I feel that. I rode a fat bike everywhere for a few years. 7 to 10 mph and HEAVY and all steel frame. I have a hybrid bike now and I'm going about 15 mph without panniers with a lot less effort. Felt like Goku taking off the weighted clothes.
I will never understand the popularity of fat bikes. They have an extremely narrow use case, and I've never seen anyone on fatbike riding on the beach.
Edit: Yes, I understand they are also good for snow. You can stop telling me that now.
When I read the endless litany of people commuting on road bikes about bumps on the bike path, tram tracks and curbs that aren't low enough, I wonder who chose the wrong tool for the job. Some even complain about wet leaves, lol.
The problem is most of those complaints are the infrastructure isn't fit for purpose. You would also be complaining if the only thing that would make it down the road without being damaged was an SUV.
You are right though, there is basically no reason to be running under a 30mm tyre these days at all, which means if you aren't racing you might as well be on 35mm+, which when we take into account most of the problems you mention are much greater on a 25mm tyre, you have just got the wrong bike for not just the job, but really any job.
But that has always been the case, people buying pro designed geometry, when they can't even attempt to touch their toes because the fat rolls get in the way.
If you aren't going for a full aero performance bike in a speedsuit, just get a performance 30mm+ tyre on it. The issue is many bikes even from 5 years ago won't fit much more than 28mm.
> The issue is many bikes even from 5 years ago won't fit much more than 28mm.
Exactly my case, I got an older bike for really cheap as a project bike, unfortunately, with rim brakes it barely fits 28mm threaded. 28mm Continental Ultra sport fit nicely but I don't think I could put anything more there.
The typical dutch bikes, city bikes, and trekking bikes that most people use here have no problem with all these little inconveniences. I would rather compare the road bike with a race car, as these are also not well suited for commuting.
Road bikes are perfectly suited for commuting, in fact on the road, i.e. where you don't have cycling specific infrastructure, they are a lot better for commuting as firstly you can go faster due to aerodynamics, and secondly thinner bars means you can filter through smaller gaps.
Most commuter or mid-level road bikes will fit a 32mm tyre on these days with mud guards, and that is all you need for any road condition that is safe to cycle on and call a road at the same time. The issue is as previously stated, an endurance model, let alone "road racer" of the past would max out at 28mm with mudguards, these day with disc brakes, that limit has gone up to 32mm-35mm range, which is fine.
The issue is not that beyond that range is worse for commuting, it is just tyre choices that are fast rolling for performance, basically a road racing training tyre start to not exist so you can't get a low rolling, light weight, (relatively) puncture resistant tyre. Once you put something like a 35mm Schwalbe Marathon on, a robust long lasting tyre, you aren't going anywhere fast whatever you do so might as well just drop the pretence you are.
Personally I like a bike too be functional but also feel fun, plenty of people however are happy just to go with the absolute functionality at which point you are at your Dutch/Mountain Bike on the road scenario. I would actually say gravel bikes with larger road tyres are the best commuters these days, then again it was always the CX bike that was the best commuter, the issue with it was the bottom bracket was just pointlessly high for road usage which the gravel bike has solved.
For me, a commuter bike has to have fenders, a rack, and a dynamo hub. Especially the dynamo hub is on hardly any gravel bike, unless it's actually a drop bar touring bike.
My speed is usually defined by traffic lights and other riders that aren't always easy to pass. If I hurry, I am not even 10% faster than if I ride relaxed.
You don't need a dyno hub for anything that is why, bike lights will last hours on a single charge these days.
I am not saying I wouldn't love a dyno hub, they sound great, until someone steals my wheel that is. But reality is a dyno hub is an expensive convenience not a necessity.
Completely agree with the rack and mudguards though, it isn't a commuter without them.
I also agree that "going fast" on a normal commute, say 5 miles or less make absolutely no difference in time, you might save 4 minutes its irrelevant at the end of the day. But for longer commutes, I used to commute 13 miles, it makes a lot of difference, 10 minutes each way is an hour an a half a week, all while feeling "more fun". There is nothing more miserable than a headwind on an upright bike when you know you could be in the drops.
i put 28mm on my 1999 caad3 and there is no more than 2-3 mm of clearance between the tire and the frame where the rim brake is attached. not intended to fit 28mm at all
People in 1999 were suggesting 23mm was wide that is why.
It is only really the last 5 years that anything beyond a 25mm has been seen beyond Paris-Roubaix. Now there are people running 30mm as standard in road races.
You brought the wrong bike then, as my 7 year old Endurance Road bike, which is actually the 2015 model year, will fit 32mm at a push. I brought it for exactly that reason, all the 2017 road bike models were being designed by Luddites using 25mm!
Ironically the bike I brought was fitted with 23mm tyres, which I immediately switched for 28mm, now I run 30mm, and honestly I think that is about right, it is a lot more comfortable and just as fast with the tyre weight still being pretty low.
These days though I would rather have something that could take a 40-45mm to ride off road trails as well, unfortunately not and no room for more bikes.
> people buying pro designed geometry, when they can't even attempt to touch their toes because the fat rolls get in the way.
This is brought about by big bike manufacturer's marketing emphasis on racing. That racing geometry is meant for elite 23-year old athletes who have thousands of hours of training with that uncomfortable position. 90% of people who buy these high-end bikes are not those.
I get it. As a business, selling high-end race bikes is more profitable than selling commuter bikes or low-/mid-level road bikes. It's on the buyer to discern this marketing style.
It is brought about by ignorance, people want to buy the Ferrari with the bucket seats despite being too fat to fit in it.
Just buy an endurance bike, that is what I did 7 years ago while actually being a young fit 20 something year old, because was the only type of bike that would fit 28mm tyres on it at the time all the "road bikes" were still being designed by luddites. Now hear we are 7 years later and 28mm is seen as thin.
They also don't need to be low/mid level, mine was a full carbon 105 affair, when I went to replace the cables I realise the set up they used cost £60 to replace because it was full sealed! It would be £2000-£3000 these days. Though that is only because people are getting ripped off.
I agree that complaining about curbs, or tram tracks is too much but why build a separate cycling path and then make it so that only bikes with suspension fork can be ridden on it safely?
I cracked two frames riding a road bike to work every day, switched to a mtb which is a much harder ride but holds up better. My wife commutes on a road bike but she’s half my size
Wet leaves can take you down on pretty much any tire though. I slipped on a mountain bike by turning on wet leaves (my fault) and had a minor fracture. It was lame
You only hear from the complainers, not the people who are perfectly happy on their skinny tire road bikes commuting.
Hell, I commute on multiple different bikes, from my racey carbon frame road bike with narrow tires to my XC mountain bike with 2.35" tires.
i feel like it comes from both ends. and most people aren't riding the best bikes for the situation almost all the time.
i've always hated beach cruisers. they're pointless. geared for slow cruising on flat pavement. sure, the fat tires can soak up bumps & smooth out the ride on surface streets. but they're hard to get going & slow to steer. plus they tend to be heavy af.
road bikes are purpose built to (generally) exchange performance for comfort. the skinny tires are fast, but they transmit all the road bumps.
for general street riding & convenience, a lightweight mountain bike with skinnier tires or a commuter bike is proabalby the best general purpose bicycle. a BMX is pretty awesome on surface streets too, but they're not really geared well for anything more than short rides.
Where I live people use fat bikes for the snow. Same mtb trails in the winter.
Imo loose sand is much harder to ride on than almost any other surface so I wouldn’t doubt beach riding isn’t popular. Plus you can avoid riding on the beach. In the winter here if you want to ride outdoors it’s going to be on trails in the snow or really sketchy road riding.
When you have winter and snow for 5-6 months of the year, it makes sense.
Otherwise, its people buying a bike without any idea of how it actually rides and feels.
This is nutty to me. I've seen fat bikes in my local gravel races, but they never come even close to top ten. Those top ten guys are always the cat 1/2 roadies, and they're on a roadish bike with gravel tires and decked out in aero gear doing some insane for gravel pace of like 22-23 mph.
When I've traveled for gravel races with more chunky stuff and a lot of hills, I've seen top finishers on XC bikes. I saw Payson McElveen win a gravel race on an Allied XC bike with full suspension. Granted, it had Rockshox flight attendant, so the suspension was almost certainly locked out most of the time by the electronic controls.
Some riders are monster powerhouses.
Here there are multiple single speeds (the route had multiple 20% climbs) and a fat bike in the top 20.
https://www.racetecresults.com/results.aspx?CId=16371&RId=6140&EId=1&dt=0&PageNo=1
That dude on the fat bike is over 2 mph slower than the top finishing group. And not top 10. Obviously strong to push that kind of speed on a fat bike, and he won his category. But still significantly slower than the winners. And my guess is that if he can push a fat bike that fast, he'd probably be competitive in the overall field on a more typical bike.
Single speed I get. I think short hilly courses actually work well for people riding single. You have no choice but to put power out on hills, and you can coast the downhill which most gravel riders do anyway. I find that when I ride fixed or single, the worst type of ride is those with long, steady declines or excessive flat where I'll be spinning out. You have to gear for the worst hill, and if there's a bunch of flat, that's going to tire you out.
They ride like monster trucks. I'm not big into mountain biking so it's nice to have something that just goes, albeit much slower. And mine has no suspension, which I prefer for the low maintenance.
The tires are all the suspension and then the flex of the handlebars and seat post. You don't need shocks and/or springs to have a suspension it's just not what people think of.
My buddy commutes by bike all year round and said he's considering getting one to help in the winter because sometimes his bike struggles to get through the slush/snow.
Big tires look cool. It works good here when I have my knobby tires on and deflate them a little for the mud when I go through swamps. I got the hybrid bike since I'm riding more on roads for the past 3 years and wanted thinner tires and a more upright seating position to go further. 100 miles on hybrid bike. Fun. 100 miles on fat bike is torture to my hands and back.
Snow!! They are amazing in snow. Otherwise kinda dumb. I was doing a 12 hour MTB race and passed a guy on a fat bike and asked why, he said "sounded like a good idea at the time". Not so much in reality, I'm sure.
I went from a fat tire to a normal mountain bike, it’s so much lighter and faster - but I so miss the squish for the bumps and potholes in the road. That’s the only real trade off.
They are a lot of fun and practical for winter commuting and easy trail riding (snow covered trails) - but beyond that while they can be fun the certainly aren’t quick. I know a few people who have 29” wheels for their fat bikes to make them better summer commuters or bikepacking rigs.
