MTB vs Road Bike for Commuting

[andrew311]

First post in this forum so apologise if this has come up before.....

I’ve been into MTB riding on local trails etc now for a couple of years and recently decided to attempt commuting into work which is a 28 miles round trip this is taking around 50 mins each way (I'm not that fit at the moment). My bike is a Cube Ltd Pro which I’ve fitted with some road tyres, you can lock out the front suspension whcih is handy for riding on the road. I can take a variety of rural routes that will get me to work the most direct route is A roads with smooth tarmac/decent surface throughout. There are allot of fairly steep hills too, but if I want I can take the scenic on my MTB on surfaces a raod bike couldn't. I’m really enjoying riding into work so I’ve started thinking if I should buy a dedicated road bike to make life a bit easier/quicker.

I’ve never ridden a road bike before so can’t compare the two in terms of comfort, ease of use, speed etc. I’m 6’4” and 18stone so find the MTB pretty comfortable. In reality how quicker/easier would a road bike be? Or am I best sticking with what I’ve got?

[Mr Gear]

andrew311 said:

First post in this forum so apologise if this has come up before.....

I’ve been into MTB riding on local trails etc now for a couple of years and recently decided to attempt commuting into work which is a 28 miles round trip this is taking around 50 mins each way (I'm not that fit at the moment). My bike is a Cube Ltd Pro which I’ve fitted with some road tyres, you can lock out the front suspension whcih is handy for riding on the road. I can take a variety of rural routes that will get me to work the most direct route is A roads with smooth tarmac/decent surface throughout. There are allot of fairly steep hills too, but if I want I can take the scenic on my MTB on surfaces a raod bike couldn't. I’m really enjoying riding into work so I’ve started thinking if I should buy a dedicated road bike to make life a bit easier/quicker.

I’ve never ridden a road bike before so can’t compare the two in terms of comfort, ease of use, speed etc. I’m 6’4” and 18stone so find the MTB pretty comfortable. In reality how quicker/easier would a road bike be? Or am I best sticking with what I’ve got?

I'd stick with the set-up you've got. For commuting, having flat bars and a more comfy ride will be more valuable than the 5 minutes you'll save by having a dedicated road bike.

The main thing that holds back mountain bikes on roads are the tyres, and you've sorted that already.

[r-kid]

Mr Gear said:

For commuting, having flat bars and a more comfy ride will be more valuable than the 5 minutes you'll save by having a dedicated road bike.

I'd say the opposite, I find my road bike a lot comfier than my mountain bike on the commute.

OP,
My commute sounds similar to yours (24 mile round trip & hilly), the road bike shaves at least 15 minutes off each way.

[neil_bolton]

r-kid said:

I'd say the opposite, I find my road bike a lot comfier than my mountain bike on the commute.

OP,
My commute sounds similar to yours (24 mile round trip & hilly), the road bike shaves at least 15 minutes off each way.

Agreed. I now use my road bike if I need to get anywhere quickly and comfily on the road.

However if I wish to ride trails on the way to/from work, I stick semi-slicks on and ride the MTB.

[Mr Gear]

r-kid said:

I'd say the opposite, I find my road bike a lot comfier than my mountain bike on the commute.

OP,
My commute sounds similar to yours (24 mile round trip & hilly), the road bike shaves at least 15 minutes off each way.

I have a 28 mile round trip and ride a road bike, leaving my mountain bike at home! But if I didn't have the road bike, and my mountain bike was fitted with slicks, I wouldn't bother!

The head-down-arse-up riding position on the road bike makes it difficult to look over the shoulder, and whilst it is undeniably faster, there is a reason why commuter bikes do not have drop-handlebars.

[carreauchompeur]

Road bike well worth it IMO. I was commuting- Albeit a short distance- With MTB on slicks, the roadie is significantly faster and they are surprisingly robust coming off kerbs, etc.

[andrew311]

I have mates who'd be willing to give me a go on their road bikes but the ones who do have road bikes are far shorter/smaller than me so it wouldn't give me a balanced impression.

