# Any roadies thinking about trying MTB, or vice versa?



## Greg (May 6, 2009)

Strictly MTB here and no plans to try the road. There's an "adventure" aspect to MTB that I just really like, plus I just like being in the woods. I guess road riding is nice in that there are endless options and you can do it right from your house, but I don't think it will "do it for me". As weird as it sounds, I think MTB might be safer, at least around here. :lol:


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## bvibert (May 6, 2009)

I do eventually want to get into road biking.  I like to ride fast, and the exercise would be good too.  I doubt I'll have the funds to get into it any time too soon though...


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## Marc (May 6, 2009)

Yes.  Both.


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## Marc (May 6, 2009)

As one who road a hardtail mtb with slicks on the road quite a bit... I'd still urge MTB'ers not to blindly dismiss road riding without trying it.

Road riding was more to get places before my road bike.

Then I started riding on my road bike, and let me say, there isn't much that can compare to the speed and acceleration possible on the road bike geometry, and the fact you run 120 psi super skinny slicks and the bike itself only weighs about 15 lbs.  I out accelerate cars on a regular basis right through an intersection.

Also, once you get into longer range road riding, being 50 miles from home on nothing but your leg powered machine, especially in an area with which you're not terribly familiar, it feels pretty adventure-like.  Speaking from both sides of the bike spectrum.

As far as safety goes... I'd agree that in a group, mtb'ing is generally safer.  But I go out on the road alone all the time, and hesitate to go out in the woods alone, simply because if I did hurt myself... who knows how long it'd be before someone found me out in the woods.


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## Greg (May 6, 2009)

Marc said:


> As one who road a hardtail mtb with slicks on the road quite a bit... I'd still urge MTB'ers not to blindly dismiss road riding without trying it.
> 
> Road riding was more to get places before my road bike.
> 
> ...



All very interesting points and a neat perspective. I have to imagine that a well-set up road bike must fly. Would like to try one someday, but for now I'm just having fun in the woods.


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## severine (May 6, 2009)

If I can get myself back on track with the tri-training, I WILL be doing some road biking. I've been pretty derailed from the plan though and I'm not sure I really have enough time to train now.


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## Marc (May 6, 2009)

Greg said:


> All very interesting points and a neat perspective. I have to imagine that a well-set up road bike must fly. Would like to try one someday, but for now I'm just having fun in the woods.



I've had mine up to just shy of 60 mph.


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## Gremf (May 6, 2009)

I wouldn't consider myself a roadie, but I do ride on the roads as bike commuter.  Only, I will only ride this way on a single speed or fixed gear.  I have seen 30+ mph down a hill and the through of hitting a bump and doing the Evil Kinevil down the road at that speed doesn't seem all that appealing.

Buddy of mine and tried and true roadie got T-Boned by deer in Southbury at 40+ mph and was in the hospital for a couple of weeks.


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## bvibert (May 6, 2009)

Marc said:


> I've had mine up to just shy of 60 mph.



That sounds a little too fast for me.



			
				Gremf said:
			
		

> I wouldn't consider myself a roadie, but I do ride on the roads as bike commuter.



I'd like to be able to commute to work via bike, but there's no way that I'm in good enough shape to do it now.  I work about 17 miles away, but there's some REALLY big hills in both directions that are the real determent.  That, and the roads are pretty busy and not especially wide in spots where people are doing 60+.


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## mlctvt (May 6, 2009)

Yes both for both my wife and I, although both of us prefer road riding.

I’ve been primarily a roady from the time I bought my first road bike as a 13 year old in 1975. I rode through college and got my wife into biking when we met in the mid 80s. In the early 90s we bought mountain bikes to stay in shape in winter when we couldn’t cross country ski.  Since the early 90s we've ridden our road bikes between 3000 and 5000 miles per year but the most we’ve ever done on the MTBs was probably 500-600 miles per year.  I started getting into technical single track but my wife hated it because of the chance for injuries.  She still likes double track on a dirt road or single track non-technical trails through the woods.  We did take some incredible camping trips and brought the MTBs along. Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Moab Utah, Arches National park, Capital Reef National park.  Incredible mountain biking out west!  

