Would a road bike suit me better?

gcwebbyuk

I used to ride XC MTB a fair amount, but had to give it up just over 4.5 years ago due to spinal surgery - 2 discs replaced in my neck.

I started riding again this year, but only on road or sustrans trails, and seem to be coping OK - with a few adjustments to my bike.

My current bike is a 2008 Specialized Stumpjumper HT. I have changed most of the parts on it to make it lighter, and was pretty happy with it as an XC bike.

To make the bike more comfortable, I have replaced the 90mm stem with a shorter 70mm stem. I have also fitted bar ends to allow me to sit more upright. I have also replaced the MTB tyres with Conti Travel Contact tyres, which have made the bike much easier to cycle on the road.

My question is, would a road bike or a CX bike be more suitable to me as I am only riding on the road, or would I have to spend a large amount of money to get something that is marginally better than my current setup?

My worry with road bikes is the drop handlebar, which would not be comfortable with my neck injury. At present after a long ride (25-30 miles), I have pain at the base of my neck and in between my shoulders.

Any thoughts/suggestions on bikes I should look at?

zak3737

I dont know whether I am experienced enough to comment, as I've only just returned to cycling myself in the last few months, but I''l offer what I can.

I too did loads of MTB'ing until perhaps 5/6yrs ago, but then recently, decided the dark side appealed, and bought myself a road bike, as I couldnt face all the mud & cack anymore, particularly in the winter.

Undoubtably, MTB's are a comfortable position, and indeed Hybrids too, and finding that same comfortable position on a drop bar bike has been a little tricky for me. The Trek I picked up proved a little too aggressively set up, despite trying to tweak the stem & sadlle etc etc, and I found myself with an aching neck too.
Tried a few other new bikes, briefly, and as soon as I sat on a Specialized Roubaix, with its much more 'relaxed' geometry, it felt good, so much so, that I sold the Trek, and have now got a used Roubaix in the garage, and its 1st 2 rides so far have been much more comfortable.
So yes, with the right geometry & setup, 'Road Bikes' can be friendly & comfortable.

That said, and I started a thread on here recently about it, I do still think that a top end Hybrid, such as the Carbon framed Spesh Sirrus or Boardman variants, could well offer you a similarly quick and rideable setup, with possibly more comfortable position perhaps.

I got flamed for daring to suggest that the control and braking capacity on a 'straight bar ' bike was far superior to any Drop Bar bike, but I still beleive it is, and interestingly, had a converstaion recently with a chap that works in a very well respected local bike store, and he agreed.
He regularly Mountain Biked, Road Biked, and Cross biked, and laughed at the suggestion that any drop bar bike gave anyone the same level of control or braking.
Sure, for out & out speed, drop bars 'may' be better, more 'aerodynamic' etc etc.....but thats it.

People talk about Drops having more comfortable 'Hand positions', but I'm not sure, to me, any Straight Bars with Bar ends would easily have similar hand postions, - particularly if they were padded as are most 'drop bar' bikes.

The main difference in covering the miles, to me, is the wheels & tyres etc, - 700 wheels with 25c tyres are FAR easier to cycle on than any MTB tyre, or even the Conti's your using perhaps.

I cant beleive the difference in covering the miles in all honesty, its a breeze in comparison.

I think you need to find a good local Bike Store, tell them your situation, and try and get a Demo bike perhaps, something thats set up correctly for you to minimise any neck discomfort, and go try it ......

gcwebbyuk

Thanks for the reply Zak

I do plan to go to an LBS and try something out to see how I would get on.

I had looked at the Sirrus, but got concerned by the price vs improvements over my current bike.

My current setup has a mix of SRAM X0/XTR/XT kit, with Hope SP-XC3 wheels - so weighs about 10ish kg.

Would something like Sirrus be a more tourable bike? I am not looking for something faster, as I am not fit enough (yet) to make the most of it. I am looking for something that is comfortable to travel longer distances on.

