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Traffic is the thing that spoils road riding and in Hertfordshire where I live, drivers also tend to be very aggressive.
During the pandemic I started using my road bike a fair bit, but this year I have only been mountain biking . On every road trip there seem to be near misses from cars and that takes away the enjoyment for me .
Sometimes very joyous sometimes not 🙂
@radioman - similar experiences here in my Surrey to London commute. I love road biking so go out super early to avoid.
All biking is good is it not?! 🙂
If I don’t feel like going out on my MTB because of the weather, I tend to just sit on the turbo trainer and watch a film, going out on the road in bad weather is just a grim experience.
Proof of how different we all are and what we find enjoyable. I enjoy going out all year round whereas I would never use a trainer indoors - I would rather just not bother cycling than do that
I like riding bikes, I like road riding, not sure why some need to get upset by or question this.
I'm currently on the train to Prestatyn to see family, standing by my road bike in the silly provision in the carriage isle for two bikes.
It's a bit of a faff, but the road riding up there is better than my South Down lanes, well maintained tarmac up bigger hills right from the doorstep instead of being 7+ miles away and less traffic to deal with.
~13 miles to Denbigh for a 1200 foot climb (Road To Hell), might try and get to Stwlan Dam this time and maybe try jumping off the train in the way home at Ruabon to try the Old Shoe (this year's national climb) and new Horseshoe Pass.
Hiya! But why? Do you never have smiley thoughts? How miserable!
I have many many smiley thoughts. Why would i not, i ride a road bike. And a mountain bike.
I don't however ride around, on my own, in the wilderness grinning like some sort of deviant.
Low traffic and easy access to good roads makes a big difference.
I like riding bikes, I like road riding, not sure why some need to get upset by or question this.
But are you getting real joy from it and more importantly is it clear to others that you are.
Proof of how different we all are and what we find enjoyable. I enjoy going out all year round whereas I would never use a trainer indoors – I would rather just not bother cycling than do that
Yep. I bought a turbo years ago, and have used it twice. Good, warm clothing and mudguards take care of all but the very worst weather.
Never really been able to do road cycling, it's just a different mindset, i've never had that ability or discipline to do so, so stuck with XC and then Enduro. I've known a few who have tried to switch and gone back to MTB or Road, change isn't easy!
Someone up-thread said Yorkshire roads were busy. Not round this part of Yorkshire it isn't! I've done several rides of 100-150km out the door this summer, all on a variety of minor roads, hardly seen a car. The off-roading is good too, but I don't cover the same sort of distances. It's been a glorious summer, just a bit too hot occasionally, but I'll put up with that for the 4 months of great riding that we've just had.
Has anyone overtaken a roadie on their mountain bike yet?
Standard. But depends what you mean. After an away from usual haunts MTB ride, hooking on the back of a tubby group out for an easy Sunday, to ending up being thanked for towing them back into town? (As they pootle off and I cough up my lungs once out of sight.) What do I win?
Or some tanned shaven-legged god, out for some z2 recovery and refusing to be goaded? (Doesn't really happen other than in theory, but hey.) Let's be clear: it is a race yeah?
I think there’s some joy / buzz from road cycling, but it doesn’t calm the soul like being in the woods on your mountain bike
I like it, but nowhere near as much as mountain biking. Great as a ride to do from the front door and good for building and maintaining fitness. I live in a busy place, so if I want to do 30 miles from the house, it's 10 miles dodging traffic, 10 miles of nice riding, and then another 10 back through the traffic. That is not an enjoyable part of it.
I enjoy going out all year round whereas I would never use a trainer indoors – I would rather just not bother cycling than do that
For me that depends if I am trying to gain or hold fitness. I care about my fitness and don't want to lose a training opportunity because it's blowing a gale or snowing or whatever. I never used to train indoors at all, but now I have a smart trainer I can either race or watch Netflix on the laptop I installed for the purposes of Zwift. Both of those things take my mind off the shitness quite well.
