Fifty Plus (50+) - Who has both and why?

Who has a road bike and a mountain bike? And which one do you ride most? I have been looking at mountain bikes and but don't know if I use it enough to buy one. Tell me what you think.

It gives you more options where and when and what to ride. I wouldn't ride my road bike on the local MUP with my kids, nor would I like to do a longer, faster road ride with my wife on my MTB.

I've got both. Actually, I now have 2 road bikes and one mountain bike. I ride the roadies way more than the mountain bike. Part of the reason is I would have to drive to any decent mountain bike trails. To ride the road bike, I just get on it and go. I find I can get a better workout riding on the roads than trails. Also, after doing a good amount of mountain bike riding in the past, I decided I really wasn't interested in all the technical stuff (riding over logs, across deep gullies, etc, so in the end, I was mostly just spinning in the woods instead of on the roads. Since the roads are more accessible for me, that's where I ride mostly. If I were near some really nice, long, trails, that could change...

Edit: leob1 reminded me about the kids. The mountain bike is the tow vehicle of choice for the third wheel that my older (4.5 years) daughter rides on.

I used my mtb mostly on old fire roads and rail to trail. My road bike I ride on the local F1 track and some 100-300km rides on highway shoulders.

I recently bought a set of 26X11/8 Ultra Gaterskins and put them on the mtb bike and it turned into a 26" road rocket.

I startedMountain biking in 1990 and have always had mountain bikes- Done some Aggressive rides on the thing aswell and settled into doing Enduro riding- Basically Long distance offroad. Sometimes on Smoothish trails but in the area I live- there will always be hills. In 2002 I bought a Tandem- An offroad Tandem Of course. This works exceptionally well but this year I have lost my Co-Rider. I knew it was going to happen so prepared myself last year by getting a Road bike. And this year by getting another road bike. This is obviously used on the road- but where I live- There are still plenty of Road hills.

Can't really say That I have been offroad for about 6 months- But Winter is coming- The trails will be softer- My offroad skills will be to my benefit in that I can use them to get up Tricky ascents that stop the Young Turks in their tracks so It will get a few outings again shortly.

It does depend on your riding. Offroad is hard- I and others can vouch for that- But the sense of achievement is high. To me- there is not much in doing a fifty mile road ride on the flat- That is just exercise- Now throw in a few steep hills and it is getting better- A Mountain and it is Fun.

So If you want to get exercise- and save the aging body a bit- A road bike is fine. Want to get the Cardio vascular working- Get the adrenalyn pumping and have fun- Then Offroad for you- But make certain the body can take it.

I am just a bit too old for the aggressive offroading but Good cross country up a few hills and on tracks that require technique and skill I will be there. In the Meantime- I enjoy myself by taking in a few miles up hills on the road.

Who has a road bike and a mountain bike? And which one do you ride most? I have been looking at mountain bikes and but don't know if I use it enough to buy one. Tell me what you think.

I own 3 of each. :D Of course, I am of the opinion that one cannot own too many bikes! I try to ride all my machines on a regular basis, but I always get "hooked" on one of them for a while. Then, when I do jump on another machine, I ALWAYS wonder why I wasn't riding it instead! :)

I love the road, but if I HAD to do only one type of riding (road/mtb) ....... I'd have to choose the dirt.

... Brad

1 hardtail mtb, 1 no-suspension mtb, 2 tandems, 2 roadies, 1 singlespeed roadie, 2 touring-optimized roadies, 1 recombent, 1 commutter (nexus-7 rear, dynamo front, non-suspension frame), 6 or 7 more frames and pieces.

I use the hardtail for trail rides, commutter for commutting, roadies for roads, tourers for touring, recumbent for comfort, tandems with whomever is willing.

I ride mostly road, but a nice ride in the dirt is a great change of pace. Also, the mtb is fun in the wind, rain and snow.

I have two road bikes, a road tandem, a rigid MTB that is set up for casual road riding and a hardtail MTB set up for singletrack and trail riding. Overall I have ridden on the road about twice or more as often as offroad, but this past year has been more of an even split as I have been riding both types of ride regularly with my club. For a few months it was more offroad than on as I tried MTB racing for the first time this year.

I find both to be very entertaining and rewarding. Offroad riding is much more of a cardio workout as it involves so much steep climbing followed by fast downhills. There really isn't much relaxing while riding fast singletrack. But long road rides build endurance and burn off the fat. Road riding is generally much more relaxing.
If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to choose, I would pick my road bike, but fortunately, I don't have to pick just one. So I choose to ride both.

I have a mountain bike - a Trek 820 - that I got essentially for free as a frequent-flyer-miles premium. I really wasn't interested in a mtb but since I was thinking about getting back into cycling, and since the price was right, I went ahead and got it.

