to be using it if speed is your objective, but I think it's indispensable for any kind of cycling beyond going to the shops. A cotton t-shirt will quickly be sodden if you're working hard; useless for wicking. Jerseys and shorts are also (but not always) designed to be more aerodynamic; clothing is a key cause of aerodynamic drag. I daresay the penalty is in seconds, but you will certainly FEEL faster for wearing form-fit lycra. You will also have the benefit of rear-pockets, which I also believe to be indispensable.

Other than that, I agree with others on the benefits of road bikes. The important distinguishing feature is the drop handlebars, to be honest. Chances are that if the bike is designed around those, it's suitable for entry-level road cycling. Back in't day there wasn't much difference between bikes of this ilk; racers would supposedly install or remove racks and mudguards depending on whether they were commuting or racing. My assumption is that this is the reason why 'racing bikes' are referred to as such.

People also talk a lot about weight, which you can largely ignore initially; not only is it not as important as people make out (aerodynamics, power transfer and rolling resistance are much more critical), but a new inexpensive road bike today is likely to be lighter than the bikes ridden by Tour de France winners as recent as 25 years ago, and they didn't have any of the modern luxuries we take for granted (clipless pedals, brifters, etc).

And you do want clipless pedals, but you can always use toeclips to begin with.

Remember always that the engine is what makes the machine go. Happy cycling, and just so you know, the disease is incurable.

CleeRider

Thanks for all the great advice - really appreciated. Perhaps I should invest in all the clothing and try the pedals first on my mtn bike.
When people say a road bike will go further, is that in terms of saddle comfort or that I would become tired less quickly than on my mountain bike?

team47b

It takes longer than a couple of weeks for your ar5e to get use to riding a bike. It does hurt your sit bones for a while, but this will pass.

Padded shorts wont make a real difference to this pain, but will help if you are getting chaffing.

You could try MTB spd pedals and shoes on your MTB bike, 'cos when you buy the road bike you can swap them over as you are used to using them.

Cycling jerseys wick the sweat away so feel dry, you are more comfortable than riding in a wet T shirt.

Road bikes make you work harder/go faster just for the fun of it, so you get fitter and travel further and feel less tired.

boh67

CleeRider wrote:

Thanks for all the great advice - really appreciated. Perhaps I should invest in all the clothing and try the pedals first on my mtn bike.
When people say a road bike will go further, is that in terms of saddle comfort or that I would become tired less quickly than on my mountain bike?

im a newbie and have recently bought a 2nd hand road bike. Far easier on the road as the tyres are suited to running on the road whereas the MTB tyres slow you down. I found it easier on the road bike, but, as has been said, it takes a bit of getting used to as the comforts not there. A must is padded shorts. I got a pair yesterday £9.99 from sports direct, not the greatest make or quality, but not bad for a newbie.

CleeRider

Here's an update and a question...

As I mentioned in my opening post, on a 15 mile route I got my average speed up to 13.8mph after 2 weeks.

I then stopped the rear brake from touching the wheel - thanks to the guy who posted about his girlfriend's new bike! Result: average speed 14.16mph on a windy day - I could have gone faster on a still day.

Tonight: Had to get new tyres today for my mtn bike as noticed the tyre walls were ripped/cracked. I went for more road like (hybrid perhaps) tyres with less contact with the road but still with treads in case I go off road. I also wore my new jersey and padded shorts for the first time, mmm nice!
Result: average speed 15.85mph

Could be just a one off but I'm so happy with my continued improvement.

(Silly) Question: if I stuck to my relatively flat15 mile route, what average speed do you think I'll be doing:
a) in 6 months on my mtn bike
b) in 6 months on a new road bike

Please give estimates for a) and b). I'm interested to hear at what point do you see your speed plateau.

♠ChumBucket♠

CleeRider wrote:

Here's an update and a question...

As I mentioned in my opening post, on a 15 mile route I got my average speed up to 13.8mph after 2 weeks.

I then stopped the rear brake from touching the wheel - thanks to the guy who posted about his girlfriend's new bike! Result: average speed 14.16mph on a windy day - I could have gone faster on a still day.

Tonight: Had to get new tyres today for my mtn bike as noticed the tyre walls were ripped/cracked. I went for more road like (hybrid perhaps) tyres with less contact with the road but still with treads in case I go off road. I also wore my new jersey and padded shorts for the first time, mmm nice!
Result: average speed 15.85mph

Could be just a one off but I'm so happy with my continued improvement.

(Silly) Question: if I stuck to my relatively flat15 mile route, what average speed do you think I'll be doing:
a) in 6 months on my mtn bike
b) in 6 months on a new road bike

Please give estimates for a) and b). I'm interested to hear at what point do you see your speed plateau.

Ha, I was just about to suggest you do just this!

I put some hybrid/semi-slick tyres on my mountain bike, pump them up to 80 psi & the difference is unreal (for road riding).

I also flipped the stem round & took all the spacers off to lower the bars, doing this meant I could also higher the seat a tad more & now have a more road suitable riding position. I also added some bar-ends to emulate riding on the hoods.

I've been cycling since April & can average over 17mph on 20 miles & did 16.1 on a 34 miler last week. These include approx 5/6 miles of warming up. I'm 40 too.

I'm making the best of what I've got just now but do have my heart set on a road bike.

CleeRider

Thanks for the info. My bike has always had the bar ends but I don't tend to use them much, I think it makes it a bit harder unless I get out of the seat, which again tires me out.
Are you still improving week on week, or month on month or only when the conditions are ideal?

♠ChumBucket♠

CleeRider wrote:

Thanks for the info. My bike has always had the bar ends but I don't tend to use them much, I think it makes it a bit harder unless I get out of the seat, which again tires me out.
Are you still improving week on week, or month on month or only when the conditions are ideal?

I'm still improving, I use the bar ends 95% of the time. To be honest, I feel that I could now benefit from a proper road bike but each ride on the mtb is still enormously enjoyable & just adding to my fitness/endurance/strength etc.