Road Cycling - Do people go from road bike to MTB?

I have seen a lot of threads lately about people converting from mountain biking to road biking. They say they should have done it long ago and they love it etc. . . I have not seen this in the mountain bike area. What is the deal?

Many a successful mountain bike racers were once roadies. Take a look at Ned Overend for instance.

i did. Used to race road about 12-15 years ago. Lost interest, then started mtb a few years back. Sooooo much more challenging than road, but I still can enjoy getting the old roadbike out and doing some miles.

but if I had to choose only one bike, it would be mtb without hesitation.

I'm going from MTB to RB. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop riding the trails at the local park. You can't really compare the two... MTBing is a hell of alot shorter distance, but grueling work.... not to mention all the obstacles in the way. I like RBing for the speed. I love riding fast. Not only that but racing on a RB is better for me than on a MTB. I was never a real fast MTBer, but I could get through it. I seem pretty quick on a RB.

-Dan the Man-

I can't sprint to save myself, so road racing doesn't suit me very well. Time trials were my thing on the road. The mtb races that I have done generally don't come down to a sprint so I think it is more about general ability. I like climbing too, esp steep switchback singletrack.

I do both. The roads and the trails here,are too nice just to stick to one or the other.

Heaps of the roadies go off road off season and whilst its not exactly the same many roadies now ride cyclocross in the winter.
And even LA tried a little mountain biking during the Tour this year.

i mtn bike primarily, but do a tiny bit of road biking .... i like how road biking gives you a nice break and you dont really have to think about anything when you are out riding in the country.

I started off riding a road bike, then recently got a mountain bike both are fun are very different. Not sure which I would say I enjoy more.

I ride both...started MTB first but found RB was easier to do because I could just hop on and go... Now I ride road bike to stay in shape for the grueling hills on the MTB...

Both fun...both can be an adrenaline boost...and both help wild away the worries of life...:D

So go both ways...life is too short...

Greg :beer:

Honestly,

I think all the threads about first roadbike etc are because road bicycling is the current fad du jour, just like everyobody dumped their roadie for a MTB in the early 90's.

Probably lance and the TDF have inspired people to try something new.

I have never owned a MTB, and got back into bycicling when I quit smoking as its what I did for excercise before I started smoking ;)

Roadie biking beign a fad is not bad though, if people learn to ride responsibly & get out there and ride, more cyclists on the road will get drivers more used to seeing folks hopefully and will make the roads safer.

Also, a few years from now when the fad is over, nice bikes will be easy to find cheap :)

take care,

Jester

I got into Mtn Biking from BMX, then I picked up Road riding.

Prefer the mtn bike, but for me to get to the trails, it's a major endeavor.

I like the road bike, because I can suit up and leave from the house. However, if I could hit some singletrack quickly, I'd rather be riding dirt than asphalt!

L8R

I'm w/ a2p.I have one trail 1/2 hour away the rest are 1-1/2 hrs min.So i had to start riding road just to stay in shape and get miles in. I have really gotten to enjoy riding road but if i have the choice i would ride trails any day.

Originally posted by jester69
Also, a few years from now when the fad is over, nice bikes will be easy to find cheap :)

I personally hope the fad doesn't go away. Just like how I don't want to see MTBing die because that would mean less innovation in that area and possibly less people to fight for trail rights, having road biking stay popular means that cycling will be kept in the public eye and having Joe Public become more and more accustomed to cyclists on the road where they're more likely to encounter them means that it will be less likely for them to dismiss us as an anomoly. I think this could possibly translate into a safer environment and provide motivation of a facilities and infrastructure transition for more cycling activities.

I like the versatility of having both. I am not a true MB, but I like the idea that if I want to ride in a forest with smooth trails, I have the option. I don't ride technical trails, I like to ride in comfort. Plus, here in Mobile, you are severly limited where you can ride. So having the option to jump on a sidewalk is great. I still prefer road bikes overall. Plain & simple, cycling is FUN!

Originally posted by jester69
Honestly,

I think all the threads about first roadbike etc are because road bicycling is the current fad du jour, just like everyobody dumped their roadie for a MTB in the early 90's.

Probably lance and the TDF have inspired people to try something new.

I have never owned a MTB, and got back into bycicling when I quit smoking as its what I did for excercise before I started smoking ;)

Roadie biking beign a fad is not bad though, if people learn to ride responsibly & get out there and ride, more cyclists on the road will get drivers more used to seeing folks hopefully and will make the roads safer.

Also, a few years from now when the fad is over, nice bikes will be easy to find cheap :)

take care,

Jester

If it's just a "fad", then it's one heck of an expensive one

I usually do both.. In the summer time I'm usually road biking and in the winters the old mountainbike is used on some nice dirt roads and trails :)

Anyway there are cyclists who turned the otherway around and gone from Road racing to MTB. I went the usual way MTB->Road.

Having more bikers on the road, being seen, changing traffic laws, increasing awareness, is a good thing. Having less gonzo morons with tractor tread destroying trails, causing erosion, terrorizing wildlife and ruining the serenity of the back country is a good thing

Originally posted by bikerchas55
Having more bikers on the road, being seen, changing traffic laws, increasing awareness, is a good thing. Having less gonzo morons with tractor tread destroying trails, causing erosion, terrorizing wildlife and ruining the serenity of the back country is a good thing

Are you implying that mountain biking is inherently an irresponsible and environment destroying sport? I think you need to pay closer attention to the mountain bike trail maintenance and conservation activities. Sure there are some of those that ride irresponsibly but think about it this way. Getting them off the trail doesn't remove their idiocy. It simply shifts them to riding irresponsibly on the road. And there's plenty of the same "gonzo morons" to be found there too. As for terrorising wildlife and ruining the serenity of the back country, one could argue that simply having a road there does just that.

Of course there are fine environmentally conscious folk who ride MTBs but I mean generally speaking that the more people you have in the back country the more the back country suffers. MTB specific trails in designated areas within reach of population centers are fantastic resources for good and healthy fun. However the whole marketing approach of SUVs and unfortunately many MTBs is that you should get out and rip it up in nature.... not a good thing.

Originally posted by bikerchas55
However the whole marketing approach of SUVs and unfortunately many MTBs is that you should get out and rip it up in nature.... not a good thing.

And this has bearing on how the majority of people actually participating in mountain biking how? If one were to believe the marketting hype, one would have to assume the roads were comepletely clear all the time in the middle of the day so you could ride your bike with impunity in the middle of the lane while breezing through downtown at 25MPH. Or if you happen to be in your little sportscoupe, you've got the entire city all to yourself to blow through intersections at 50MPH.

If you want marketting, here's some "marketting" that I think more people who participate in the sport actually believe in...

I don't jump on bandwagons or get into the latest fads.

I personally have been wanting a RB for a few years now and finally got around to getting one. I can honestly say, that I'm hooked. I can't see myself stopping anytime soon either.

hey to get to the trails you need to do some road biking with your MTB. i added road biking to my inventory because of touring.