Is there any joy in road cycling? Genuine question.....

I don't get the same feeling road riding, it's not as exhilarating.

However its nice sometimes just to turn my head off and pedal

You can go really fast on a road bike? The shit brakes and twitchy handling make it quite exciting.

Same here. I love the dirt. I love riding 'features' whatever they may be. Berms, jumps, drops, rocks, sliding around doing skids snd stuff.

Absolutely bored to death on the road. I've really tried and I hate it.

Have you ever seen a smiling roadie? I would suggest not. Plus you have to wear that stupid tight clothing and a cap under your helmet.
No thanks!

I love road cycling on quiet roads, especially in the summer. However, we all like different things.

Based on your post I doubt you will ever enjoy it.

Yes, but mixing with traffic can be a big problem, get into the right area where traffic isn't heavy and what does exist generally gives you space, nice roads with a scenic countryside backdrop and it can be great. But in the UK especially that can be difficult to find, so hitting the dirt is a better option to find those zen moments.

Yes, but you need to be in a group. Solo road riding is awful.

The feeling when you're in a good group working at a decent speed is amazing.

I do more road as not exactly a lot of off-road where I live but I do have miles of fairly quiet country roads and enjoy it. The bike can make a difference, I was glad to get shot of my Roubaix and replace it with a Trek Domane which is 100% more comfortable.

If you don't enjoy it why do it? I would never do something I didn't enjoy.

Yes, but you need to be in a group. Solo road riding is awful.

You're missing out on all the best conversation when you're riding in a group.

FWIW I quite enjoy road riding once away from stop start traffic, it's nice just to able to go. It's not fun in the same way mountain biking is fun but it is its own sort.

Yes it can be fun, but its a completely different beast to mountain biking, MTB scares the crap out of me sometimes in a way that no road ride ever could and is by far my preferred 2 wheel sport.

But road riding can be good fun too, mostly more chilled out and a chance to escape the kids and home for a while its also more social for me, but i think thats because i have more friends who solely ride road bikes and dont stray into MTB.

Its interesting going out with a group of roadies as they all seem to pap themselves on steep descents whereas those of us in the group that ride MTB as a main sport fly down the hills.

I live in an area with lots of beautiful quiet roads, and not so great mtb trails. I prefer road biking.

However I used to live in Yorkshire where I could ride 40 miles from the door off road on good trails and much preferred mtb. The roads were far busier up there.

(harsh ride, twitchy steering, poor rim brakes, totally unergonomic controls)

You certainly havent got the right road bike / tried the right road bike if thats the case. Most people can ride on a road bike all day long, I would say an mtb would be less comfortable for a full day.

I like road riding. I like mountain biking. I really, really, like really really really, hate trail centres.

Different strokes for different folks, innit.

Trek Domane which is 100% more comfortable

Got a Domane. Love it 🙂

(harsh ride, twitchy steering, poor rim brakes, totally unergonomic controls)

My road bike has none of these things, what have you managed to do to it to get it to behave like that?

Sounds like your bike is the wrong size, badly set up, or just shite 😂

Road riding can be fun, tbh I rarely (never) do “pure” road anymore as the traffic round here is a nightmare.

Gravel FTW, use bridleway etc to get to the nice quiet lanes, then it’s good fun (at least, I enjoy it). Very different to MTB of course, guess it depends whether you really only like mountain biking or you’re one of those weirdos who’s happy to be on 2 wheels whatever they might be!!

I love road riding in groups. If you want excitement join a fast paced group. Barrelling down a tiny, twisty, back road full of pot holes, gravel and on coming cars at 30 mph a few inches off the wheel in front is not for the feint hearted. Someone shouts car and the sound of locking rear wheels around you as everyone scrubs off speed and tries to find a gap. Last week's excitement was a pot hole at 30mph which took out three bikes, one fatally. No one injured, just a ENVE wheel completely written off.

I definitely get where you are coming from, particularly in the UK with its traffic.

But an hour or ninety minutes riding flat-out on quiet roads can be joyful, in my experience. Sometimes with music, sometimes not. It has been a staple of mine for two decades and always leaves me elated. Pick a quiet left-left-left loop of 25 miles and ride it as fast as you can.

Yes, but you need to be in a group

This for me, though maybe also the irregularity I do it also helps - it's generally a novelty for me!

Its interesting going out with a group of roadies as they all seem to pap themselves on steep descents whereas those of us in the group that ride MTB as a main sport fly down the hills.

