Road Cycling - Faster on the MTB than the road bike...

I started biking last year with a Specialized Hardrock. It had 1.5" slicks for a while, but I started mountain biking, so it is back to 2.1" knobby tires run at 50psi. The bike weighs about 31lbs and I am in a very upright position. I have at least 2000 miles on the bike.

In February I bought a Specialized Allez Elite Cro-Mo. It currently has 28mm Conti Ultra 3000s on it that measure 25mm and are run at 110psi. The bike weighs about 21lbs and my position varies from pretty upright to what I assume is aerodynamic. I have a bit over 200 miles on this bike.

At the end of last year on the mountain bike with slicks my normal ride was 18-20mph for 20mph. My longest ride was about 45 miles at 15mph and my top speed for the year was 31.5mph. Currently on the road bike my longest ride has been 25 miles and my speeds have been between 15-18mph. For a few shorter rides of 10m I have managed about 22-23mph and my top speed on the road bike has been 30mph.

It seemed I was slower than last year and I attributed it to being out of shape from the winter. I have wondered about this, so the other day after class I got on the paved bike path with my mountain bike. I had on long pants and a book bag with books and a laptop weighing at least 40lbs. I went 5 miles at an average pace of 22-23mph and hit 30mph before I ran out of path (this was with knobby tires). This speed was easier to maintain than the same speed on my road bike.

Basically, why am I able to go faster on my mountain bike than my road bike? I feel comfortable on both bikes. Is it mental or physical? This is the first I have really ridden a road bike, so will this even out as I get more miles on the bike? At first the width from crank to crank seemed a bit narrower, but I seem to be used to this now. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

...Basically, why am I able to go faster on my mountain bike than my road bike? I feel comfortable on both bikes. Is it mental or physical?

It's probably a combination of both along with some possible technical issues. Have you been fit to your road bike? Sounds like you may not be as comfortable as you think. Just because you aren't in pain doesn't mean you are as efficient power-wise as you could be.

Start with the fit to make sure you are at least close. Then just keep putting in the miles. Mentally, you are probably more psychologically comfortable on the more familiar bike, but that too will pass.

Also, unhitch the trailer as it really slows you down. :) Good luck.

55/Rad

I bought the road bike online and was never professionally fit to it. I test rode the bike at my lbs and it seemed to fit fairly well. I have never really liked the people or selection there and their prices kind of suck, so I had no qualms about buying it online. I am in college and don't have tons of free cash, so I haven't really wanted to pay for a professional fitting. Would using one of the online fit calculators and having someone else measure me work alright? I did it myself before I bought the bike, but I figured it wasn't really accurate and haven't bothered to tune my position on the bike to it.

That's funny, I have a specialized hardrock sport with 1.95" semislicks. On the road, I can easily sit up and ride no handed at 17-18 mph. On my OCR2 roadbike, it takes the same amount of effort.
I can maintain an average of 19-20mph on my road bike for 50 miles while I can only maintain about 16-17 for 50 miles.
On flat ground, with no tailwind, I can move around 25mph max on my mtb and near 30 on my roadbike in full aero position on the drops.
Are you fitted correctly and in the same position? I wasn't fully fitted either (since the ocr2 is only small/med/large) and had to tweak it a lot myself.

1st are your cyclometers on both bikes calibrated properly?

2nd how was the wind when you did these comparisons... a cross/headwind slows me down anywhere from 20%-70% depending how bad it is. As an example, I had an average speed of around 24mph the other day on the ride out, with sprints to 33mph and downhills of 40mph +. On the way back I was averaging about 10-11mph with "sprints" of 16mph thanks to a 20-40mph headwind.

Also in doing the comparison, have you been off the bike a few days? If you have you usually come back stronger and more refreshed and feel faster on the bike than if you were lets say taking your roadbike averages during a time when you were riding everyday.

the speeds you guys are kicking out makes me glad i didnt buy an expensive road bike as my first bike... :)

Would using one of the online fit calculators and having someone else measure me work alright?
Yes, it's an inexpensive start. Try the one at wrenchscience.com and see how close, or far off, you are. The 2 key areas will be reach and saddle height. Check it out and report back.

55/Rad

1st are your cyclometers on both bikes calibrated properly?