I do a bit of everything (I wonder how common that is?). Probably about 50% gravel bike, 30% road bike and 20% MTB at the moment. I've been MTBing since the late 1980s but I tend to get more joy out of road riding than MTB these days. I like making the solid effort of a 50 miles and feeling I'm getting fitter and faster. And I prefer the sensation of speed: carving down a proper mountain road at 40mph+ for 20 minutes is as close to flying (or skiing / surfing) as I've experienced. I think it's called the flow state - I don't live in Colorado or anywhere with mammoth singletrack descents so I don't get it as much on the MTB. But I'm luckily that in my part of the UK I can be on very quiet lanes from my front door - sometimes I'll get passed by fewer than five cars over 50 miles, which makes all the difference given that many drivers are absolute arseholes.
Bikes are fun full stop. I've had the pleasure of racing the Mega one day and the next riding the road bike down and up the Alpe.
I like riding bikes, I like road riding, not sure why some need to get upset by or question this.
This +1
Moaning about how dull road cycling could be, is like moaning that MTB is boring because you could get more corners and airtime just doing laps of the BMX track.
There's an awful lot of people here conflating "people on bikes" with "cyclists" as though we're all supposed to be biking enthusiasts...
I bet 50% plus of people of bikes in urban areas are just commuters or similar and aren't aware of the stupid "rules" that cycling enthusiasts adhere to...
There’s an awful lot of people here conflating “people on bikes” with “cyclists” as though we’re all supposed to be biking enthusiasts…
I bet 50% plus of people of bikes in urban areas are just commuters or similar and aren’t aware of the stupid “rules” that cycling enthusiasts adhere to…
Nicely put.
The older I get the less feel I should adhere to "rules" or arbitrary bicycling "tribes".
TBH I only really ended up with mountain bikes because 10 year old me caved to peer pressure and asked for an MTB. I had spent that summer watching Greg Lamond winning the TDF and was well into the idea of road bikes till the other kids told me mountain bikes were the bestest... five years later they'd all moved on to the next fad and I was out on a bike in the hills every weekend, dragging my Dad along. Another decade or so after that I finally got a road bike and bloody loved that too...
I've never had a "Bad" bike ride (on or off-road) some are more challenging than others and don't seem so great in the moment, but you adapt, overcome and all that and ultimately I'm a little better off for having got out on a bike than not.
Some of my best road rides have been with friends and we've seen and/or achieved awesome (by our standards) stuff. Other great rides have been solo.
If you're really not enjoying something though, just stop, do the things you like instead and stop trolling those of us with a broader concept of enjoyment 😉
I bet 50% plus of people of bikes in urban areas are just commuters or similar and aren’t aware of the stupid “rules” that cycling enthusiasts adhere to…
Is that what this thread is about?
Is that what this thread is about?
I dunno, I'm not the OP but when has a thread ever stayed on track on STW anyway? Or is that another one of those "rules"? 😉
And less flippantly, yes, tangentially it is. I doubt the majority of urban bike riders are out seeking "fun" - they are just using a bike as (a) their only mode of transport or (b) the most efficient for their needs at the time...granted, they may be doing something "fun" when they get to their destination.
I bet 50% plus of people of bikes in urban areas are just commuters or similar and aren’t aware of the stupid “rules” that cycling enthusiasts adhere to…
There are 'rules'?
Yes. Roadies shave their legs, off-roaders don't. Simples.
I used to like being on the road as cycling off-road seemed comparatively way more effort. Then I discovered jumps, drops, berms and all the fun you can get yourself into on the trails and have never looked back.
Except London to Brighton. Do that every year and love it. Closed roads, marshals and pit-stops make road riding fun!
There are ‘rules’?
Only two:
(1) If you're riding a bike with drop bars, you must feign a miserable persona
(2) If you're riding a bike with something other than drop bars, then you must feign a joyful persona.
There are ‘rules’?
Yes for urban riding they are thus:
Always check the stair set is clear before descending.
Always be prepared to pull a wheelie.