I find entirely the opposite Had the opportunity to go for a roadie trip to Mallorca in April - I'm a bloody awful road descender. Stupid narrow tyres with no progression from grip to sliding down the road on your arse, shitty rim brakes on the hire bike and nothing to land on other than hard tarmac. Nope, I'm an absolute fanny at road descents.

Depends your roads, you have to work out the nice road cycling routes thou and make the fun factor as opposed to just going along busy main roads.

Or tbh move to Spain and do my across the mountain and along the coastal route thats pain and pleasure of the fun kind,plenty of scenery and coffee and cakes at a price you like.

Don't think I've been on my roadbike in more than two years which probably does answer your question. However,

- it gets you quickly from A to B. My work commute when I used to do it was twice as long off-road;
- it get you fit, depending on how you do it (group rides, taking turns at the front, shading into chainganging);
- it gets you places, from Flanders classics, to long rides round the dales and lakes, and Alps, rides to the coast etc. There is something about covering ground. Also feeling that you're about home when you get to within 15 or so miles.

And even though it comes with some pain, some of my best memories I guess are from road rides. Maybe I will get the damn thing out of the shed.

btw

Its interesting going out with a group of roadies as they all seem to pap themselves on steep descents

I guess it depends which "roadies" and where you're riding. I pap myself once it gets near 70 km/h but some folks have no fear. Related, the worst hospitalisations etc amongst folks I know are from road rides and that's mainly not involving cars.

Yes, lots

I think if you understand how good an endorphin rush you can get out of just the right sort of workout, then road biking makes a hell of a lot more sense, and all the other nice bits (the scenery, the exhilaration of riding in a fast group or a sweeping descent, exploring much bigger areas in much less time) are just extra added bonuses.

In fact, the rides I enjoy least are recovery rides when I'm trying to go as slow as possible, at which point the bike just feels uncomfortable and harsh.

Horses for courses, it's a big transition from the adrenaline of a good MTB ride, and if you're stuck in a city centre then I imagine just getting to the nice roads could be a massive chore.

But an hour or ninety minutes riding flat-out on quiet roads can be joyful, in my experience

Agree with this. Also getting going in a group is equal parts exhilerating and terrifying.

Just riding around looking at the scenery or as a few hours of zone 2 effort - it can be painfully dull.

I guess my road riding is more touring and utility.

Living up here, it's not that difficult to find stunning roads and views. Take a cuppa and cake. Maybe a friend. Certainly just ride for the pleasure of it.

Wider tyres and mudguards, comfort as much as speed. And a bike that can also head into mild off-road.

Not for me.... it's a day out on pedals... sure...THat's about it though.

Only on the sense that it’s nice to ride around country roads on a lovely day.

That and it’s less hassle to go for a ride out the front door than head to somewhere for a MTB ride.

Never found taking road cycling serious was much fun.

Although cake and coffee shops are nice.

I also like the social side, on the non race paced rides you get to chat to different people about life the universe and everything - like being down the pub only without alcohol and you're getting fit at the same time. The other day I was chatting to the General Counsel for M&S, the next ride a heart surgeon....

Although cake and coffee shops are nice.

Absolutely. When I was younger, I used to think that stopping for cake etc was a sign of weakness. Now it's the highlight of the ride....

I'd rather stack a few pallets in my garden and practice being bad at trials riding than go out road riding.

I dunno about "all", the most fearless descenders (on the road) that i know are all roadies, pretty sure most of them don't even have an MTB, except for maybe getting to work and back.

Most of my MTB-ing involves getting in the car. Most of my road riding I do from the front door - gravel riding is also a carless ideal. Easy, cheap, quiet Sunday mornings, often with a coffee/cake involved somewhere i would rarely drive to.

As the monk mentioned, for me it's endorphins (road) vs adrenaline (MTB). I'm an endorphin junkie, not an adrenaline junkie.

Plus a descent off a big mountain when you're overtaking almost everything else - cars, motorbikes, most other riders - is brilliant fun.

Working together trying to maintain a fast pace on the Tues night bash before trying to kick the shit out of each other towards the end, the nice peaceful solo spins exploring new routes or the longer social Sunday ride and cafe/pub stop.

It's not dull, you just probably haven't found its purpose yet.

