Road Cycling - Road Bike Comfort & Speed vs. Mountain Bike Comfort & Speed

My husband and I recently decided to purchase our first road bikes. We were hoping to get into doing events such as the MS150 and were thinking we would do better and go faster on a road bike as opposed to a mountain bike.

We both bought Giant OCR3's to start with as we did not want to sink more than 700 bucks in a bike we weren't sure we were happy with. (not the brand, just road bikes in general) We did test rides, my husband got a professional fitting when he was ready to pick his up. Mine is still on order as I needed a small one (in black, no baby blue here. ;) ) He got his and has ridden it twice, Thursday and Saturday. He said if he could he would take it back now. He said that even the smallest rock causes the handlebars to jerk (move around? not sure what he meant). His arms were sore because the steering is more sensitive. His back was also hurting. :(

Is this normal going from riding a mountain to a road bike? He said that he can go just as fast on the mountain bike. Now I am unsure that I even want the one I ordered. Can you all help us out with some advice? I wonder if the bike shop would be upset if I decided I didn't want it? I haven't paid for mine yet. I didn't sign anything. However, I would buy from them again, they take their time with customers and that is very important.

Well ... if I were him, I would give it some more time.

Handle bars jerking - well, it's a road bike - not really meant for running over rocks :-) Regarding soreness, some soreness is inevitable as your muscles get used to the new posture, but it could be that the fit needs to be dialed in a little more. Fit is not totally a matter of measurments, it need to take into account flexibility, etc. Perhaps he just needs his handlebars raised a little, or perhaps he needs to vary his riding position during his ride, etc.

Regarding going just as fast on a mtn bike - I seriously doubt it.

You might want to hold off on picking up your bike until your husband make a final decision on his bike. Bike shop should understand. Might want to tell them to hold off building the bike though.

A road bike puts you in a different position than a mountain bike. Frequent complaints even from experienced cyclists when switching from a MTB to a RB is soreness in the neck and wrists. The wrist pain is usually caused by people not used to having to support more of their weight using their ab-muscles and as a result try to offload it onto the hands. This combined with the new type of hand position will cause the wrists to be sore. Additionally, this may explain why the handlebar jerks about as loading the bars that way not only makes steering more twitchy (roadbikes already have tighter steering than MTBs due to steeper head angles and shorter trail and wheelbase) but also means that any introduction of a step-input force (such as from a small rock) will cause momentary imbalance. Neck pains can be attributed to having to hold your head up more since your torso is in a more lowered position. All of this can be somewhat mitaged by going to a higher handlebar setup. You can gradually lower it as you get more accustomed to the roadbike position.

Is he wearing a mtn bike helmet with a visor?

This can be the difference between a sore and happy neck. If so, take the visor off or get another helmet.

Handlebars twitching on rocks? I steer around rocks - if I am going someplace really rocky, I take my mtn bike. What size tires does he have? If currently 700 x 23, consider 700 x 25 - much more forgiving.

Faster? The road bike will be about 2 mph faster, will be more responsive, and, yes, will be "twitchier." Narrow tires, more sensitive frame.

It may take a bit to get used to.

I love my road bike for roads and smooth trails. I love my mtn bike for gravel and similar.

The helmet is fine, no visor. We are riding on blacktop (asphalt?) highways. Although the road itself is smooth, there is small rocks, gravel, lots of broken glass and misc. crap that people throw out the window. Yes, you can avoid some of it, but for the most part it is unavoidable, unless you want to get taken out by a vehicle. No, there are no other places to ride in our area that would be convienient without having to drive somewhere.

I will pass on the various advice you all have given. Thanks!

Redhed, I agree with the others give it time. I rode a hybrid for the past two years. I bought my first road bike a month ago. After te first couple rides I thought I had made a big mistake. Now 480 miles later, I can't believe how comfortable the road bike is. after just a short time with it I'm still trying to figure out how I put 3400 miles on the hybrid. I was going to hang on to the hybrid to use with a trainer this winter, but the riding position is so much nicer on a road bike, I'll probrably try to sell it and buy an entry level Trek road bike just to use in the winter.

Don't give up on it. Take it back to your LBS and have him recheck your fitting. Maybe there something a little off. I had to make one little asjustment on my handlebars. I brought them back about 1/4 " and it made a big difference. Get it right and get used to it then go back and ride the mtn bike. You'll see what I mean.

Good Luck.

Hi,
I know just what you mean. Here is what I did. I have the longest steepest Mtn bike stem made on my bike. He might not need that much, but adding spacers and changing the stem to get the bar up, and back, will help. The next thing I'd do is get a good seat that has some shock absorbing ability. I have the Selle Italia Trans Am FLX. It works. As the others suggested, you will need time to adapt to road riding. But many need to make the move in small steps.

If you can afford it, I'd cancel your order and look for a bike with a nicer ride. Look for steel frames they ride a little nicer., Touring bikes usually have a less bent over riding position. That's what I have.

