[Closed] 100 mile road ride on a mtb, will I die?

Can you put slicks on it? That'd help loads.

you will hurt

depends how often and how far you ride, I wouldn't personally attempt to try it unless I'd built up to 70 miles, you'll end up being a burden on your roadie friends if you're not used to any distance riding.

Yes.

But... I compared my two bikes (scott spark v marin rift zone) on a short stretch of road. 7:45 on the scott, 6:45 on the rift zone. The rift zone is 10lbs heavier but has 2.3" sllcks (2.4" racing ralphs on the scott).

So if you fit slicks you'll be a lot less dead.

Sticking some CX/road tires on might make it a tad easier?

Done 75 miles on a ss 29er fitted with 35mm cx tires a few weekends back.

Well off the pace mind.

If you want to keep up/chat with your buddies it might be worth borrowing a road bike though 😉

a mate rode a 180mile audax on a gary fisher 29r.

stick some slicks on it an youll be fine.

Your a Mountain biker and it therefore won't occurr to you take a turn on the front

so you'll be fine

seriously if your suffering you can shelter. With slicks you'll role like them its the aerodynamics that are worse

you can hold a wheel?

You may die, but then you may die from asphyxiation from your next fart.

yes....of boredom

go for a ride on some singletrack on your own it'll be tons better

High pressure slicks and set your bike up (position wise )for the road.
You will hurt ,and they will have to wait for you.
Set off early and it will all work out. 😉

Of course you may well be a cycling god ,and spend all day on the front telling them to hurry up 🙂

I imagine you're gears will be hideous for road riding too! And whatever you do DO NOT GO INTO THE GRANNIE RING 😉 I think you will yes!

It'll be fine as long as you can ride in a group and you don't try and go too hard.
In 92 I rode from Plymouth to Bristol on my mtb on my own, with a rucsac. It was hard but totally doable, the next day to Wolverhampton did flag a bit...

I do both disciplines (mtb + road) and there's no way i could keep up with my mates on their road bikes if they decided to go full speed.

Just down to pure aerodynamics, certainly above 20mph. The type of mates i have would normally laugh at my sweaty brow and inability to maintain the road pace. Before blasting off.

It depends what pace the group is going but you will defo work alot more than the roadies.
If you are all on mtb then maybe no problem. 100mls is do able on slick tyres. Conti travel contacts, armadilos, schwalbe marathons etc. It will still be tough

Andy

I once did the liverpool-chester-liverpool charity ride on a 5 inch full bounce with 2.3 factory DH tyres. THAT hurt, a lot. I did it a few years later on an MTB with slicks and it was an absolute doddle without much training and completed a lot faster. But compared to the road bike - not sure I'd want to swap any more! Also not sure I'd do that far without prep any more.

I couldn't do it personally, but as others say get hold of some slicks.
I can't remember what mag it was (maybe MBR or something) but they had an article where two of their writers did a stage of the tour de france, one on a Giant XTC (or similar) with slicks and the other on a road bike. Giant XTC rider faired OK IIRC, not quite the right tool for the job but you can obviously adapt to make your current tool, more suitable

you can definitely do it. i did my first 100 when i was 15 on a 1988 dawes ascent mtb (15 speed,s.i.s thumbbies,fully rigid 501 tubing,with grips harder than a Glaswegian bouncer,toe clips,and the knobbly tyres that came with it) 🙂

No. You won't die unless you are old and infirm or have an accident. In which case you may die.

Recommendation is to run your usual off road tyres. This will show you for the mountain biker you are rather than a wannabe roadie!

If it hasn't already been suggested, then may I suggest you put on some slick tyres. That will help. A lot.

Considering a 29er is just a renamed hybrid, fit some slicks an you'll have no problems.

full body armour, full-face helmet, 2.5" DH tyres and a rucksack.

if you're going to fail then at least give yourself an excuse, and look awesome doing so 🙂

+1 🙂 🙂

Omsk at Phil!!

I would have thought keeping up with your roadie mates will be the hardest thing. If they are prepared to wait all the time it will help. The problem with waiting for a slower rider is you start chomping at the bit. Whenever you see a steep climb or winding decent, it is very hard not to flick a couple of gears and fly.
If you can, I would try to borrow a road bike, or maybe hire one?