Always have an excuse for not doing a back flip or snarky remark.
There's probably others
(1) If you’re riding a bike with drop bars, you must feign a miserable persona
I thought that was only whilst passing a mountain biker as some of them get very upset with the concept of people enjoying riding on roads?
I thought that was only whilst passing a mountain biker as some of them get very upset with the concept of people enjoying riding on roads?
The problem is, those "mountain bikers" may be in civvies and walking or driving when you pass them on your road bike so, to keep up appearances, always look miserable...
Hmmm. Well, as the OP, I'm finding this thread fascinating with some startling changes of direction!
It's cool that there's such diverse opinion and that's just as it should be. I think I've been MTBing (almost exclusively) for way too long. I think my body is now long, low and slack 🤔.
It's pretty clear though that there are plenty out there who really enjoy road cycling alongside MTBing, BMX or whatever other two-wheeled fun. So there's hope for me. It just might mean a new road bike, moving house to somewhere with quieter roads, changing my idea of fun, riding with a group, wearing Lycra.......😂
Cheers,
Simon
Except London to Brighton. Do that every year and love it. Closed roads, marshals and pit-stops make road riding fun!
Closed roads sound nice but marshals and pit stops (presumably crowded) sound like hell to me. But that's ok, I don't have to like everything you like, not liking all the same things, just like not agreeing on every single thing doesn't make us sworn enemies.
I doubt the majority of urban bike riders are out seeking “fun” – they are just using a bike as (a) their only mode of transport or (b) the most efficient for their needs at the time…
Of course but this thread is obviously not about them.
It's all relative. Once you've been married long enough everything you used to love is shit. So you take joy in whatever you can.
Road cycling is exciting.
I've scared my self shirtless many times going far to fast on descents with neither the skill not the seatbelts. To save me.
It’s pretty clear though that there are plenty out there who really enjoy road cycling alongside MTBing, BMX or whatever other two-wheeled fun. So there’s hope for me.
You really think the 1,000s of people who ride on the road in their spare time would do it if they really didn't enjoy it? I guess some masochistic times are out there but most are going to be enjoying it in some way. They may not wave, smile, talk to you etc,. but that is not a measure of whether they are enjoying it.
Maybe it is just not for you and if I was given a direct choice between either road or gravel/singletrack then I would go for the latter.
If you look at it from the other side, any roadies who joined us on our Winchester to Salisbury and back ride, on the King Alfred's Way, in Tuesday, would have probably asked the same question about MTB.
It's all down to what floats your boat.
Loads of people love Glastonbury, Love Island and Magaluf, but I'd rather stick pins in my eyes
Yes. Roadies shave their legs, off-roaders don’t.
Wait, does this mean I can't ride off-road until my leg hair has grown back?
What about gravel - as that's kind of a half way house, is leg stubble the way to go for that?
IME the interesting road rides need to have a challenge of some sort, or be done in a super casual toruing mindset. 200km over night, point A to point B a long way away, a large set of climbs can be interesting due ot the challenge. Local loops are dull for me if done with a rodie mentality
This is actually why 'training' is a useful mentality, it gives every ride a purpose, even if that purpose is 'go out for an hour and pedal as slowly as possible and call it recovery'.
My favourite rides recently have been short training rides where e.g. I want to do 4 efforts at a certain intensity, I can pick and choose sections of road (which are typically also Strava segments) and ride them hard, and recover in between. This gives you a wee bit of adrenaline from the sort of faux-competition against the clock/Strava, the endorphins from the intensity and effort, and the fun of trying to absolutely pin it along what are hopefully twisting, fun sections of road (I live in Perthshire, not even one of the exciting bits of Perthshire, but there are lots of twisting little farm roads, never a dull moment).
I used to enjoy big long aimless road rides if there was an element of exploration to them, e.g. spotting a big new climb on the map or trying to link together different towns/villages etc. Family life etc. doesn't really give me the time for that now hence more of a focus on the training side of things.
