Mountain Biking - I'm thinking about buying a road bike.

It's winter. It's a lousy season for me to go mountain biking. I don't get home from work till it's dark, and I don't live close enough to any decent trails that I could ride anyway, I have to drive a ways to get to the good trails. So, I can really only ride on weekends, and some urban stuff at nights.

I live at sea level. A lot of the good nearby trails are up near Tahoe at 7,000 to 9,000 feet. To be able to climb on those trails (especially when summer comes around and I have more time) up at that high of altitude, I need to be in decent shape.

I have a 20 mile commute from my apartment to work that I drive five days a week. If I got a road bike and was riding that instead, that would be up to 200 miles a week on the road bike. That should keep me in pretty good shape for weekend rides and next season, right?

Anyone else train on a road bike?

hell yeah, tons of people train on road bikes, that's 200 miles a week you can use!! It's great to train on the road and something different. Give it a go.

Do you need to buy one or you ahve one and you are disputing whether you should ride. i ride road only. Road will really help you build up stamina and power etc. go out and ride!

at least you will ride road, unlike fastequalsfun. (no offense)

I use my 'road bike'(a rigid mtb frame from 93' w/ slicks) for training and commuting, my school is only 6 miles from where i live, so i have an easy commute, but the little bit of conditioning is great, and the exercise before class realy helps me focus

now that the winter is here I've moved the road bike onto my trainer, and now have to use the car every day, damn dissapointment

but yeah, I think im done rambling, 200 miles a week will certainly help keep you in shape, and it will make the days go by faster, good luck

excuse the spelling

I used to ride my mt bike on the road all the time. Finally earlier this year I got a road bike, and it's really nice to have two, especially when one is broken!

So yeah, add in the road miles even if you do it on a mt bike.

Yeah why not just use your mtb with slicks as your commuter/road bike?

Saves you some cash!

Yeah why not just use your mtb with slicks as your commuter/road bike?

Saves you some cash!
Thats what I do. Got a light wheel set and put some slicks on and have not really looked back since.

And you could put a rigid fork on it too to save weight and effort!
Slicks=classy stuff

That's a ton of crap changing back and forth... I'm buying a road bike after the holidays, I'm riding a 1980 Fuji Royale right now but I'm definitely picking up a modern machine. A Road bike is SO much more efficient on road than a MTB it's scary...even this dinosaur!

I ride road some days mtb others. I would compare road bike vs mtb on the road as driving a dumptruck vs driving a Ferrari.

I would say go for it, those extra 200miles a week are really going to help.

Check out e-bay for some cheap road bikes. For a commuter I would get something steel with some tabs for a pannier and fenders.

BTW incipit I like the bike, vintage is great:D I have a 1980's Bianchi Piaggio I use as my "fun" bike and it's great. Traditional geometry steel frame, friction shifters, campy neuvo record the works:)

To really pump it up for mountain biking, try a single speed road bike and hit some long climbs! The power for the shorter steep MTB style climbs is built by the sheer muscle needed to push it up hill, and the aerobics for the long fire roads are built during downhill sprints, where you are spinning like mad to get speed. I absolutely love my SS road bike, and its what i ride when I can't play on the dirt.

For a mountain biker getting a road bike to be used primarily for commuting, might I suggest a Cyclocross bike?

A CX bike is a TRUE hybrid. It's a road bike (with drop bars) and knobby tires, and cantilever brakes. Many have mountain bike gearing and even similar components. Plus, many CX frames have tabs for racks and their geometry is a bit more upright.

CX bikes make for great commuters because they have higher pressure tires for less rolling resistance, a more Touring type geometry, and in emergency situations can handle some inadvertant off roading. Plus, on the way home, if you see a trail, you can always hit it without having to go home and get your mountain bike.

I bought an '04 Bianchi Axis and I love to ride it. It gets the nod about 3 to 1 over my LeMond Zurich.

I have considered grabbing a used road bike. One of those reconditioned things. I am not an avid enough roadie to ever both with a full on road bike, but something to commute and race accross town on would be nice.


hmmmm you tempt me a2. That sounds ideal. Even with skinny knobbies I always feel the slow down of the bigger size.