Are MTBs losing out to road bikes

kajjal

Angry Bird wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

Fair few mountain bikers including myself are switching to their primary bike being a road bike. I just find it easier to get out on and it has that new feeling to it. I've grown weary of the ridiculous confused marketing in the MTB world and i'm reluctant to spend any more money on it as prices are rapidly inflating.

This, I initially got my road bike so I could get a few extra miles in when I was strapped for time and/or didn't want to get muddy. These days I have CBA when it comes to mountain bikes, it's far easier to get out on the road bike, I really enjoy it as much as the mountain bike. I guess when I have time I'll start riding them a bit more but at the moment the EG is in the shed with a buggered headset still and the HT is just sitting pretty waiting for the summer so I can get out bikepacking again maybe.

It doesn't help that I'm also fairly sick of the local riding spots and when I'm down at uni due to limited space the roadie gets priority and the SSSSS gets the other spot because I don't have to worry about insuring it or leaving it dumped around uni all day. No space for anything else.

Same as both of you, I am enjoying riding my road bike until the trails dry out. Can't be bothered with cleaning loads of muck off myself and my mountain bike every ride. Seems the mountain bike market is trying to make it harder for people to understand what they are buying with various niche types and the various wheel sizes. Road bikes are no longer the head down torture devices and now come in a variety of types which are easy to understand, all with similar frames etc and the same wheel sizes.

Tigger con carne

Road biking is where it's at, apparently for all the reasons mentioned: popularity, reflected Olympic glory, middle class alpha male MAMILs (true, you could buy a sports car for the price of a high-end road bike, but it would be a hairdresser's car). You see shed-loads more road bike riders out of a Sunday compared to MTBers on the trails where I ride. I must admit, since getting back onto my bike as a viable way to get exercise following becoming a dad (I used to be a gym bunny but now don't have the time), I was seriously looking at getting a road bike but fell back into MTBing and now I want a hardcore hardtail as my next baby.

rockmonkeysc

bennett_346 wrote:

Angry Bird wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

Fair few mountain bikers including myself are switching to their primary bike being a road bike. I just find it easier to get out on and it has that new feeling to it. I've grown weary of the ridiculous confused marketing in the MTB world and i'm reluctant to spend any more money on it as prices are rapidly inflating.

This, I initially got my road bike so I could get a few extra miles in when I was strapped for time and/or didn't want to get muddy. These days I have CBA when it comes to mountain bikes, it's far easier to get out on the road bike, I really enjoy it as much as the mountain bike. I guess when I have time I'll start riding them a bit more but at the moment the EG is in the shed with a buggered headset still and the HT is just sitting pretty waiting for the summer so I can get out bikepacking again maybe.

It doesn't help that I'm also fairly sick of the local riding spots and when I'm down at uni due to limited space the roadie gets priority and the SSSSS gets the other spot because I don't have to worry about insuring it or leaving it dumped around uni all day. No space for anything else.

I can relate to everything you've said there. I've got sick of the high maintenance requirement of MTB, i've got sick of the same riding spots locally, i've got sick of getting muddy and having to clean stuff, i've got bored of the preparation required.

Road bike i can virtually wear normal clothing and be out the house in 15 minutes and stay clean, plus I enjoy it just as much if not more right now.

I may get back into mountain biking when it's warm weather but even last summer I didn't ride MTB much.

I ride around 6000 miles on my road bike every year but only to commute. If I want to ride for fun I would never even consider riding my road bike. I find it incredibly dull but also far more dangerous than mountain biking.
For me it's worth the effort of cleaning and maintaining bikes just because they make me grin like an idiot every time I ride them.
I actually enjoy winter riding. Downhill in the wet is hilariously good fun.
Road is just too boring for me, I always ride at a reasonable pace and regularly try to beat my best times but it's still just dull.

booldawg

My roadie mates cannot understand why I have 3 MTBs and not a road bike. I always tell them; If I had enough money for a new bike I'd buy another MTB.

The way I see it is I can ride my MTB on the road if I choose; albeit less efficiently. But I'm not interested in efficiency. I care not for my average speed, my cadence or amount of miles I can cover in a day.

