Road bikes - a few questions

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Peteaud

Veteran
Location
South Somerset
This might sound silly, but....

Ive always ridden mountain bikes but do fancy a roadie, however, coming from a MTB world can someone explain...

Where do road bike users keep their drinks? i use a camel bak, but i never see roadies with them, surley you must use more tham just one bottle?

Where do you keep the spare tube and tools? i know you can put a pump on the frame and use a saddle mount for a small bag, but again i never seem to see these, also, adding weight doesnt seem to be the thing to do.

Is there an alternative to lycra? i wear baggy 3/4 shorts normaly, this would probably look silly on a road bike.

Lastly, why do you like a road bike, for me getting out on a mtb gets me out in the fresh air and with nature, a roadie, hmmm diesel fumes and cars? I like the idea of a light and fast bike, just not sure of what i would do with one. Cycle clubs are quoting +40 miles and 16 - 20 mph average :eek: is that really possible? I couldn't keep up with that for 5 miles, so the club thing would be a no go i think.
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
Two bottle cages on most road bikes so nearly 2 litres if required. Keep your tools etc in your back pockets of your jersey. Saddle bags are an option but frowned upon by many. You can wear baggies if you want but soon will find yourself slipping into the dark world of lycra. :thumbsup:
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
Oh and why do I like it because it is fast, handles superbly and lets you climb, cruise and descend faster than most other bikes. Caveat that with bents on the flat. ^_^
 
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Peteaud

Peteaud

Veteran
Location
South Somerset
Oh and why do I like it because it is fast, handles superbly and lets you climb, cruise and descend faster than most other bikes. Caveat that with bents on the flat. ^_^

Where do you ride, i dont mean location or "the road" but what types of road, mostly b roads, country lanes etc??
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
Ok Pete..in some sort of order, :thumbsup:
I always have two bottle cages on my summer bike, one on the seat tube, one on the downtube, so they're opposite each other.
Spare tube n tools go in a mini saddlebag. Its surprising what you can squeeze into them. Extra weight ?..i don't think the average cyclist is that worried really, racers perhaps, but if you're going for anything more than 10 miles, you have to have the means to fix most things that often can happen.
Frame pump for me...tried the mini pumps and don't like them. I dont think theyre any lighter than a frame pump, take an age to inflate the tyre and dont inflate it as well. A frame pump tucked under the top tube..you can hardly see it.
What to wear other than lycra ?...Bikesters if i want something with long legs, they're tight, but looser than lycra. TBH, before i got proper cycling shorts, i'd just wear a pair of lightweight Puma type footy shorts.
Car fumes ?...commuting maybe, but a weekend ride takes most of us into the countryside. I can do a 40 miler, and for 20 of those, i'll probably only see 10 or 20 cars.

Club runs..i can (or could...been off the bike a while) do 40 or 50 miles at 16mph average riding solo, but you're working at it all the time, no relaxing. A club run will pull you along.
I suspect theres a theory if you can maintain say 12/13mph on a mtb, you'd probably easily do 15mph on a roadbike for the same effort (just throwing in some figures, but you get the idea)...they roll along so much more effectively.

Shame you don't know someone who could lend you one, do a twenty miler, you'd soon see the difference.
 
+1 for two bottle cages. I use a small seat pack with a couple of tubes, tools, and c02 pump in. Anything else goes in my jersey pockets.
The speed of a road bike will blow you away the first time you ride one. The distance you can cover and the time it's takes you to do so will quite simply amaze you compared to your MTB, (especially with your ever improving lung capacity :thumbsup:)
Average speeds are always higher for clubs as the more of you there are the higher average can be maintained, (simples). Like I said though, and even on your tod, the speed is much faster on a road bike. I'd wager a bet though that if you get one you slow right down to reach for your bottle for the first few miles, reason being it will feel very, very twitchy after your MTB. You quickly get used to this though :thumbsup:
 