When I switched from MTB tyres to the semi-slicks, I noticed a massive improvement - I was able to cycle with about the same effort using the larger chain ring compared to the middle. Would switching to a road/hybrid bike make as much a difference?

zak3737

I have a Sirrus, which is about 7yrs old, and my son has up at Uni with him these days. Its a good mix of Tiagra stuff, and has Cable discs, and 700 wheels with 28c tyres.
My son has ridden it this summer on rides with me, on my Road bike, and had absolutely no problem keeping pace with me, so speed of a good hybrid with 25/28c tyres on isnt an issue, they are easily fast enough for most, and definitely better i'd imagine for Touring etc.

If I were you, I'd try and visit a Specialized store perhaps, and try out both a Sirrus, and a Roubaix, or brands with similar bikes, Trek perhaps, and se what feels better.
With a serious neck issue like you've had, it'd be worth spending some time testing things to see what 'feels' best. You might decide a Hybrid would be best for now, and then move on to a Road Bike as you progress perhaps.
But, if speed isnt a priority, either would suit, it would just come down to what feels more comfortable etc,......oh and Budget !

That said, I picked up my Carbon framed Roubaix, with excellent 105 kit on, for £690, which in the grand scheme of things, is an absolute snip.
Bargains are out there, Hybrid or Road :-)

blackpoolkev

I used to ride a flat bar road bike, I loved that bike, it was comfortable,quick and good in traffic (upright positions offer a better view ahead and easier for rear observation - with your neck problems, that may be relevant).
But (there's always a 'but') longer (30+ miles) rides would leave me aching. Only having one position on the bike stiffened me up and specifically gave me mainly hand and arm ache. I tried bar ends and ergonomic grips but they only offered limited relief.
I wanted to do longer rides and moved onto a drop handlebar bike. At first it felt strange but I think that every time I ride a different bike it feels strange!
I soon got used to the drops and altering my position on the bike helped to keep me comfortable. I'm good for 5 or 6 hours now before the stiffness kicks in.
A nice hybrid will make you faster and be equally comfortable for limited distances.
A nice road bike will take you further(and be even faster) but I agree with your LBS advice that flat bar is better for short ride comfort.
P.S. If you do decide to go for the road bike option - some are more built for speed e.g Cannondale Super Six or Scott Addict but some are built for a more comfortable ride e.g. Cannondale Synapse or Scott CR1. It's all about the geometry (tall head tube = comfort, short head tube = speed.) Other brands offer similar variations.

BeaconRuth

gcwebbyuk wrote:

When I switched from MTB tyres to the semi-slicks, I noticed a massive improvement - I was able to cycle with about the same effort using the larger chain ring compared to the middle. Would switching to a road/hybrid bike make as much a difference?

Yes - I'm very confident it would make a massive difference.

FWIW I would strongly agree with blackpoolkev. A move to a road bike is likely to transform your road-riding experience and I'd urge you to pursue the possibility of drop-bars rather than straight bars. Obviously I don't know the detail of your back issues following your surgery but for anyone looking at riding any decent distances the riding position on a drop-bar bike is likely to be much better and more comfortable.... IMO.

Ruth

zak3737

Rather than just jumping on a road bike, I think you should find a way of trying both, perhaps even on extended rides.
In reality, if you arent going to use the 'drops', (like me), then I see no reason why a straight bar good Hybrid couldnt be as comfortable, (or perhaps more so given your neck), but also as quick.
In fact, there is an article in this months Cycling Plus on Hybrids, - (which a revelation in itself for being in a magazine dedicated to 'Road' bikes)....and the Boardman Hybrid Pro, with Carbon Frae and highish end kit, @£999, gets highest marks.
In their words....."For general day to day use the Boardmans a real treat. Its well equipped for commuting and easily comfortable enough for longer weekend rides or touring, - its that good."

'Maybe' something like that would be ideal for you, given your neck, but as I mentioned before, I picked up my Roubaix for £700, so plenty of Road bikes can be had for same kind of money.

