Is this normal???

[Devonshiredave]

I've just progressed (if that's the right expression) from a MTB to road bike as I want to commute to work and take up longer distance cycling. In the time I used the MTB, I never had a spill and the bike always felt totally in control.
I took the new road bike out last Saturday for the very first time and managed to crash within the first 5 miles having strayed off the tarmac. Ride #2 today, 14.6 miles, all great fun, but the bike feels as skitish as hell. I stood in the pedals to get up a hill and the side to side motion was really quite alarming. Then, looking over my right shoulder to pull out past a parked car saw me veer off right and on steering back left the bike swerved back so sharply I thought crash #2 was inevitable. How I pulled it back I don't know.
The bike is running 23c's which are much narrower than the MTB. Is the transition from MTB to road usually this much of a difference or am I being a complete noob. The bike feels a lot more lively/skitish and I have to admit, it is scaring me half to death at the moment
I can't remember my old Raleigh tourer being this much of a beast to handle.

 

[HovR]

The bike will feel completely different to your MTB as the head-tube angle is much steeper (IIRC). This makes the steering more sharp and responsive, which could feel skittish to someone who hasn't ridden a road bike before!

Your tourer would have had a more relaxed geometry and head-tube angle, so it wouldn't have felt the same as a modern road/race bike. You'll get used to it fairly soon, and it would probably be advisable not to stray too far off the tarmac until you get a bit more used to the handling.

 

[Sittingduck]

How long is the stem and what kind of rake does the fork have? Post a pic of the bike to help us determine abnormality/n00b balance?

 

[billy1561]

Mine is quite skittish too but that's more my lack of balance when looking over the shoulder.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

It will come with practice. the change was quite alarming at first for me going from a 22kg expedition bike to a 10.5kg road bike, changing from 2" wide tyres to 23mm tyres. It took a week or two to really get the full control of the bike, to be able to have the confidence to go around corners at speed and to be able to look over my shoulder - which I actually find easier on the road bike than any other bike I have had.

 

[lulubel]

Yes, a road bike will definitely feel skittish after a MTB.

When I first got a road bike, I had the advantage that I'd made the transition MTB -> hybrid -> road bike, so it wasn't such a dramatic change. The biggest thing for me was getting used to the longer reach and the drop bars.

Back in the summer, I got on a road bike again after riding a MTB on the road for a few months, and it was so scary I started thinking about wider tyres and even flat bars to try and make it feel safer. I got used to it again quite quickly, though, and had soon forgotten what I was worried about.

 

[Devonshiredave]

it was so scary I started thinking about wider tyres and even flat bars to try and make it feel safer. I got used to it again quite quickly, though, and had soon forgotten what I was worried about.

I have to fess up to that too. I had a rye smile to myself though, reminding myself about rule # 5. I will take it a bit steadier for now, learn the bike's characteristics & stick with it. I did wonder about a 90mm stem to replace the 100mm item on the bike now. Would that help steady things a little or make it worse?? Anyone???

 

[Peteaud]

I have both (road & MTB) and they are chalk and cheese.

After a while its just automatic riding, you will get used to it.

 

[Sittingduck]

I have to fess up to that too. I had a rye smile to myself though, reminding myself about rule # 5. I will take it a bit steadier for now, learn the bike's characteristics & stick with it. I did wonder about a 90mm stem to replace the 100mm item on the bike now. Would that help steady things a little or make it worse?? Anyone???

The shorter the stem, the twitcher the steering. I have used 90mm in the past, with no real issues, though. It's probably just a case of getting used to the new bike and practicing looking over your shoulder. You will become more confident over time.

 

[lulubel]

The shorter the stem, the twitcher the steering. I have used 90mm in the past, with no real issues, though. It's probably just a case of getting used to the new bike and practicing looking over your shoulder. You will become more confident over time.

I never understand this stuff about stem length. (OK, I do understand the science behind it.) My road bike has a 75mm stem and narrow female specific bars, and it isn't twitchy once you get used to it.

One of the differences between riding a MTB or a road bike (on the terrain they were designed for) is that on the MTB you need to keep your hands light to allow the front wheel to negotiate obstacles, and I've also found it makes it a lot easier to steer and control the front wheel, and make it go where you want it to go. On a road bike, you should have your weight about evenly distributed between the 3 contact points - saddle, pedals and bars. This means there's a lot more weight on your hands, which helps to keep the front wheel pointing in a straight line, and stops it wandering. On windy days like we're having here today, I actually find myself leaning heavily on the bars to stop the front wheel diving out from under me in crosswinds.

 

[Devonshiredave]

Well I finally got my first 20 miler done, 24 miles exactly and I ache! The bike seems way more stable today, windy though it was. I'm very happy with the progress, with both the bike and myself. I'll persevere with the stem, but I think the saddle could do with a fraction more height and maybe sliding forward a touch coz my undercarriage feels well battered! All in all, a good day.

 

[SpareSprocket]

The narrower bars will also contribute to the bike feeling more twitchy, particularly on bumpier roads (of which there are plenty around here). If I ride my mountain bike a lot and then switch onto the road bike, the road bike certainly feels a lot twitchier until I get used to it.

Going from the road bike to the mountain bike is like riding a big, wide comfy sofa !

 

[Devonshiredave]

The narrower bars will also contribute to the bike feeling more twitchy, particularly on bumpier roads (of which there are plenty around here). If I ride my mountain bike a lot and then switch onto the road bike, the road bike certainly feels a lot twitchier until I get used to it.

Going from the road bike to the mountain bike is like riding a big, wide comfy sofa !

You're not wrong! I just love the road bike, it makes this gorgeous sound as it glides along, can't describe it, just a lovely sound?

 

[smokeysmoo]

When I got back into road bikes I'd been riding MTB's for several years, and although I rode nothing but road bikes in the 80's the Trek Madone 5.5 I bought felt like nothing I'd ever ridden before.

It took me a while to be able to just reach down for a bottle without slowing to an almost standstill, but within a short space of time it starts to feel 'normal' and you'll wonder what all the fuss about

 

[briantrumpet]

the mountain bike is like riding a big, wide comfy sofa !

... and about as fast?