My husband and I recently decided to purchase our first road bikes. We were hoping to get into doing events such as the MS150 and were thinking we would do better and go faster on a road bike as opposed to a mountain bike.

We both bought Giant OCR3's to start with as we did not want to sink more than 700 bucks in a bike we weren't sure we were happy with. (not the brand, just road bikes in general) We did test rides, my husband got a professional fitting when he was ready to pick his up. Mine is still on order as I needed a small one (in black, no baby blue here. ;) ) He got his and has ridden it twice, Thursday and Saturday. He said if he could he would take it back now. He said that even the smallest rock causes the handlebars to jerk (move around? not sure what he meant). His arms were sore because the steering is more sensitive. His back was also hurting. :(

Is this normal going from riding a mountain to a road bike? He said that he can go just as fast on the mountain bike. Now I am unsure that I even want the one I ordered. Can you all help us out with some advice? I wonder if the bike shop would be upset if I decided I didn't want it? I haven't paid for mine yet. I didn't sign anything. However, I would buy from them again, they take their time with customers and that is very important.

Your question is an excellent reason to buy a good used bike
to try a different bike style. To me $700 for a bike is way
mucho money to find out you don't like it.

My husband and I recently decided to purchase our first road bikes. We were hoping to get into doing events such as the MS150 and were thinking we would do better and go faster on a road bike as opposed to a mountain bike.

We both bought Giant OCR3's to start with as we did not want to sink more than 700 bucks in a bike we weren't sure we were happy with. (not the brand, just road bikes in general) We did test rides, my husband got a professional fitting when he was ready to pick his up. Mine is still on order as I needed a small one (in black, no baby blue here. ;) ) He got his and has ridden it twice, Thursday and Saturday. He said if he could he would take it back now. He said that even the smallest rock causes the handlebars to jerk (move around? not sure what he meant). His arms were sore because the steering is more sensitive. His back was also hurting. :(

Is this normal going from riding a mountain to a road bike? He said that he can go just as fast on the mountain bike. Now I am unsure that I even want the one I ordered. Can you all help us out with some advice? I wonder if the bike shop would be upset if I decided I didn't want it? I haven't paid for mine yet. I didn't sign anything. However, I would buy from them again, they take their time with customers and that is very important.

Yes, cancel your order! If your husband rides the road bike as slow as he does the MTB, he ought to get rid of his road bike too. Stick to the bikes you like. Ride the MS150 on your MTBs.

Yes, cancel your order! If your husband rides the road bike as slow as he does the MTB, he ought to get rid of his road bike too. Stick to the bikes you like. Ride the MS150 on your MTBs.


Good point - throw slicks on the Mtn bike and call it a day.

carbon fork, carbon seatpost, and carbon seat stays made a huge difference in ride when i was test riding everything. i think they're designed to dampen high frequency vibrations, though....not gravel and pebbles and stuff :)

melloboy

My husband and I recently decided to purchase our first road bikes. We were hoping to get into doing events such as the MS150 and were thinking we would do better and go faster on a road bike as opposed to a mountain bike.

He said if he could he would take it back now. He said that even the smallest rock causes the handlebars to jerk (move around? not sure what he meant). His arms were sore because the steering is more sensitive. His back was also hurting. :(

Is this normal going from riding a mountain to a road bike? He said that he can go just as fast on the mountain bike.

You didn't provide any information on the bike, so I can't comment on specifics. However, fitting is a very personal matter. The best a so-called pro fitter can do is get one on a bike that will at least be in the proper range for the rider's physical characteristics. The "most comfortable fit" set-up will change with miles per week, experience and cross training or overall physical condition.

There are only a few bike shops that are equipped to do professional fitting, they charge for the service, unless you buy an expensive bike, and some of the fitting criteria are controversial anyhow.

The only way to get a good fit is learn how to do it your self. There are books out there and there's Google. A good starting point for most folks is Peter white's fitting article http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm . Some other's: http://www.billbostoncycles.com/bicycle_fit.htm http://sheldonbrown.com/kops.html

I learned some 40 years ago that bikes and canoes (my wife and I have 8-canoes between us) come for the factory outfitted for someone else. This is especially true of bike gearing. You have to be really fit and ride a lot to effectively use a 52 tooth chainring. Mountain bike gearing, while not perfect, is much more useful for the "less than fully dedicated" rider. That's what might be why your husband thinks his mountain bike is faster.

On the other hand, if you bought something like what they call a comfort bike or similar, then his mtn bike is faster. I've got a $2000 price range mountain bike and it can't hold a candle to my old, heavy '84 touring bike which I bought for $200 and eventually put another $1000 into. It was much faster before I put dime into the upgrades. I just finished transferring about $800 worth to my new Ti cycle cross frame set, so it turned out to be an investment which is rarely the outcome. All my bikes are very comfortable (emphasis on "very") for over three and a half hours in the saddle (with a total of about 15 minutes in snack breaks), but it took a lot of interest and effort to make them so.

