Thinking of converting to MTBing

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Xiorell

Über Member
Location
Merthyr, Wales
At a bit of a crossroads here.
I've been neglecting the road bike, a lot, this year so far. The more I think about going and riding around the roads the more I feel I can't be doing with it.
Don't think I feel it's a very safe affair in terms of cars/traffic
I used to just get on with riding about and so on but since I started driving myself I've gradually felt more and more that maybe road biking isn't the best idea I've ever had.
Some of the shoot I see other drivers getting up to just blows my mind at times, and then all the little minor errors you see people commit, would only take a few small changes to make them small things a big thing.

So yeah I'm thinking about selling off my lovely little shiney white road bike and just taking a MTB out over fields/trails.

Anyone else changed/considered changing their given riding tastes lately?
 

Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
No. Not going back to use buses :smile:
 

gavroche

Getting old but not past it
Location
North Wales
Not at all. There is danger in every aspect of life and you can't live in a bubble. But if you think cycling is not for you anymore, it is your choice alone and deserves to be respected.
 
OP
OP
X

Xiorell

Über Member
Location
Merthyr, Wales
Not at all. There is danger in every aspect of life and you can't live in a bubble. But if you think cycling is not for you anymore, it is your choice alone and deserves to be respected.


That's not what I was getting at. Just that I've been thinking changing the type of riding I do might be worth consideration
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Mountain biking is great, but t doesn't have to be instead of road riding. I like to do both. Even when I ride my MTB, there is usually at least some road riding between bridleways.

I don't like cycling on busy roads either so I do my best to avoid them. The thing is, that is relatively easy round here as long as I am prepared to get up out of the valleys and ride over the hills.

I just found one of your posts from a year ago where you said that your were moving to somewhere surrounded by lots of quiet rural roads to explore on your bike. What happened to put a stop to that?
 
OP
OP
X

Xiorell

Über Member
Location
Merthyr, Wales
Mountain biking is great, but t doesn't have to be instead of road riding. I like to do both. Even when I ride my MTB, there is usually at least some road riding between bridleways.

I don't like cycling on busy roads either so I do my best to avoid them. The thing is, that is relatively easy round here as long as I am prepared to get up out of the valleys and ride over the hills.

I just found one of your posts from a year ago where you said that your were moving to somewhere surrounded by lots of quiet rural roads to explore on your bike. What happened to put a stop to that?



Ah I did move but of course you won't dodge main roads all the time. If I wanna go town to town its all 70mph traffic on A roads.

I dunno maybe I'm just being a bit pessimistic lately. Maybe I just need to buy a more expensive road bike that's way beyond my needs lol
This has all come about since I started driving don't know what exactly did it
 

Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
This has all come about since I started driving don't know what exactly did it
You are seeing yourself as a cyclist from a different angle, the drivers angle, you realize that the same car you are driving could hurt you if you were on a bike.
It's a good thing for you as a driver, a bit scary when cycling, because then you have no control over other drivers.
I don't have a car atm, sometimes, when I walk on the pavement along the roads I usually cycle, I think to my self "you are crazy cycling there!" :laugh:
No much you can do about this feeling apart from putting it all in the back of your head while on the bike.
 

Salad Dodger

Legendary Member
Location
Kent Coast
I ride my e-bike mainly on roads, or my MTB mainly off-road. And I have to say that I prefer the car free nature of farm tracks (though you have to be wary of walkers and dogs).
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Ah I did move but of course you won't dodge main roads all the time. If I wanna go town to town its all 70mph traffic on A roads.
I certainly wouldn't fancy riding on those roads! :eek:
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
Road riding depends so much on having the right kind of roads around you. I'm sure that if I lived in a city I would still be driving out and doing mountain biking but living on the edge of glorious open country and moorland means I can set straight out from my front door and see very few cars.
 

Teuchter

Über Member
I've always enjoyed riding in traffic, particularly town centre traffic. It's a buzz getting across town more quickly than a car could do it (and that doesn't mean jumping reds, just some well planned filtering and overtaking). I can see why people don't like it though, especially on busy out of town roads with high speed traffic.

Recently got a cheapish second hand mtb for some relatively easy (so far) mountain biking, often with the kids. I'm getting quite into it but view it as a very different discipline to on-road riding.
 

Roadhump

Time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted
Some rural roads can be just as dangerous as fast urban ones or out of town trunk roads. There are a couple of roads I sometimes use that are narrow, straight and national speed limit and a lot of cars use them as alternative routes in and out of town and tend to travel about 60+mph. Most drivers give you plenty of room, and I'm not aware of any accidents but its not particularly pleasant using them. They lead to more 'sedate' country lanes however, in a much shorter distance than using other routes that may feel safer. I find using higher risk roads is inevitable but try to shorten the time / distance spent on them.
 
That's not what I was getting at. Just that I've been thinking changing the type of riding I do might be worth consideration

MTBing is bloody good fun and the scenery is way better (assuming you mean you want to literally ride up and down mountains). I do both road and off road riding. Its just that when you do have to ride on the road, doing it with a MTB is crap. Definitely worth getting into even if you dont intend giving up road cycling. However a MTB will require more maintenance, not less.
 
OP
OP
X

Xiorell

Über Member
Location
Merthyr, Wales
OK I think I can cancel the idea of giving up road biking in favour of off roading - Just took myself on a 40mile run on what's actually one of the nicest days I've had for cycling so far this year, I can't give it up I love it to much.
Think perhaps over the winter I spent to much time driving looking at total muppets in cars I need to just not worry about it, I never used to, even after I got blind-sided and had my old bike written off - So I dunno what's gotten into me lately.


MTBing is bloody good fun and the scenery is way better (assuming you mean you want to literally ride up and down mountains). I do both road and off road riding. Its just that when you do have to ride on the road, doing it with a MTB is crap. Definitely worth getting into even if you dont intend giving up road cycling. However a MTB will require more maintenance, not less.

I do indeed mean literally up and down mountains, we are 90% certainly moving to Wales pretty soon and the places we're looking at are slap-bang in the valleys, and right near the Brecon Beacons, so, it'll be that kinda terrain and a mix of just little tracks here and there.
I'd like to be able to consider a few grand on a full suspension jobby, but even if I had the money it'd be a bit over kill for me, not planning to set the world on fire just mess about at my own leisure. Might stretch to a grand on a nice hard tail, those Canyon bikes look sexy.
Having said that I had a quick nose in my LBS yesterday and it looks like I'd get something that ticks all my boxes around 600 quid give or take - Hydraulic disc, reasonable lockout forks, entry but alright groupsets etc
 
Top Bottom