As I found, you need to try something and get a feel for things, - as soon as I sat on a Roubaix, it just felt right, maybe it will you too, but maybe a Hybrid would ........

imposter2.0

Zak3737 wrote:

In reality, if you arent going to use the 'drops', (like me), then I see no reason why a straight bar good Hybrid couldnt be as comfortable, (or perhaps more so given your neck), but also as quick.

I think people have said this to you before - but it's NOT just about being 'on the drops'. Even without using the drops themselves, drop bars give you several other alternative hand positions that a flat bar doesn't. Anyone who has ridden drop bars for any distance would understand that.

zak3737

Please dont start that debate again, it wont help the OP.

I've ridden Straight Bars for 75+ miles in one day........no issues at all.
Ive ridden Drop Bars for 45+ miles (so far) in one go......no issues at all.

If I dont use the drops, the number of hand positions in reality is no different. Period.
The only possible difference is the Bar Tape & Gel padding that Road bikes have.

zak3737

gcwebbyuk: It may be best to remember that this thread is on a 'Road General' thread, therefore opinions are for the most part 'Road' biased perhaps.

imposter2.0

Zak3737 wrote:

Please dont start that debate again, it wont help the OP.

I'm pretty sure you have raised that issue on this thread at least twice already, without my help.

Zak3737 wrote:

If I dont use the drops, the number of hand positions in reality is no different. Period.

Bizarre. A flat bar (let's be kind and say it has bar ends fitted) may give you two hand positions. Even without using the drops themselves, I can think of five or six different hand positions which I can use on drop bars. I can only assume you are not counting them properly.

kajjal

Imposter wrote:

Zak3737 wrote:

In reality, if you arent going to use the 'drops', (like me), then I see no reason why a straight bar good Hybrid couldnt be as comfortable, (or perhaps more so given your neck), but also as quick.

I think people have said this to you before - but it's NOT just about being 'on the drops'. Even without using the drops themselves, drop bars give you several other alternative hand positions that a flat bar doesn't. Anyone who has ridden drop bars for any distance would understand that.

This would be my experience as well. For XC mountain biking flat bars are ideal as you are always shifting around the bike. For longer distances on a road bike flat bars can become uncomfortable. While I spend most of the time on or near the hoods on my road bike if my arms get a bit stiff I can just use the bar or drops for a change.

zak3737

This thread isnt about whether Road Bars are better than Flat Bars........blah blah blah.....

The OP has asked what might suit him better, given his Neck issues, and I'd think there's a good chance that a Hybrid with 'Flat' Bars might prove to be that.
OR - certainly more an Endurance bike like a Roubaix.

I've just given him MY experience of Flats v Drops, which for ME, has proven NO DIFFERENT in comfort, and I've done full day rides on a MTB, Coast to Coasts, South Downs Way etc etc.....

All this talk about 'lots of positions' on Road Drops is a load of bollocks, IF you arent gonna use the drops, then you either got the hoods, the corners, or the flat next to the Stem, Thats it.
On a Flat Bar, you've got the Grips, the Ends, or the Flat next to the Stem. (or Bar Ends too if you add)

End of. No difference.
Stop trying to embelish Drop Bars into some sort of Holy Grail, just because you are 'Roadies', they may be more aerodynamic if you're an out & out racer, or wanna go quick and get low.
But if you dont, and just want a comfortable ride, then Straight Bars are just as good, if not better, and certainly afford ANY rider more control and better braking leverage.
Get over it.

imposter2.0

Zak3737 wrote:

This thread isnt about whether Road Bars are better than Flat Bars........blah blah blah.....

The OP has asked what might suit him better, given his Neck issues, and I'd think there's a good chance that a Hybrid with 'Flat' Bars might prove to be that.
OR - certainly more an Endurance bike like a Roubaix.

I've just given him MY experience of Flats v Drops, which for ME, has proven NO DIFFERENT in comfort, and I've done full day rides on a MTB, Coast to Coasts, South Downs Way etc etc.....

