Hard graft for road biking. Mountain bike on the road.

Fatamorgana
Fatamorgana Posts: 257
edited April 2013 in Training, fitness and health
All training is good training.

Wednesday: first club ride in half a year. Went well, was not out of my depth and enjoyed it, being back in the fold, so to speak. Pleased that my rather limited training rides had brought me back to a reasonable level.

In amongst those 9 (?) pre-training rides, I used the mountain bike on the road and on the turbo trainer a few times. A timely reminder of how much harder a ride can be, on the road, on a mountain bike; it's like you're dragging an invisible weight behind you, 1/3rd of the time in the correct gear, 2/3rds of the time either spinning away or pressing a harder gear.

Friday: took the mtn bike out on the Wednesday ride route, felt strong, achieved my best 1hr split timethus far this year, but the last 45 minutes.... no way could I manage the full Wednesday club ride on the mtn bike, no way. Legs pumped and I was shot, all of 2:15hrs - a little disappointed tbh.

Thus I would recommend it: maybe take your mtn bike out for a 2+hr road ride and see what you make of it - it seems a lot harder than a road bike ride. All training is good training.

Comments

  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    edited April 2013
    or just ride harder/faster on your road bike?
  • trooperk
    trooperk Posts: 189
    Agreed, riding the road bike is a bit off p1ss after I’ve been off road on the mountain bike.
    Specialized-The clitoris of bikes.
  • Barteos
    Barteos Posts: 657
    The difference between MTB and road bikes depends largely on the type of bikes and the setup (position, tyres etc...) being compared.

    E.g. a lightweight XC bike with aggressive (aero) geometry and a pair of paper thin 120TPI Furious Freds at 40-50PSI won't be significantly slower overall (if at all on bad roads) and certainly will roll at least just as fast as most of road bikes on typical road surfaces.
    On the other hand put a pair of sticky High Rollers on any mountain bike and you'll need extra 50W to maintain the same speed...
  • adambutterwick
    adambutterwick Posts: 58
    Agree with Imposter, road bikes just use the power you generate with your legs more efficiently so you go faster than on mtb for the same effort.
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,467
    It's just psychology - the MTB feels slower (because it is slower), so you push harder to get up to a speed that feels "normal". It's the same phenomenon as you get when you are riding into a headwind... If you pushed just as hard on the road bike you would get just as effective training but you would go faster and have more fun.. ;-)

    You could even argue that if your goal is to go faster on the road, you are best avoiding the MTB because you will get used to the slower speed - then when you get back on the road bike it will feel easy and you won't push as hard...
  • Fatamorgana
    Fatamorgana Posts: 257
    Since I do not know nor care what speed I ride at on either bike, this has nothing to do with speed.
    The Sunn Xcircuit mtn bike puts me almost exactly in the exact same ride position as the road bike and I run RRalfs. I had a bike fit so superimposing images over each other tells me so.
    To my mind this riding on the road on a mtn bike is akin to resistance training and nor at all like riding xc, which by comparridon, is a doddle!
    I did something similar 4 yrs ago in a filthy February / March on a 29er HT and a 26er FS with the same results, 3hrs and I was stuffed, legs pumped up. GREAT training!
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    you talk about 'training' - but then you say that you don't care what speed you ride at. What are you 'training' for ??
  • Fatamorgana
    Fatamorgana Posts: 257
    Speed is not a means to any end that I am interested in, why would it be?
    Unless your aim is to be xmph, there is no specific point in being able to beat your chest thus:Look at me, I can ride at Xmph, ha!
    Speed is not relevant per se, thus I do not have a speedo, how irrelevant that would be!
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Fatamorgana wrote:
    Speed is not a means to any end that I am interested in, why would it be?
    Unless your aim is to be xmph, there is no specific point in being able to beat your chest thus:Look at me, I can ride at Xmph, ha!
    Speed is not relevant per se, thus I do not have a speedo, how irrelevant that would be!

    I just asked what you were training for..??
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    Training for what?
    Just going out for a club ride?

    I've just had a crap race in godawful xwinds etc.. so probably not in the mood for someone to spout off that things are easier on road bikes ..
  • Toks
    Toks Posts: 1,143
    Nice, sometimes when I've been drinking I try an tell people interesting stuff too :D
  • Fatamorgana
    Fatamorgana Posts: 257
    "Just going out for a club ride?"
    A catch-all, throw away comment me thinks.

    What you actually said was, "you talk about 'training' - but then you say that you don't care what speed you ride at." Thus I explained.

    The wind was blowing people into the edges in the most exposed parts of today's 46mile club ride. Cambridgeshire can be awfully wind swept at times.

    Hard work, but not the same experience as a mtn bike ride for 2+hrs on the road, as I said, but if you haven't tried it, and as per most comments here, you'll not know what I'm talking about.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Fatamorgana wrote:
    Hard work, but not the same experience as a mtn bike ride for 2+hrs on the road, as I said, but if you haven't tried it, and as per most comments here, you'll not know what I'm talking about.

    Indeed - I'm sure nobody on this forum has ever ridden an MTB on the road for as long as you... :lol:
  • Fatamorgana
    Fatamorgana Posts: 257
    Do not be an idiot.
    Read the OP and the OP title again.

    I was merely recommending it, nothing more, and as per usual, you get twits with opinions and little else feeling that somehow they should add their pennies worth, or worthless would be a more accurate description. One had been racing and took umbridge at the post, how utterly, utterly mindless, yet still felt the need to type their pointless drivel.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Fatamorgana wrote:
    and as per usual, you get twits with opinions and little else feeling that somehow they should add their pennies worth,

    Ironically, your OP fits into that category quite nicely ;)
  • styxd
    styxd Posts: 3,234
    Apparently alot of the pro roadies are now training on mountain bikes since its gives a much better work out.

    Peter Sagan breaking a sweat

    Sagan_RB_170.JPG
  • Toks
    Toks Posts: 1,143
    Fatamorgana wrote:
    Do not be an idiot.
    Read the OP and the OP title again.

    I was merely recommending it, nothing more, and as per usual, you get twits with opinions and little else feeling that somehow they should add their pennies worth, or worthless would be a more accurate description. One had been racing and took umbridge at the post, how utterly, utterly mindless, yet still felt the need to type their pointless drivel.
    Oh do lighten up sweetie! From the first five words in your post you were always gonna be in trouble. Why? Because clearly "All training is [not] good training". Its a ridiculous statement to make considering its a forum about 'Road Bike Training'. And the vast majority of posts are essentially telling people or asking about "...the best way to train on a road bike".

    I currently do about 50 press ups every other day as training - its not sport specific enough to to be the best way for me to ride my road bike faster but I think we can agree 'press ups' are a form of training. You started a thread which possibly sounded quite enlightening in your head but in reality is somewhat out of sorts with most of the posts on this forum. Consequently you've been taken to task and shock horror a little bit of rib digging has taken place. Stop getting all precious now and roll with the punches :roll:

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