26" ride on a roadie ride?

[Skynet]

"Oh, and only riding on roads is boring." and far more dangerous and only getting worse.

 

[The History Man]

Nothing to add other than my experiences. I turned up at my first ever Retrobike road ride on a Marin bear valley se on Schwalbe city jets(?) 1.9 and pumped up hard. On poor B roads and lanes I was having way more fun as I wasn’t pothole dodging etc. flat bars and bar ends essential for hand positions. And a big big ring. I was in the non loopy group though.

A well set up touring road bike is far superior. Way quicker for the effort and almost as forgiving over the bumps.

 

[Frankenorange]

Depends on your fitness, it's certainly going to be harder work (not exactly a shock). Gearing is not such a big deal if you can spin unless they're pushing it. But if they are then you're not going to keep up anyway unless you're a level above them. You certainly don't need to faff around with anything like aero bars!

Bear in mind there's a lot of stretching the truth/flat out lying on the internet about the speed roadies go. If you believe people no-one averages less than 20, the reality is more like 15 according to strava end of year reports. Of course some do but it's rare. But even at 20 you won't run out of gears very often if at all (perhaps with a 1x with tiny chainring).

Totally agree with this. 15mph avg is a very good road pace for solo, fit, normal riders, having a training ride, on road bikes, gravel bikes or mtbs as long as the latter have decent tyres and bars that aren't meters wide. Decent tyres can be 26" slicks, semi-slicks or even fast rolling knobbed tyres, like conti race kings.
A group ride of normally fit people can be a bit quicker but only nudges a twenty average with more of a 'chaingang' club ride, ime, with some road hardcore doing the pulling. Old school mtb gearing had the top gears to manage, but some of the ultra modern 1x top gears will see you spinning like mad, in some situations. At the end of the day it is fitness that counts. Super fit mtb riders will kick the arse of normal fit road riders.
Many, many moons ago i was more roadie and raced time trials and track. On one time trial a top rider finished on a ladies step through shopper and still wasn't much over an hour, for 25 miles. He had punctured, or something, after having just overtaken the lady shopper. He pulled over and after a bit of quick thinking stopped the lady and asked if he could take her bike, to the finish. A deal was struck so she wheeled the stricken lo-pro, to the shops, and he did the last 5 miles on her shopper, in his lycra and aero helmet but no shoes as they were slipping on the pedals and he had stopped, removed them, and put them in his skinsuit. A good example of how determination and some adrenaline can get you through.
Personally; I have always found not having enough to eat and drink and/or being cold have been more of an anchor than anything else. 100-200 miles can be a joy on road bike or mtb, as long as it fits well, but 20-50 miles can be absolute misery, both physically and psychologically, without food and water or if you are cold even with effort.

 

[Takingabreak]

My own experience with the most road like 26" tyres fitted to a rigid 90's mountain bike and drop bars and road sti's fitted was that I was about 1 mph slower on average (according to garmin) everywhere I rode compared to my 700c road bike.

The tyres I used were these https://www.bikeinn.com/bike/contin...6e&gclid=CO67ir_zhvUCFRaeGwodWGoIMg&gclsrc=ds

 

[hamster]

Most important are tyres. Schwalbe Marathon Greenguard or Marathon Supreme are good performers on rolling resistance but a road wheel with 28C Conti GP5000s will have half the rolling resistance. At least have bar ends, but you will still be at a disadvantage aerodynamically. Last and least is weight.

From my own experience I agree with Oaklec, you will probably be at a 1-2mph disadvantage. HOWEVER the quality of the engine will be far more important. If you are fitter than them you will have no trouble.

 

[CassidyAce]

150 miles in a day is a long stretch on an unfamiliar, borrowed bike that's not set up specifically for you. And it's not just an unfamiliar bike but a type of bike that, at best, I assume you're out of practice at riding since you don't already have your own. If you become really uncomfortable, your speed will suffer even if you're on a road bike.

If I were you, I would get some of the 26" tyres mentioned above and do some training rides to see what sort of speed you can maintain over distance on the Eldridge Grade. In other words, get data. If your speed falls far short of what your cousin averages on a road bike, he is likely to find your speed frustrating; then, look at the road bike option.

 

[legrandefromage]

150 miles is a very long way. Stamina is where its at - can you do a 50 mile ride? Can you do 75 miles?

I think being on a familiar bike would be better, as above there is nothing worse than being on someone else's that ends up giving you back ache or worse.

My last orgaanised ride pre covid was not supposed to be competitive, but try and tell the others that!

A tweek in riding position, gear ratios and a determination to travel at your own pace should see you through as long as you can get the stamina.

 

[chambo34]

Done this a few times and all things being equal you will either be working harder to keep up or dropping back constantly , borrow a road bike.

 

[xtaffa]

This is why I love this site. Thanks all for tons of genuine, copper-bottomed insight.

I've never ridden more than 72 miles, and that's been on other sportive type things with same cousin (we do this once every year or three), with a lot less vertical in various bits of wales. I borrowed my old Monoc road bike off another cousin I had sold it to for those. That bike often murdered me - mainly due to some pretty flatland/agressive gearing. Compact frame too, now a few years on I reckon it will kill my calcifying lower back!

As with those previous events by and large we will be going steady aiming to survive/enjoy the route. With a little unsaid competitiveness of course... Frankenoragne's points about water and fuel I completely recognise from the earlier of these previous, shambolic turnouts!

Cousin's a big guy, can push a bigger gear than me on the flat and has physics on his side coming down hills. I have tended to disappear a long way ahead on the upslopes, being lighter - and because of the silly gearing on the Monoc. That said about the gearing, on balance it has suited me as I have an alllergy against spinning, although that sounds like it may only compound wheel size difference....

I'm a bit torn between the two camps of responses. My heart/instinct is leaning towards sticking with what I know/fits and making it work (not least because it is the bike it is!) rather than bending myself out of shape on a borrowed rig in alien format ....Biggest challenge is that I don't have any time to do any long ride try-outs, as CassidyAce suggests - compounded by the fact the Eldridge lives in semi-retirement down in Wales! Might try to get a couple of evening sessions putting serious road miles in on the Fisher here with slicks to get an idea....

Thanks again all, really appreciate all the insight and advice. Will keep you posted which way I fall!

 

[Woz]

The sensible thing is to spend a fortune upgrading your Marin with as much Ti as possible, if that's not possible look into drillium for the alloy parts and try to source some EPO for the motor.