Lately the mountain bikes are left hanging in the basement while the miles pile up on the road bikes. This is fine with me.  
We are lucky to live in an area where we can ride right from home.  Many bike clubs from around the state meet in our area for weekend road rides.


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## Gremf (May 6, 2009)

bvibert said:


> I'd like to be able to commute to work via bike, but there's no way that I'm in good enough shape to do it now.  I work about 17 miles away, but there's some REALLY big hills in both directions that are the real determent.  That, and the roads are pretty busy and not especially wide in spots where people are doing 60+.



That's why I stick to all back roads.  Sometimes I will take a numbered route if I want more distance but I am always a little uneasy, especially by the knuckleheads who have no clue about the 3 foot rule.


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## mondeo (May 6, 2009)

I'll probably pick up a MTB next year, just isn't in the cards this year.

I do love the road bike though. Just so nimble, and I can cruise fairly easily at 20 mph on the flats. Hit 45 downhill. Plus on the long weekend rides I can get a good ways out into the rural parts of CT, nice break from central CT. And I don't have to drive to do it.

When I do buy a house, there's a decent chance it'll be close enough to the West Hartford reservoir to ride there and back. Looking forward to it.

As someone who would probably enjoy MTB more than roads, I'd suggest the MTBrs check out a road bike, even just a test ride. You might be surprised how much you enjoy it.


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## bvibert (May 6, 2009)

Gremf said:


> That's why I stick to all back roads.  Sometimes I will take a numbered route if I want more distance but I am always a little uneasy, especially by the knuckleheads who have no clue about the 3 foot rule.



I've figured out a route that would enable me to make part of my ride on back roads, some of them dirt, but there's sections that would have to be on numbered routes.  The back roads route adds considerable distance to the ride as well.


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## RootDKJ (May 6, 2009)

I have no real interest in road biking.  Jersey drivers don't respect cyclests at all.  Last year, I was riding around town after work one day.  I'm wearing a DOT safety vest, 2 1W LED headlamps, 1 1.5W LED strobe up front and a 1W LED flashing rear red light.

Some douche bag pulls a California Stop and nearly takes me out.  I had my foot on his bumper.  How I didn't crash is beyond me.  That spooked me pretty good on riding around dusk.

I my office is about 4 miles from my house.  One of my goals this summer is to ride into work, but the ride home is all up hill.  That's gonna suck.


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## mondeo (May 6, 2009)

bvibert said:


> I've figured out a route that would enable me to make part of my ride on back roads, some of them dirt, but there's sections that would have to be on numbered routes. The back roads route adds considerable distance to the ride as well.


Dirt/gravel/stone/etc. and road bikes don't mix. I'd rather ride with traffic than on dirt.


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## mondeo (May 6, 2009)

One more thing for MTBers to think about: I'm betting that MTBing in 90 degree weather is crazy hot. Upper 80s and 90s, a road bike is cooler than even just sitting in the shade. Comfortable, even. Likewise, MTB is probably more comfortable in cooler weather.


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## Greg (May 6, 2009)

mondeo said:


> One more thing for MTBers to think about: I'm betting that MTBing in 90 degree weather is crazy hot.



It is, but as long as you're extremely well-hydrated and don't mind sweating, it's tolerable. I rode on a evening in the high 80's last year in Sessions Woods in Burlington which is notoriously humid and it was sorta was like riding in a rain forest. You skin feels hot and you're basically saturated with sweat, but it's kinda fun and better than sitting around, I guess. The beers taste great after too.


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## mattchuck2 (May 6, 2009)

I just bought a road bike.  I like the idea of just being able to walk outside and get going.  It's hard to imagine buying a mountain bike, loading it up on my car, driving to someplace, riding around, putting it back on my car, driving home, and taking it back off my car to put in the garage.  If I was gong to do that, then I might as well get a kayak and drive to a river instead of a mountain - now THAT sounds like fun.


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## Warp Daddy (May 6, 2009)

mondeo said:


> Dirt/gravel/stone/etc. and road bikes don't mix. I'd rather ride with traffic than on dirt.