2nd how was the wind when you did these comparisons... a cross/headwind slows me down anywhere from 20%-70% depending how bad it is. As an example, I had an average speed of around 24mph the other day on the ride out, with sprints to 33mph and downhills of 40mph +. On the way back I was averaging about 10-11mph with "sprints" of 16mph thanks to a 20-40mph headwind.

Also in doing the comparison, have you been off the bike a few days? If you have you usually come back stronger and more refreshed and feel faster on the bike than if you were lets say taking your roadbike averages during a time when you were riding everyday.

Both cyclometers have been compared to one of those big police radar displays and match to within 1mph.

The other day on the mountain bike wind wasn't really an issue. On the road bike it has been an issue occasionally, but the posted speeds are with normal winds which are pretty small. I know the feeling of being affected by wind though. I went for a 20mi ride earlier this year with 30mph winds with gusts up to 50mph. Averaged over 20mph on the way there and struggled for 10 on the way back. The 10 miles back were the hardest I have ever ridden and felt like 100.

My posted speeds were just "generic" speeds. I am never really off the bike completely as I ride 4-8 miles/day to class and around town regardless of what fun rides I take. Before the ride on the mountain bike the other day I had 4 hours of sleep for the night, 2 midterms and hadn't eaten in 6 hours.

With 5 classes equaling 20 credit hours (quarter system) and 20-25 hours of work per week I really haven't had too much time to ride for fun lately. When it is nice out I am usually just too exhausted to ride and when I want to ride it is storming. Maybe I am just burned out right now. I cant wait until summer...

Yes, it's an inexpensive start. Try the one at wrenchscience.com and see how close, or far off, you are. The 2 key areas will be reach and saddle height. Check it out and report back.

55/Rad

Will do, it will probably be a bit before I can get my GF or someone to help me measure. Thanks.

mr bg4533,

Your roadbike should be faster on road than your MTB.. here's proof...


posted long ago
posted this sometime ago....
-----------------------------------------------------------
I tried using my xc mtb on one of my routes (roadbike routes -- highway), just a few minutes ago.

The experience was cool.. here's what I have found out.

Total Distance: 26km
Road: Very smooth asphalt road (highway)
Traffic: light, high speed; 100kmh speed limit(cars)
Weather: slight headwind, cloudy, cool (about 28 deg C).

Roadbike
Gearing: 52T-42T. 12T-23TCassette; didn't have the chance to use the big ring.
Wheels/Tires: 700c, 700x23C Maxxis
weight: 18.5lbs
Top speed: 46kmh
Ave speed: 32kmh
Fun Level: Excellent


MTB (hardtail)
Gearing:44-32-22T. 11-32TCassette
Wheels/Tires: 26", 26x2.1 WTB NanoRaptor
Weight: 26lbs
Top speed: 35kmh
Ave speed: 23kmh
Fun Level: Good workout; won't be taking this route again on this bike...

Anyway, this numbers seem to be correct..
--------------------------------------------------------------

hope it helps.

you need to setup your bike....

Perhaps there is a difference in crank length and this is really affecting your riding? I ride 170mm on my MTB for commuting and my old roadie had 172.5mm.... then my new bike has 175mm and I wasn't any faster for a week or two of riding and then I slowly started riding faster. I now go out in windy conditions and average 20mph. Yesterday in 25mph headwinds I was holding 25mph on aerobars (hard, even with aerobars) and I reckon it's be cause I am now used to the crank length. I now spin 110, slightly slower than the 172.5s that I had, but I started out at about 85-90rpm on the longer cranks

Just a few random ramblings!

Brendon

My posted speeds were just "generic" speeds. I am never really off the bike completely as I ride 4-8 miles/day to class and around town regardless of what fun rides I take. Before the ride on the mountain bike the other day I had 4 hours of sleep for the night, 2 midterms and hadn't eaten in 6 hours.

With 5 classes equaling 20 credit hours (quarter system) and 20-25 hours of work per week I really haven't had too much time to ride for fun lately. When it is nice out I am usually just too exhausted to ride and when I want to ride it is storming. Maybe I am just burned out right now. I cant wait until summer...