Interesting thoughts, thanks!
Group riding is a good shout, I've never really done that. Also my road bike may indeed be shite 🤔. It's a Merlin own-brand. The bars are narrow, the alu frame and narrow tyres very harsh (with no room for wider rubber). I didn't want to splash out too much cash on a road bike, but it sounds like I need to try a different bike! The background to this is that, at 65 (😯) I can't see myself MTBing forever, but will cease to function without a two-wheeled escape route.

In an extremely uncharacteristic piece or good timing I decided to give road riding a go just as we hit lockdown. The roads around us are hardly the busiest anyway, but there was literally no traffic at all and the sun was out most days. So I got quite into it.

It will never ever be remotely as appealing as jumping on the mountain bike, but I'm still enjoying it.I've found that I like to take my road bike when we go away. Its a great way to go and explore somewhere and with far less sticky-outy bits it takes up a lot less room than a big full-suss mountain bike

As for group riding? Looking at your average group of roadies that you see out and about, I'd rather remove my own kidneys with a teaspoon

And lycra? Sod that! I'd look like a burst black pudding. Baggies, peaked helmet and camelback to annoy the purists. Its not like I'm ever going to be aerodynamic. I'm a sort of slightly rounded breeze block shape 😀

Same as the OP. Much prefer being off road, whether FS, SS HT, or Gravel.

Partly is the traffic. Mostly its just the feel of being on dirt that I prefer.

I do road rides maybe 3 or 4 times a year. And do actually really enjoy them. Recently rode from Leeds to Gretna and back in a day as part of a charity challenge, and that was lovely. Its better on a good, dedicated road bike too (I use a gravel bike with a spare set of road wheels/tyres, which is fine, but a sub 8kg carbon frame with £1500 Zipp wheels is something else!)

I like the easy speed, lightness, responsiveness and directness of a road bike, and the distance you can cover. But fast road descents scare me!!

I find entirely the opposite Had the opportunity to go for a roadie trip to Mallorca in April – I’m a bloody awful road descender. Stupid narrow tyres with no progression from grip to sliding down the road on your arse, shitty rim brakes on the hire bike and nothing to land on other than hard tarmac. Nope, I’m an absolute fanny at road descents.

Yep does help to still be on the bike whilst descending.

Dunno I don't think its a bad trait to be cautious on descents, Its practice thou and all fun and giggles until it isn't, I'm finicky about who I'll ride with in close quarters as they'll be more predictable.

Haven't had a goat run out but plenty of bunnies seem to have a death wish and tbh you wouldn't want to go over the barriers here on the not very big mountains.

Yes. Most cycling is mostly good.

LOL @Binners

And lycra? Sod that! I’d look like a burst black pudding. Baggies

Two of the nastiest bike accidents I've seen resulted from baggy shorts catching on drop bars.

The bars are narrow, the alu frame and narrow tyres very harsh (with no room for wider rubber). I didn’t want to splash out too much cash on a road bike, but sounds like I need to try a different bike!

Probably easy things like better bars, better bar tape and possibly better tyres are likely to go a good way towards solving that and costing very little by comparison with a new bike.

Wide tyres are (my opinion) very much the emperors latest wardrobe, just like mtb though crap tyres are bloody awful of not downright dangerous.

The brakes on my road bike are so poor that the best I can hope for when applying maximum pressure on them on a steep descent is that I'm not actually accelerating 😟

It's a different sport to trail MTBing.

Road riding is good when you have quiet roads in beautiful countryside, and when you aren't riding an old fashioned racy bike that's not comfortable. A road bike should be comfortable, but they are a lot harder to dial in.

It's more like say, running, as a sport. Exercise in the outdoors for a few hours, clearing your head and looking at the countryside scrolling by. There's no technical fun, most roads don't have features to get air off or anything exciting. I mean I like both, sometimes, but they are very different.

It’s a Merlin own-brand. The bars are narrow, the alu frame and narrow tyres very harsh (with no room for wider rubber). I didn’t want to splash out too much cash on a road bike, but it sounds like I need to try a different bike!

I dunno, none of those things should be that important unless the bars are so narrow that they're constricting your breathing, or perhaps if they're really cheap lumpen tyres. My favourite road bike is aluminium, has nice 25mm tyres with latex tubes run at 80psi, and rim brakes. In fact my winter road bike also has rim brakes, and is aluminium 😎

I reckon any road bike will feel 'wrong' if you're coming off MTB for the first time.

I like road riding - I get to explore all kinds of places that I wouldn't dream of driving to or through. I get great scenery, open roads and lovely pubs, cafes and tie them all together with some exercise. I can do all of this from my door and ride for 1-12 hours.