It is all down to the group's attitude and your ability. If you're fit, can hold a wheel and your bike has a closer ratio cassette and slicks on and they want to ride calmly together, then go for it. Otherwise pain and loneliness are calling. It can be done! Saw a bloke turn up to a local (road) club run many (many) years ago on a mtb with knobblies on. He proceeded to burn everyone off and arrive at the cafe well ahead. He did then go on to win national championships, finish second in the Milk Race, turn pro, ride to 6th in Flèche Wallon and participate in the Tour.

i won a time trial on my old klien mtb with knobblies but even back then i wouldn't want to ride a 100m chain gang on it

Semi-slicks, two bottles and a barbag filled with nuts, jelly babies power bars etc. And get 2 or 3 40 mile rides under your belt by a week before.

Do that and it will only be the boredom you have to worry about.

I did the Dunwich Dynamo (about 200km) one year on my MTB with slicks. It was hard work and I knackered a knee in doing it. Wouldn't really want to do that sort of distance on a MTB again but if your mates will ride with you rather than blasting off into the distance you should be OK.

Just don't make the mistake of setting off too fast.

If you get left behind your history. You and the group have to work to keep together

Can you lock the fork out or lock it down? Set the saddle height right for spinning, not tackling trail obstacles. Can you flip the stem or maybe put a longer one on to get a bit more tucked. Maybe change the angle of the saddle and move it forwards a bit. Slicks are a must, pumped up hard. Can you bring your hands in on the bars to get a bit more aero? Whatever you do, make sure you ride a good distance after you make any changes to see what effect it has and that you'll be comfy for 5+ hours in the saddle.
Oh yeah, lose the baggies as well, you'll be suprised the difference it makes at speed over a day.

Unless it's at a very social pace you'll soon be at the back spoiling it for everyone else for the rest of the day.

Buy a road bike if you want to ride road, if a lot of your mates ride it should see plenty of use (if you're really interested).

🙂

I managed 70 miles on my Nail Trail (fully rigid, slick'd up[ and a 48t Big Ring), did the job, and kicked the ass of my mate on hix CX bike.
Think I upset a couple of roadies on the way, after I flew past them down a hill and beat them up the following climb (one of them went noooo! as I went past).
Best advice I can offer is go at your own pace and doooo iiittt!

I did the Cairngorms Classic 100 on a voodoo wanga with slicks and a carbon pace fork last year.

If they are going to riding at somewhere around 15mph for a social/paced ride then no problem if you have slicks - and you could also put a rigid fork (on-one carbon) on the front to reduce weight. If you are fit then you could go quicker, obviously. Wear clipless and just spin those pedals...

You won't necessarily hurt as much as they do as your riding position is a bit more upright and so they may be getting more back pain than you...

I got gapped on the downhills by the mates I rode with but would then catch them up on the climbs.

The climbs that the roadies might mention as being tough will be easier for you are your gearing range is better for hills.

Take some Nunn or similair rehydrating tablets, and maybe some Powerbar protein bars. I packed some and when some of my mates were flagging I gave them the bars and tablets and they were rejuvenated.

Trying to tuck in or draught for a pull is a waste of time, so don't bother.

Plus as you are on a mtb then you can relieve the boredon whenever you see a tempting looking dirt track and have a blast down there.

Another 'fit slicks' suggestion. I would also fit bar ends (if you already have some in your parts box) for a bit more comfortable position.

invited me on a jolly

This is the most important question, as people say above. Are your mates out for a nice day out or a 100 mile training ride?

The former, with a couple of pub stops, you'll live. The latter, even with you on a road bike if you're not used to the road miles and they are, you'll have a good approximation of dying.

You won't necessarily hurt as much as they do as your riding position is a bit more upright and so they may be getting more back pain than you...

really? they have 3 positions to choose from whereas the mtb is stuck with one, their bikes will fit better and any niggles with fit will be exacerbated over long distances.
the mtb will be too upright with poor weight distribution and your core will not be as strong so your lower back is going to complain as you try to get more aero with the bars too high and your arms too bent to support your weight.
more weight on the saddle too so that comfy padded mtb armchair saddle is likely to cause some discomfort.
you are looking at 5.30-6.30hrs riding time, that's a long time to suffer.