Has anyone mentioned the joy of a relatively simple, fast, purposeful bike? MTB technology is amazing but let's face it, having a bike with the bare minimum of moving parts, squeaks, rattles or maintainable components (I would ride fixed if I was tough enough for it) is pretty great, and being able to roll along smoothly at speed, cutting through the wind instead of being sat bolt upright with 800mm wide bars, well there's definitely a 'joy' of sorts to that.
Road cycling is exciting.
I’ve scared my self shirtless many times going far to fast on descents
Am I the only one who doesn't like danger? I like to go fast but only when there's no threat of horrible injury. That tends to put me off.
I went road riding in the mountains north of Benidorm a couple of times. Great roads, minimal traffic, no dick heads driving. It was a delight.
I’d fail on all three counts back here.
You really think the 1,000s of people who ride on the road in their spare time would do it if they really didn’t enjoy it?
They must like it, sure. I think it's safe to say there are more roadies doing it to some extent out of a sense of fitness/body control or other behavior patterns like that than MTBers though. There's always been a % of that type in road riding or other forms of riding where racing/performance is the main thing, it's part of the culture. Road to TT and Triathlon etc. In MTB people care far less about watts and all that stuff.
Ah scuttler, but it depends where your'back here' is 😉
There’s always been a % of that kind of type in road riding or other forms of riding where racing/performance is the main thing, it’s part of the culture.
Agreed that different types of cycling attract different personalities and interests.
Has anyone mentioned the joy of a relatively simple, fast, purposeful bike? MTB technology is amazing but let’s face it, having a bike with the bare minimum of moving parts, squeaks, rattles or maintainable components (I would ride fixed if I was tough enough for it) is pretty great, and being able to roll along smoothly at speed, cutting through the wind instead of being sat bolt upright with 800mm wide bars, well there’s definitely a ‘joy’ of sorts to that.
Yes definitely, there is the joy to a perfect bike for the situation - and its a hell of a lot easier to acheive that on road than it is on trails.
Yes. Roadies shave their legs, off-roaders don’t. Simples.
TBH, there's more benefit to shaving your legs for mtbing than road riding.
Trying to extract a kilo of well dried mud and grass from hairy legs after a ride is (almost) as painful, but much more widespread than peeling a plaster off a hairy (roadie) leg.
Bald legs if just drops off.
Ah scuttler, but it depends where your’back here’ is 😉
Happy to report that my "back here" seems to be one of the quieter corners of europe. My "normal" 2 hour loop i've actually managed to only be passed by 18 cars (i counted). I have another one i do where there's a 15km bit that runs through 3 or 4 little hamlets where i usually see less than 5 cars. Both ways.
Trying to extract a kilo of well dried mud and grass from hairy legs after a ride is (almost) as painful, but much more widespread than peeling a plaster off a hairy (roadie) leg.
Bald legs if just drops off.
Canoeists have bald knees IME.
Having hobbit legs meant they got bitten to **** this summer riding the bridleways as bugs get caught in the carpet.
They must like it, sure. I think it’s safe to say there are more roadies doing it to some extent out of a sense of fitness/body control or other behavior patterns like that than MTBers though. There’s always been a % of that type in road riding or other forms of riding where racing/performance is the main thing, it’s part of the culture. Road to TT and Triathlon etc. In MTB people care far less about watts and all that stuff.
Conversely, I end up doing more road riding than MTBing just because it's what's convenient (and CX/gravel somewhere between the two). I'd say most of the roadies round here just don't see the appeal of the "danger" aspect. So I'd say both tribes are out enjoying the exercise, it's just that some people have an overdeveloped adrenal system so get drawn towards "extreme" sports.
In the same way a lot of people just don't see the appeal of an e-bike. Why would you go out for a ride without the fitness aspect?
Trying to extract a kilo of well dried mud and grass from hairy legs after a ride
My legs are very hairy, I just wash them off in the shower and it goes down the drain.
Well, I used to - now I wear long socks when it's wet. It's a superb idea, no idea why it's not more common.