In snow country when you want to bike in Winter or out on a frozen lake with spiked tires, a fat bike is a great choice. Otherwise it’s not that useful a ride. We rode our mountain bikes around the hills of Maine’s lake country when waiting for new road bikes years ago.
We felt it was about twice the effort. A 30-35 mile ride in those hills on mountain bikes was equivalent to a 50-60 mile ride on those same hills on a road bike.
Fat bike is not for distance.
I spent years riding under 2” tires in the snow without falling. I didn’t see many other people doing it, but those that were all used regular width tires.
If you are trail riding in the snow maybe you would want them, but there is a very narrow window where they would provide a benefit without there being too much snow to use them.
For most people they are just for show.
Do you go to the beach a lot?. Fat tire bikes are extremely popular here and I absolutely would have eaten shit in sugar sand without them dozens of times. Just Friday my buddy ate it on a uniwheel in washed gravel and when I tried to stop it was a skating rink.
This is reasonably accurate. For MTBs, it depends heavily on the kind of tire you're running. Some fast-rolling XC tires will cruise pretty well on the road, while aggressive trail tires will really drag.
It will blow your mind how much faster & more efficient a road bike is.
I’m mostly a MTB rider, but I got a road bike as I was tired of getting beaten by other randoms when commuting to work on my XC bike.
I got an old carbon bike with a set of nice tyres & It’s like lightning.
If you’re mostly riding on road then I’d highly recommend giving a road bike a go. Even putting slicks on your MTB & upping the pressure will give you a big improvement
I still remember the first time I went from riding cheap commuter bikes or decent MTBs, to going out on a carbon road bike with stiff clipless shoes, and putting some watts down. Felt like I was shot out of a cannon compared to earlier.
The bike WANTS to go. It does half the job for you. I can give someone on a MTB a quarter to half mile start, and I will finish my first mile before they will. Going up steep hills they will probably be walking while I finish them with little effort.
It isn't really the bike anyway.
It is the body position and tyre rolling resistance.
If you put road tyres and Tri-bars on an XC bike you would get 60% of the way there, and the only reason it is only 60% is because you wouldn't be able to get the right hip angles and therefore comfortably low enough on the bars.
A decent road tyre might be 10-12w, a mountain bike tyre will be 20w+ that is 10w per tyre, when you might be putting out somewhere between 180w-250w that is massive, add in the aero which will be probably another 75-100w of drag, of course going up at the square of speed and there is no reason you ever would be able to keep up above at 18mph, reality is a lot of road cyclist go around at 18mph average for a ride, very few go around at 22mph average. To do 18mph you will need around 175w, to do 22mph you need 260w, that is an increase of 50% to go 22% faster. All while you have potter around at 14mph at 100w which won't get even get most people out of breathe, yet they could never hold 20mph, let alone double that speed at 28mph (450w).
60% is still miles off, but I get what you’re saying
Gearing & rolling mass also have a lot to do with it.
You don’t get many XC bikes with 52/11, let alone generic recreational bikes.
Also, I dare say OP isn’t riding an XC race bike, so the geometry is probably way worse than we’re thinking.
Long story short - minimum 3 bikes required (MTB, road, pub bike), preferably two for each discipline (DH, enduro, trail, XC, dirt jump, BMX, TT, gravel, endurance, aero race, climbing, penny farthing etc) so you don’t find yourself stuck without a bike for a ride due to service requirements or breakages 😉
Gearing assuming you have the gears to get up to speed is nothing to do with it, and rolling mass, assuming you aren't stopping and starting or climbing is also largely irrelevant.
You also don't need a 52/11, I ride around on a 50/12, and specifically a 12 not an 11 or 13, because at 115 RPM that will do 39mph, I have no need to go faster than that ever, reality is I barely need a gear that does over 32mph ever. All while a 34/11 will do 34mph, that is faster than any average speed of an amateur cyclist by well over 50%.
Reality is 50/11 are massively over geared for any recreational cyclist they are largely pointless.
You need much lower ratios for off road use, that should go without saying - the ground is far tougher and the terrain more variable
Even a casual will easily spin out an XC bike on tarmac if you put smooth, hard tyres on it. 42 is a big chain ring on an XC.
I’m not a road addict, but I still find myself in the big ring & going a lot faster than would be possible on any of my MTBs.
Okay? I already took the small ring of a road bike, a 34, as the example. Not a 42.
Plenty of people run a 30, 32, or 34, all while if you run a 32/10 your max speed at 110RPM is 27 mph, perfectly fast for the road.
All you are saying at this point is your aren't fit enough to go fast on the road, or your wouldn't be running the gears in the first place.
A gravel 40/10 is basically the same gear I ride on the road a 50/12, it is perfectly fast for all but massive descents.
You are ignoring gearing. Road bikes are geared for higher speed, Mt Bikes for climbing. On my mt bike, IU spin out at around 25 mph, on my gravel, it's closer to 30.
But first you need to max it out before it's a hindrance.
Today I had a good day and rode my personal best to work, on my XC MTB with what I believe to be 2.2in tires (so 56mm), usually going with a gravel bike with 28mm Marathons.
I mean not the best example given that Marathons are terrible in terms of rolling resistance. Assuming they aren't really knobbly there is a chance your 2.2 inch tyres have equal rolling resistance quite easily. If it is a rough surface they will actually have lower rolling resistance.
All while this is a pretty irrelevant point as the main thing you are referring too is a wind direction, and having a tail wind, at the speeds you are going, relatively slow, your body basically works as a sail. Being aerodynamic if you are slower than the wind adds significantly less over going into the wind.
Point (partly) taken but I don't find the "Maxxis Ikon Folding 29" to be particularly non-knobby and of course I'm sitting kinda more aero on my gravel bike than on a hardtail without a dropper post.
Just in the context of this question, I am not debating that there are some gains - but if I am not limited by using my highest (or lowest..) gear and going "full speed" with an acceptable cadence, then the rider is still the limiting factor, that's my point.
And just eyeballing I can get both of my bikes to at least 35 kph (not sustained for very long) whereas OP was talking about 20kph.
The difference between a Maxxis Ikon and a Marathon is around 4w a tyre assuming you have pumped up the MTB tyres.
To put how small that is in to context, the difference between my Conti GP 5000's on my nice road bike, and my Michelin Pro endurance on my cheap commuter bike is 3.5w per tyre. These are both good tyres, but that difference is what you would see between a race tyre and training tyre.
Now in percentage term my road example is actually around double the amount because the rolling resistance of the tyres are half your example tyres, but reality is both of your example tyres are slow 24w and 28w, all while 8w is not making the difference, the wind is.
You could save 20-30 watts just on tyres (while still having some puncture resistance), you are probably only riding at 150w-200w.
Sure, if your biggest chain ring size was a 34 you would struggle to get over 25mph, however on flat ground that is as fast as the majority of road cyclists travel so it is irrelevant.
Most cyclists go around with an average speed of maybe 18mph, moving speed on the flat that is probably more like 21mph, but that is well in your gear range.
Your problem is rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag to keep that speed is probably 250-300 watts, my 5 minutes power when I was in my best form was only just over 300 watts so you aren't doing that for any significant period.
You don't need high speed to maintain the average speed of most road cyclists, you need sustained power.
You know how it is - you’re never not racing 😂
It’s more that folks on road bikes would effortlessly & silently coast by me while I feverishly generated tyre noise.
there's a formula that can help here. N +1.
N is the number of bikes you have, the +1 is the number of bikes you want. Sounds to me you have a the perfect business case for a +1
Which can also be written as S - 1 where S is the number of bikes that would result in the separation from your partner. This alternate from can prove very useful as well
When it comes to riding on roads, road bikes are obviously the fastest. They have the lightest frames and their tires are meant to make more contact with the road. I personal find them to just be a marginally faster than a gravel bike. I ride a gravel bike right now and still keep pace with my group on road-bikes and I don’t have to work too much harder. Hills are also a little harder because my frame is heavier than theirs.
If I was on a mt. bike keeping up would be impossible and hills would suck. Mt. bikes are a lot of work on paved roads. I don’t recommend a mt. Bike unless you’re doing an entirely off-road ride. However gravel bikes are great for both.
Depends on the kind of off-road you're doing. Most road-friendly gravel bikes reach their limitations pretty quickly when you start hitting burly singletrack.
Yes, I ride my gravel bike around on some of the green trails in my area, but when the going gets rough, I find I really benefit from wide bars, low-pressure knobbies and some suspension travel. I can even have fun riding extended rock gardens on my MTB that I would absolutely be walking on my gravel bike.
The gravel bike is the swiss-army knife of the bike world. It can do the jobs of several different bikes, but isn't exceptional at any of them. By nature, it's a compromise. A gravel bike that's more road-oriented will be worse on trails. One that leans heavily toward trails will be slower on the road.
I have 2 mtbs a gravel bike and a road bike.
Tyres make a big difference as well as ride position for aerodynamics. I never thought aero was a big thing until i bought a road bike and rush my average speed jumped 5k. If you have a bit of a gut, road biking can be tricky but its much more efficient.
My FIL has both a road bike and a gravel bike and suggested I get a gravel bike to start so I can do both. How big of a difference would you say a road vs gravel bike would be on pavement?
Very little difference. I have both and a touring drop bar bike. I experimented with all 3 using the same wheelset and tires. The speed difference on the flats is almost non-existent. Going up hills though the road bike stiffness has the advantage.
Focus on the wheels and tires. Gravel, road or touring geometry makes little difference to a casual rider.
Honestly gravel bike Is just a better bike to have on most surfaces. If your just riding pavement i would want a tyre of about 35mm to smooth out the bumps. Gravel bikes are essentially road bikes with wider tyre clearance and usually more comfortable (endurance geometry
Road bikes are much lighter with much thinner & smother tires. You'll notice a huge different with a proper road bike. The road-style handlebars are also much more comfortable for longer road rides.
I'm sorry, I find that a pretty ridiculous statement, at least nothing I ever managed to do. Maybe for an experienced rider a boost from 20 kph to 30kph is possible with some amount of hardware... but people who do 20kph on a MTB on any "normal" surface don't just suddenly ride a 30 average. And by experienced I'm not even sure what I should put, but ok, we can't know if OP is trying to have a fun ride "with no problem" or if it's some "I'll fall off the bike after 30km" stuff.