As I do all my riding on the roads, I went ahead and bought a road bike - in my case a Surly Long Haul Trucker set up with 700 x 28 high pressure tires. I am absolutely satisfied with the LHT, and hardly ever ride anything else.

That being said, I am currently setting my Trek 820 up as a "winter" bike. I've already added lights and fenders. I probably will go ahead and switch to road-type tires. My thinking is that, during the winter months when it's dark and wet, I can still get some riding in withoug taking my LHT out into the nastys.

I have both. I mostly ride the road bike as it is easier on the knees and offers a smoother, more controlled exercise. I ride the mtb with my son who has a mtb as well. We mostly ride trails (Briones R.P.) but sometimes mix things up such as climbing Mt. Diablo on the road and going down via the nice trail network.
The mtb is the go-to bike for anything family oriented, it's versatile as is the equipment such as the shoes.

I now have both. When I lived in Md., I only had a mtn.bike, as just a few miles up the road, in Pa., were some parks with some sweet singletrack and technical trails. When I moved to Ky., found that there were not as many trails close by, and the ones here are shorter in length, but more technical than the ones I was used to riding on. Also had several nearby rail-trails in Md-Pa., none around here. So after living here for a while, decided to get a road bike, which I now ride more than the mtn.bike. For me, it's a matter of convenience-I can ride the road bike right out of my garage, nearest mtn.bike trails are some distance away.

You wouldn't use a pitchfork to pick your nose, would you?

I ride one cyclocross, a full-suspension mountain, and an old hard-tail (The Beater) mountain with slick(ish) tires. In a given week, I'll loop through all three and start back at the top of the lineup. This gives me lots of options what with access to back lanes, MUPs, trails, and (of all things) mountains. It also gives me lots of combinations for AT and VO2 training on all kinds of surfaces. So I'm on a bike every other day with hiking, running, and stretching on the days in between. . .oh and an occasional trip to the gym (ugh).

Yup, this is madness!! See, I've got this fear that if I ever slow down and find a "favorite chair" it'll be the end. AND, I'm easily bored with the same activity day after day, so it's three bikes, many surfaces, and several exercise alternatives.

I've got both, but 99.9% of my riding is on the road with my road bikes. Come to think of it, I might get rid of the mountain bike to make room for another road bike. I have increasingly stong feelings that off-road is more rightfully enjoyed on foot. Hence, I really haven't been off road for several years.

- this is an excellent question! i've been looking at MTBs for a bit, wondering if one might become 'required' in the stable...

- i have road bikes in CF, AL (frameset actually), and Ti...

- my 'hardy' bike is a converted steel-framed hybrid (see sig linky) to a cyclocross that seems about perfect for the area... (can take 700x38s, uses cantis, etc.)

- but a MTB seems like a nice addition, and i've been considering one...

- but this begs the question: Hardtail or suspension?

:-)

You wouldn't use a pitchfork to pick your nose, would you?

So do you use a road bike or a mountain bike to pick your nose?

Have both. I found a Schwinn Probe (mtn bike) at the local Salvo ten years ago for $10. Slapped on some Freddy Fenders, rack and cheap panniers for grocery store runs. Much better in the rain and snow. Never locked, never stolen.

I have one road bike and 2 mountain bikes ( a hardtail and a fully). I ride both road and trail equally, usually doing a road ride on Saturday and mountain bike ride on Sunday and during the week I usually do mountain biking to stay off the busy roads during rush hour traffic but like today, I also do road.

If you can only get one bike, then you need assess where you plan on riding the most. If road, get a road bike.

As I get older, I tend to more and more do mountain biking. Traffic and cars keep pissing me off which defeats the whole zen thing about riding. I love getting out on trail, hearing and seeing nature close up and personal. I also love hte whoop de do of trail riding. How much closer to being a kid can I get than that! And did I say, no cars!

I ride both types. I live in the middle of a complex of trails that depending on their level of use and maintenance run the gammut from well groomed rail trails to something Blues Dog would like with several levels in between. I can use the trail complex to get all over the immediate area without going out on the roads so I ride a much modified mountain bike (I call it my general purpose bike) most of the time. It is geared up and tyred for trips out onto the asphault as well as the trails. 48/36/26 crankset with a 12/26 road cassette. The trails I ride would eat my road bike up and spit out pieces of carbon.

The road bike however is my fun machine when I want to get out and make some milage. Generally I take it with me on vacations and trips where road bikine is less risky. Cape Cod, Block Island and places along the New England Shoreline. Played hookie from work today and took out the road bike. Its nice to drive the sports car sometimes.

Ride both, you'll learn a lot more about cycling.

I have both - use my MTB mostly as a hybrid, prefer my road bike for serious riding. I did some trail riding and found it was not for me. I am a roadie at heart, always have been.

I have a Trek MTB and Trek 7.2 FX hybrid. I use the MTB on greenway trails during the week and the hybrid on the road on weekends. But I'm about to get a road bike.