True  when i ride its with traffic,   but i'm very fortunate there are several bike friendly side roads along the St Lawrence River  and about a mile inland there are quite a few good roads that are mostly untraveled 'cept for people who live on them .  But  OUT THERE the biggest hassle is GUARD DOGS !


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## mondeo (May 6, 2009)

Warp Daddy said:


> True when i ride its with traffic, but i'm very fortunate there are several bike friendly side roads along the St Lawrence River and about a mile inland there are quite a few good roads that are mostly untraveled 'cept for people who live on them . But OUT THERE the biggest hassle is GUARD DOGS !


Rt 11 qualifies as a bike friendly side road compared to some of the roads I ride on.


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## bvibert (May 6, 2009)

mondeo said:


> Dirt/gravel/stone/etc. and road bikes don't mix. I'd rather ride with traffic than on dirt.



I was planning on building some sort of hybrid/commuter type bike if I were to ever try commuting, not a dedicated road bike.


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## riverc0il (May 6, 2009)

mattchuck2 said:


> I just bought a road bike.  I like the idea of just being able to walk outside and get going.  It's hard to imagine buying a mountain bike, loading it up on my car, driving to someplace, riding around, putting it back on my car, driving home, and taking it back off my car to put in the garage.  If I was gong to do that, then I might as well get a kayak and drive to a river instead of a mountain - now THAT sounds like fun.


That is one of the first things I thought of as a con to MTB. 

Greg, you may have been joking about MTB being safer, but having been a road biker in well traveled suburbia and through some cities, it is no joke. There is a fine art of looking a head to the parked cars on the side of the road to ensure no one is going to slam open a driver side door into your path while also trying to maintain a narrow lane of passage with moving cars on your left. 

I have tons of fond memories of burning past cars in 35 MPH zones and cruising on a wide break down lane down a wide and flat stretch of road is pretty neat. I am really starting to lean on going back to road instead of trying MTB the more I think about it. As Marc mentioned, so cool being so many miles from home and self sufficient. 

Suffice to say, it would seem to me that the ideal situation would be a bike quiver :lol:


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## Warp Daddy (May 6, 2009)

mondeo said:


> Rt 11 qualifies as a bike friendly side road compared to some of the roads I ride on.



LMAO RT 11 is very busy by North Country Standards !! But you Golden Knights are tuff !!!

I've ridden in Boston regions and in  NW greater Boston in the orchard regions   and in NYC too with my kids  Pretty intense at times 


UP here   I wouldn't ride 11 or 37  ----  12 along the River Maybe but otherwise all county or town roads


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## bvibert (May 6, 2009)

mattchuck2 said:


> It's hard to imagine buying a mountain bike, loading it up on my car, driving to someplace, riding around, putting it back on my car, driving home, and taking it back off my car to put in the garage.



Isn't that pretty much what you do to go skiing?  MTB is definitely worth the very small amount hassle for me.


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## Greg (May 6, 2009)

mattchuck2 said:


> I just bought a road bike.  I like the idea of just being able to walk outside and get going.  It's hard to imagine buying a mountain bike, loading it up on my car, driving to someplace, riding around, putting it back on my car, driving home, and taking it back off my car to put in the garage.  If I was gong to do that, then I might as well get a kayak and drive to a river instead of a mountain - now THAT sounds like fun.



Throw the rack on the car: 90 seconds
Load the bike: 30 seconds
Gather and throw the rest of the gear in the front seat: 60 seconds

Under 5 minutes and I'm off. No big deal at all. Would I like to have an out the door option? Hell yeah, but hopping in the car is no biggie. If I'm heading out early in the morning, I'll have the car loaded the night before, despite it being easy and quick to do anyway.


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## marcski (May 6, 2009)

I ride both.  For years only a mountain biker.  I think this is my 3rd season now on my road bike. I love both. I think road biking is very helpful in enhancing one's mountain biking.  Helps keep you pedaling through some difficult terrain, while mtn biking is much more anaerobic, with upper body involvement....which I find is more akin to interval training which helps on the road with accelerations...especially uphill. 