I like to get off road, ride places not accessible by car and have a big grin on my facing whilst doing it.

gazman428

is it anything to do with the age of the average buyer?

I have two mtbs and two road bikes, but im at that point in life having 2.4 kids that my cycling needs to be doen whilst the other half is in work and the kids are in school, or on my commute to work.
I can mtb or road ride to work, but it is the fact I have to drive 40 mins to anywhere worth taking a mtb, the knock on effect with riding and cleaning the bike ect is that i've lost the full day. Whereas the road bike I can do a short road ride in the time it takes to do the return journey in the car.

I do have more fun on the mtb but the road bike is good fun too.

lm_trek

As regular buyers we change our mtbs, once every 3 years on average? i think its mainly as said above many mtb'ers have got a CX or roadie as its just that much easier to grab the bike and hit a few miles. I picked up my road bike last summer, during the winter i haven't used the mtb at all just done loads of road miles. Looking forward to brigher evenings for a blast on the bike!

kajjal

lm_trek wrote:

As regular buyers we change our mtbs, once every 3 years on average? i think its mainly as said above many mtb'ers have got a CX or roadie as its just that much easier to grab the bike and hit a few miles. I picked up my road bike last summer, during the winter i haven't used the mtb at all just done loads of road miles. Looking forward to brigher evenings for a blast on the bike!

Exactly the same. Only just got the mountain bike out today for the first time this year. After a bit of a service and some tweaking tested out the brakes and slammed my knee into the stem, which was painful. The disc brakes on my MTB are much more powerful than the rim brakes on my road bike and after a few months off the MTB you forget how big the difference is.

Kowalski675

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I ride around 6000 miles on my road bike every year but only to commute. If I want to ride for fun I would never even consider riding my road bike. I find it incredibly dull but also far more dangerous than mountain biking.

I genuinely can't comprehend why anyone would ride a road bike for pleasure. It's just all the hard work of mountain biking, but with none of the fun. Different strokes for different folks, and if they want to do it then it's nowt to do with me (unless they're in my way, lol) but I just can't get my head round it at all. :roll:

kajjal

Kowalski675 wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I ride around 6000 miles on my road bike every year but only to commute. If I want to ride for fun I would never even consider riding my road bike. I find it incredibly dull but also far more dangerous than mountain biking.

I genuinely can't comprehend why anyone would ride a road bike for pleasure. It's just all the hard work of mountain biking, but with none of the fun. Different strokes for different folks, and if they want to do it then it's nowt to do with me (unless they're in my way, lol) but I just can't get my head round it at all. :roll:

That's what I used to think but having ridden my road bike over the winter since the trails turned into a swamp when I got on my MTB today I was a lot fitter and faster than before. Especially up hill, it was quite surprising the difference.

Kowalski675

Kajjal wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I ride around 6000 miles on my road bike every year but only to commute. If I want to ride for fun I would never even consider riding my road bike. I find it incredibly dull but also far more dangerous than mountain biking.

I genuinely can't comprehend why anyone would ride a road bike for pleasure. It's just all the hard work of mountain biking, but with none of the fun. Different strokes for different folks, and if they want to do it then it's nowt to do with me (unless they're in my way, lol) but I just can't get my head round it at all. :roll:

That's what I used to think but having ridden my road bike over the winter since the trails turned into a swamp when I got on my MTB today I was a lot fitter and faster than before. Especially up hill, it was quite surprising the difference.

I can entirley understand suffering it for improving fitness (or commuting, if you have a death wish), just not for fun.

apreading

Kowalski675 wrote:

I genuinely can't comprehend why anyone would ride a road bike for pleasure. It's just all the hard work of mountain biking, but with none of the fun. Different strokes for different folks, and if they want to do it then it's nowt to do with me (unless they're in my way, lol) but I just can't get my head round it at all. :roll:

But surely even a bad day on a bike is better than a good day on the sofa/at work!?!

