Jan 16, 2010
Is A Mountain Bike Really Any Good For Using On Roads?
I have a mountain bike that i use for getting around town, never offroad, am i making life harder for myself?
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When I moved to a mountain town I found the gearing on my road bike was just too tall, or maybe I am just too old to turn them these days. I got a mountain bike which let me go on all the cool trails around here and gave me lower gears around town, but the drag is waaaaay up. 20 mph is only for downhills now and I start getting uneasy above 30 mph on steep pavement. I miss my road bike, or being young, not sure which first.
Of course a road bike is more efficient for riding on the road. They are also more expensive and more delicate than mountain bikes. If you want to keep the bike you have, there are two things you can do to make life easier on yourself without spending much money:
1. Switch to 26×1.5 slick tires. Make sure you get tires with a max pressure at least 80 psi. You can often find these for $10 – $15 each if you hit the sales right.
2. If your mountain bike has suspension adjustments, make the suspension as firm as possible. You want the energy you put into the pedals to become forward motion, not spent on bouncing the suspension up and down.
HTH
Well, it’s doable. You could try using slicks to make it easier, and probably go single speed (if your town doesn’t have a lot’s of ups and downs.
A road bike will make you go faster, but depending on the use you want to do, it could be a better or worse choice. If you like to do some stunts (however small), probably just changing tires will make your mtb a good or better choice, if you want to go fast, a road will be a better option.
yes you are, i own a mountain bike, that borrow to my little brother for a trip, and so i go and buy, for the time i will not have it with me, an hybrid bike, part road and part mountain, and can tell you the hybrid take me anywhere in town faster and more comfortable, bigger wheels and different suspension and speeds setup make it lighter and faster with less tire resistance and more comfortable, i really recommend you to test drive one , like my trek 7100 or any similar, and feel the difference: are not as fast as a road bike, but its way more comfortable, good luck.
Yes you are making life harder for yourself. Changing your tires to street tires will make a world of difference. Of course if you enjoy it how it is then there is nothing wrong with it, but if you want an easier time riding then change tires.
you definetly get a road bike, or even just change the tyres on your existing bike
you could go with semi-slick tyres, but considering you don’t take it off road at all get a road bike
maybe even go a fixy, they’re cool