Great question, I ride 95% of the time on my road bike, but an occasional ride on my mountain bike on the local trails is great fun, especially when the weather is not the best. My Diamondback hardtail is one of my prized possessions

Both, 3 Roadies, 2 MTBs, one converted MTB to a MUP rider. I was riding more road than MTB, but based on the current neck problems I'm having, it looks like I'll be back to MTB and MUP (upright) riding with way less road riding.

Monday.. The Limo [long recumbent with full suspention]
Tue.. The short recumbent
Wen.. The Beach bike [at low tide]
Thu.. MTB in the bush
Fri... The folder {it fits in the car and this is shopping day so as my lady shops I ride]
Sat.. Road bike [40 miles to Red Rock and back]
Sun.. Any of them but more often then not the short recumbent
If there were more days in the week I'd have more bikes

Both
But the road gets all teh fun riding
The Mtn. got skinny tires, lights and fenders and is a commuter bike now... unless I sawp teh wheel out on rare weekends for some dirt action.

So do you use a road bike or a mountain bike to pick your nose?

It is said that you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose.

So if I want the snot knocked out of me, I ride my MTB. I wouldn't have guessed it necessarily, but my road bike is much more comfortable and smooth to ride. I wouldn't try to pop it over any logs, though.

Not that I try it with my MTB either.

I currently have three functioning road bikes, one mountain bike, and occasional access to my wife's mountain bike. Each has a unique use:

Schwinn Project KOM-10: top-of-the-line classic old school (non-suspension) mountain bike in "steal me" red-white-and-blue. It is superb on the road and on trails, and my Blackburn rack makes it a great cargo hauler. It is also very stable and sure-footed in the rain or a stiff crosswind, and it's a nice urban transporter and pothole-eater.

Ross Rock Machine (my wife's): same function as the Schwinn, but much less valuable and less appealing to a thief, making it a decent beater.

Peugeot UO-8: set up for cyclocross or urban commuting. Very rough paint and decals help deter thieves, and the barcons are nice in traffic.

Capo #1: wonderfully soft-riding long wheelbased classic, sure and stable, great on social club rides or for long distance.

Bianchi: fair-weather male midlife crisis vehicle; it's all about performance, fast acceleration, and fast climbs, but I do not consider it a suitable daily driver.

Capo #2, a restoration in progress, is not really redundant with Capo #1, because it sports almost all original equipment.

One of each...bought the MTB first because it was cheaper and I was just getting started. Like the road bike better.

Got both as well. It really depends on my mood but I probably ride the roadie more often.

Who has a road bike and a mountain bike? And which one do you ride most? I have been looking at mountain bikes and but don't know if I use it enough to buy one. Tell me what you think.

I figured That would Be like Having a Wife and a Mistress. Dosn't sound ethical to be but it might be fun:eek:

bUT THAN AGAIN IT JUST MIGHT WEAR ME DOWN TOO MUCH!

Riding mountain bikes offroad will make you a faster, stronger, better road rider, and vice versa.

After years of trying to use one bike (a hard tail MBT) for everything (commuting, MBT, city, road), I started building single purpose bikes. I now have four bikes one for each of the four types of riding I do. Each one is perfectly suited for its' purpose. While one bike could be used for all things, it will never do everything well and you will spend a lot of time "transforming" the bike for different needs. But if I was forced to make one bike do all types of riding, I wouldn't use a MBT, I would use a crossbike.

I have lots of both, most of the time, I prefer mountain biking, but can't always get out to the trails I want. I commute daily, usually on a touring bike, but have also ridden the mtb to work then gone riding after work (some great trails near work). Mountain biking is more of a general workout, you get some upper body exercise that road biking won't give you. But then again, there's nothing like a good long hilly road ride to cure what ails ya!
Mountain bikes are more fun to fall off of than road bikes.

Riding mountain bikes offroad will make you a faster, stronger, better road rider, and vice versa.

+1. Absolutely true.
They offer different type of exercise. Riding trails also improves bike handling and balance.

Where do you live(how may riding opportunities for Mt. biking), how much time do you have on your hands, how much spare change do you have? In other words will you actually use the bike style you are not currently riding?

Have both but have not used my Mt. bike this year. Plan on doing some riding in the Fall/Winter.

Where do you live(how may riding opportunities for Mt. biking), how much time do you have on your hands, how much spare change do you have? In other words will you actually use the bike style you are not currently riding?
Have both but have not used my Mt. bike this year. Plan on doing some riding in the Fall/Winter.

