Is a road bike really worth it?

[cce]

slickshod MTBs make good neighbourhood bikes for picking up shopping, riding back from the pub etc, but for any real distance a road bike is so much more efficient

 

[elPedro666]

I've been a mountainbiker forever, but I detest dragging an mtb along tarmac, even with rock-hard slicks on - it's just slooooow. Everything about it is wrong, starting with the positition, the small wheels, the low gearing*, the unnecessary excess weight, the upright wide bars (human parachute?), the lack of positions, the 'wrong' handling - it's just one long frustration, a bodge of miserable wrongness.

The only time 26inchers are acceptable on tarmac are when you're massively weighed down with camping gear and need some serious wheel strength.

Get a road bike that fits you and enjoy the utterly glorious speeeeeeeed There are bargains out there, although I totally agree they're not so easy to track down as with mtb.



*alright, I might not always be totally opposed to this...

 

[Rod_Saetan]

I have a couple of Road bikes, however this is fun for shorter journeys (the commute) and I've done a couple of sub 100 mile trips on it comfortably.

94 Salsa La Raza, Dura Ace 7400 group with M732 thumbies and flat bar, ti post.

 

[DA-EVO]

If I persevere with the road bike will I start to see the advantages?

Yes, it will most likely be a little time getting used and then I think you'd appreciate the differences. I guess it also depends on how far you are venturing and over what sort of routes? Around town I'd not expect you'd find much difference but some nice lane around and behind the downs and I would hope you'd enjoy it more.

Put proper road bars on the Blue one and give it a whizz out the back of the downs.

 

[The History Man]

Also, I don't know your size/weight but if you're not a whippet stick a 28mm touring tyre on and enjoy the comfort. 23mm race look cool but feel a bit harsh and fragile to me.

 

[jaypee]

Re:

Thanks guys! So the general consensus is that I will learn to love the road bike if it's the right one. I will persevere!

I like your attitude LGF and I always enjoy cycling on pretty much anything that's not a bso but cycling is my main passtime and I don't want to be missing out on the best of it!

The blue Cilo is nice but I think a little too small with drop bars. It has a terrible gear set up so I'm thinking to try something else new (for me) with that : a fixie. If lack of funds doesn't mean it gets sold that is - I'm hoping to hang on to it but I certainly need to lose something this month. Just can't stop buying project bikes! Am currently a little over-stretched.

I was thinking of maybe selling the new Geoff Wiles as it didn't grab me but I'm certainly going to give it a bit more time now. I think it fits quite well so it should be a good one for getting used to a road set up. It already has a longer post and different saddle and I might move the brake levers a bit and the angle of the bars. I'm gonna try not to be a hood rider LGF - surely that's cheating!?

Yes I think a long run out in the country is what's needed!

 

[jaypee]

and often overtake/race roadies.

You mean really bad roadies, or those out for a gentle zone 1/2 bimble.
Even on 1" slicks and at 100 psi a road bike will be around 2 mph quicker at the same power. (Check analytic cycling website for the exact numbers.)

Will certainly look into the science of it. And yes I'm sure a proper rider on a decent bike would be faster but in practice I hardly ever encounter anyone faster so at a practical level the increased speed wouldn't make much difference. Maybe I need to get into strava!

 

[hamster]

Difficult one. I have a fast road bike (1994 Litespeed with 23 tyres) which is lush to ride and allows 100 miles with no discomfort. However my tourer is a converted Marin Palisades with drop bars and 1.3" tyres. 70 miles with a camping load again is no trouble. However I toured extensively on it simply with bar ends, rack and 1.3" slicks, including down the Pacific coast of the USA.

Buy the bike for the kind of riding you intend. Drop bars do work, but definitely take some getting used to. MTBs handle like trucks compared to road bikes - the steering stability is necessary for off road and works well for touring loads.

If you are planning all-day rides then a more road-orientated bike will make things easier. But decide what riding you want to do first.

 

[hamster]

Also, I don't know your size/weight but if you're not a whippet stick a 28mm touring tyre on and enjoy the comfort. 23mm race look cool but feel a bit harsh and fragile to me.

The latest 25 and 28mm tyres are really fast. 25mm seems to be used these days by the pros. For smashed up UK tarmac (and especially the dreaded chipseal :shock: ) 28mm may well be faster.

It's a pity my Litespeed won't take any more than a 23mm on the back.

 

[legrandefromage]

hood riding is like bar-end riding.

Comfortable.