All this talk about 'lots of positions' on Road Drops is a load of ****, IF you arent gonna use the drops, then you either got the hoods, the corners, or the flat next to the Stem, Thats it.
On a Flat Bar, you've got the Grips, the Ends, or the Flat next to the Stem. (or Bar Ends too if you add)

End of. No difference.
Stop trying to embelish Drop Bars into some sort of Holy Grail, just because you are 'Roadies', they may be more aerodynamic if you're an out & out racer, or wanna go quick and get low.
But if you dont, and just want a comfortable ride, then Straight Bars are just as good, if not better, and certainly afford ANY rider more control and better braking leverage.
Get over it.

Sounds like you're the one who needs to get over it?

roger_merriman

gcwebbyuk wrote:

I used to ride XC MTB a fair amount, but had to give it up just over 4.5 years ago due to spinal surgery - 2 discs replaced in my neck.

I started riding again this year, but only on road or sustrans trails, and seem to be coping OK - with a few adjustments to my bike.

My current bike is a 2008 Specialized Stumpjumper HT. I have changed most of the parts on it to make it lighter, and was pretty happy with it as an XC bike.

To make the bike more comfortable, I have replaced the 90mm stem with a shorter 70mm stem. I have also fitted bar ends to allow me to sit more upright. I have also replaced the MTB tyres with Conti Travel Contact tyres, which have made the bike much easier to cycle on the road.

My question is, would a road bike or a CX bike be more suitable to me as I am only riding on the road, or would I have to spend a large amount of money to get something that is marginally better than my current setup?

My worry with road bikes is the drop handlebar, which would not be comfortable with my neck injury. At present after a long ride (25-30 miles), I have pain at the base of my neck and in between my shoulders.

Any thoughts/suggestions on bikes I should look at?

If you need a upright postion, then you need to test ride some bikes, not all road bikes have aggressive position and not all hybrids have a relaxed upright postion.

You can get stems that angle up etc.

I think you need to try a few and take it from there.

team47b

An adjustable angled stem on a flat bar gives you the opportunity to get used to a lower bar in gradual steps until you find the best position for you, I have one on my Ridgeback hybrid, and adjust it depending on distance etc.

gcwebbyuk

Putting aside the flat vs drop handlebar debate...

...what improvements will I find from a road/cx bike compared to a light (10ish kg) hardtail MTB running on 26x1.75" semi-slicks?

ai_1

gcwebbyuk wrote:

Putting aside the flat vs drop handlebar debate...

...what improvements will I find from a road/cx bike compared to a light (10ish kg) hardtail MTB running on 26x1.75" semi-slicks?

I would say, with the exception of different gearing, all the relevant differences are down to your position.
A mountain bike will, I think, typically have smaller gearing than a road bike. For example the large chainring on a road bike is usually 50 (typical compact), 52 or 53 teeth. A mountain bike usually has a smaller large chainring (not sure what's considered typical maybe 44 teeth?) At the back they'll both normally have an 11 or 12 tooth sprocket. On the other end of the range the small gears will also be smaller so it'll be much easier to maintain a high cadence going up a hill on the MTB compared to the smallest gear on a road bike. Combined with smaller wheel circumference on the MTB the gearing ranges are somewhat different.

Aside from gearing the main differences between MTB and road bikes are down to position. Generally a road bike will put you lower and gives you a very different selection of hand positions all with a narrower arm position than the wide bars of a typical mountain bike.

gcwebbyuk

My XTR 970 chainset has 44/32/22 rings, and I must admit I mainly ride in the 44 unless on steeper hills.

The XT 770 cassette is an 11-34. I do find I tend to double shift more on the rear as I don't need such a small ratio change (if that makes sense?).

I haven't found that I am running out of gears though, and find that the 44/11 is high enough for my current fitness.

Average speeds are about 12mph over a 25 mile journey - max is about 28mph.

So other than positioning, would it make sense to keep the MTB until I am maybe a bit fitter?

The reason I started to think about the possibility of buying a second bike was that I was about to buy a second wheel set which I could leave with off-road tyres for the odd forest trail (nothing hard-core). With the conti travel contacts, I am nervous going on anything other than tarmac for fear of washing out or punctures. A new wheel set with tyres, tubes (or tubeless kit), brake discs, cassette etc would be about £500.