I used to end up with a layer of a sort of wattle and daub matted into my legs between the clay, grass and leg hair.
Thankfully round here it's mostly rocks roots and soil, very little clay.
So yes, that just blasts off with the hose.
Trying to extract a kilo of well dried mud and grass from hairy legs after a ride is (almost) as painful, but much more widespread than peeling a plaster off a hairy (roadie) leg.
It was a very muddy Mountain Mayhem that finally persuaded me of the virtues of shaving legs.
My more road-orientated teammates simply wiped themselves down with a wet towel and they were clean(ish) - clean enough to get into a sleeping bag anyway.
For me with hairy legs, it was a trip to the showers every time I'd done a lap. 🙁
Ah scuttler, but it depends where your’back here’ is 😉
Bizarrely it’s in one of the homes of UK cycling, the location of the UK’s only categorised TDF climb, the Holme Valley area of West Yorkshire. But I can mountain bike from the door so the prospect of knackered roads and psychos in metal boxes just turns me off (I had a road bike for a couple of years).
I’d say most of the roadies round here just don’t see the appeal of the “danger” aspect.
Danger.. It's just XC for 90% of MTBers inc myself. Riding off-road may be safer than road riding. Just look at the death risk and road rage on road.cc every day. Or, don't.
Anyway, I know what you mean - people ride for a whole load of reasons. Roadie culture is performance-orientated but that isn't saying it's why all roadies ride. I think bikes are like music, why would you stick to only one style?
The problem might be with parts of Northern England, as whenever I drive up there I notice how awful the driving can be.
Danger.. It’s just XC for 90% of MTBers inc myself. Riding off-road may be safer than road riding. Just look at the death risk and road rage on road.cc every day. Or, don’t.
Maybe, they just don't like the idea of crashing at all. Whereas even on an "XC" ride I kinda expect to at least end up sliding around a bit. They just want a sociable ride with a cafe stop and no drama. And would argue that the risk from cars is mitigatable by route choice and road positioning, whereas crashing is a dice roll.
Maybe not. I know a couple of road riders who when riding gravel for the first few times found a tyre moving vs the ground at all very unnerving. Perception isn't it. Perception of the risk from cars mitigated by their experience or routes / perception of the risk of crashing off-road mitigated by an MTBers tyres and line choice, not being a wobbly triathlete, etc.
It’s just XC for 90% of MTBers inc myself
This is interesting. Singletrack originated as a place that was something that was a bit more interesting than MBI but a bit more grown up that the gnarr shredders over at MBUK. But things have changed and the vibe I get from the forum these days is that XC is not real mountain biking and unless you are riding stuff that actually needs the 36lb gnarpoons that everyone seems to have you are really just a roadie anyway.
Non-XC mtb is just when you stop to chat a lot, and stop at the top of every climb. XC is when the you try a bit harder to be faster everywhere, but it's out fashion as no-one can be RS'ed anymore.
I used to do a lot of mountain biking but I’ve moved to more road riding. I like the ease of it all and just grabbing the bike and off out the door.
I like the feeling of fitness and being able cover large distance relatively easily.
I used to do a lot of mountain biking but I’ve moved to more road riding. I like the ease of it all and just grabbing the bike and off out the door.
Wait until you discover running 🙂
Running? Thats for folk who have forgotten where their bike is isn't it?
Just look at the death risk and road rage on road.cc every day.
Which they use to generate clickbait income rather than report the everyday reality of most peoples riding.
Running? Thats for folk who have forgotten where their bike is isn’t it?
Get In TJ!
'Fun Run'. Yeah whatever.
Sorry, I digress again.
Running is something we have evolved passed as a species. Don’t need to run when you’re the apex predator. Lycra versus baggies? Pockets, lots of wonderful pockets. That’s why my Endura Humvee’s are ace. Also, because I’m tight, they double up as normal shorts so I don’t have to purchase them. The Wuzzle of shorts!