I agree with a lot of what people have written so far:  I love being in the woods....no vehicles, people, or buildings.  But, then again when I'm on the road, I tend to ride on pretty rural and quiet suburban roads so I don't encounter much traffic.  I'm also usually on the road in the early morning hours.  I am lucky enough to be able to mountain bike and road bike right from my garage.  Right at the end of my block, I have about a 1/2 mile or so up a good sized hill and I'm in the local woods where we have some sweet single track.  I also can ride my road bike 10-15 mins and ride past rolling fields with cows and other herds grazing.   The speed and acceleration on a road bike is awesome.  I feel I'm a bit of a woos .... as my greatest speed on a bike was 45 and....I started to brake right after I hit that coming down a good long hill out in Harriman State park.  My buddies were up over 50 on the same hill.  As Marc said, a nice modern road bike is so nimble and light..after riding my road bike for a few days in a row, I get on my mountain bike and it feels as though I'm sitting on a Harley and I need to kick start her.  

Conclusion:  They're both awesome in their own right...and they each give you a different rush and different conditioning.  They're also each dangerous in their own right.


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## hrstrat57 (May 6, 2009)

Marc said:


> As one who road a hardtail mtb with slicks on the road quite a bit... I'd still urge MTB'ers not to blindly dismiss road riding without trying it.
> 
> Road riding was more to get places before my road bike.
> 
> ...



Great post


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## boston_e (May 7, 2009)

Greg said:


> Throw the rack on the car: 90 seconds
> Load the bike: 30 seconds
> Gather and throw the rest of the gear in the front seat: 60 seconds
> 
> Under 5 minutes and I'm off. No big deal at all. Would I like to have an out the door option? Hell yeah, but hopping in the car is no biggie. If I'm heading out early in the morning, I'll have the car loaded the night before, despite it being easy and quick to do anyway.



Plus the time to drive to wherever you are going to Mt Bike, plus unloading when you reach your destination (and to be fair I think you are underestimating the loading time).

I do both... and love both pretty much equally.  For me I can ride to a state park to go mt biking (about 2 miles on the road to the state park)... but it is not great mt biking (mostly fire road and carriage path etc)... to get to good mt biking, i'm 20 min in the car each way.  So if I only have an hour or 90 minutes, I can jump on the road bike and get a good fun workout in right from the house.

The road riding is great since i can be on fairly rural roads right from the house... and also, I would say that since I picked up road riding, my fitness level has improved and has made me a better mt biker.  (A lot of people say road biking fitness helps your mt biking).

I'd suggest trying it for sure, almost everyone I know that does both loves both.


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## Greg (May 7, 2009)

boston_e said:


> Plus the time to drive to wherever you are going to Mt Bike, plus unloading when you reach your destination (and to be fair I think you are underestimating the loading time).



I've got decent options well within 30 minutes drive time. I commute an hour to work everyday so a 20-30 minute drive is nothing to me. And I thought I was being generous with the loading time, but I'll time it for you next time... :razz:

With that said, I'm still looking for an option I can ride right out the door. Might have found something, but I doubt it will be more than a once a month thing since I don't think the trail network is that expansive or even ridden by MTBers normally


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## boston_e (May 7, 2009)

Greg said:


> I've got decent options well within 30 minutes drive time. I commute an hour to work everyday so a 20-30 minute drive is nothing to me. And I thought I was being generous with the loading time, but I'll time it for you next time... :razz:
> 
> With that said, I'm still looking for an option I can ride right out the door. Might have found something, but I doubt it will be more than a once a month thing since I don't think the trail network is that expansive or even ridden by MTBers normally



That is my problem too... I dont have any compelling Mountain Biking that is a ride right from my house... so the road bike is a good option for that....  and even if you have a 20 minute drive time... that still adds 45 min to an hour by the time you load up, drive, unload, then load back up and unload again.... if you dont really have a ride from the house option, that means you are not getting on the bike if you only have an hour after work or something to squeeze in a workout.... in that same time on the road bike I can jump on and spin for 45 mintues (15 miles or so) and get a half decent workout in.

Believe me, I'm not knocking mountian biking... if I were forced to choose one or the other, I'd pick my Mt Bike... but also, once I got a road bike I started wondering why I didn't try it sooner.