Al

You didn't provide any information on the bike, so I can't comment on specifics. However, fitting is a very personal matter. The best a so-called pro fitter can do is get one on a bike that will at least be in the proper range for the rider's physical characteristics. The "most comfortable fit" set-up will change with miles per week, experience and cross training or overall physical condition.

There are only a few bike shops that are equipped to do professional fitting, they charge for the service, unless you buy an expensive bike, and some of the fitting criteria are controversial anyhow.

The only way to get a good fit is learn how to do it your self. There are books out there and there's Google. A good starting point for most folks is Peter white's fitting article http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm . Some other's: http://www.billbostoncycles.com/bicycle_fit.htm http://sheldonbrown.com/kops.html

I learned some 40 years ago that bikes and canoes (my wife and I have 8-canoes between us) come for the factory outfitted for someone else. This is especially true of bike gearing. You have to be really fit and ride a lot to effectively use a 52 tooth chainring. Mountain bike gearing, while not perfect, is much more useful for the "less than fully dedicated" rider. That's what might be why your husband thinks his mountain bike is faster.

On the other hand, if you bought something like what they call a comfort bike or similar, then his mtn bike is faster. I've got a $2000 price range mountain bike and it can't hold a candle to my old, heavy '84 touring bike which I bought for $200 and eventually put another $1000 into. It was much faster before I put dime into the upgrades. I just finished transferring about $800 worth to my new Ti cycle cross frame set, so it turned out to be an investment which is rarely the outcome. All my bikes are very comfortable (emphasis on "very") for over three and a half hours in the saddle (with a total of about 15 minutes in snack breaks), but it took a lot of interest and effort to make them so.

Al


Thanks for your reply, here is the link to the bike. We both got the same one (different sizes, of course, in Black).

http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?dealerid=&dealercountry=&lYear=2004&bikesection=8834&range=143&model=10875

We have talked to the bike shop and they said similiar things that others have said in the posts above. Mainly, that it is a totally different bike that what he is used to, and that he should put about 100-150 miles on it first, if it isn't more comfortable by then, then come back to get adjustments to the fit.

I went from a steel mtb (1999 giant boulder) with slick tyres to an ocr3 recently. I've had a dodgy back in the past and I'm a lot more comfy after a ride on my ocr3 than the mtb (27km each way). I've upped my top speed on flats by 10km, cruising speed by 5, and downhill by 10km too. Thought I'd put my 2 cents in - I'm stoked with the ocr3 - give it a little more time. I know the first few times I rode it my shoulders and neck were really sore - I couldn't totally relax with the position, but a few rides in and I was fine. Good luck and happy riding...

His arms were sore because the steering is more sensitive. His back was also hurting.

hey red (oooh yummy! redhead!!), definitely get your hubby to go back to the LBS and get a re-fit, with proper instructions for a _comfortable_ ride. they will raise the handlebar/etc. and his ride will be far better. don't throw in the towel yet.

sd

hey red (oooh yummy! redhead!!), sd

Thanks for the compliment, we are a rare breed. ;)

Thanks for your reply, here is the link to the bike. We both got the same one (different sizes, of course, in Black).

http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?dealerid=&dealercountry=&lYear=2004&bikesection=8834&range=143&model=10875

We have talked to the bike shop and they said similiar things that others have said in the posts above. Mainly, that it is a totally different bike that what he is used to, and that he should put about 100-150 miles on it first, if it isn't more comfortable by then, then come back to get adjustments to the fit.

Looks like a nice bike to me. I use only triples, but personally prefer lower gearing. My wife uses a mountain bike crankset (22/32/44 vise the standard 32/42/52). I use 22/36/46 with an Ultegra 12/27 Cassette. But that's personal preference and related to preferred cadence rate and general riding style. I agree that one should put some miles on it before making any changes. It takes experience to know which way to go.

Women often have a hard time with non women-specific frames because of the too-long a top tube of the men's bikes. The make-do solution is to put them on a smaller frame. The problem with that is that smaller frames require steeper seat -tube angles to get enough toe clearance with the front wheel. The small OCR has 74 degrees and the XS has 75. A more comfortable angle would be 72 or 73 for starting out.

The steeper angle rotates the rider around the bottom bracket spindle (BBS) and forward. That means the rider doesn't have enough weight aft of the BBS to counter the weight on the hands (see Peter White's article). Most just raise the handlebars, but will often continue to feel the need to move aft. You can move the seat aft beyond what the seat-rails permit by going to more set-back on the seat post. My wife is going to a rearward curving seat post (Titec Hell Bent) to move her back 1.5" from the seat post centerline. That effectively reduces the seat tube angle.

I think you'll eventually like the bikes assuming that they are sized reasonably well.If not, there are other kinds of road bikes out there to meet different objectives. A decent book on the subject of the different types is Simon Doughty's The Long Distance Cyclists Handbook. It's a lot about comfort and It's very reasonable from Amazon @$1.00 + $3.50 shipping. About the price of a magazine. One of the better new books is Zinn's Cycling Primer (by Leonard Zinn).

Al