Riding a mountain bike on the roads currently. Get a road bike?

[Kajjal]

I went the other way, used to use the road bike but stopped enjoying it, so got a Cube mountain bike & love seeing lots of places I never would, but I only use the road to get between tracks.

Thats exactly what i use my diverge for, the road bits fly by and can enjoy the off road parts.

 

[Dan Morinary]

I find a rigid steel frame mtb with slick tyres and mudguards the best "all round" bike, especially as winter kicks in. Helps tackle dodgy road surfaces with confidence and gives the option to shoot down towpaths or gravel tracks.

I only ride to commute or for fun these days and, as I'm not training seriously, I now find I store the road bike away over winter as the old workhorse is way more practical.

 

[mick1836]

I'd wait until after winter in case you loose the bug as the weather changes. Also I find my mtb much better for riding in winter anyway due to bad weather and the rain washes all the rubbish onto the road meaning more punctures.

Winter what winter I'm in

 

[NorthernDave]

I started off with a "hybrid" that is essentially an MTB with road biased wheels and tyres.
Great bike on trails and light off road and to be fair it can cope with far more than you'd think.
But it's slow and under geared on road and the fixed riding position got wearing on longer rides
So after much thought I bought a road bike, which quickly became my go to bike once I'd got used to the differences.
Then a year later I went the whole hog and bought a carbon road bike and it's even better.

 

[mick1836]

Whilst still on the subject of changing from a MTB to a road bike what are the members views on buying via the internet or mail order?

Both my sons insist I visit a cycle shop to be measured to get the correct bike only problem there is NON of my local cycle stores deal or stock the Make or Model I've got my eye on.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Whilst still on the subject of changing from a MTB to a road bike what are the members views on buying via the internet or mail order?

Both my sons insist I visit a cycle shop to be measured to get the correct bike only problem there is NON of my local cycle stores deal or stock the Make or Model I've got my eye on.

Depends if you know what you want/need, if you do online, if you don't then lbs then support them by buying from them

 

[vickster]

Your sons are right but if it's not possible, have a long chat with the shop selling the bike you want, providing all your measurements, height, inside leg, arm length, shoulder width etc. You've ridden roadbikes presumably?

 

[mick1836]

Your sons are right but if it's not possible, have a long chat with the shop selling the bike you want, providing all your measurements, height, inside leg, arm length, shoulder width etc. You've ridden roadbikes presumably?

Errrrr no, but this Tuesday I have booked to hire a carbon road bike from a local dealer. ?

 

[vickster]

Errrrr no, but this Tuesday I have booked to hire a carbon road bike from a local dealer. ?

The same one?

 

[Slick]

I would say it just depends on your own preference. When I started, everybody tried to talk me out of the roadie ( including the lbs owner, who only talked himself out of a sale). I love the road bike now, despite of all the misguided advice offered before I bought it. I bought a second hand mtb, just for a bit of exploring at the weekends but I just never took to it. My brother on the other hand has a whyte with 29 inch road tyres and he loves it. Horses for courses I'm afraid.

 

[Brand X]

Only 23kmh, that's nothing to be ashamed of
Put some slick tyres on it, if you don't go off road
Save up and get fit over the winter and treat yourself to a roadbike in the spring if still keen

I agree with this - and 14mph is what I aspire to, I'm dead slow. Switch to a road bike or a hybrid when you're ready, but it you enjoy riding your current bike, stick at it for a while. BTW, road bikes are weird; next year I will have another go trying to use those strange drop handlebar things with their strangely positioned brakes, preferably without crashing.

 

[mick1836]

The same one?

No, hiring the bike on Tuesday from a Spanish dealer, the one I hope to buy will be from a UK dealer when we return.

 

[vickster]

I meant the same model

 

[JtB]

I can think of nothing (cycling related) more soul destroying than riding a mountain bike (even with slick tyres) on roads. I have a similar mountain bike with front suspension which is great off road, but as soon as I take it on the road it saps all my energy and provides zero sense of achievement in return. You pedal like mad to move forward and then as soon as you stop pedalling the bike very quickly grinds to a halt. The knobbly tyres suck the road, but even with slicks the geometry and gearing is all wrong and the bike is just to heavy and squishy.

 

[macp]

I have been using a Specialized rockhopper MTB to commute with slick tyres and its heavy and the gear range is all wrong. Its good from a training point of view and I could change the cassette but its still a heavy brute. Im now at the point of selling and changing maybe to a cheap road bike or sell both my bikes and getting a 'do it all' bike.