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## RootDKJ (May 7, 2009)

Greg said:


> Throw the rack on the car: 90 seconds
> Load the bike: 30 seconds
> Gather and throw the rest of the gear in the front seat: 60 seconds
> 
> Under 5 minutes and I'm off. No big deal at all. Would I like to have an out the door option? Hell yeah, but hopping in the car is no biggie. If I'm heading out early in the morning, I'll have the car loaded the night before, despite it being easy and quick to do anyway.



I've been leaving my bike in the back of my Escape for the past few weeks.

While I'd rather have the back full of smelly ski gear, it will have to do for now.


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## Greg (May 7, 2009)

boston_e said:


> That is my problem too... I dont have any compelling Mountain Biking that is a ride right from my house... so the road bike is a good option for that....  and even if you have a 20 minute drive time... that still adds 45 min to an hour by the time you load up, drive, unload, then load back up and unload again.... if you dont really have a ride from the house option, that means you are not getting on the bike if you only have an hour after work or something to squeeze in a workout.... in that same time on the road bike I can jump on and spin for 45 mintues (15 miles or so) and get a half decent workout in.
> 
> Believe me, I'm not knocking mountian biking... if I were forced to choose one or the other, I'd pick my Mt Bike... but also, once I got a road bike I started wondering why I didn't try it sooner.



Well, I guess I'll just say that MTB is fun enough for me that the slight inconvenience of driving to ride is worth it. I do see road riding as having a huge advantage in terms of hopping on the bike and just going. Anyone that has good singletrack right out there door is extremely lucky. Again, there's a rec area within riding distance from my house. There's a powerline nearby that links right to it that based on satellite imagery has a trail down it (mostly likely ATV), but at least I'll be on the dirt. Might scope it out today on foot if it dries up enough.


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## gorgonzola (May 7, 2009)

never considered road riding until this

http://www.lizhatch.com/Smoke_Show.html#9


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## Marc (May 7, 2009)

gorgonzola said:


> never considered road riding until this
> 
> http://www.lizhatch.com/Smoke_Show.html#9



.... I'll be in my bunk ...


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## mattchuck2 (May 7, 2009)

bvibert said:


> Isn't that pretty much what you do to go skiing?  MTB is definitely worth the very small amount hassle for me.



Nah.  I leave my skis at the mountain, so it's mostly just packing a bag and tossing it in the backseat.  It's a hassle to drive anyway, though.  Summer is the time when I don't spend much money on gas, and I'd like to try to keep it that way.

I'm not completely ruling out getting a Mountain Bike.  I'm just saying for me, right now, it's nice to walk out of my garage and get on my bike and go.

And Liz Hatch is sexy as hell.


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## Marc (May 9, 2009)

I thought of another analogy for road biking on the road vs mountain biking on the road, especially with knobbies.

H1 Hummer driving off the road.... lots of fun
H1 Hummer driving on the road..... not fun.
Ferrari F430 driving on the road..... lots of fun.

:dunce:


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## mondeo (May 9, 2009)

mattchuck2 said:


> Summer is the time when I don't spend much money on gas, and I'd like to try to keep it that way.


+1

Although 30 minutes in the car vs 3 hours is a big difference.


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (May 9, 2009)

gorgonzola said:


> never considered road riding until this
> 
> http://www.lizhatch.com/Smoke_Show.html#9



giggity giggity goo..


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## Rambo (May 9, 2009)

Road biking can be quite extreme:


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## mattchuck2 (Jul 6, 2009)

My wife, who recently bought a road bike so she could ride with me (a far superior road bike to mine, by the way), now thinks that we should take up mountain biking too.

So it looks like I'll be buying a mountain bike sometime before next spring.

:-o


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## bvibert (Jul 6, 2009)

mattchuck2 said:


> My wife, who recently bought a road bike so she could ride with me (a far superior road bike to mine, by the way), now thinks that we should take up mountain biking too.
> 
> So it looks like I'll be buying a mountain bike sometime before next spring.
> 
> :-\



You'll enjoy it!


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## mattchuck2 (Jul 6, 2009)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it'll be fun.  I'm already researching some places to go around here.  Looks like the best area is around Skidmore College (20 minutes away).