Mr Smith are you a politician!

It's absolutley do-able!
Especially on a 29er.

Stick some skinny slicks under it & jobs a good un.

Whether you are up to it I don't know! It's a long time in the saddle if you're not used to it & road riding doesn't give you the same natural pauses or tempo changes.

it'll hurt a lot less than the sdw, so go for it

Entirely doable, especially on a 29er, but unless you're considerably fitter/faster than your mates you'll not keep up with road bikes. There's nothing worse than

a) Getting dropped less than 10 miles into a 100 miler and facing the prospect of spending the next 4+ hours trying to catch up with nobody to talk to, or;
b) Having to stop less than 10 miles into a cracking ride because one of your idiot mates turned up on a mountain bike and can't keep up.

You won't be doing yourself or your mates any favours in my opinion. Borrow a road bike if you can.

As long as your rims aren't too wide you can fit proper road tyres on your 29er wheels. If your fork is rigid (or has lockout) and your front end is not too high you'll be fine - all you are giving away is a bit of weight. Back when I was a poor student I won a number of road crits (and in fact was once 3rd in state TT) on a mountain bike with road tyres and a rigid fork - it's not the end of the world.

definitely doable. as said, depends on your friends.

I did a pannier-ed tour from Surrey - Wiltshire - North Yorks about 10 years ago.

Cannondale beast of the east, rear tyre worn semi slick. Biggest day was 115 miles Chippenham - Burton. averaged 16mph. Felt pretty good, I certainly wasn't suffering from all the problems Mr Smith describes.

But if I was with a bunch of roadies chompibng at the bit, it would have been frustating for them and demoralising for me.

Ask them what kind of average mph they anticipate doing it in, then take yourself out for a long ride and see if you think it's realistic.

Just read your post again. "Jolly" sounds promising, but it's all relative!

You won't necessarily hurt as much as they do as your riding position is a bit more upright and so they may be getting more back pain than you...

MrSmith - Member
really? they have 3 positions to choose from whereas the mtb is stuck with one, their bikes will fit better and any niggles with fit will be exacerbated over long distances.
the mtb will be too upright with poor weight distribution and your core will not be as strong so your lower back is going to complain as you try to get more aero with the bars too high and your arms too bent to support your weight.
more weight on the saddle too so that comfy padded mtb armchair saddle is likely to cause some discomfort.
you are looking at 5.30-6.30hrs riding time, that's a long time to suffer.

notice how I used the words [i]necessarily[/i] and [i]may[/i] ???

The guys I rode with got more back pain, particularly one so I had to play around with flipping his stem and stem spacers to make it easier.

whose says a mtb saddle is any different from a road saddle - I have a flite on one bike and an SLR on another - and imho the rest of your comments about weight distribution and core are bs as well.

and imho the rest of your comments about weight distribution and core are bs as well.

you are perfectly entitled to your opinion. mine isn't bs though it's based on the fact that usually a mtb is more upright with more weight on the saddle, if the road bike is fitted properly then weight distribution is more even. if you get back pain on a long road ride then something is wrong with your bike-fit/posture or lack of riding time.

*disclaimer*: the above may not be the case for everyone

if you get back pain on a long road ride then something is wrong with your bike-fit/posture or lack of riding time

Swapping from a mountainbike to a road bike won't be a comfortable experience.

to the OP:

I found the stretching by bending over to try and touch my toes whilst trying to keep my back straight (as oppossed to the usual ? shape a bloke would adopt) - which therefore stretched my gluts - was very effective at warding off lower back pain.

It's just that road cyclists are deformed to fit over time.

+1 having been through that process over the last four months.

For what its worth I did 100-mile plus road rides on a hardtail with slicks / low stem / bar-ends with no drastic consequences, before getting a proper road bike. The road bike does them a bit faster, is all...

For back pain try lowering your saddle a touch.

I can't believe a road bike position is ergonomically comfortable. It's just that road cyclists are deformed to fit over time

Disagree with this. Flexibilty helps get into a nice tuck, but there's no need to put yourself through pain. Just not worth it. Just because roadies are miserable masochistic buggers doesn't mean you have to be 🙂

My road bike is supremely comfortable now, after I fettled it a lot.