Our cycle to work scheme is pretty attractive and my MTB is finsihed being paid for on that next month so could consider getting a road bike through that. Maybe worth enquring if my friendly local bike shop have a demo they'd let me use.

[Mr Gear]

andrew311 said:

I have mates who'd be willing to give me a go on their road bikes but the ones who do have road bikes are far shorter/smaller than me so it wouldn't give me a balanced impression.

Our cycle to work scheme is pretty attractive and my MTB is finsihed being paid for on that next month so could consider getting a road bike through that. Maybe worth enquring if my friendly local bike shop have a demo they'd let me use.

If you're looking for a pure commuter bike, maybe consider the commuter bike/hybrid options too? There's more to life than mountain bikes and road bikes anyway.

Whyte Portobello is a sweet ride: http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/product_info...

[Dave 500]

On the same topic has anyone used one of these?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/giant-tcx-2-2011/

[anonymous-user]

riding on the hoods of a road bike almost puts you in the same position as a flar bar bike and if you have trouble looking behind you on the hoods, you are simply not looking far enough behind you or long enough. the head down arse up position has been removed with sloping top tube road bikes becoming the norm. it pitchs the rider up and is more comfortable over longer distances. its very rare i see a commuter on a horizontal top tube bike.

[IroningMan]

Good discs make riding in traffic a lot less fraught, but if you like cycling, and don't have a road bike, why not use Cycle-to-Work to get one anyway?

[Mr Gear]

pablo said:

riding on the hoods of a road bike almost puts you in the same position as a flar bar bike and if you have trouble looking behind you on the hoods, you are simply not looking far enough behind you or long enough. the head down arse up position has been removed with sloping top tube road bikes becoming the norm. it pitchs the rider up and is more comfortable over longer distances. its very rare i see a commuter on a horizontal top tube bike.

Simply not true in my case. If your road bike has you sitting upright then it's a tourer! My road bike has a sloping top-tube, but with a long seat-post my saddle is still higher than my wrists. In addition, riding on the hoods still creates a long reach to the bars. It's perfectly comfy and aerodynamic when on a fast ride, but it's not a great commuting position. I could adjust it out by changing the stem and bars, but then I'd lose the bike that I like riding fast out in the countryside.

It works for commuting and it's fast, but it's a compromise. There are better bikes for commuting than a drop-bar bike without a doubt.

[mattviatura]

What are the different types of bike?

I recently sold a GT Aggressor and bought a Scott Aspect. I wouldn't have referred to these as mountain bikes because I thought mountain bikes were all the full-suspension ultra high-tech things. What are they?

I've also got (most of) a Diamondback Camarillo which I've had since the early 90s. It has curved forks but flat handlebars and would take 26" wheels if I had any. I'd like to cheaply build that into some sort of road bike but again, what is it?

[Mars]

Mr Gear said:

Whyte Portobello is a sweet ride: http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/product_info...

Indeed it is - that's what I have and I think it's the perfect balance of lightweight vs useable functionality for commuting (I don't) and leisure (I do, about twice a week). Strong enough to take my 16st weight and yet light enough to get a move on.

I ride with people on MTBs with various concessions towards road use and they're all considerably slower bikes. I have considered a suspension fork because some of the cycle paths haven't been re-paved for years but the bike is just so good as it is, it's hard to spend the money on something untested which may only fix one problem and cause another.

[shalmaneser]

r-kid said:

I'd say the opposite, I find my road bike a lot comfier than my mountain bike on the commute.

OP,
My commute sounds similar to yours (24 mile round trip & hilly), the road bike shaves at least 15 minutes off each way.

+1 you will be shocked at how much faster a proper road bike will be!!!

I commute on a langster and it's perfect. Loads of fun to ride too!

[andrew311]

Thanks for all the replies, it's given me something to think about, maybe keep an eye out for a second hand road bike in the meantime as I couldn't really justify getting a brand new one, espeically as with most things I get carried away. I.e. set a £500 budget and I'll easily convince myself to upgrade this and that and before I know it, it's costing me double!