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## bvibert (Jul 6, 2009)

My local haunt is about 20 minutes away, not bad at all if you ask me.  It's just a tad closer than local skiing in the winter.


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## Greg (Jul 6, 2009)

mattchuck2 said:


> So it looks like I'll be buying a mountain bike sometime before next spring.
> 
> :-o



Ahem:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/58542-fs-2008-trek-fuel-ex7-18-5-a.html

:idea:


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## mattchuck2 (Jul 6, 2009)

Wow . . 

Good deal, but I'm the same height as you are, so it might be a wee bit small for me too


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## mattchuck2 (Oct 31, 2010)

Bump.

Bought a FS mountain bike this spring, and I never had so much fun on two wheels.  It's much more similar to skiing in terms of Line Selection, Anticipatory Balance, and attitude (not that Roadie attitude is pompous, but it's hard to be laid back when wearing spandex).  Even though my wife are still learning (and have bruises all over our bodies to prove it), we're so psyched on the sport that we bought headlights to extend the season.

I've been trying to be more humble lately, so I wanted to say that Greg was right and I was wrong


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## bvibert (Oct 31, 2010)

mattchuck2 said:


> Bump.
> 
> Bought a FS mountain bike this spring, and I never had so much fun on two wheels.  It's much more similar to skiing in terms of Line Selection, Anticipatory Balance, and attitude (not that Roadie attitude is pompous, but it's hard to be laid back when wearing spandex).  Even though my wife are still learning (and have bruises all over our bodies to prove it), we're so psyched on the sport that we bought headlights to extend the season.
> 
> I've been trying to be more humble lately, so I wanted to say that Greg was right and I was wrong



Glad you finally saw the light! :beer:


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## mondeo (Nov 1, 2010)

I do both now, but still primarily a roadie. MTB just doesn't do the same for me as skiing does, though DH comes close. And it's still a lot easier to just hop on the road bike for an hour.

Now to find $3K before next summer to buy a bike with 7-8" suspension...


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## BackLoafRiver (Nov 1, 2010)

I think I would like to try road biking out.  It would be great to commute to work but for some reason I can't shake the fear of getting hit by a car. 

My principal is an AVID cyclist and we talk about biking all the time. He is trying to get me on some skinny wheels


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## bvibert (Nov 1, 2010)

If I had money to dump into a road setup I'd give it a shot.  I can hardly keep a MTB operational though, and I have no intention of dropping MTB for riding the road exclusively.


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## riverc0il (Nov 1, 2010)

bvibert said:


> If I had money to dump into a road setup I'd give it a shot.  I can hardly keep a MTB operational though, and I have no intention of dropping MTB for riding the road exclusively.


Given what I have read in the carnage thread, you might ride road biking cheaper! :lol: With exception of upgrades that were not "needed", I think I blew out two flats last year and one of which was my error. Otherwise, I sunk no extra money into the bike aside from cleaning the chain and two tune ups.


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## mondeo (Nov 1, 2010)

riverc0il said:


> Given what I have read in the carnage thread, you might ride road biking cheaper! :lol: With exception of upgrades that were not "needed", I think I blew out two flats last year and one of which was my error. Otherwise, I sunk no extra money into the bike aside from cleaning the chain and two tune ups.


+1

Other than the initial investment, I've spent very little money on the road bike. Same can not be said for the MTB. Hitting trees is expensive.


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## bvibert (Nov 1, 2010)

riverc0il said:


> Given what I have read in the carnage thread, you might ride road biking cheaper! :lol: With exception of upgrades that were not "needed", I think I blew out two flats last year and one of which was my error. Otherwise, I sunk no extra money into the bike aside from cleaning the chain and two tune ups.



I have no doubt about that.  However, I don't want to give up MTB, so I'll just keep dumping money into keeping something resembling a mountain bike rolling instead of just buying a road bike and being done with it.


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## mlctvt (Nov 1, 2010)

riverc0il said:


> Given what I have read in the carnage thread, you might ride road biking cheaper! :lol: With exception of upgrades that were not "needed", I think I blew out two flats last year and one of which was my error. Otherwise, I sunk no extra money into the bike aside from cleaning the chain and two tune ups.