My road bike is supremely comfortable now, after I fettled it a lot.

Hehe.. well a longer stem.. but that's cos the frame's a little small.. but I really do like the look of flat barred road bikes.

no need to put yourself through pain

Right, you can start with a comfortable more upright MTB-style position, then incrementally lower/stretch it as your body adjusts.

Which is what I did, and it takes time.

one thing to be aware of is check your rims max pressure. most disk rims are not designed to take the 80-120psi of a narrow slick tyre, they can fail quite spectacularly.

A reasonably fit rider, on a slicked-up MTB should have no problem doing 100 miles. I once did 110 miles on a hardtail round the Lancashire Cycleway, and lived to tell the tale. The issue is how fast do you want to go? I only averaged about 13ph, whereas I've done the same distance at over on my road bike. I think you need to talk to your mates and find out...

For what its worth I did 100-mile plus road rides on a hardtail with slicks / low stem / bar-ends with no drastic consequences, before getting a proper road bike. The road bike does them a bit faster, is all...

Just out of interest elliptic, you seem to have the necessary experience, how much faster did you find the road bike?

My guess is 10-20% faster, although when I did my road riding on a flat barred fully rigid stretched out MTB it was a long time ago and I was not as fit as now.

[i]My road bike is supremely comfortable now, after I fettled it a lot. [/i]

Funny, was having this discussion with a mate earlier. We decided that "comfort" on a bike doesn't really mean a lot and is in fact a relative term. My bed is comfortable. So is my sofa. The bike is simply less uncomfortable than others I may have ridden.

😉

You're right though, get the fit correct and a road bike can be so nice to ride; fast, comfy and fun.

how much faster did you find the road bike?

Depends on the terrain. Rolling/hilly there doesn't seem that much in it, on the flat maybe worth 2-3mph average over a long ride for me at the moment (reasonably fit but not a racer).

The difference is most noticeable in snap acceleration and pushing the pace 20mph+ where the MTB runs into a brick wall (as it were) rather sooner. Not an issue on long steady rides but tends to get you dropped from a quick roadie bunch if they're riding aggressively. But then they'll probably drop you anyway whatever you're riding... 😉

All that said, I did have my hardtail very specifically set up ie 1.2" slicks, rigid fork, 48-tooth big ring, narrow flat bars. And I do find the road bike more comfortable for my hands/shoulders in particular (but that's with four months of conditioning and fettling).

I managed fine putting Continental Contact Sports on my Stumpjumper. Though the bike with narrow tyres and me with baggies and Camelbak looked very out of place 🙂

Was about 100k up and down the classic Peak climbs. Found I could cope quite well with the changes in gradient as used to getting into the 'red zone' (or some other jargon) compared to the even tempo, tempo, tempo roadies 🙂

Keep off the front! Which should be no problem...

Depends on the terrain. Rolling/hilly there doesn't seem that much in it, on the flat maybe worth 2-3mph average over a long ride for me at the moment ...

That's kind of what I thought. Much as I try and justify it, it's not really worth me changing my slick shod mtb for a road bike to shave 3 mins off a 30 min commute. A road bike wouldn't look right with flat pedals either 😉
I'll just have to work on my fitness in order to chase the roadies down...

It is supposed to be just a social ride out. When pressed further, the figure of "ohh i'd say an average of 15mph" was mentioned, which I [i]think [/i] is a pedestrian pace.

However I don't want to hold them up unnecessarily, so with that in mind, I was already eyeing up some slicks (28c Conti Grand Prix 4 Season's on my 24mm ex/19mm int rims?) flipping the stem, and on with some ergon's w/bar-ends.
Just have to deal with the faux-pax of turning up with a camelbak, baggies, and a helmet with a peak. 🙂

Just have to deal with the faux-pax of turning up with a camelbak, baggies, and a helmet with a peak.

Don't be ashamed. Make a statement! Bury them on the climbs, like an MTBer should!