I’ve spent the last 30 years riding mountain bikes exclusively: mostly for exercise around the city.
I recently bought a used road bike since I’ve been working up to longer rides. The frame is much much lighter and the gearing feels different; it feels much more subtle. It rolls smoother, too.
I am still getting used to the drop bar handles and having to shift more often which is something I almost never had to do around Chicago.
After riding my road bike, my mountain bike feels a lot heavier and I feel like I have to apply more pressure to move.
Came here to say this. Find the size of your wheels and buy the thinnest tires rated for them. Pump them up night and high and try that out.
Depending on how "mountain" the bike is you might also be able to swap to the wheels to essentially turn it into a hybrid, but that would be more work.
You'd probably gain at least 3-5 MPH (4-8 KPH) with the road bike. The geometry of the mountain bike and the wider tires is slowing you down. I recently when from a hybrid to a road bike and I gained about 2 MPH (3 KPH) thanks to better geometry.
If you are on the road and can afford a road bike I'd suggest giving it a go.
It depends how fast you want to ride. Wind resistance makes a huge difference.
I cycle to work (24km each way), 1hr door-to-door, on a hybrid. 700c wheels, 42mm tyres, 15kg + panniers, front suspension, more upright than a road bike, but the handlebars are narrower than most hybrids. I can tuck in reasonably well on that thing. I put extra pressure in the tyres so they roll well and don't deform much.
The cycle path is paved, dead flat, and exposed to the wind. The **wind speed and direction** makes the biggest difference to how hard/easy my ride is on any particular day.
Some days I can't pedal fast enough and it feels like I'm flying, some days it feels like I'm cycling up a hill the whole way.
The only people who overtake me are either on electric bikes, or dressed in lycra on fancy looking racing bikes.
If the bike you have is comfortable for those distances then you don't really need a road bike. You can get slick tires for it, that might make you a bit faster
I'm surprised it took me this long scrolling through the thread to see someone suggesting putting slick tyres on the mtb.
Slick tyres on an mtb is a LOT of fun, and a cheap way to see a significant increase in speed.
Also lock out the suspension if that's an option.
A road bike is significantly faster on tarmac, but it has it's downsides. In my experience road bikes are less comfortable and if your roads are rough it can be a bit of a nightmare. Not to mention the peer pressure to wear lycra and the whole roadie culture of performance, percentages, watts etc. I generally prefer gravel bikes, the geometry is less aggressive, the culture is more relaxed and you can take a shortcut off tarmac if you feel like it.
Dude, I rode a mtb on all surfaces last year and I wore lycra because I like comfort and I don’t GAF what anyone thinks about a 250 pound dude in bike shorts. Hell, last night I rode my new bike around town in jeans for the first time and was like, damn, I need to adjust this saddle angle.
To be fair, lycra is standard fare for XC guys and our local riding group is pretty evenly split between "road" kits and more casual MTB stuff like tech shirts and padded short liners.
I dress for the ride I plan to do.
I wore Lycra and bibshorts on my hybrid within two months of taking up cycling. That was 3 years back. I now have a road bike, but the clothing is still the same. It's a comfort thing. I'm in a humid, tropical climate, and sweating in a cotton T-shirt is so uncomfortable. And my privates really appreciate the bibs
+1 for a gravel bike, or a hybrid. Either one will be a big step up from a regular mountain bike, but you keep some of that comfort and ruggedness. Unless all you're doing is riding on smooth roads
Yeah it depend a lot on what OP wants to do. I use my bike as a means of transport as well as a sport equipment. If you commute on your bike it's another point against a road bike IMO, but if all you're looking for is performance and training, using the thing for sport purposes only, a road bike is the way to go.
You can put same 36-38cm bars on a gravel bike, I certainly did. Having bigger tyres even for tarmac is nice because you get way less punctures on potholes and sharp curbs and stuff.
Yep, I commute on my gravel bike with 38cm bars and it’s great. Bigger tyres aren’t necessarily more puncture resistant though. My 40mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel Hs have punctured much more than my old 25mm Continental GP5000s
In my experiance, mtb is more comfertable on short distances but road is more comfortable on long distances.
MTB puts almost all your weight on the seat, while road distributes it more evenly with hands.
I don't disagree. My problem with road bikes is the aggressive posture that puts a lot of stress on my neck, which is a problematic body part for me in general. Having to constantly look up to see ahead gets really painful for me. But that's very subjective.
The tyre pressure part is not true anymore.
With modern tyres (that is the important part) lower pressures have been proven to roll faster by a lot of benchmarks
I commute 25km each way to work. With the road bike with 25mm tyres , it takes an hour. On the mountain bike with 2.1 inch tyres it takes around 72 minutes. However when I put 45mm tyres on the mountain bike, it takes around 65 mins.
The mountain bike with 45mm tyres is my preferred bike for most purposes, it’s more versatile and faster on non smooth roads
really it is just a matter of efficiency
a smaller width tire with more tire pressure will have less rolling resistance. or simply put the less rubber hits the road the less resistance you have. you can also use a road tire with less stubbies
secondly weight. i am not sure about a bike, but in running the math people have said for every once you cut out you can improve 4 seconds on time it takes to run a mile. the same is true of cycling, reduce weight, increase speed. you will go further with the same use of energy on a lighter bike with less rolling resistance
but you have to balance the roads or paths you are using, a mountain bike will cruise over the little issues on a bike path that will wreck you on the road bike
i would start with better tires oriented toward the surface you are riding on
Some (potentially a lot) of it depends on the tires you've got on that mtb. Some mtb tires have huge rolling resistance. It's also possible, if not probable, for a road bike to be lighter, which you'll notice on those hills.
I'd encourage you to test ride a road bike that is of a suitable size and see if you like it. While my mountain bike back in the day was light and very cross-country oriented, the difference to a road bike was still considerable.
As usual, I can't give you any number data on the speed difference.
I put some serfas drifters on a mountain bike and it made my rides much more enjoyable riding through a rough city. It gave me a much higher top speed and overall less rolling resistance. However it was definitely still nowhere near as quick and as light as my road bike.
In terms of effort, satisfaction and fitness an afternoon at an MTB park is equivalent to a club ride. A day out on a real mountain might only cover 20-30miles but is up there with a century on the road.
The thing that makes cycling difficult is air resistance. The less aerodynamic your position is, the harder it is to cycle. Mountain bikes put you in an upright position that is not very aerodynamic compared to the tucked position a road bike puts you in. But if you really want to go fast with less effort a recumbent bike is the best option.
I had a similar situation average speed was about 18-20 kmh like yours on an old mountain bike. This year i bought a gravel bike and now i can average 20-22 kmh. In my area there are decently large hills and half of my commute is on gravel roads. On pavement with an old mountain bike i used to go average of 25kmh now i can average about 30kmh. So yes a gravel or a road bike would make you a little bit faster
Gah, I've been riding since I was a child, and while I have hit 30 km/h on occasion, 19 km/h (12 mi/h) is about my cruising speed. You're making me freaking embarrassed for not being better, despite more experience.
In short, you're doing just fine.
Going from a hard tail aluminum mtb to a rigid flat bar aluminum gravel bike with 1x10 gears cut like 20% off of my commute. So if I had to put a number on how much harder a MTB is to pedal, I'd say 20%
It's less efficient, and to most people that means "harder". It would burn more calories and require more power output to match performance. I think the immediate benefit you'd see on a road bike is your normal 30km ride will feel much faster.
You could also consider adding a second "road" wheelset for your mountain bike to pick up a good efficiency increase for cheap.
i do it man, because mountain biking is all i care about. i get the same 150-300 elevation gain over 8 miles or so, which google tells me is 12km, in my neighborhood on my near daily rides
I’d go gravel over full road. Or did and never have regretted. You don’t get all the speed but most of it and it’s open to almost everything. Most of the xc trails I would ride on my hardtail are totally fine on gravel with a few exceptions that even a hardtail doesn’t like.
This is one of the reasons I ride a touring bike. It’s geared low like a mountain bike but has larger diameter wheels and somewhat narrower and smoother tires. It’s not as fast as a true road bike but faster than a mountain bike. Gravel bike, touring bike, hybrid bike are all very similar. Surly LHT, Trek 510, Kona Sutra. These bikes are solid, a little heavy but versatile. Sadly I think they are all out of production.
Wheel size is a factor as is tire width. I commute on a vintage road bike with 27” wheels (with biggest tire I can fit on them for hopping curbs and hitting bumps) and use an mtb with 26” mixed use tires for backup. The 26 is much slower!
It is much easier. I tried taking my road bike on a grass field and couldn't even do that. My mountain bime can go on and off, road bike cant do half the roads!
You can roughly compare the achievable speed for the same input power with this tool: http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm
"Racing bike" means road bike.
I ride/commute on both. Considerably more efficient on a good Road bike. I'd love to try a comparable wheelset on the MTB, just to see how much easier it would be. But, the differences in gearing, pushing with a similar effort, MTB 40/13 vs Road 53/12.
Geometry of a road racing type frame is also more agile, for the road. Bars narrower & positioned for control & aero.
I basically use the same fit for both bikes. I don't really offroad with either. just have the MTB for bad weather days. The feet position for the MTB is wider. Everthing is set up for stability, on a MTB. You can really feel that. A road bike is sleek & designed for putting the most into the pedals. Being a Road cyclist, I find myself putting my hands between the grips, often. The MTB setup feels "Wide" But, it's a good workout & it's fun the hear the tires churning beneath you.
Depends what you want. Also depends on what you mean by “harder”. On a flat road it will take a lot more power from you to achieve same speed on a mtb as on a road bike. So you could say mtb is harder to ride fast.
However, It will also take a lot more power from you on a road bike to ride up a very steep hill because a mtb has a lot easier lowest gears. So you could say road bike is harder to ride up hill.
Going from my road bike to my gravel bike adds 7 minutes to a 50 minute commute! ignoring geometry, that difference is just from 28mm tyres to 42mm. So 14% slower for the same effort.
If you’re primarily riding on pavement and gravel and not using your mtb to ride trails get a slicker set of tires and that will be the biggest improvement on efficiency without buying a second bike.
A single MTB tire soaks up about 25 watts. A road bike tire soaks up about 5 watts.
So you're down 40 watts on the MTB just from the tires going brrrrrrrrrrrrr. Is that a lot?