Yup road biking is very cheap once you have the bike. Over 4000 miles this year. Installed a new chain and a new set of tires before the season started. No flats and no repairs except for one broken spoke, my first broken spoke ever. Although the tires and chain will need replacment for next year.


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## gorgonzola (Nov 2, 2010)

i won't ever do pure road but may get a cross bike at some  point for our awesome rail trail / canal path network and make the longer beach rides more comfy. 30-40 miles seems to be about my tolerance on the hard tail mtb


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## drjeff (Nov 2, 2010)

Really thinking about getting a road bike.  It would be nice for me to go for a ride with my wife, without her much lighter, way lower friction road bike kicking my mountain bike's butt on the pavement!  Plus, it would be nice for me to be able to pedal some smooth miles from time to time, especially if I'm healing up from a recent MTB crash   And lastly, when I go for a MTB ride, it's anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes of drive time from either my house/office to get to my usual trails whereas I could start a ride right from my house or office and get some extra seat time in the evenings that way


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## mattchuck2 (Nov 4, 2010)

I still ride my road bike a couple of times a week (mostly just shortish 15-30 mile rides).  I just don't look forward to my road bike rides as much as I look forward to mountain bike rides.


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## smitty77 (Nov 10, 2010)

drjeff said:


> ... whereas I could start a ride right from my house or office and get some extra seat time in the evenings that way


Having been paving roads all over your corner of the state for the past ten years, you have some PRIME backroads riding right out your back door.  I'm a "hills" kinda guy and cranking up and down some of that terrain in Eastford/Ashford/Pomfret etc. just calls to me.  And traffic is pretty light as long as you're not trying to ride Rt 6 or Rt 44.

DO IT DO IT DO IT!!!!  :evil:  I've done both MTB and road, and there is NOTHING more exhilarating than flying down a paved mountain road at 50+ MPH.  My personal best is 54 riding down Crawford Notch and 52 heading east on Rt. 2 in Florida, MA on the way down from the summit.

Although I should temper that statement to add:  The only MTB I've done is on a rigid frame back in the 90s.  Not even a front shock!  :-o  Talk about beating yourself up!  My dad recently bought a FS Specialized when he retired and said there's no comparison.


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## SKIQUATTRO (Nov 10, 2010)

both here, but been doing more road riding (actually, havent even taken the mtb out since last fall...and no real desire)  i can ride at lunch right from my office, leave right from my house...no need to pack all my mtb gear, put the bike on top and drive somewhere....40min of my mtb rides are travel time r/t...i can spend that 40min riding road...


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## mondeo (Nov 10, 2010)

smitty77 said:


> DO IT DO IT DO IT!!!! :evil: I've done both MTB and road, and there is NOTHING more exhilarating than flying down a paved mountain road at 50+ MPH. My personal best is 54 riding down Crawford Notch and 52 heading east on Rt. 2 in Florida, MA on the way down from the summit.


I've hit 56, somewhere just a bit east of Springfield. That's fun. But the proximety of trees gives downhills on MTB a much stronger sensation of speed, plus downhill turns are quite fun and it's rare to get a really good set of downhill twisties on a bike. They exist, but not nearly as often as downhill twisties on trails. Plus having your bike bounce around underneath you as you ride over rocks and roots adds a bit of a nice twist, too.

But DH MTB beats XC and road riding easily. 15 foot jumps with your feet floating off the pedals a little bit gets really interesting.


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## LaneMeyer (Nov 24, 2010)

After mtb'ing for a few years, I noticed some of the faster guys rode road bikes also (some of them).  I found a road bike at a garage sale for $50.  I think it was a Centurion??  It was a lugged steel frame with Sugino parts and a Sakae rear deraileur??  The woman had no idea what she was selling, but she said it was her sons and he hadn't ridden it in years so she was getting rid of it.  A couple of new tires and that bike served me very well.
     This was all before I got married and had kids and actually had nothing better to do with my time besides ride.
     My road rides now are usually once a week after work up a 1000 foot hill that I ride up and over and then turn around and do the climb the other way. 
     I've had the same road bike since 98.


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