Never got on with road riding, but I can definitely see the appeal snd it’s great that we all like different things. I’m a heavy handed fool with no skill so much prefer a chunky tyre bike even for just pootling. I also find road bikes ugly.
You only need two types of bike, road or MTB. What's all this gravel rubbish ? LOL !
If something like that doesn't make you a little bit joyful you're dead inside.
Needs a like button
Canoeists have bald knees IME.
Canoeists are weird though. Kayakers on the other hand (to double down on the subtle differences between sports which most onlookers would go "they are the same") only have partially bald knees/thighs.
Road riding bores me tbh
If I'm riding somewhere that's got decent scenery & hills, all I do is look for where the good MTB trails might be
If something like that doesn’t make you a little bit joyful you’re dead inside.
Nice scenery, ugly bike. Stupid front wheel too close to the frame, rubbish brakes, massive stem, weird stays etc. Would look better with a nice hardtail
Roadie culture is performance-orientated but that isn’t saying it’s why all roadies ride.
Well, I used this evening's ride to visit a couple of nice country pubs.
I road ride more often than mtb, and love the distance you can cover as well as the simplicity of it all.
Originally I started mtbing as a means of getting out of exploring, before having a car, but I'd say my road rides are closest to that now. My mtb rides have become more focused around some element of technical trail riding, or at least flowy singletrack. So I pretty much always go to the same places (Surrey Hills, or perhaps Swinley or QECP for a change once or twice a year) where there are guaranteed trails and I know where they are.
For road riding, I plan most my routes around cafe stops. And in my location there are far more miles of quiet-enough, pleasant, roads than there are of trail, so it's easier to inject some variety into the mix.
I can't say I get overly bothered by traffic. Either I'm good at picking quiet routes, or just tune out to it. Probably the latter. I nearly always ride alone though so there's no inconvenience of interrupting a discussion by moving to single file, which no doubt helps.
A road ride is far more fuss free. MTB rides for me involve a drive to some trails (a gravel bike could be the answer to make the nearby trails more fun) whilst opening the door and heading out is very appealing. Not to mention the far lower maintenance requirement of my road bike, and not needing to clean it after every single ride in the winter!
I get far more enjoyment out of 4-8 hour rides than I do for shorter ones. Anything much under 2 hours just feels a bit too local (and busier too).
Would look better with a nice hardtail
Nah, with a nice hard tail it would have been pitch dark by the time I got up there.
Well unless I left the office early and if I'm doing that even a fat bike would look nice
If something like that doesn’t make you a little bit joyful you’re dead inside.
This.
Nah, with a nice hard tail it would have been pitch dark by the time I got up there
And most definitely this...
For me with hairy legs, it was a trip to the showers every time I’d done a lap.
Sleeping bag liner FTW every time.
Sleeping bag liner FTW every time.
Isn't that a bit awkward to cycle in?
Don’t need to run when you’re the apex predator.
Running is how we catch dinner round here. Deer are quick at first, but tire out and overheat if you keep jogging towards them. Or sometimes we chase them off the quarry walls.
Roadies OTOH are limited to picking up roadkill, and MTBers rarely catch more than a faceful of cowshit. Now who's the apex predator?
If something like that doesn’t make you a little bit joyful you’re dead inside
Well other than the seat and bar tape not matching and the grass could do with a trim 😉
Well other than the seat and bar tape not matching and the grass could do with a trim
Are we not mentioning the mismatch bottles?
Well other than the seat and bar tape not matching
Who wants a yellow saddle? Weirdo.
Are we not mentioning the mismatch bottles?
Well you should probably also mention the fact the small one is leaking so its being taken home from the office for disposal as it's no longer any use for the gym. The black one is it's replacement, they're not really expected to match because they only get used one at a time normally.
Worse still I'm wearing a white shirt and bibs 😂
That's the thing with the road bike (well ride really) I guess, it got to 5pm and I thought sod it, I'm going to go the long way home, left my bag at the office and went, there was no forethought and planning in the morning about riding from the office. That doesn't work for the mtb, unless it really is a joyless mtb ride.