BeaconRuth

gcwebbyuk wrote:

So other than positioning, would it make sense to keep the MTB until I am maybe a bit fitter

Nooooo! Why wait for all the extra speed and much better road handling and riding position you can get from being on a road bike?

Honestly, I've known people's feeling about riding a bike to be transformed when they got on a decent road bike compared to an MTB or sit-up hybrid. If you're even remotely sporty or athletic you'll feel so much better on a road bike (as long as you can cope with it with your neck).

Ruth

zak3737

Dont spend £500 on a new Wheelset, just for offroad. For that money, or not a lot more, you can have a complete Road or Hybrid bike, with Road wheels/tyres, and the whole Road Gearing setup......ala my own Roubaix at £690.

The difference is remarkable, and even I, at 52 & 14st 10lb, after not biking for some 6yrs or more, can breeze along at an average of 15/16mph easily, and cover 40+ miles with little real effort.

Sirrus or Roubaix would be no different, its the whole road set-up/gearing that makes it so easy......mine is a Compact Chainset, and I've hardly needed the smaller ring yet.
That said, I'm a prolific Hill Hater.

THE_GREAT_GONZO

Buy a road bike; you can never have enough bikes in the stable!

g00se

For fit rider (by which I mean, no injuries), road bikes will be faster. However, when you say "My question is, would a road bike or a CX bike be more suitable to me as I am only riding on the road, or would I have to spend a large amount of money to get something that is marginally better than my current setup?" - what do you mean by better?

Certainly, a road bike is better optimised to go faster with less effort. But there are less margins of variation from setup with any particular bike. That is, with an MTB, you can chop and change saddle heights, stems etc but with a road bike, it's a matter of finding the one particular setup that will match you. It's much more a matter of millimeters than inches to get it right.

Also, one of the main speed benefits is from less air resistance due to the front profile. And this is going to mean the position is certainly going to be much more head down. So for the most speed benefits, you're going to have to find the best compromise for your injury, and you're not going to be able to tell this until you try.

I would suggest a few tips. If you wear a helmet, make sure you wear one without a visor, you'll end up craning your neck back to look from under it - rather than keeping your head down moving your eyes.

Work on good core muscle strength, then you can support your body more through you stomach and lower back and relax your arms and shoulders. If you place more weight on these, then you're more likely to lock your arms straight, sag your shoulders and tense your neck.

Finally, some folks think they can convert a hybrid to a road bike or vice-versa by just changing the bars - however, the different types of brake and lever pull ratios means this is much more difficult (mountain bike v-brake levers won't work well with caliper brakes. It may be an option to go for a road bike and think you can put flat bars on later, but you'll need to consider in advance how you'll handle the brakes. In this case, going for one of the new disk-brake road bikes may be the best for this, assuming the disc-calipers are similar.

Maybe you could hire one for a few days - or buy a cheap second hand thing you could later resell for much the same price - just to see if you get on with it?

gcwebbyuk

I have just popped into Halfords and tried sitting on a couple of road bikes to see how the drop handlebar setup would work for me. Both of the bikes felt quite a lot lower than I would be able to manage, albeit they may have been the wrong size frame - so it was just a quick test.

I am going to pop to my LBS tomorrow who are a Specialized dealer (I bought my StumpJumper from them too). Hopefully they can let me borrow one for a day.

The issue I am going to have with drops is that my neck is actually fused at two levels, so most of the bending of the neck happens at the axis and at the base of the shoulders - which is where I feel the pain. This means that that even looking upwards causes tension and aggravation.



I do pilates to try and build up my core strength etc.

ai_1

gcwebbyuk wrote:

I have just popped into Halfords and tried sitting on a couple of road bikes to see how the drop handlebar setup would work for me. Both of the bikes felt quite a lot lower than I would be able to manage, albeit they may have been the wrong size frame - so it was just a quick test.

I am going to pop to my LBS tomorrow who are a Specialized dealer (I bought my StumpJumper from them too). Hopefully they can let me borrow one for a day.......