I enjoy gravel riding - we have some great gravel trails around here and going fast, on gravel, on drop bars and skinny tyres is GREAT fun. It's also good for finding the road less travelled. I can also do this from my door and ride from 1-8 hours

I LOVE MTBing - it's fun, it's exhilarating and it's also socially great, but it's a faff. I have to get my gear together, plan a route, drive to somewhere, build a bike and then ride. The ride bit mostly makes up for it, but still, it is faffy. I can (and occasionally do) ride from my door, but the excitement comes from further afield and I have to drive to do this.

I actually enjoy commuting - an hour of peace at either end, to ease into and out of the day and build up a calorie bank to allow for wine and snacks in the evening. I commute at quiet times.

There's joy in road riding, but it's different to MTBing in many if not most ways.

Two of the nastiest bike accidents I’ve seen resulted from baggy shorts catching on drop bars.

Their own bars? Or somebody else's? I'm intrigued now What the hell were they doing to get their shorts tangled up with their handlebars? Circus tricks? They weren't juggling at the time were they? Were there any seals involved? 🙂

TBH the bars on my road bikes always seem a long way away and very low if I've been exclusively riding MTB for a while.

I love road riding...I also love mtb, both offer different things...for a great workout , solo rides and turning your brain off riding then road is best
For chatty, technical and crazy fun then mtb is best....but yeah the bike makes a big difference so maybe that's where your going wrong

Most of my riding group own road bikes (myself included) and yet we all still mock one another for going out on the road (which we all do!). I love a sunny Sunday morning road loop with a coffee though! I also went to the Alps and rode there this spring which was fantastic. And do the odd sportive / tri / road event.

As a rule though, i pull the MTB out 80% of the time.

By the way, road bars have loads of variables other than just width. On top of that there are more variables with setup too. The angle of rotation, the height, stem length obvs and where you put the hoods are all important, and also tied in with saddle position. Sometimes it's not easy to dial in all those variables, especially if you have been tinkering already or there's already some fundamental problem e.g. it's too big/small; but a stock bike of the right size should be a good starting point.

I was endlessly dicking around with my old bike because it was just too small and a racy type. But my new one was fine out of the box.

As for smiling roadies - I always smile on certain roads on nice days, or even on moody misty ones. But one reason I am smiling is that there is no-one there to see me smile.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/ @51.5756128,-3.1337102,3a,75y,62.41h,85.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZmh0tRi9VBYsdC1Cbnlv9w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

The brakes on my road bike are so poor that the best I can hope for when applying maximum pressure on them on a steep descent is that I’m not actually accelerating 😟

TBH my mate melted some 3t carbon rim brake wheels with on one good descent, they melted the rim and formed a new shape.
(new lycra please - moment and he said the smell was great)

Two of the nastiest bike accidents I’ve seen resulted from baggy shorts catching on drop bars.

~Took their ba__s right orf it did 🙂

I think they are two different kinds of headspace - what I like about road riding is lots of space to think - get into a rhythm, roll along, take in your surroundings, fill your head with thoughts.

Off the road - your mind is focused pretty much in the ribbon of path just in front of you - in that sense you have no real thoughts going on at all - in a sense by being exhilarating its completely meditative  - clear your mind of everything.

So which you prefer can depend on what you have more of an appetite - these days I really like thinking so even off road I'm looking for interesting journeys rather than thrills. When I used to have a lot more professional stress to deal with I liked to be able to escape from my thoughts for a while - so a blast from a trail centre carpark was perfect for that - didnt even have to think about where I was going.

TBH my mate melted some 3t carbon rim brake wheels with on one good descent, they melted the rim and formed a new shape.

I've seen this on Alpine descents - people dragging their brakes coupled with carbon rims not dissipating the heat.

I like road riding, I like road bike cos they're fast, but riding in traffic on any bike is shit!

Their own bars? Or somebody else’s? I’m intrigued now What the hell were they doing to get their shorts tangled up with their handlebars? Circus tricks? They weren’t juggling at the time were they? Were there any seals involved? 🙂

Yep, their own bars. The flappy bit of their shorts caught the drop, god knows how.

One of the two got tangled into a barbed wire fence, they took some of that to the hospital with him and removed it there (I assume, I never saw him before or since).

Other chap used his face as a brake on the tarmac, he looked like dorian grey's portrait for a long while after that.

I’ve seen this on Alpine descents – people dragging their brakes coupled with carbon rims not dissipating the heat.