DO NOT GO INTO THE GRANNIE RING

you ever been to Lincolnshire?

one thing to be aware of is check your rims max pressure. most disk rims are not designed to take the 80-120psi of a narrow slick tyre, they can fail quite spectacularly.

is that true? when i remember i pump the slicks on mrs antigees commuter to about 80psi and have no idea what the rims are designed for 2nd hand off here - i would have though all the other forces on a rim much higher than the uniform pressure from inner tube

now putting a very narrow 700c tyre on a wide 29er rim may cause problems but that is tyre width not pressure?

Don't know the answer but like to know

What route are you taking? I'd be very careful. I thought that road was one of the most dangerous in Europe? Or is it a different one in Lincolnshire?

A great point that I was asking myself too giantjaunt.

The A 15 is a nightmare in a car (yes I own one :-)), never mind on a bike.

If that's your route TAKE CARE!

is that true?

MrSmith

seen it with 317's that have thin road type slicks fitted and pumped to the max (for the tyre) split the tyre bead
v-brake rims have more meat at the sides but mtb disk rims only have to take 40odd psi.....

thanks i'll look at mavic site was thinking about building some disk 700c wheels so better be more careful on rim selection

Max pressure for a rim is new to me so I did some thinkinh/research

Not suprisingle max pressure depends on tyre size

force = preesure x area

X317

from whAT i can see in the picture its

113 psi for 1"

49 psi for 2.3"

I read this from the side of the rim in picture

I'm taking a hunch that wide rims take lower pressure as they can't take narrow tyres

Well I just got off the 'phone with Giant. They recommend a 32c [i]minimum [/i]size tyre for the P-XC 29 rim (19mm internal, 24mm external).

They have no problems with me putting in whatever the tyre manufacturer recommends for this size, which is going to be anything from around 45, to 80 psi. So there you go.... just thought I'd share.

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Marin County, Cali

In the early '80s when MTBs were new and road riders were dismissive of them, I regularly went on the "century" rides, organized 100-mile rides on my Ritchey. Since I was selling them at the time, I set up a bike specifically for that type of event, with the lightest rims then available, close-ratio gearing, road pedals, and fat 2.125 tyres pumped to over 5 atmospheres. I had no trouble keeping up. As a former road racer I was experienced in group riding, drafting when necessary and taking monstrous pulls to get rid of slower riders.

Photo is from a century ride in 1981 that included 8000 feet of climbing, during which only two riders on road bikes managed to pass my friend and myself. I'm on the right.

[IMG] [/IMG]

Great pic ^ Here's hoping I'll be smiling as much as your good self, after my ride 🙂

force = preesure x area

Yeah but the force on the bead has nothign to do with the size of the tyre.

I'm thinking of the force pushing the rim outward, not the force on the bead

the only rim failure I've seen was the side pushed

I'd say bigger tyres exert more force either due to larger area or lower radius of curvature

The tyre pushes the rim outwards by a force exerted by the bead on the rim.

pressure dictates the force on the rim.
bigger tyres would probably come off the rim before failure, it's the narrow tyres with their higher max pressure that may cause problems.

I retract my radius argument total rubbish

Mr Smith

Mavic say one the 317 rim you can use a much higher pressure with a thinh tyre

Molgrips

are I see

Why wouldn't the pressure acting over a bigger area exert more force?

why do mavic say you can use more pressure in a thinner tyre if tyre size doesn't matter

Because pressures is force PER UNIT AREA. So 50psi is still 50psi if it's over a big tyre or small tyre. And the area of the bead in contact with the rim is the same regardless of the size of the tyre.

BUT

A larger tyre has a greater angle between the rim and the tyre sidewall. So the bead has less purchase on the hook on the rim and as MrSmith says the tyre would be more likely to blow off rather than the rim fail.

Because pressures is force PER UNIT AREA. So 50psi is still 50psi if it's over a big tyre or small tyre. And the area of the bead in contact with the rim is the same regardless of the size of the tyre.

I'm not expert on tyres but thats rubbish

when you pull your breaks you squeeze with a small cylinder. The break fluid behind the piston is at the same pressure. But it acts on a bigger area hence more force

its pounds per square inch

1 square inch 50 pounds

2 square inches 100 pounds

10 square inches 1000 pounds

That's exactly what I just said.