97th choice

Commuting makes me fit, mountain biking releases adrenaline.

njee20

Profit margins must be higher for road bikes, "simpler" machines (no discs, no suspension) and each year it seems the manufacturers drop down a spec, for the same pound notes, what was a 105 bike is now Tiagra, what was Tiagra is now Sora... its now at a point where you are getting Sora/Claris on £600-£800 bikes!

No way, not many MTBs are wind tunnel tested, and that ain't cheap! The same thing is happening with MTBs anyway, £3k would buy you XTR back in the day, mid range these days, that's just inflation.

I genuinely can't comprehend why anyone would ride a road bike for pleasure.

But you've never done it...? You ride motorbikes, but suggest riding a push bike on the road is dangerous? You just moved up several places on my moron scale.

rockmonkeysc

I have ridden thousands of miles on my road bike and can't comprehend why anyone would do it for pleasure. It's just so dull. There is nothing remotely interesting or exciting about it.

coulddobetter

I can afford one bike . I enjoy going offroad. Ergo my one bike has to be a mountain bike.

stubs

I think all this roadiness is just the desire to shave legs and apply moisturiser and fake tan. Admit it roadies your just wannabe metrosexuals

Road riding is all about miles and miles of pain. MTBiking is all about miles and miles of smiles I dont care what the weather is like or how muddy I get MTBiking = fun. Road riding is something I do to get somewhere, mind you you would have to pay me to watch MTBiking but I happily go and watch road cycling races :?

angry_bird

See I just like riding bikes, on the roadie I can get out, go to nice places, get some nice climbing in, take in beautiful views, blast down hills. Sure there's not the same adrenaline involved as mountain bikes but at the end of the ride I'm always gutted it's over and I've enjoyed it as much as I do a mountain bike ride. I actually get to appreciate the scenery a lot more too on the road bike as you don't need to pay as much attention to what you're doing except when traffic is involved.

bennett_346

njee20 wrote:

I genuinely can't comprehend why anyone would ride a road bike for pleasure.

But you've never done it...? You ride motorbikes, but suggest riding a push bike on the road is dangerous? You just moved up several places on my moron scale.

Exactly what I was thinking...

Anyway I love some of the steep road descents here, they give me more of an adrenaline rush than most mountain biking here does now because it's new, its fun, it's more dangerous. There's something to be said for hitting 40mph on a push bike leaning into corners not knowing whether its going to get tighter or not...

mcnultycop

Every moment I have on the road bike is abject terror. Will the rim brakes stop me. Can I unclip in time. Can clip back in in time. Has that car seen me. Oh crap, not a right turn. Etc. quite enjoying it though, despite all that.

rockmonkeysc

bennett_346 wrote:

njee20 wrote:

I genuinely can't comprehend why anyone would ride a road bike for pleasure.

But you've never done it...? You ride motorbikes, but suggest riding a push bike on the road is dangerous? You just moved up several places on my moron scale.

Exactly what I was thinking...

Anyway I love some of the steep road descents here, they give me more of an adrenaline rush than most mountain biking here does now because it's new, its fun, it's more dangerous. There's something to be said for hitting 40mph on a push bike leaning into corners not knowing whether its going to get tighter or not...

If you get a bigger adrenaline buzz on a road bike then you must be riding like an old woman on your mountain bike.
The only hint of adrenaline I get on my road bike is if I get a bit of a slide at 40+mph.
On my mountain bike just about everything gets the adrenaline going, rattling through a rock garden at 30mph, cranking hard to get the speed in to a big road gap, drifting in to flat out berms, mega steep rocky switch backs, hucking drops, trains down jump lines with mates. Even the less tech stuff in remote locations can get the adrenaline going.

HardrockRob

The road has never held any interest for me. The road is full of idiots in vans, and bus drivers. Used to cycle my commute (on a hardtail) and scared the bejesus out of me. When the first of my kids came along I decided enough was enough, and became more concerned about my mortality.

Work on the basis that on the road other people could kill me which is out of my hands. On the trails I am for the most part a master of my own destiny!

rockmonkeysc

Deaths of road cyclists are very common unfortunately.
Serious injuries of mountain bikers are unfortunately very common.
I would much rather (and I have more than once) take the serious injury.

bennett_346

RockmonkeySC wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

njee20 wrote:

I genuinely can't comprehend why anyone would ride a road bike for pleasure.