Dragging due to not being able to descend / brake properly.

But anyway, back on topic I ride more on road than off and like it just as much if not more if I'm honest.

I think we just have to accept that other people have other tastes in sport and recreation. I have a cycling friend who after 35 years of me telling him has just realised I have absolutely no interest in rugby. We find it difficult to understand why people don't like what we do and vice versa.

I like cycling up hills on road bikes and down hills on mountain bikes.

Yes, definitely!

My commute through the edge of Southampton city centre from the east is tolerable on the hybrid, choosing back lanes to keep away from traffic more on the way home, I head to work at 0600 which is busier than it used to be but nothing like rush hour traffic levels so the main road is fine.

Heading north east ish from home, road riding is usually bliss for me, besides the closest ~10mins to home which can be hostile with motor traffic around rush hours and school run times. While I usually love blasting up hills as fast as my failing mamil body can take me, the countryside and fresh do a lot of good for my mental health too. The only shame is i didnt realise how close pleasant road cycling was until five years ago, when I've lived around here for almost thirty years.

The hydraulic disc brakes on my road bike are a game changer, shame my old commuter in Xmas '13 didn't have them, i'd still have all my teeth plus no metal in my hand and palate.

It's two wheels and pedalling which is always a good start. A solo rider and happier for it, the joy part for me is when niggles and troubles clear, views open up, quads are powering, and the mind shuts up. All very blissful, but still not a patch on rolling nobblies onto dirt.

I’ve seen this on Alpine descents – people dragging their brakes coupled with carbon rims not dissipating the heat.

Our first trip to the Alpes, road riding, we booked a chalet in Alpe D'Huez village. First day, first ride was obviously the descent. Most of us flew down overtaking all the cars and motor bikes on every bend. However, one member wasn't quite so comfy descending and dragged his brakes the whole way down. He joined us at the bottom of the last bend whereupon his tyres delaminated with the tread separating from the beading, which curtailed his ride some what. Alu rims, so they survived....

I remember enjoying riding my MTB on the quiet lanes of Northants in the early ‘90s, tyres pumped up to 65psi, like a flat bar cromoly roadie.

I can’t imagine enjoying it with the spectre of traffic to run me over. The small amount on my commute is bad enough!

I think there's plenty of joy in it. But my bike fits me and I am svelte enough to wear Lycra and look good in it 😉

EDIT - I'm also useless on a mountain bike

It's a very different sort of fun for me. It's more about the speed and working hard as well as beautiful views.
Also lycra is 100% the right stuff to wear. I was skeptical and self conscious at first but it's just so much better for road riding as are peak less helmets and no backpacks.

Define "Joy" and you will have your answer. Since this depends on each individual, their perceptions, wants, needs etc, it is a meaningless comparison.

I cannot see any joy in train spotting, yet some people absolutely love it and base their whole lives around it. To me that is absolutely brilliant, as they have something in their life that brings them joy, and any thoughts to the contrary are completely irrelevant.

I didn’t want to splash out too much cash on a road bike, but it sounds like I need to try a different bike! The background to this is that, at 65 (😯) I can’t see myself MTBing forever, but will cease to function without a two-wheeled escape route.

Have you ever seen a smiling roadie? I would suggest not. Plus you have to wear that stupid tight clothing and a cap under your helmet.

Only wear "stupid tight" bib shorts (mine aren't really stupid or tight more to do with the 'model' (me) than the actual attire) for comfort and they are always covered with baggies. Always. I do find it funny that some 'proper' roadies are very cheerful - always an acknowledgment of other bike-ists regardless of their steed of choice, whilst others appear miserable as sin and barely acknowledge existence of anything. Then again, they may have just done 100 miles instead of my token 15 miles 😁 I also, nearly always go out on my road-ish bike (Spesh Diverge with 38c tyres) in the early hours to avoid traffic wherever possible. 5am bike rides are awesome.

Plus you have to wear that stupid tight clothing and a cap under your helmet.

I always wear lycra when riding offroad, never saw the point of baggy attire.

Uncomfortable bikes. Mixing with traffic. Not for me. My hybridised mtb is far nicer to ride. Road bikes do awful things to your back as its a very unnatural position flattening your lumbar curve and hyperflexing your neck. Yes you can force your body to adapt but is really not good for your back health

Touring and gravel yes. Pure road riding no especially not in a bunch. I am never going to put my safety in the hands of others. I simply don't trust anyone else

Always. I do find it funny that some ‘proper’ roadies are very cheerful – always an acknowledgment of other bike-ists regardless of their steed of choice, whilst others appear miserable as sin and barely acknowledge existence of anything.