I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!! Its all I can do to force myself to stay off the bike and study here for finals... I just want it to END so I can go home and chill for awhile!!! Haven't been to work in 2wks b/c of finals and everything so I'm broke! #$$#@$# school

To summer, beer, *****es and bikes.
:beer:

Perhaps there is a difference in crank length and this is really affecting your riding? I ride 170mm on my MTB for commuting and my old roadie had 172.5mm.... then my new bike has 175mm and I wasn't any faster for a week or two of riding and then I slowly started riding faster. I now go out in windy conditions and average 20mph. Yesterday in 25mph headwinds I was holding 25mph on aerobars (hard, even with aerobars) and I reckon it's be cause I am now used to the crank length. I now spin 110, slightly slower than the 172.5s that I had, but I started out at about 85-90rpm on the longer cranks

Just a few random ramblings!

Brendon

Same crank length however the MTB cranks bell out about 1cm each where the road cranks go straight down. The MTB cranks feel a bit more natural. Since all road cranks seem to be this way I don't think I can do much about it and I will just get used to it.

Check the brakes on your road bike! :D

I feel for ya'. I'm having a similar problem right now. I know my raod bike should be much faster than my mountain but its not.
I've attributed this to a few factors.

1. Comfort and conditioning. A majority of my riding has been a mix of trail and road with my mountain bike. Its a matter of my legs being conditioned to my position on the MTB. Simply, I'm more comfortable with it and my legs are conditioned to the seat position.

2. Position...I'm still tweaking the road bike. It only has few hundred miles on it and I dont ride it as much as I should. I need to slightly lower the seat and move it forward. I'm doing that in small increments when I remember I need to do it.

As far as using an on-line bike fit whatever, personaly, why bother? They all give different results. What you should do is have a picture taken of you from the side on both your mountain and road bikes. Compare your leg angles. I'd put money in the bank theres a considerable difference. Make adjustments to get them as close as possible.

Give yourself some more miles on the road bike for your muscles to condition themselves tp the new position. One day, you will get on your MtB and decide it is so slow and cumbersum you will never ride it again.

If need be, use the online tools, advise, etc for the fit and fine tune as things start to hurt. It might take some time to get it exactly right.

Have you adjusted hub bearings and bb? When I went from mtb to road bike within a week my 25K time dropped almost 15 minutes.I was very sore for a bit longer though muscle having to push differently.

Testing has shown road bikes are 2-4mph faster than mtn. bikes due to lower rolling resistence and less aero drag. At the speeds were talking about aero drag isnt that significant. I look for a 2mph increase on the road bike. Once I'm done fiddling around with it I'll have it.

I had my GF measure me last night and used the fit calculator at Wrench Science. My frame size, top tube and seat height are all right within 1 cm. My current handlebar is 42cm and it said I should use 44cm. I doubt that would make much of a difference though.

geebee, I haven't adjusted the hubs or BB, but the BB seems fine and the wheels spin forever with the bike upside down. A lot longer and a bit smoother than my MTB at least.

Thanks for all the help. I guess I will keep riding and see how it goes over the next couple hundred miles. If it is still a problem I will come back to this.

I notice that when I'm off-roading with my MTB my cadence is a lot lower then when I'm riding my roadbike. I can spin a taller gear on the roadbike for a much longer distance if my cadence is in the mid 90's than if I'm spinning the cranks at 80 rpm. I wonder if your problem might be cadence related as well?

the seatpost height on my roadbike and HT MTB is different. On my MTB, the seat is lower because it will be easier for me to move body weight to the rear when downhilling tech. trails. On the roadbike, its as high as it can be. My saddle is positioned way back, for easy spinning...

Something I haven't seen anyone mention is that the saddle heights SHOULD be different between an MTB and road bike. The roadbike most likely has a lower bottom bracket, and possibly shorter cranks as well which affects the seat height.

Something I haven't seen anyone mention is that the saddle heights SHOULD be different between an MTB and road bike. The roadbike most likely has a lower bottom bracket, and possibly shorter cranks as well which affects the seat height.

saddle height is not measured from the ground to the saddle, but from the BB.

saddle height is not measured from the ground to the saddle, but from the BB.

Yes but my point is putting the bikes next to each other, as I believe was previously suggested, is NOT accurate...