|   MTB for road training? | Dre
Jan 2, 2004 8:07 AM | | Hi, is it possible to get by with my mtb with road slicks for training? I have disc brakes and I am considering some Mavic SpeedCity wheels with road tires. Since the wheels are 700c, other than gearing what would be the disadvantages of doing my road training with my mtb. Thanks in advance for advice. Dre. |
| re: MTB for road training? | Kaparzo
Jan 2, 2004 5:41 PM | | I'd say the multiple hand positions, weight, and aerodynamics are the only things that separate road from mtb besides the gearing. I just got a low-end specialized road bike to train on (road bikes are great for the long slow miles needed for ultraendurance) and at first the 53 ring seems a bit much but you just need to get used to it and you end up going faster. |
| re: MTB for road training? | Fauz
Jan 3, 2004 6:51 PM | | A mountain bike is fine for training on the road as long as you are not training with other riders on road bikes. Mountain bikes are usually heavier and have greater rolling resistance(why bother with other wheels or tires?)which makes for great training-especially in the winter. I have several of both types of bikes. I grab a mountain bike when its cold or I want to do some back road hill work. The road bike is fun in itself but it seems like you have to do farther/ more elaborate rides to get a good training session in. Road bikes are smooth, light and efficient-great for covering big distances in a small amount of time. But if you are a mountain biker at heart, why not just train on your hardtail? I have a rigid singlespeed hardtail with a 44x18 gear combo that turns a short, easy road bike ride into a challenging training session. Again, road biking on a road bike is a sport in itself and if that motivates you to train then that is fine. But, if you are by yourself a mountain bike on the road will give you a great workout when you can't ride the trails. |
| re: MTB for road training? | refuel
Jan 4, 2004 7:35 AM | | yeah, like Fauz says, with an mtb and slicks, you'll run out of gearing. Stay with the mtb, and use old knobby tires so you don't wear out your good ones.
Actually with a roadie, you change your position, and pedalling is a bit different. Not ideal for mtb training at all.
Only reason to get a roadie is if you want to ride furthur (same workout though) or race with roadies. |
| I agree but... | Kaparzo
Jan 4, 2004 12:37 PM | | I think saying that road bikes are not ideal for mtb training is untrue. Although it would be sweet if you could ride mtbs all week and still compete competitivly, the truth is you cant. Filip Meringhe (dont know how to spell last name) the 2003 mtb world cup champion and mtb world champion trains 95% on road. While this is kind of ridiculus it shows that road training IS ideal for mtb fitness. Ryder hysjedal also said that sometime in the future he would want to race on the road because it is a higher level of fitness and roland green is looking to get a spot on the USPS team. |
| I disagree slightly. | xcmiles
Jan 4, 2004 3:48 PM | | While Kaparzo makes a good point, I think you are missing the point of the post of Refuel. The statement I read him making is as follows (feel free to dispute my interpretation): By training with a mountain bike on the road you keep the same position that you are racing with, also you will be used to your gear ratios etc. Come race day you'll be more in tune and familiar with your bike. Also, your seat angle is a bit different and the position of your back is not exactly the same on a road bike as compared to your xc racing bike. I don't think anyone here is disputing the fact that it is much easier to train on the road for xc racing than on trails, just is it necessary to use a 'road' bike, or in fact is there any penalty, or decrease in effectiveness if you use your xc racing bike. I have wondered for some time about this actually. For this reason I am selling my road bike (to make me train on my xc bike) to see if I gain any benefit, or lose fitness. In the end in my opinion a bike is a bike, you'll be better off doing rides everyday on any bike than not doing them at all. |
| I agree that riding is all that it is about... | Kaparzo
Jan 5, 2004 8:39 AM | | whatever you do it on, its bound to help, i was just making a case for the opposite. |
| I'll be interested to hear your results. | free-agent
Jan 6, 2004 9:52 AM | | I, like many others, do long slow rides on the road. Have you ever done 3-5 hour road rides on your mtb? I personally find it very difficult. Another HUGE benefit of having a road bike (actually I use a cross bike) is being able to do group road rides with guys that are much faster than me. There is no way I could ride with those guys, even with slicks, on the mtb.
I really don't think riding the mtb on the road will make you more in tune with your mtb. We all spend countless hours on them already so I find it hard to believe that I could be any more in tune with it.
Keep us posted on your experiment. |
| Disagree | ozone
Jan 5, 2004 11:55 AM | | "Actually with a roadie, you change your position, and pedalling is a bit different. Not ideal for mtb training at all."
The position is different. You will typically be more stretched out which will help to increase your flexibility and strengthen your back muscles more then just riding a mtb all the time. The cranks are usually a little shorter which will help to develop leg speed.
"Only reason to get a roadie is if you want to ride furthur (same workout though) or race with roadies."
On a road bike you can control the effort much easier then you can on a mtb, harder or easier. Yes get a road bike and ride with roadies. You will find the rides may be some of the toughest ride you have ever done. If the pace is high you may find you have to push yourself beyond anything you have experienced to stay in the group or you may develop higher peak watts going for the city limit sprint sign. Try early season road races. Usually they are not a 100% effort until the end so you will get some good training and they are easier to recover from.
Every Pro mountain biker spends at least half of there training time on a road bike for a reason. |
| Real reason roadbike can help... | refuel
Jan 5, 2004 4:58 PM | | ...go ride with the roadies and find out. Like ozone said, the rides are fun and test you in different ways. Some races are long. Some are intense. You do things you would never do on an mtb. It also gives the 'mtb part of your brain' a break.
Many mtb racers ride road because they also race road, or plan to one day.
btw, don't get me wrong, I use my roadbike often for training. Convenient to hop on it, ride it and put it away. No mud, tuning, fixing etc. |
| How hard to push the pedals. | Berkeley Mike
Jan 11, 2004 6:13 PM | | One of the threads here suggested that staying on the mtb will keep you in tune with your rig, especially where your shifting is concerned. It rings of truth at first blush but it falls apart with examination. As soon as you put slicks on the bike and pump up the pressure all of your shifting habits have to change because your resistance has changed radically. Secondly, you will run out of gears pretty quickly and be flailing about before you know it.
While climbing and traction can be issues on the road, wind resistance and maintaining pace in the face of it, is the biggest factor. To manage this the road bike provides you with a better position. What you end up with is more leg over time; at the end of certain pitches on the dirt you seem to have a bit more than you used to; your ability to press the pedals harder for longer is improved.
One might suggest that sitting up in the wind gives you a harder workout and I couldn't disagree. At the same time, thogh, you could sling sandbags over your shoulders to increase your weight and make the workout harder, too, Why bother?
For my part if you are going to ride on a road use a road bike. |
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