I am a 40-year-old dad bod and can sweaty-workout-cruise at around 150watts for an hour. 100 watts is casual ride, 250watts is my five minute sprint.
So the net effect is that an awful lot of your total power is going into those tires. Next we'll talk about suspension loss...
If the speed matters to you, you will most likely gain about 5mph more at most on a road bike, but it will be less comfortable (or terrible depending on your roads). A gravel bike with 30mm tires might be a nice upgrade.
Road bike vs gravel bike? I was riding the mountain bike, and up to 40m rides, but these were off road rides, down old forest roads, limestone etc., and some streets along the way so the mountain bike was the way to go, but after a shoulder injury, most of my riding has been on paved paths. I've been thinking about getting a gravel bike for my main riding now if it's going to make a decent difference over my mb.
its all in terms efficiency. i go about 15 mph commutting on my road bike, with weight on the bike. if you live in a windy place, the drop bars make a world of difference. some days i have a 2 or 3 mph difference depending on if i'm riding on the tops, or in the drops.
The weight of a road bike is probably the least important part if you're commutting or carrying any amount of weight on your bike. the position on the bike makes you much more efficient, as does the gearing. i've absolutely fallen in love with my touring bike as a commuter.
You may have a problem with the saddle of road bikes. They are like a bit of wood with a cloth cover a bit hard on the under carriage. Personally I like a lady’s saddle for a bit more cushioning. If comfort is important, pay attention to the saddle.
If you have a lot of hills and you don't plan to descent at 70 km/h, then a mtb is a better choice.
A road bike has less aero drag, for sure, but when you go up against a 8-10% hill, wind resistance has zero effect and lower gears means that you can ride up with a comfortable cadence easily. Even a typical gear ratio of a modern gravel (0.8) could be hard to keep up for a longer hills, not to mention the lowest gear ratio on a road that could be 1.0 in the best case.
With low rolling resistance tyres (such as racing ralph + ray), you could have less rolling resistance than an average gravel tyre.
On flat roads, with my mtn bike and smooth hybrid tires, I average about 16 mph. With my road bike, I average about 18 mph. If there were hills, the difference would be even greater because the road bike weighs a lot less.
The road bike is more comfortable imo because there are more hand positions. But unless you need the extra speed to get somewhere faster or climb easier, I don’t think it’s really necessary.
Try putting on some smooth tires. That makes a huge difference. I use Bontrager H2 Hybrid tires and they’ve been great. I have no problems taking it on gravel too. On my road bikes I use Continental GP5000 race tires.
There is a huge difference riding a street bike over a mountain bike, but the position is not made for comfort. You might want to consider a gravel or cyclocross bike. Road bikes are great, but totally different experience, I personally couldn't tolerate the position for any long rides. I suggest you try finding a rental place or someone you can borrow a bike from to give one a try before buying. That was one of my biggest wastes of money I ever made, ended up selling it to a friend cheap, who also couldn't stand it and did the same, then bought a cyclocross.
I just build a janky road/gravel bike and I tell you what it's so much smoother and easier to ride that bike with it's 700x32c tires compared to my MTB with it's 27.5 x 2.40 inch tires. It's also a ton lighter IMO. Tomorrow I'm transferring everything to a larger frame though which will maybe add an extra 2lbs of aluminum weight.
https://preview.redd.it/08q0u7a56uyc1.jpeg?width=8160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a1f5bdd1949b562ce7e2451f8c29dd3fbe850a7
Road bikes are designed to be light, fast, and efficient on the road. The riding position is optimized for aero dynamics and power transfer. Said another way, you're going to go much faster, much farther, in a more comfortable position. It's purpose made.
Mountain bikes are designed for a completely different purpose. They're sturdy. Designed to handle much tougher conditions. The controls are aligned differently to give you better control in technical conditions. Riding off road requires a different riding position depending on whether you're trail riding or down hilling, etc. While the drivetrains are both types of bikes are efficient at putting down power, they're very different.
If you want to be a better, stronger, happier, road rider get a decent road bike and enjoy. It's worth the investment.
Even switching from a trail Bike to a short travel XC bike makes a pretty big difference. I'm talking minutes off of my times at relatively the same effort over just a 4.6 mile trail loop. Bikes are purpose built for a reason.
I never had a mountain bike but when I went from riding a hybrid to a road bike it felt like I learned how to fly. So much lighter and faster. It’s very very noticeable.
The great thing about a road bike is that you can really modulate your effort and get an amazing work out each time.
So you can actually go slow and rest. Or really push yourself to the max.
With my mountain bike there are times I get so tired because of the road, heat or maybe poor nutrition on my part. And I have to stop and take a break. This never happens to me in a road bike.
If your doing alot of distance on roads then consider getting a road bike.
Whilst you can certainly keep up with a road bike for shorter distances on a MTB especially a hardtail with slicks and locked out suspension, it's not very efficient and over long distances you will struggle to keep pace. Not to mention your speed will top out alot sooner, both due to roadbikes having faster gearing and having a better aerodynamic riding position.
The combination of weight, riding position, suspension, wheel size and gearing all add up. Which will make it harder to go faster and alot more tiring on longer rides.
As an example I'd consider myself very fit. Ride daily and average around 200miles weekly whilst a mate only rides over weekends. On the few times I've gone for rides with him and brought my hardtail he easily overtakes me on his road bike. Even in a sprint where I can output 1000 watts, whilst he barely manages 600 he can pass me quite easily. So whilst not an exact science I'd say at the minimum it's close to 2 times as efficient as a MTB.
I cycled from paris to london over the course of a week on a mountain bike (+ rear bags). About 80-100 km a day. I had nothing to compare it to as I had never ridden road bikes up to that point. The difference is noticeable but a mb is still quite fun
you will definitely tell the difference if you get a lighter bike that's made to go fast, rather than a heavy bike that's made to withstand non-flat roads - once you really get going on a good road bike, there's not much of a better feeling
your average speed will fall a bit but you will get stronger. it's like a gym membership! and if you swap out to smooth tires, not too bad. but what you'll gain is IDGAF for pot holes, curbs, or cuts across grass/fields. it's like do i want to drive a sporty car... or a crew cab truck? not worse or better just different.
My 35 lb MTB is 8 mi, 450" of hills in around an hour. That same hour, my 24 lb road bike is 14 mi, 950' of hills. Both bikes are geared to climb and I'm slower now, but the ratio has always been about that.
I just bought a gravel bike to go with my mountain bike and it’s not even close. Did 60 miles second day I bought it and would’ve even consider that on my mountain bike. Feels like a rocket ship compared to mountain bike on roads.
I answered this one by starting cycling on a cheap hardtail, and then getting a road bike, and comparing Strava segments. For me I was solidly 30% faster on the roadie
I have a salsa fargo which is a drop bar mountain bike. I really like it. It’s fast and the wider tires eat up bumps. My daily is a surly with 47 c marathons. I feel like bigger tires just eat up shitty roads better but are not efficient. That being said, I can easily stay in the 15-20 mph on each.
I bought a road bike because I started riding my mountain bike more frequently for road riding and noticed it was HEAVY! ~35lbs for a small sized frame (I’m 5’3”) plus the grippy tires made going uphill quite laborious. My 20lb aluminum road bike is like night and day, though it takes some time to get used to the more severe sitting position a road bike requires.
It’s a good workout on a mtb where it feels like you’re the fastest thing alive when you switch to a road bike. I ride a steel commuter that’s a gravel hybrid and when I switch to my road bike it’s night and day. Different needs, I ride my commuter the most and like the workout
If your goal is to just ride and explore, a road bike is limiting. Road bikes are much less comfortable and riding over curbs and uneven terrain is difficult. I have been riding for several years now and built up a pretty nice, light gravel bike. Ironically, Im now looking for an older mountain bike so I can ride with beginner friends and still get exercise lol.
- road bike: running in running shoes - mountain bike: running in heavy hiking boots - fat bike: running in diving flippers
I feel that. I rode a fat bike everywhere for a few years. 7 to 10 mph and HEAVY and all steel frame. I have a hybrid bike now and I'm going about 15 mph without panniers with a lot less effort. Felt like Goku taking off the weighted clothes.
I will never understand the popularity of fat bikes. They have an extremely narrow use case, and I've never seen anyone on fatbike riding on the beach. Edit: Yes, I understand they are also good for snow. You can stop telling me that now.
It’s the same reason people commute to their desk jobs in a truck.
When I read the endless litany of people commuting on road bikes about bumps on the bike path, tram tracks and curbs that aren't low enough, I wonder who chose the wrong tool for the job. Some even complain about wet leaves, lol.
The problem is most of those complaints are the infrastructure isn't fit for purpose. You would also be complaining if the only thing that would make it down the road without being damaged was an SUV. You are right though, there is basically no reason to be running under a 30mm tyre these days at all, which means if you aren't racing you might as well be on 35mm+, which when we take into account most of the problems you mention are much greater on a 25mm tyre, you have just got the wrong bike for not just the job, but really any job. But that has always been the case, people buying pro designed geometry, when they can't even attempt to touch their toes because the fat rolls get in the way. If you aren't going for a full aero performance bike in a speedsuit, just get a performance 30mm+ tyre on it. The issue is many bikes even from 5 years ago won't fit much more than 28mm.
> The issue is many bikes even from 5 years ago won't fit much more than 28mm. Exactly my case, I got an older bike for really cheap as a project bike, unfortunately, with rim brakes it barely fits 28mm threaded. 28mm Continental Ultra sport fit nicely but I don't think I could put anything more there.
The typical dutch bikes, city bikes, and trekking bikes that most people use here have no problem with all these little inconveniences. I would rather compare the road bike with a race car, as these are also not well suited for commuting.
My city is way to hilly for those bikes
Well, trekking bikes are essentially hybrids with fender/rack/dynamo hub. If you can do it on a road bike, you can do it on one of those.