I am lucky to live in an area that has all very close from home. I can even leave home on either bike and be only a couple of miles from challenging trails.
Obviously I can only ride one bike at a time, so the choice depends if I am riding alone (road bike) or with my son (mtb).
Diversity makes exercising more enjoyable, either by changing routes or bikes. The cost is obviously doubled but we managed to buy used frames and build all our bikes. That alone was a fun and educating experience. My son (14) has now built two bikes as he had to switch frames the last two years, He is still growing so a larger one should be in order in the nest 6 to 12 months.
Learning to build your own bike helps reduces cost a lot and you end up with much better bikes than that you would be able to afford from a shop.
Time is a another issue. I am lucky that my son like biking. Life is a accumulation of choices. I do not go to the gym so my exercise time is all biking. Since I started riding my other hobby, photography, has suffered. I wish I could do both, may be when I retire...

I have both, and then some.

Hardtail Trek Mtn Bike for commuting, errands, etc. Looks like a P.O.S.
but goes through absolutely anything.

Raleigh aluminum frame leisure bike for tooling around with the family,
neighbors or on my own.

Vintage Raleigh steel road bike for longer, more serious rides

Aluminum Schwinn road bike for distance and performance

and a garage full of assorted other bikes, just because I like 'em;
Tandems, Trike, Alanexes, a Varsity, another Raleigh, a new recumbent.

Other than riding to work or to pick up an item for transport, I
most often ride whatever my mood dictates at the time. I've ridden
mountain bikes on the road and road bikes (well, a Varsity) on trails. It's all fun.
Buy whatever you think you'll enjoy riding.

Who knows One? I know One. One is the number bikes I started with last year.
Who knows Two? I know Two? Two is the number bikes I have now...
Who knows Three? Uh-uh... not gonna go there :lol:

Seriously, I started with my hybrid (Kaitai) last year because I hadn't ridden in 20 years and thought I was too old and out of shape for a roadie. I believed that a hybrid would make my return easier. And I really liked the freedom it offered to go where I wanted, when I wanted. Follow a dirt or gravel trail? No problem. Stay on the pavement? No problem. True, it can't do either one optimally but it can do both well enough. Well enough that I've put 1400 miles on it in a year. And I guess this is still true, though I haven't ridden it now for over two months and who knows when it will see the road again at this point?

But a funny thing happened. I got into better shape and I got better at riding. Better enough that a roadie sounded better and better... and sooner than I had thought it would! I could feel the limitations of the Kaitai on the road. I could feel that my body wanted me to push harder than the bike would allow. So, I got my LeMond. Couldn't be happier. They both have their place.

Variety is the spice of life!
I ride several different styles of bikes all year round.
I road bike more in the summer and mountain bike more in the winter.
Keeps me from getting burned out also.

This is why I own a road bike:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c62/bclasen/Bikes/CW_Hilla.jpg

This is why I own a mountain bike:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c62/bclasen/Bikes/Conover_01a.jpg

Oooooooo..... :D

I have 5 road bikes (commuter, vintage, ss/fixie, tourer, TT) and actually commute on all but the tourer which isn't overhauled yet. I have one MTB with front suspension. I got it to ride the C&O canal trail for a benefit last year and intend to use studded snow tires on it as needed.
I would love to do real MTB riding on the local trails or go out the ski resorts and summer and ride down the hills. Several friends, coworkers, others from church say they will take me out to their favorite locations but none of us have followed up yet.
As you can see, most of us believe on matching to tool (bike) to the job at hand. Get that MTB!

You can't ride this...
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d195/GonzoDawg/bicycles/07%20BCM/day4view.jpg

and this...
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d195/GonzoDawg/bicycles/MTB%20racing/DSCF2935.jpg

with the same bike.

I have both. Depending on where I am I use one more than the other. When I am in Orange County I use my road bike more than my MTB but when I am up in Mendocino I use my MTB since there are so many great places to ride off road. My MTB is a Specialized hardtail but I think I'm about to supplement it with a fully sprung one since there are rides I'd like to take where I think having a rear shock might be a lot better.

I ride my road bike until temps fall below 50. I ride my mountain bike all winter and when I get time in the spring.

The road riding is more straightforward and can be grueling. During road rides, I concentrate on remaining aerobic, drafting, cadence, heart rate and watch my thresholds and limit my anaerobic time so I can ride further and faster.

Mountain biking is just plain fun. I either grab the ipod and forget about everything and ride or I go after my personal best on the local tracks. I will sometimes get off the bike and be happy not to pass out. I have a personal favorite track that I see deer, turkeys and lots of other wildlife on. It's my place to play. Here there are no rules, no target heartrates, just balance, skill, pushing the biggest gear I possibly can and trying to swoop the corners so I don't lose too much speed. Once in awhile, I'll fall. So goes life. Hopefully, the tree moves before I go blasting off into the woods.

Road riding requires basic aerobic conditioning, mountain biking requires a lot more technique, balance and thrill-seeking.

I do both, and won't give up either, now or in the future. Each one has it's place and it's enjoyment.