Try a Specialised Tricross if you can. These are cyclocross style bikes, so like a roadbike with extra tyre clearance. However the Tricross allows a very upright position for a road-ish bike, or at least it did on older models. I doubt the geometry has changed much. I rode one for about 3.5 years. For 3 of those I had it fitted with slicks and used it as a road bike. I did lots of sportives up to 200km and used it for duathlon and adventure races. It never really limited me noticably and there was no major jump in performance when I eventually switched to a fairly aggressive7kg carbon road bike. Point is, if in doubt this might be the ideal bike to get. It'll allow a somewhat upright position comoared to most roadbikes but if you remove all the spacers and put on a stem with a little extra drop you pretty much have a roadbike.
I haven't compared yje geometry with some of the longer head tube "sportive" bikes like the Roubaix but I suspect it's a bit more upright.

zak3737

I definitely think you need some expert assistance with getting the correct setup to help, and a local Bike shop would be the place I would think.
Ad-hoc sizing and jumping on to try is unpredictable too, get advice.
All the 'size charts' showed that I should be on a 56cm frame, but here I am on a 58cm Roubaix, which is perfect.
Your Spesh store should perhaps have Sirrus & Road models you can try, briefly or otherwise, and advise properly. Give em a try.
Good luck, you'll know when it feels right.

kajjal

Road bike setup is down to your bodies dimensions and personal preference on the riding position. My road bike has about a inch drop from saddle to the bars, others prefer more drop for a more agressive position, some have it more or less level. The same is true for the reach to the bars.

My road bike is easier and faster than my XC MTB on road , especially up hills. The downside is rim brakes are poor in the wet compared to disc brakes and if the going gets rough my mountain bike just glides over it in comparison.

The final downside to a roadbike is you have to wear lycra as it is more comfortable

gcwebbyuk

Thanks for all the info. I will go and try out a couple of road and hybrids tomorrow and try and make some form of decision...

w00dster

As someone with neck problems, I suffer from cervical disc disease. i have had back/neck problems for approx 10 years.
I have always rode bikes, started with MTB for years, then 2 years ago thought I'd try road, I also ride a cyclocross bike on forest trails, fire roads etc.
In terms of pain or discomfort, I get very little pain from the road bike. Over the two years of riding my position has changed as I've gotten used to the bike and found a style that I'm comfortable with. I do find riding on the drops for a prolonged period can cause me problems though, so I tend to use this position for sections of flatish road. I get neck pain from looking up whilst in that position. Hitting pot holes can also cause issues, the jarring pain running up the arms into the neck, a lot of people experience this, but when you have a weak area the pain gets amplified.
Riding off-road though causes me real problems, a cyclocross bike is no MTB replacememt. I'm going to be selling one of my cyclocross bikes to allow me to get a new MTB.
The cyclocross bike is great for on road riding though, big wide tyres running at a fairly low psi soak up the bumps in the road. But the compromise is that it's no where near as much fun as my road racing bike.

apreading

blackpoolkev wrote:

I used to ride a flat bar road bike, I loved that bike, it was comfortable,quick and good in traffic (upright positions offer a better view ahead and easier for rear observation - with your neck problems, that may be relevant).
But (there's always a 'but') longer (30+ miles) rides would leave me aching. Only having one position on the bike stiffened me up and specifically gave me mainly hand and arm ache. I tried bar ends and ergonomic grips but they only offered limited relief.

This again - if you couldnt do 30 mile rides without aching then the bike either did not fit or was not set up right for you. This is a tiny distance and aching over that is not down to the type of bike but to having your body in a position that it is not comfortable with. Thats why the bar ends didnt help, because there was a fundamental problem with your position.

apreading

Imposter wrote:

Bizarre. A flat bar (let's be kind and say it has bar ends fitted) may give you two hand positions. Even without using the drops themselves, I can think of five or six different hand positions which I can use on drop bars. I can only assume you are not counting them properly.

I can count 4 hand positions that I use on my flar bars with bar ends - it is you that is not counting properly.