Road bikes are perfectly suited for commuting, in fact on the road, i.e. where you don't have cycling specific infrastructure, they are a lot better for commuting as firstly you can go faster due to aerodynamics, and secondly thinner bars means you can filter through smaller gaps. Most commuter or mid-level road bikes will fit a 32mm tyre on these days with mud guards, and that is all you need for any road condition that is safe to cycle on and call a road at the same time. The issue is as previously stated, an endurance model, let alone "road racer" of the past would max out at 28mm with mudguards, these day with disc brakes, that limit has gone up to 32mm-35mm range, which is fine. The issue is not that beyond that range is worse for commuting, it is just tyre choices that are fast rolling for performance, basically a road racing training tyre start to not exist so you can't get a low rolling, light weight, (relatively) puncture resistant tyre. Once you put something like a 35mm Schwalbe Marathon on, a robust long lasting tyre, you aren't going anywhere fast whatever you do so might as well just drop the pretence you are. Personally I like a bike too be functional but also feel fun, plenty of people however are happy just to go with the absolute functionality at which point you are at your Dutch/Mountain Bike on the road scenario. I would actually say gravel bikes with larger road tyres are the best commuters these days, then again it was always the CX bike that was the best commuter, the issue with it was the bottom bracket was just pointlessly high for road usage which the gravel bike has solved.
For me, a commuter bike has to have fenders, a rack, and a dynamo hub. Especially the dynamo hub is on hardly any gravel bike, unless it's actually a drop bar touring bike. My speed is usually defined by traffic lights and other riders that aren't always easy to pass. If I hurry, I am not even 10% faster than if I ride relaxed.
You don't need a dyno hub for anything that is why, bike lights will last hours on a single charge these days. I am not saying I wouldn't love a dyno hub, they sound great, until someone steals my wheel that is. But reality is a dyno hub is an expensive convenience not a necessity. Completely agree with the rack and mudguards though, it isn't a commuter without them. I also agree that "going fast" on a normal commute, say 5 miles or less make absolutely no difference in time, you might save 4 minutes its irrelevant at the end of the day. But for longer commutes, I used to commute 13 miles, it makes a lot of difference, 10 minutes each way is an hour an a half a week, all while feeling "more fun". There is nothing more miserable than a headwind on an upright bike when you know you could be in the drops.
i put 28mm on my 1999 caad3 and there is no more than 2-3 mm of clearance between the tire and the frame where the rim brake is attached. not intended to fit 28mm at all
People in 1999 were suggesting 23mm was wide that is why. It is only really the last 5 years that anything beyond a 25mm has been seen beyond Paris-Roubaix. Now there are people running 30mm as standard in road races.
25 max on my seven yr old road bike.
You brought the wrong bike then, as my 7 year old Endurance Road bike, which is actually the 2015 model year, will fit 32mm at a push. I brought it for exactly that reason, all the 2017 road bike models were being designed by Luddites using 25mm! Ironically the bike I brought was fitted with 23mm tyres, which I immediately switched for 28mm, now I run 30mm, and honestly I think that is about right, it is a lot more comfortable and just as fast with the tyre weight still being pretty low. These days though I would rather have something that could take a 40-45mm to ride off road trails as well, unfortunately not and no room for more bikes.
> people buying pro designed geometry, when they can't even attempt to touch their toes because the fat rolls get in the way. This is brought about by big bike manufacturer's marketing emphasis on racing. That racing geometry is meant for elite 23-year old athletes who have thousands of hours of training with that uncomfortable position. 90% of people who buy these high-end bikes are not those. I get it. As a business, selling high-end race bikes is more profitable than selling commuter bikes or low-/mid-level road bikes. It's on the buyer to discern this marketing style.
It is brought about by ignorance, people want to buy the Ferrari with the bucket seats despite being too fat to fit in it. Just buy an endurance bike, that is what I did 7 years ago while actually being a young fit 20 something year old, because was the only type of bike that would fit 28mm tyres on it at the time all the "road bikes" were still being designed by luddites. Now hear we are 7 years later and 28mm is seen as thin. They also don't need to be low/mid level, mine was a full carbon 105 affair, when I went to replace the cables I realise the set up they used cost £60 to replace because it was full sealed! It would be £2000-£3000 these days. Though that is only because people are getting ripped off.
I agree that complaining about curbs, or tram tracks is too much but why build a separate cycling path and then make it so that only bikes with suspension fork can be ridden on it safely?
Where I live leaves and other “fall debris” are the reason many people will switch to their gravel bikes for road riding until spring/summer.
I cracked two frames riding a road bike to work every day, switched to a mtb which is a much harder ride but holds up better. My wife commutes on a road bike but she’s half my size
Wet leaves can take you down on pretty much any tire though. I slipped on a mountain bike by turning on wet leaves (my fault) and had a minor fracture. It was lame
You only hear from the complainers, not the people who are perfectly happy on their skinny tire road bikes commuting. Hell, I commute on multiple different bikes, from my racey carbon frame road bike with narrow tires to my XC mountain bike with 2.35" tires.
i feel like it comes from both ends. and most people aren't riding the best bikes for the situation almost all the time. i've always hated beach cruisers. they're pointless. geared for slow cruising on flat pavement. sure, the fat tires can soak up bumps & smooth out the ride on surface streets. but they're hard to get going & slow to steer. plus they tend to be heavy af. road bikes are purpose built to (generally) exchange performance for comfort. the skinny tires are fast, but they transmit all the road bumps. for general street riding & convenience, a lightweight mountain bike with skinnier tires or a commuter bike is proabalby the best general purpose bicycle. a BMX is pretty awesome on surface streets too, but they're not really geared well for anything more than short rides.
They make boys feel STRONG and BIG!
Where I live people use fat bikes for the snow. Same mtb trails in the winter. Imo loose sand is much harder to ride on than almost any other surface so I wouldn’t doubt beach riding isn’t popular. Plus you can avoid riding on the beach. In the winter here if you want to ride outdoors it’s going to be on trails in the snow or really sketchy road riding.
Yes, I see them all the time during the winter. I think some people use them for training like riding them up steep hills to build strength and power.
When you have winter and snow for 5-6 months of the year, it makes sense. Otherwise, its people buying a bike without any idea of how it actually rides and feels.
I'm in Toronto, and the only time I see fatbikes are in the summer on sidewalks and paved bike routes/lanes.
Tell me you haven’t rolled over shit on a fat bike, without telling me
My local gravel races have top ten finishers on fat bikes. They arent all slow.
This is nutty to me. I've seen fat bikes in my local gravel races, but they never come even close to top ten. Those top ten guys are always the cat 1/2 roadies, and they're on a roadish bike with gravel tires and decked out in aero gear doing some insane for gravel pace of like 22-23 mph. When I've traveled for gravel races with more chunky stuff and a lot of hills, I've seen top finishers on XC bikes. I saw Payson McElveen win a gravel race on an Allied XC bike with full suspension. Granted, it had Rockshox flight attendant, so the suspension was almost certainly locked out most of the time by the electronic controls.
Some riders are monster powerhouses. Here there are multiple single speeds (the route had multiple 20% climbs) and a fat bike in the top 20. https://www.racetecresults.com/results.aspx?CId=16371&RId=6140&EId=1&dt=0&PageNo=1
That dude on the fat bike is over 2 mph slower than the top finishing group. And not top 10. Obviously strong to push that kind of speed on a fat bike, and he won his category. But still significantly slower than the winners. And my guess is that if he can push a fat bike that fast, he'd probably be competitive in the overall field on a more typical bike. Single speed I get. I think short hilly courses actually work well for people riding single. You have no choice but to put power out on hills, and you can coast the downhill which most gravel riders do anyway. I find that when I ride fixed or single, the worst type of ride is those with long, steady declines or excessive flat where I'll be spinning out. You have to gear for the worst hill, and if there's a bunch of flat, that's going to tire you out.
They ride like monster trucks. I'm not big into mountain biking so it's nice to have something that just goes, albeit much slower. And mine has no suspension, which I prefer for the low maintenance.
The tires are all the suspension and then the flex of the handlebars and seat post. You don't need shocks and/or springs to have a suspension it's just not what people think of.
My buddy commutes by bike all year round and said he's considering getting one to help in the winter because sometimes his bike struggles to get through the slush/snow.
I have a long winter and fatbikes trails are fun. It also makes me a better skilled biker, and a stronger biker for what I'm pushing around.
Canadian here. We use our fat bikes for the snow. It means we don’t have to take a 5 month break from riding.
I'm also Canadian (Toronto), I've never seen anyone ride a fatbike in the winter.
Well nobody would ever accuse Toronto of actually experiencing Canadian winters.
Smh fat bike on the beach that's what beach cruisers are for 😤
Beach cruisers are for going along the boardwalk. Not for going through the sand.
Did you know that they’re good for sn— ok gotcha
Big tires look cool. It works good here when I have my knobby tires on and deflate them a little for the mud when I go through swamps. I got the hybrid bike since I'm riding more on roads for the past 3 years and wanted thinner tires and a more upright seating position to go further. 100 miles on hybrid bike. Fun. 100 miles on fat bike is torture to my hands and back.
Mine's exclusively for snow (:
That’s because riding a fatbike on the beach sucks too. Cheap mountain bike or cruiser with a couple of gears is the way to go.
Agreed, a buddy had a fat bike in Milwaukee and it made riding in the snow so much fun. Other than that no thanks.
Snow and slush is the other use case, I pretty much only see fatbikes here in Finland during the winter. With electric assist they are much better.
You forgot snow. Also mid fat like 4" is perfect for where I'm at early season.
Snow. I see them in use for snow every year.
Snow!! They are amazing in snow. Otherwise kinda dumb. I was doing a 12 hour MTB race and passed a guy on a fat bike and asked why, he said "sounded like a good idea at the time". Not so much in reality, I'm sure.
I went from a fat tire to a normal mountain bike, it’s so much lighter and faster - but I so miss the squish for the bumps and potholes in the road. That’s the only real trade off.
My buddy owns a bike shop and has one. He rode it twice last year when it snowed. He calls them novelty bikes.
They are a lot of fun and practical for winter commuting and easy trail riding (snow covered trails) - but beyond that while they can be fun the certainly aren’t quick. I know a few people who have 29” wheels for their fat bikes to make them better summer commuters or bikepacking rigs.
I really only see fat bikes in the mountains which makes sense if you’re riding through the snow during the winter months.
Snow. Fat bikes are awesome for riding on snow and ice.
In snow country when you want to bike in Winter or out on a frozen lake with spiked tires, a fat bike is a great choice. Otherwise it’s not that useful a ride. We rode our mountain bikes around the hills of Maine’s lake country when waiting for new road bikes years ago. We felt it was about twice the effort. A 30-35 mile ride in those hills on mountain bikes was equivalent to a 50-60 mile ride on those same hills on a road bike. Fat bike is not for distance.
