[Closed] 1st go on a road bike today in 30 odd years &....

Now do a [i]proper[/i] ride and compare the time.

you need to pedal a little faster then 😉 once you spend a little time on one you get quicker but for a first ride you cant expect to be rolling at full speed give it a good couple of goes and stick with it say after 2 months riding once or twice a week you still dont see any inprovement then call it quits

Aye, so you did...

[i]Now do a proper ride and compare the time.[/i]

It's all I had time for today, plus the reasoning was to see if it was worthwile getting a skinny framed jobby to commute on. At a 15 mile commute the answer is a resounding...no.
No other interest apart from that, & today confirmed it.

thread closed then if there's no point discussing it.

So you average 15.6 on your mtb then 17.3 on a road bike, giving you an 11% increase in speed.
Sounds about right. What sought of gain did you expect?

So you were ~ 2 mph quicker having already ridden that day. What were you expecting? Should the bike have pedalled for you?

That's a good difference in speed, should knock 5 minutes easily of your work commute.

Worth getting a road bike i reckon.

11% increase sounds right. When I went from riding a hardtail with slicks to a proper road bike I was 10% faster on my regular 17 mile commute.

just image how much quicker you will be on a bike that fits you, using proper pedals, the drops and you spin instead of mashing the gears.

(you are a MTB'er aren't you?)

esselgruntfuttock - Member

Did a flat 9.39 mile ride on my HT in 36 mins 02 secs.

so you timed it? - that means you tried to set a good time.

Did exactly the same ride an hour later on a mates road bike in 32mins 40 secs. Thought I'd be a bit faster on the roady bike!

and then just assumed you'd beat it - so [i]didn't[/i] try.

get back on the road bike, and try this time.

X

[/amateur sports psychologist]

17mph on a road bike commuting's probably about right - you may find that, if you measured it, you're putting no more effort in than you would on the mtb and saving yourself maybe an hour a week traveling time?

I dusted off my early 90s road bike last year and used it for a few commutes.

Normally about an hour on the mtb - 55 mins on a very good day.

About 45-46 mins on the road bike. Route is slightly different... mtb route is shorter, with a fab forest / quarry DH run. Road route is longer, but mid to high 40s (mph) road descent.

Tough climb (20 mins in, 40mins return) limits the advantage that the road bike has over the mtb IMO.

Also as a regular mtb rider I will rag the hell out of the mtb - late on brakes into corners, letting it run DH etc, but am still very cautious on the road bikes. It still feels very flighty compared to the mtb.

Give you'd already buried yourself an hour earlier, that seems pretty good to me. You wouldn't have made the same time the second run on an MTB since you say yourself you are unfit 🙂

The fitter and faster you get, the more difference there is by the way.

I've got a 16 mile commute here and there's no way I'd do it on an MTB. However I already have a road bike for training purposes.

Road bikes are not instantly mega-fast but as the miles roll by you do start to realise how much easier it is to keep up a good pace ime.

As everyone else has already said, you'll get faster on the road bike so I'd stick with it. I commute on an old rigid MTB, it's only just over 5 miles so definitely not worth getting the road bike out. Ideally I'd commute about 10 miles on my rigid MTB, any more than that and I reckon you're into road bike territory.

For 17 miles, throw a couple of panniers on it to weigh it down a bit, that should help the workout factor!

tomorrow use the road bike first. rest an hour then use the HT. then report the difference.

I bought a road bike last year for a 6 mile each way commute, and like "tonyd" said... not really worth it as it's only slightly quicker over that distance than MTB with skinnies.. Even S/S 😕
Was quite impressed by the distance that could be covered rapidly tho when really trying, (but not enough to keep it tho !!! :lol:)

For me it's not the speed of the commute but the amount of work required - if I get the road bike out I expect to go eyeballs out and work up a good sweat and 10 miles just doesn't cut it, let alone 5 and a bit. With a rigid MTB and panniers loaded with laptop, clothes, lunch, etc it makes it harder and little more worthwhile.

My commuter is a '94 Cindercone with canti's that don't work very well, so on a wet day with a heavy load it makes the ride quite edgy 🙂

You tired yourself out on the 1st ride.

Mine is a '99' Trek 7000 in Metallic Green...known as "Shrek",
Has a 185mm Disc on front to help avoid drivers who are on fones/eating breakfast/putting on make-up/brushing hair/shaving/asleep!!!

Mine is a '99' Trek 7000 in Metallic Green...known as "Shrek",

Funny you should mention that.I`ve named this new build "Shrek" 😛 (any excuse to put it on here!!!) 😉

[img] [/img]

I bet it`s way faster than my HT as well 😉

Mate, wtf? Bright green frame and pink cables? What's wrong with you? And sort that steerer tube out!

A road bike will be much more efficient than your mtb.

Why not think about a cyclo cross bike then you can use it off road too.... then again that will probably be 1mph slower than a true road bike so not worth bothering with for you.

What were the HT and roadie you were comparing?

If it was a lightweight carbon HT with slicks against an old roadie with rubbish tyres then there wouldn't be much difference.

After getting on a road bike that's the right size and getting used to it you'd really notice a big difference.

35 minutes should be achievable for a flat 10 miles on a roadie with a basic level of mtb fitness. With the figures you're posting you should be able to do 10 in 30 minutes with a couple more goes.

How big's the cable loop on the rear mech??

Tough climb (20 mins in, 40mins return) limits the advantage that the road bike has over the mtb IMO.[/quote
]
It's this that makes me quicker on the roadie I reckon, I have no choice but to haul ass over the hills (I have 2 climbs of around 80 - 100M) due to the gearing, on the MTB I'll sit and spin because I'm naturally a bit lazy (or on the offroad version of the climb which requires a bit of weight over the back wheel).

What slows me down is the punctures as the roads are shocking and it's hedge cutting time of year round here.

 

How quick can you do it in a car, maybe that's your answer? 😆

Brassneck - tried kevlar belted tyres on the roadie?

Stoney that Madone is absolutely hideous. The close ups the other day didn't look great, but that's proper fugly.

I have a 9 mile commute to work in Ipswich, which comprises open A roads and town centre stuff.

I used to do it around 40 mins on my HT. I got a Wilier road bike last year and I can do it in 30 mins now, without having the luxury of jumping up kerbs etc and taking 'short' cuts.

I find it's a totally different ball game between road and mtb and takes a bit of getting used to, but the road bike has made my commute not only easier but more enjoyable.

[i]You tired yourself out on the 1st ride.[/i]
Pardon? 9.39 miles on a flat road & tired. hardly.

[i]Did a flat 9.39 mile ride on my HT in 36 mins 02 secs.

so you timed it? - that means you tried to set a good time.[/i]

Wrong, didn't go mad.

[i]Did exactly the same ride an hour later on a mates road bike in 32mins 40 secs. Thought I'd be a bit faster on the roady bike!

and then just assumed you'd beat it - so didn't try.[/i]
Wrong yet again, actually wanted to be a lot quicker to give me an excuse to spend more money on a bike.

It's a 15 mile commute (14.86 on the Cateye Endura computer) I might try the whole run on a road bike & see what happens.

Can anyone lend me a half decent road bike? (small frame)
Ta.

Stoney,

thanks for posting up new shrek again

Any excuse Pooley 😛

Borrowed road bikes are a bit problematic mind - one man's setup is another's torture. Of course I realise you don't have the luxury of messing with it but it's something to bear in mind.

It took me about 18 months to get the setup right on my roadie - there are many more variables than on an MTB and it's also more critical since you spend so much time plonked in the same position.

Oh and spin higher gears - shorter cranks benefit from this.