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Peteaud

Peteaud

Veteran
Location
South Somerset
Ok Pete..in some sort of order, :thumbsup:
I always have two bottle cages on my summer bike, one on the seat tube, one on the downtube, so they're opposite each other.
Spare tube n tools go in a mini saddlebag. Its surprising what you can squeeze into them. Extra weight ?..i don't think the average cyclist is that worried really, racers perhaps, but if you're going for anything more than 10 miles, you have to have the means to fix most things that often can happen.
Frame pump for me...tried the mini pumps and don't like them. I dont think theyre any lighter than a frame pump, take an age to inflate the tyre and dont inflate it as well. A frame pump tucked under the top tube..you can hardly see it.
What to wear other than lycra ?...Bikesters if i want something with long legs, they're tight, but looser than lycra. TBH, before i got proper cycling shorts, i'd just wear a pair of lightweight Puma type footy shorts.
Car fumes ?...commuting maybe, but a weekend ride takes most of us into the countryside. I can do a 40 miler, and for 20 of those, i'll probably only see 10 or 20 cars.

Club runs..i can (or could...been off the bike a while) do 40 or 50 miles at 16mph average riding solo, but you're working at it all the time, no relaxing. A club run will pull you along.
I suspect theres a theory if you can maintain say 12/13mph on a mtb, you'd probably easily do 15mph on a roadbike for the same effort (just throwing in some figures, but you get the idea)...they roll along so much more effectively.

Shame you don't know someone who could lend you one, do a twenty miler, you'd soon see the difference.


Thanks for the info.
 

Alembicbassman

Confused.com
Touring bikes have 3 sets of bottle bosses, seat tube, top of downtube and underneath downtube.

Becuase road bikes stay mainly on the road there's plenty of shops and petrol stations to stop at and buy drinks if required. I consumed about 4 litres on a 100 miler last summer, would not have wanted to carry an extra 4kg from the start.
 
Where do you ride, i dont mean location or "the road" but what types of road, mostly b roads, country lanes etc??
I'll ride on any roads. I have no choice but to use A and B roads when riding from home. Then I can either continue on them and sometimes even take in city centres, or head into the Lancashire Moors on the country roads, it really just depends on my mood and often where I went last time.
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
Where do you ride, i dont mean location or "the road" but what types of road, mostly b roads, country lanes etc??
I am spoilt having lovely country lanes within a mile or two of my front door, both flat and very hilly options. I use A roads principally as a get out option if I am lagging and want a quick route home but in general lovely quiet country roads for me.
Oh I should add I don't mind a bit off the rough stuff on the MTB either.
 
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Peteaud

Peteaud

Veteran
Location
South Somerset
+1 for two bottle cages. I use a small seat pack with a couple of tubes, tools, and c02 pump in. Anything else goes in my jersey pockets.
The speed of a road bike will blow you away the first time you ride one. The distance you can cover and the time it's takes you to do so will quite simply amaze you compared to your MTB, (especially with your ever improving lung capacity :thumbsup:)
Average speeds are always higher for clubs as the more of you there are the higher average can be maintained, (simples). Like I said though, and even on your tod, the speed is much faster on a road bike. I'd wager a bet though that if you get one you slow right down to reach for your bottle for the first few miles, reason being it will feel very, very twitchy after your MTB. You quickly get used to this though :thumbsup:

i can do 12-18 miles on a Mtb (red runs) without a problem (well not to many and its improving :thumbsup:) and have been told this would equal 24 - 40 miles on a road bike. True??
 
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Peteaud

Peteaud

Veteran
Location
South Somerset
topeak-side-kick-survival-tool-wedge-saddle-pack.jpg


Is this sort of thing frowned upon?
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
The one thing to consider is that on a red run on your MTB your upper body takes far more of a beating. I go to Snowdonia once a year and do The Marin trail or Penmachno or similar. Cardio wise I find it easy my MTB friends are shocked how fit I am flying up the hills, but my upper body feels like I have been in a fight the next day. If you can do 18 miles off road you should be fine doing 30 to 40 on a road bike.
 
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