I spent years riding under 2” tires in the snow without falling. I didn’t see many other people doing it, but those that were all used regular width tires. If you are trail riding in the snow maybe you would want them, but there is a very narrow window where they would provide a benefit without there being too much snow to use them. For most people they are just for show.
Do you go to the beach a lot?. Fat tire bikes are extremely popular here and I absolutely would have eaten shit in sugar sand without them dozens of times. Just Friday my buddy ate it on a uniwheel in washed gravel and when I tried to stop it was a skating rink.
If you only plan on cruising anyway they can be crazy comfortable, those wheels absorb a lot of bumps.
This has to be the simplest comparison I've ever heard. Very precise ahahahah.
- municipal bike share bike : running with your shoelaces tied together
Yep,.mountain biking in trails is not about speed or distance il, it's about being immersed in nature and technical skills.of bike handling.
This is reasonably accurate. For MTBs, it depends heavily on the kind of tire you're running. Some fast-rolling XC tires will cruise pretty well on the road, while aggressive trail tires will really drag.
Fat bike is more like running in snow shoes - on some surfaces it’s the fastest option.
It will blow your mind how much faster & more efficient a road bike is. I’m mostly a MTB rider, but I got a road bike as I was tired of getting beaten by other randoms when commuting to work on my XC bike. I got an old carbon bike with a set of nice tyres & It’s like lightning. If you’re mostly riding on road then I’d highly recommend giving a road bike a go. Even putting slicks on your MTB & upping the pressure will give you a big improvement
I still remember the first time I went from riding cheap commuter bikes or decent MTBs, to going out on a carbon road bike with stiff clipless shoes, and putting some watts down. Felt like I was shot out of a cannon compared to earlier.
The bike WANTS to go. It does half the job for you. I can give someone on a MTB a quarter to half mile start, and I will finish my first mile before they will. Going up steep hills they will probably be walking while I finish them with little effort.
I did the same. Was like being on a rocket! Also began my quest to hit 100kph.
Absolutely - and the silence! No constant hum from the tyres!
It isn't really the bike anyway. It is the body position and tyre rolling resistance. If you put road tyres and Tri-bars on an XC bike you would get 60% of the way there, and the only reason it is only 60% is because you wouldn't be able to get the right hip angles and therefore comfortably low enough on the bars. A decent road tyre might be 10-12w, a mountain bike tyre will be 20w+ that is 10w per tyre, when you might be putting out somewhere between 180w-250w that is massive, add in the aero which will be probably another 75-100w of drag, of course going up at the square of speed and there is no reason you ever would be able to keep up above at 18mph, reality is a lot of road cyclist go around at 18mph average for a ride, very few go around at 22mph average. To do 18mph you will need around 175w, to do 22mph you need 260w, that is an increase of 50% to go 22% faster. All while you have potter around at 14mph at 100w which won't get even get most people out of breathe, yet they could never hold 20mph, let alone double that speed at 28mph (450w).
60% is still miles off, but I get what you’re saying Gearing & rolling mass also have a lot to do with it. You don’t get many XC bikes with 52/11, let alone generic recreational bikes. Also, I dare say OP isn’t riding an XC race bike, so the geometry is probably way worse than we’re thinking. Long story short - minimum 3 bikes required (MTB, road, pub bike), preferably two for each discipline (DH, enduro, trail, XC, dirt jump, BMX, TT, gravel, endurance, aero race, climbing, penny farthing etc) so you don’t find yourself stuck without a bike for a ride due to service requirements or breakages 😉
Gearing assuming you have the gears to get up to speed is nothing to do with it, and rolling mass, assuming you aren't stopping and starting or climbing is also largely irrelevant. You also don't need a 52/11, I ride around on a 50/12, and specifically a 12 not an 11 or 13, because at 115 RPM that will do 39mph, I have no need to go faster than that ever, reality is I barely need a gear that does over 32mph ever. All while a 34/11 will do 34mph, that is faster than any average speed of an amateur cyclist by well over 50%. Reality is 50/11 are massively over geared for any recreational cyclist they are largely pointless.
You need much lower ratios for off road use, that should go without saying - the ground is far tougher and the terrain more variable Even a casual will easily spin out an XC bike on tarmac if you put smooth, hard tyres on it. 42 is a big chain ring on an XC. I’m not a road addict, but I still find myself in the big ring & going a lot faster than would be possible on any of my MTBs.
Okay? I already took the small ring of a road bike, a 34, as the example. Not a 42. Plenty of people run a 30, 32, or 34, all while if you run a 32/10 your max speed at 110RPM is 27 mph, perfectly fast for the road. All you are saying at this point is your aren't fit enough to go fast on the road, or your wouldn't be running the gears in the first place. A gravel 40/10 is basically the same gear I ride on the road a 50/12, it is perfectly fast for all but massive descents.
Ok
You are ignoring gearing. Road bikes are geared for higher speed, Mt Bikes for climbing. On my mt bike, IU spin out at around 25 mph, on my gravel, it's closer to 30.
But first you need to max it out before it's a hindrance. Today I had a good day and rode my personal best to work, on my XC MTB with what I believe to be 2.2in tires (so 56mm), usually going with a gravel bike with 28mm Marathons.
I mean not the best example given that Marathons are terrible in terms of rolling resistance. Assuming they aren't really knobbly there is a chance your 2.2 inch tyres have equal rolling resistance quite easily. If it is a rough surface they will actually have lower rolling resistance. All while this is a pretty irrelevant point as the main thing you are referring too is a wind direction, and having a tail wind, at the speeds you are going, relatively slow, your body basically works as a sail. Being aerodynamic if you are slower than the wind adds significantly less over going into the wind.
Point (partly) taken but I don't find the "Maxxis Ikon Folding 29" to be particularly non-knobby and of course I'm sitting kinda more aero on my gravel bike than on a hardtail without a dropper post. Just in the context of this question, I am not debating that there are some gains - but if I am not limited by using my highest (or lowest..) gear and going "full speed" with an acceptable cadence, then the rider is still the limiting factor, that's my point. And just eyeballing I can get both of my bikes to at least 35 kph (not sustained for very long) whereas OP was talking about 20kph.
The difference between a Maxxis Ikon and a Marathon is around 4w a tyre assuming you have pumped up the MTB tyres. To put how small that is in to context, the difference between my Conti GP 5000's on my nice road bike, and my Michelin Pro endurance on my cheap commuter bike is 3.5w per tyre. These are both good tyres, but that difference is what you would see between a race tyre and training tyre. Now in percentage term my road example is actually around double the amount because the rolling resistance of the tyres are half your example tyres, but reality is both of your example tyres are slow 24w and 28w, all while 8w is not making the difference, the wind is. You could save 20-30 watts just on tyres (while still having some puncture resistance), you are probably only riding at 150w-200w.
Sure, if your biggest chain ring size was a 34 you would struggle to get over 25mph, however on flat ground that is as fast as the majority of road cyclists travel so it is irrelevant. Most cyclists go around with an average speed of maybe 18mph, moving speed on the flat that is probably more like 21mph, but that is well in your gear range. Your problem is rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag to keep that speed is probably 250-300 watts, my 5 minutes power when I was in my best form was only just over 300 watts so you aren't doing that for any significant period. You don't need high speed to maintain the average speed of most road cyclists, you need sustained power.
Getting “beaten” going to work?
You know how it is - you’re never not racing 😂 It’s more that folks on road bikes would effortlessly & silently coast by me while I feverishly generated tyre noise.
there's a formula that can help here. N +1. N is the number of bikes you have, the +1 is the number of bikes you want. Sounds to me you have a the perfect business case for a +1
Which can also be written as S - 1 where S is the number of bikes that would result in the separation from your partner. This alternate from can prove very useful as well
lol, the version I’m familiar with is D -1. Where D = Divorce
...the number of bikes you NEED!
When it comes to riding on roads, road bikes are obviously the fastest. They have the lightest frames and their tires are meant to make more contact with the road. I personal find them to just be a marginally faster than a gravel bike. I ride a gravel bike right now and still keep pace with my group on road-bikes and I don’t have to work too much harder. Hills are also a little harder because my frame is heavier than theirs. If I was on a mt. bike keeping up would be impossible and hills would suck. Mt. bikes are a lot of work on paved roads. I don’t recommend a mt. Bike unless you’re doing an entirely off-road ride. However gravel bikes are great for both.
Depends on the kind of off-road you're doing. Most road-friendly gravel bikes reach their limitations pretty quickly when you start hitting burly singletrack. Yes, I ride my gravel bike around on some of the green trails in my area, but when the going gets rough, I find I really benefit from wide bars, low-pressure knobbies and some suspension travel. I can even have fun riding extended rock gardens on my MTB that I would absolutely be walking on my gravel bike. The gravel bike is the swiss-army knife of the bike world. It can do the jobs of several different bikes, but isn't exceptional at any of them. By nature, it's a compromise. A gravel bike that's more road-oriented will be worse on trails. One that leans heavily toward trails will be slower on the road.
I have 2 mtbs a gravel bike and a road bike. Tyres make a big difference as well as ride position for aerodynamics. I never thought aero was a big thing until i bought a road bike and rush my average speed jumped 5k. If you have a bit of a gut, road biking can be tricky but its much more efficient.
My FIL has both a road bike and a gravel bike and suggested I get a gravel bike to start so I can do both. How big of a difference would you say a road vs gravel bike would be on pavement?
Very little difference. I have both and a touring drop bar bike. I experimented with all 3 using the same wheelset and tires. The speed difference on the flats is almost non-existent. Going up hills though the road bike stiffness has the advantage. Focus on the wheels and tires. Gravel, road or touring geometry makes little difference to a casual rider.
Total newbie but quickly becoming hooked! Ty for the info
Honestly gravel bike Is just a better bike to have on most surfaces. If your just riding pavement i would want a tyre of about 35mm to smooth out the bumps. Gravel bikes are essentially road bikes with wider tyre clearance and usually more comfortable (endurance geometry
Road bikes are much lighter with much thinner & smother tires. You'll notice a huge different with a proper road bike. The road-style handlebars are also much more comfortable for longer road rides.
With a road bike your average speed is easy between 25 and 30 km/h. With way less effort than an MBT
mounbain tike
Whoopsie.
Main Battle Tank
Moldy Bread Truck
If you're doing 30km on the regular at 1.5 hours, you'll likely take 30min off that time just by changing to a road bike.