Just on that, I find that MTBers are consistently the group least likely to return a greeting. And I do find the comments about lycra amusing, given that MTBers (including me) all used to wear it BITD.

I cannot see any joy in train spotting, yet some people absolutely love it

I'll admit to standing on a bridge waiting for a steam train to pass on more than one occasion.

Yes, but you need to be in a group. Solo road riding is awful.

A good group, yes. They are however quite difficult to find - almost invariably there is someone in there with no idea of riding 2-abreast, through-and-off or smooth controlled pacing.

I also have a road bike, which I ride occasionally. I try hard to enjoy it, but just cannot find the love. I don’t know if it’s the bike (harsh ride, twitchy steering, poor rim brakes, totally unergonomic controls), or the tarmac, or mixing with the traffic (although I avoid that as much as possible).
The moment I “hit the dirt” the fun starts. Is there any actual fun to be had in road riding? What am I missing?

Sounds like a bike setup issue, possibly coupled with a crap components issue.
I've got a (now very retro) top-end road bike which I mostly stopped riding for ages cos it was no fun anymore. It felt fragile and delicate compared to other newer road bikes that I'd ridden plus it was getting to the stage where finding replacement parts for it was getting more and more difficult.
So I got a new bike, nothing special, just a mid-level road bike. I'm not racing any more, I'm not looking for a £10k superbike. And it's brilliant - it's opened up road riding all over again for me. It handles better than the old bike, it's much faster, it's stiffer but also more comfy.

So yeah, I reckon poor set-up. I get that it's tricky spending £££ on a road bike when you're not sure you'll enjoy it but there's a trade-off where you buy something that's so poor that you don't enjoy it anyway...

Road bikes do awful things to your back as its a very unnatural position flattening your lumbar curve and hyperflexing your neck

Only badly set up ones. They don't all have to be like the ones on the Tour de France, you don't need to ride like that. I don't. Those TdF bikes are extreme.

I've got 8 bikes and I love them all*. Two of them have curly bars. They are no less comfortable than my MTBs, the ergonomics are no worse, the handling isn't twitchy, and they bring me just as much joy. This morning I did a quick 50k solo road ride and absolutely loved it, and every other rider I saw while I was out greeted me, some even smiled. I'm lucky in that rural Warwickshire allows me to ride pretty much as far as I like with only minimal exposure to A-roads. I sometimes ride with the local club who are friendly and enforce good group discipline so are pretty safe. Lycra makes sense for any kind of bike, apart from a town bike/Dutch bike, and the move to baggies was purely fashion driven as they have only disadvantages on the bike.

* The one I don't love is a 2014 Giant XTC Advanced, size S, 2x10 SLX, ZTR Crest wheelset, recent new chainrings and cassette, fork service at TF Tuned. Ideal for anyone 5'7" or below...

I used to ride far more road than MTB, loved the speed and going on really epic, long rides.  I've ridden my road bike all over the world and have been to some beautiful places.  Always said hello and waved to fellow cyclists too!  But I ended up almost quitting as I got the fear.  One too many close shaves with idiots in cars.  Knocked off a few times (thankfully nothing serious).  So yeah, loved road riding, hated traffic.  It's all MTB and gravel now whilst trying to keep off the main roads.

Nope mogrips. All drop handlebar road bikes flatten your lumbar curve and hyoerflex your neck. Its inevitable with a road bike unless you bring the bars up and back hugely. Its inherent in the position

Lycra makes sense for any kind of bike,

Spoken like a true roadie!

Touring and gravel yes. Pure road riding no especially not in a bunch. I am never going to put my safety in the hands of others. I simply don’t trust anyone else

And yet you don't wear a helmet...curious.

Spoken like a true roadie!

Go on then, explain the advantages of baggies 😁

Meh, I like riding most bicycles, variety is the spice of life and all that...

If individuals need coaxing to find the 'Joy' in something perhaps it's more an issue with them than the specific activity?

Also the whole thing of picking fault with other subsets of cycling gets tired after a while. If you only have the imagination to enjoy one specific niche, just stick to that, the rest of the world doesn't really care if you can't bend your mind around different shaped bars and skinnier tyres...

Go on tell us why you think "Roadies are so miserable" again...