But you've never done it...? You ride motorbikes, but suggest riding a push bike on the road is dangerous? You just moved up several places on my moron scale.

Exactly what I was thinking...

Anyway I love some of the steep road descents here, they give me more of an adrenaline rush than most mountain biking here does now because it's new, its fun, it's more dangerous. There's something to be said for hitting 40mph on a push bike leaning into corners not knowing whether its going to get tighter or not...

If you get a bigger adrenaline buzz on a road bike then you must be riding like an old woman on your mountain bike.
The only hint of adrenaline I get on my road bike is if I get a bit of a slide at 40+mph.
On my mountain bike just about everything gets the adrenaline going, rattling through a rock garden at 30mph, cranking hard to get the speed in to a big road gap, drifting in to flat out berms, mega steep rocky switch backs, hucking drops, trains down jump lines with mates. Even the less tech stuff in remote locations can get the adrenaline going.

Not really, it's just hard to get an adrenaline buzz from the same trails i've been doing for nearly five years now. I'm sick of going further afield just to ride a trail i haven't done before. Believe me i've done all the stuff you've listed, i've even gone as far as the alps which was incredible, but i've moved on and got bored of the sport in it's current guise.

njee20

If you get a bigger adrenaline buzz on a road bike then you must be riding like an old woman on your mountain bike.
The only hint of adrenaline I get on my road bike is if I get a bit of a slide at 40+mph.
On my mountain bike just about everything gets the adrenaline going, rattling through a rock garden at 30mph, cranking hard to get the speed in to a big road gap, drifting in to flat out berms, mega steep rocky switch backs, hucking drops, trains down jump lines with mates. Even the less tech stuff in remote locations can get the adrenaline going.

I had a reply, but I got distracted by your unbridled awsumz, so now I can't stop swooning. :roll:

rockmonkeysc

Where's the excitement on road bikes?
It's so dull. I have give it plenty of miles and other than a couple high speed wobbles there has been nothing exciting. I do a mix of urban roads, A roads and single track lanes and a cycle track with a mile long tunnel and it's all just as boring as driving to work but keeps me fit and costs less.

Kowalski675

njee20 wrote:

I genuinely can't comprehend why anyone would ride a road bike for pleasure.

But you've never done it...? You ride motorbikes, but suggest riding a push bike on the road is dangerous? You just moved up several places on my moron scale.

Yes, I've done it. It's incredibly boring and hard work, certainly not enjoyable. Why would I want to ride a bicycle on the road? I'm not fourteen anymore ffs. I have a car and bikes that don't need pedalling and go an awful lot faster. Riding motorcycles is a whole lot safer than road cycling in traffic, and a whole lot more fun. You want to ride bicycles on the road, but I'm a moron? Yeah, right, good one.

Kowalski675

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Where's the excitement on road bikes?
It's so dull.

CAWT.

bennett_346

Kowalski675 wrote:

njee20 wrote:

I genuinely can't comprehend why anyone would ride a road bike for pleasure.

But you've never done it...? You ride motorbikes, but suggest riding a push bike on the road is dangerous? You just moved up several places on my moron scale.

Yes, I've done it. It's incredibly boring and hard work, certainly not enjoyable. Why would I want to ride a bicycle on the road? I'm not fourteen anymore ffs. I have a car and bikes that don't need pedalling and go an awful lot faster. Riding motorcycles is a whole lot safer than road cycling in traffic, and a whole lot more fun. You want to ride bicycles on the road, but I'm a moron? Yeah, right, good one.

Since when have you owned a motorcycle?

Kowalski675

Since 1994. And yes, I do realise that was sarcasm.

njee20

Riding motorcycles is a whole lot safer than road cycling in traffic

By "safer" you mean 'far more likely to get you killed or serious injured" I assume? there's a lot of evidence for that! You can claim it's boring, that's subjective, but less safe... No.