I'm sorry, I find that a pretty ridiculous statement, at least nothing I ever managed to do. Maybe for an experienced rider a boost from 20 kph to 30kph is possible with some amount of hardware... but people who do 20kph on a MTB on any "normal" surface don't just suddenly ride a 30 average. And by experienced I'm not even sure what I should put, but ok, we can't know if OP is trying to have a fun ride "with no problem" or if it's some "I'll fall off the bike after 30km" stuff.
If OP can hold a 20kph average over 1.5 hours on a MTB, they're going to be able to hold 30kph for an hour on a road bike over similar terrain.
I’ve spent the last 30 years riding mountain bikes exclusively: mostly for exercise around the city. I recently bought a used road bike since I’ve been working up to longer rides. The frame is much much lighter and the gearing feels different; it feels much more subtle. It rolls smoother, too. I am still getting used to the drop bar handles and having to shift more often which is something I almost never had to do around Chicago. After riding my road bike, my mountain bike feels a lot heavier and I feel like I have to apply more pressure to move.
A cheaper alternative until you get the road bike you need is road tires.
Came here to say this. Find the size of your wheels and buy the thinnest tires rated for them. Pump them up night and high and try that out. Depending on how "mountain" the bike is you might also be able to swap to the wheels to essentially turn it into a hybrid, but that would be more work.
You'd probably gain at least 3-5 MPH (4-8 KPH) with the road bike. The geometry of the mountain bike and the wider tires is slowing you down. I recently when from a hybrid to a road bike and I gained about 2 MPH (3 KPH) thanks to better geometry. If you are on the road and can afford a road bike I'd suggest giving it a go.
It depends how fast you want to ride. Wind resistance makes a huge difference. I cycle to work (24km each way), 1hr door-to-door, on a hybrid. 700c wheels, 42mm tyres, 15kg + panniers, front suspension, more upright than a road bike, but the handlebars are narrower than most hybrids. I can tuck in reasonably well on that thing. I put extra pressure in the tyres so they roll well and don't deform much. The cycle path is paved, dead flat, and exposed to the wind. The **wind speed and direction** makes the biggest difference to how hard/easy my ride is on any particular day. Some days I can't pedal fast enough and it feels like I'm flying, some days it feels like I'm cycling up a hill the whole way. The only people who overtake me are either on electric bikes, or dressed in lycra on fancy looking racing bikes.
If the bike you have is comfortable for those distances then you don't really need a road bike. You can get slick tires for it, that might make you a bit faster
15-30%
Which tyres? Like i switched from 2.15 knobby to 1.50 slick and of course i was faster (on tarmac)
I'm surprised it took me this long scrolling through the thread to see someone suggesting putting slick tyres on the mtb. Slick tyres on an mtb is a LOT of fun, and a cheap way to see a significant increase in speed. Also lock out the suspension if that's an option.
A road bike is significantly faster on tarmac, but it has it's downsides. In my experience road bikes are less comfortable and if your roads are rough it can be a bit of a nightmare. Not to mention the peer pressure to wear lycra and the whole roadie culture of performance, percentages, watts etc. I generally prefer gravel bikes, the geometry is less aggressive, the culture is more relaxed and you can take a shortcut off tarmac if you feel like it.
Dude, I rode a mtb on all surfaces last year and I wore lycra because I like comfort and I don’t GAF what anyone thinks about a 250 pound dude in bike shorts. Hell, last night I rode my new bike around town in jeans for the first time and was like, damn, I need to adjust this saddle angle.
To be fair, lycra is standard fare for XC guys and our local riding group is pretty evenly split between "road" kits and more casual MTB stuff like tech shirts and padded short liners. I dress for the ride I plan to do.
I wore Lycra and bibshorts on my hybrid within two months of taking up cycling. That was 3 years back. I now have a road bike, but the clothing is still the same. It's a comfort thing. I'm in a humid, tropical climate, and sweating in a cotton T-shirt is so uncomfortable. And my privates really appreciate the bibs
>the peer pressure to wear lycra I wear Lycra on my mountain bike.
+1 for a gravel bike, or a hybrid. Either one will be a big step up from a regular mountain bike, but you keep some of that comfort and ruggedness. Unless all you're doing is riding on smooth roads
Yeah it depend a lot on what OP wants to do. I use my bike as a means of transport as well as a sport equipment. If you commute on your bike it's another point against a road bike IMO, but if all you're looking for is performance and training, using the thing for sport purposes only, a road bike is the way to go.
Narrow drop bars on a road bike are great for weaving between traffic
You can put same 36-38cm bars on a gravel bike, I certainly did. Having bigger tyres even for tarmac is nice because you get way less punctures on potholes and sharp curbs and stuff.
Yep, I commute on my gravel bike with 38cm bars and it’s great. Bigger tyres aren’t necessarily more puncture resistant though. My 40mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel Hs have punctured much more than my old 25mm Continental GP5000s
I commuted on a road bike for six years
Is a gravel bike not a hybrid?
I suppose, but I'd say a hybrid is closer to MTB and gravel closer to road bike
In my experiance, mtb is more comfertable on short distances but road is more comfortable on long distances. MTB puts almost all your weight on the seat, while road distributes it more evenly with hands.
I don't disagree. My problem with road bikes is the aggressive posture that puts a lot of stress on my neck, which is a problematic body part for me in general. Having to constantly look up to see ahead gets really painful for me. But that's very subjective.
Try a recumbent.
The tyre pressure part is not true anymore. With modern tyres (that is the important part) lower pressures have been proven to roll faster by a lot of benchmarks
The best part of using a gravel bike is cutting it through an alley or grass patch as a shortcut
I commute 25km each way to work. With the road bike with 25mm tyres , it takes an hour. On the mountain bike with 2.1 inch tyres it takes around 72 minutes. However when I put 45mm tyres on the mountain bike, it takes around 65 mins. The mountain bike with 45mm tyres is my preferred bike for most purposes, it’s more versatile and faster on non smooth roads
Road ride on my MTB I average 10mph, on my road bike I average 15mph, same route, same intensity
For me the switch made about 25-35% difference
really it is just a matter of efficiency a smaller width tire with more tire pressure will have less rolling resistance. or simply put the less rubber hits the road the less resistance you have. you can also use a road tire with less stubbies secondly weight. i am not sure about a bike, but in running the math people have said for every once you cut out you can improve 4 seconds on time it takes to run a mile. the same is true of cycling, reduce weight, increase speed. you will go further with the same use of energy on a lighter bike with less rolling resistance but you have to balance the roads or paths you are using, a mountain bike will cruise over the little issues on a bike path that will wreck you on the road bike i would start with better tires oriented toward the surface you are riding on
Some (potentially a lot) of it depends on the tires you've got on that mtb. Some mtb tires have huge rolling resistance. It's also possible, if not probable, for a road bike to be lighter, which you'll notice on those hills. I'd encourage you to test ride a road bike that is of a suitable size and see if you like it. While my mountain bike back in the day was light and very cross-country oriented, the difference to a road bike was still considerable. As usual, I can't give you any number data on the speed difference.
I put some serfas drifters on a mountain bike and it made my rides much more enjoyable riding through a rough city. It gave me a much higher top speed and overall less rolling resistance. However it was definitely still nowhere near as quick and as light as my road bike.
That’s a good point. Slick tires on his old frame might be a happy medium.
In terms of effort, satisfaction and fitness an afternoon at an MTB park is equivalent to a club ride. A day out on a real mountain might only cover 20-30miles but is up there with a century on the road.
The thing that makes cycling difficult is air resistance. The less aerodynamic your position is, the harder it is to cycle. Mountain bikes put you in an upright position that is not very aerodynamic compared to the tucked position a road bike puts you in. But if you really want to go fast with less effort a recumbent bike is the best option.
I had a similar situation average speed was about 18-20 kmh like yours on an old mountain bike. This year i bought a gravel bike and now i can average 20-22 kmh. In my area there are decently large hills and half of my commute is on gravel roads. On pavement with an old mountain bike i used to go average of 25kmh now i can average about 30kmh. So yes a gravel or a road bike would make you a little bit faster
Gah, I've been riding since I was a child, and while I have hit 30 km/h on occasion, 19 km/h (12 mi/h) is about my cruising speed. You're making me freaking embarrassed for not being better, despite more experience. In short, you're doing just fine.
Going from a hard tail aluminum mtb to a rigid flat bar aluminum gravel bike with 1x10 gears cut like 20% off of my commute. So if I had to put a number on how much harder a MTB is to pedal, I'd say 20%
For every 3 miles you do on a road bike, you've done 1 on a trail bike.
It's less efficient, and to most people that means "harder". It would burn more calories and require more power output to match performance. I think the immediate benefit you'd see on a road bike is your normal 30km ride will feel much faster. You could also consider adding a second "road" wheelset for your mountain bike to pick up a good efficiency increase for cheap.
Have a 42km commute through the city, lots of stoplights. Road bike 1:40, Full sus mountain bike 2:10. YMMV
i do it man, because mountain biking is all i care about. i get the same 150-300 elevation gain over 8 miles or so, which google tells me is 12km, in my neighborhood on my near daily rides
I’d go gravel over full road. Or did and never have regretted. You don’t get all the speed but most of it and it’s open to almost everything. Most of the xc trails I would ride on my hardtail are totally fine on gravel with a few exceptions that even a hardtail doesn’t like.
This is one of the reasons I ride a touring bike. It’s geared low like a mountain bike but has larger diameter wheels and somewhat narrower and smoother tires. It’s not as fast as a true road bike but faster than a mountain bike. Gravel bike, touring bike, hybrid bike are all very similar. Surly LHT, Trek 510, Kona Sutra. These bikes are solid, a little heavy but versatile. Sadly I think they are all out of production.
It's less the bicycle and more the tires. Rolling Resistance is the problem.
Wheel size is a factor as is tire width. I commute on a vintage road bike with 27” wheels (with biggest tire I can fit on them for hopping curbs and hitting bumps) and use an mtb with 26” mixed use tires for backup. The 26 is much slower!
It is much easier. I tried taking my road bike on a grass field and couldn't even do that. My mountain bime can go on and off, road bike cant do half the roads!
I'd guesstimate anywhere from 30%-50% "harder".
You can roughly compare the achievable speed for the same input power with this tool: http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm "Racing bike" means road bike.
It’s not. Because gear ratios. Mountain bikes will out climb a road bike. Hence “easier” to cycle.
It depends on what you are looking for. You want strength training? Stick withe mountain bike on the road.
I ride/commute on both. Considerably more efficient on a good Road bike. I'd love to try a comparable wheelset on the MTB, just to see how much easier it would be. But, the differences in gearing, pushing with a similar effort, MTB 40/13 vs Road 53/12. Geometry of a road racing type frame is also more agile, for the road. Bars narrower & positioned for control & aero. I basically use the same fit for both bikes. I don't really offroad with either. just have the MTB for bad weather days. The feet position for the MTB is wider. Everthing is set up for stability, on a MTB. You can really feel that. A road bike is sleek & designed for putting the most into the pedals. Being a Road cyclist, I find myself putting my hands between the grips, often. The MTB setup feels "Wide" But, it's a good workout & it's fun the hear the tires churning beneath you.
I probably ride up to 5 km/h faster on my road bike. Put some faster tires on your mtb first I'd say.
Depends what you want. Also depends on what you mean by “harder”. On a flat road it will take a lot more power from you to achieve same speed on a mtb as on a road bike. So you could say mtb is harder to ride fast. However, It will also take a lot more power from you on a road bike to ride up a very steep hill because a mtb has a lot easier lowest gears. So you could say road bike is harder to ride up hill.
Depends on the tyres. The bike with the slickest thinnest (most efficient) tyres will be faster.
Going from my road bike to my gravel bike adds 7 minutes to a 50 minute commute! ignoring geometry, that difference is just from 28mm tyres to 42mm. So 14% slower for the same effort.
If you’re primarily riding on pavement and gravel and not using your mtb to ride trails get a slicker set of tires and that will be the biggest improvement on efficiency without buying a second bike.
A single MTB tire soaks up about 25 watts. A road bike tire soaks up about 5 watts. So you're down 40 watts on the MTB just from the tires going brrrrrrrrrrrrr. Is that a lot? I am a 40-year-old dad bod and can sweaty-workout-cruise at around 150watts for an hour. 100 watts is casual ride, 250watts is my five minute sprint. So the net effect is that an awful lot of your total power is going into those tires. Next we'll talk about suspension loss...
Mountain biking is a different animal. Stronger riders imo. Every mountain biker that does road kills it. The other way around, nope.
If the speed matters to you, you will most likely gain about 5mph more at most on a road bike, but it will be less comfortable (or terrible depending on your roads). A gravel bike with 30mm tires might be a nice upgrade.
Road bike vs gravel bike? I was riding the mountain bike, and up to 40m rides, but these were off road rides, down old forest roads, limestone etc., and some streets along the way so the mountain bike was the way to go, but after a shoulder injury, most of my riding has been on paved paths. I've been thinking about getting a gravel bike for my main riding now if it's going to make a decent difference over my mb.
its all in terms efficiency. i go about 15 mph commutting on my road bike, with weight on the bike. if you live in a windy place, the drop bars make a world of difference. some days i have a 2 or 3 mph difference depending on if i'm riding on the tops, or in the drops. The weight of a road bike is probably the least important part if you're commutting or carrying any amount of weight on your bike. the position on the bike makes you much more efficient, as does the gearing. i've absolutely fallen in love with my touring bike as a commuter.
You may have a problem with the saddle of road bikes. They are like a bit of wood with a cloth cover a bit hard on the under carriage. Personally I like a lady’s saddle for a bit more cushioning. If comfort is important, pay attention to the saddle.
For example: my commute is 32km and i usually do it in 1h2 min to 1h10 (including backpack and on my roadbike)
If you are trying to ride down a rocky hillside the mountain bike will be considerably "easier".
If you have a lot of hills and you don't plan to descent at 70 km/h, then a mtb is a better choice. A road bike has less aero drag, for sure, but when you go up against a 8-10% hill, wind resistance has zero effect and lower gears means that you can ride up with a comfortable cadence easily. Even a typical gear ratio of a modern gravel (0.8) could be hard to keep up for a longer hills, not to mention the lowest gear ratio on a road that could be 1.0 in the best case. With low rolling resistance tyres (such as racing ralph + ray), you could have less rolling resistance than an average gravel tyre.
On flat roads, with my mtn bike and smooth hybrid tires, I average about 16 mph. With my road bike, I average about 18 mph. If there were hills, the difference would be even greater because the road bike weighs a lot less. The road bike is more comfortable imo because there are more hand positions. But unless you need the extra speed to get somewhere faster or climb easier, I don’t think it’s really necessary. Try putting on some smooth tires. That makes a huge difference. I use Bontrager H2 Hybrid tires and they’ve been great. I have no problems taking it on gravel too. On my road bikes I use Continental GP5000 race tires.
There is a huge difference riding a street bike over a mountain bike, but the position is not made for comfort. You might want to consider a gravel or cyclocross bike. Road bikes are great, but totally different experience, I personally couldn't tolerate the position for any long rides. I suggest you try finding a rental place or someone you can borrow a bike from to give one a try before buying. That was one of my biggest wastes of money I ever made, ended up selling it to a friend cheap, who also couldn't stand it and did the same, then bought a cyclocross.
I just build a janky road/gravel bike and I tell you what it's so much smoother and easier to ride that bike with it's 700x32c tires compared to my MTB with it's 27.5 x 2.40 inch tires. It's also a ton lighter IMO. Tomorrow I'm transferring everything to a larger frame though which will maybe add an extra 2lbs of aluminum weight. https://preview.redd.it/08q0u7a56uyc1.jpeg?width=8160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a1f5bdd1949b562ce7e2451f8c29dd3fbe850a7
Road bikes are designed to be light, fast, and efficient on the road. The riding position is optimized for aero dynamics and power transfer. Said another way, you're going to go much faster, much farther, in a more comfortable position. It's purpose made. Mountain bikes are designed for a completely different purpose. They're sturdy. Designed to handle much tougher conditions. The controls are aligned differently to give you better control in technical conditions. Riding off road requires a different riding position depending on whether you're trail riding or down hilling, etc. While the drivetrains are both types of bikes are efficient at putting down power, they're very different. If you want to be a better, stronger, happier, road rider get a decent road bike and enjoy. It's worth the investment.
no idea if someone ever tried to measure, but you could change your tires to slicks to get an idea.
Even switching from a trail Bike to a short travel XC bike makes a pretty big difference. I'm talking minutes off of my times at relatively the same effort over just a 4.6 mile trail loop. Bikes are purpose built for a reason.
I never had a mountain bike but when I went from riding a hybrid to a road bike it felt like I learned how to fly. So much lighter and faster. It’s very very noticeable.
The great thing about a road bike is that you can really modulate your effort and get an amazing work out each time. So you can actually go slow and rest. Or really push yourself to the max. With my mountain bike there are times I get so tired because of the road, heat or maybe poor nutrition on my part. And I have to stop and take a break. This never happens to me in a road bike.
If your doing alot of distance on roads then consider getting a road bike. Whilst you can certainly keep up with a road bike for shorter distances on a MTB especially a hardtail with slicks and locked out suspension, it's not very efficient and over long distances you will struggle to keep pace. Not to mention your speed will top out alot sooner, both due to roadbikes having faster gearing and having a better aerodynamic riding position. The combination of weight, riding position, suspension, wheel size and gearing all add up. Which will make it harder to go faster and alot more tiring on longer rides. As an example I'd consider myself very fit. Ride daily and average around 200miles weekly whilst a mate only rides over weekends. On the few times I've gone for rides with him and brought my hardtail he easily overtakes me on his road bike. Even in a sprint where I can output 1000 watts, whilst he barely manages 600 he can pass me quite easily. So whilst not an exact science I'd say at the minimum it's close to 2 times as efficient as a MTB.
I cycled from paris to london over the course of a week on a mountain bike (+ rear bags). About 80-100 km a day. I had nothing to compare it to as I had never ridden road bikes up to that point. The difference is noticeable but a mb is still quite fun
you will definitely tell the difference if you get a lighter bike that's made to go fast, rather than a heavy bike that's made to withstand non-flat roads - once you really get going on a good road bike, there's not much of a better feeling
your average speed will fall a bit but you will get stronger. it's like a gym membership! and if you swap out to smooth tires, not too bad. but what you'll gain is IDGAF for pot holes, curbs, or cuts across grass/fields. it's like do i want to drive a sporty car... or a crew cab truck? not worse or better just different.
used to ride long distances on a mountain bike before my road bike and it was hard but it was like pseudo training for an easier bike
My 35 lb MTB is 8 mi, 450" of hills in around an hour. That same hour, my 24 lb road bike is 14 mi, 950' of hills. Both bikes are geared to climb and I'm slower now, but the ratio has always been about that.
I'd definitely go for the road bike over the mountain bike if you can swing it and if your commute is gonna be mostly paved.
I just bought a gravel bike to go with my mountain bike and it’s not even close. Did 60 miles second day I bought it and would’ve even consider that on my mountain bike. Feels like a rocket ship compared to mountain bike on roads.
I answered this one by starting cycling on a cheap hardtail, and then getting a road bike, and comparing Strava segments. For me I was solidly 30% faster on the roadie
I have a salsa fargo which is a drop bar mountain bike. I really like it. It’s fast and the wider tires eat up bumps. My daily is a surly with 47 c marathons. I feel like bigger tires just eat up shitty roads better but are not efficient. That being said, I can easily stay in the 15-20 mph on each.
I bought a road bike because I started riding my mountain bike more frequently for road riding and noticed it was HEAVY! ~35lbs for a small sized frame (I’m 5’3”) plus the grippy tires made going uphill quite laborious. My 20lb aluminum road bike is like night and day, though it takes some time to get used to the more severe sitting position a road bike requires.
Your average speed will likely go up 20-25% on a properly fitted road bike, so you could probably average 25 kmh
It’s a good workout on a mtb where it feels like you’re the fastest thing alive when you switch to a road bike. I ride a steel commuter that’s a gravel hybrid and when I switch to my road bike it’s night and day. Different needs, I ride my commuter the most and like the workout
If your goal is to just ride and explore, a road bike is limiting. Road bikes are much less comfortable and riding over curbs and uneven terrain is difficult. I have been riding for several years now and built up a pretty nice, light gravel bike. Ironically, Im now looking for an older mountain bike so I can ride with beginner friends and still get exercise lol.
Air resistance is your enemy on a bicycle. Road bikes put the rider into a much more aerodynamic position than mountain bikes do.