babysaph

I read here with interest the different posts about mtn bike vs. road bike. I am into riding for the exercise. Not to go fast. I seem to get a better workout with the mtn bike. I can also go off road with it and it is more comfortable. A winner all around for me. I wouldn't beat anyone on a road bike so speed doesn't bother me. I need the exercise and to burn the calories and get more of both with the mtn bike. I burn more calories in 1 hour of riding the mtn bike then I do riding the road bike for the same time.

DnvrFox

I ride my bikes for fun. The exercise is free and a nice part of the deal. Mtn Bike or Road, - I have them both, and I ride them for different "fun" experiences.

BCAC

I don't think it matters what you ride as long as it works for you.

For me, I prefer a road bike on the road. I like:

1/The variety of hand positions

2/Less lower back soreness

but mainly

3/The greater sense of accomplishment by going further/faster in the same time. I think I'm essentially lazy. The greater efficiency of a roadbike provides me with a better results/ratio. Which I find motivating. For me.

I ride a Cannondale Synapse One, which is a very comfy, easy to ride road bike.

stapfam

+1 or if you count my regular group +8.

Offroad riding is great. Every ride is a challenge- if only to actually get out in the freezing cold or the wind and rain. It could be very easy to say no ride today but when 3 others turn up on your door step- you have to ride. I do not get any enjoyment out of going fast-unless it is a rutty downhill and I know the others are wimps. Then there is definitely the workout. Those hills can be long, can be steep, can be slippery and rutted, and normally are all of the afore mentioned. We still do road rides but they are done for a purpose. It has to be a good ride- normal a 100miler or century ride-has to be a challenge- even if it is just to beat last years time-and they have to be part of our training for the offroad riding that we prefer.

Then on top of that- we don't get many car or car fumes or industrial noises up on our hills- It is so peacefull. The only problem we get are on the cycle trails on the way back from the rides- trying to dodge the kids, the dogs and the other bikers that did not get up early enough to get up to the hills before the tourist's.

bkaapcke

Over 50; it's the workout. You are getting in tune for the next phase of life WHICH IS a managed downhill slide. Fast is for the young-uns. Also, pay attention to pain. Post 50, it may not be a sign of gain, but a signal that something is wrong. bk
THE WAXING IS DONE, WELCOME TO THE WANE!

hammerdocnomo

Guys you all know that fast is relative. Ride with slower guys and gals and you are back to flying.

roccobike

+1

TRUMPHENT

I am currently commuting 22 miles a day on a socalled mtb. It has literally whipped me into a semblence of shape. It has also made yearn for a more "road" worthy machine.

Around here, everything is flat and paved. The only time you find a downhill is from on top of something manmade. The thrill is over almost before it begins. My ride has been a dependable horse to ride to work. I can only imagine going faster for the same amount of time I am currently riding. I think I could keep up the same level of exertion with a faster moving bike. I would be able to cover more distance in the same amount of time and still get the same workout benefit.

Raketmensch

It's all about what floats your particular boat. In other words, what matters is what gets you onto your bike. For many people, it's the pure experience of being on the road, moving through the terrain in an elegant fashion, that does it. For others, it's a speed thing... using whatever power you have at your disposal to move your mechanical contrivance across the countryside as quickly as possible. I have to confess, for me it's speed... I find great satisfaction in going fast, and its the fun of going fast that that makes me want to ride. But that's just me. Your mileage may vary, in a very big way. So ride in the way that works for you, and enjoy it for what it is. There's no correct formula, except yours.

jcm

"Going fast" and "Good workout" are, in my mind, mutually inclusive terms. For commuting or when I don't have more than an hour to ride, I will go as fast as my energy will allow, whether I'm on my slower T-830 or my faster T-520, which is sort of a road bike. When I have lots of time, like on week-ends, I'll pace it more because I'm usually going for 60 or more miles at a whack.

linux_author

- how did you measure this?

- i like both road and off-road biking (one of the reasons i like my 'cross bikes), but high-cadence biking on smoother surfaces is a lot easier on my knees!

:-)

stonecrd

I don't know how many times I've gotten on the bike and said I'll take it easy and just spin or go 15-17mph. After about 10min of that I end up going flat out the rest of the ride. It seems I always ride to the max and its even worse when I am with someone, then its competition!! I guess its just a result of being a type A++. I know its better for me to go slower and enjoy more but I just can't seem to follow through.

mollusk

I can get a good workout and ride fast (for me). Last Tuesday I went out for a 36 mile ride and came back 6 lbs lighter. (I've got to remember to drink more H2O when riding.)

webist

I agree. I'll go all out on a 30+ mile ride and promise myself the next day that I'm doing a recovery ride. It's really hard to keep the pace down and the gears low. I have done it and it does work. It's just rare for me to stick with the plan.

babysaph

The way I measured the calorie thing is that it is much harder for me to push the mtn bike than the road bike. It doesn't take any meauring device to tell which is harder work

oldspark

It's all about how hard you ride no matter what type of bike you ride, if it's a road bike you go faster, no reason to get less of a workout on a road bike.

BikerJoeP

But if you ride the road bike harder for that one hour then you could equal your calorie expenditure. I think it is a given that it takes more effort to go the exact same speed on a mountain bike as a road bike for a given period of time. I have both and enjoy riding both.Depends on my mood and location.

babysaph

Bike joe you are right. If I can get a better workout with the same cadence on a mtn bike I think that says it all. I really like being able to go off road with the mnt bike. I can't tell you how many times I have fallen after coming of a hard surfaced road into 3 inch deep gravels on a road bike. The bigger tires of the mtn bike seem to take the stones and off road better. Maybe it is just me.

Chuck5.2_in_CA

if I couldn't go fast I wouldnt ride at all. Road bike for me...Red white and blue Madone !

lighthorse@eart

babysaph,
You can get the same exercise on an MTB as you can on a road bike. And the MTB can go off road. If you put out a given level of effort for a fixed time it makes no difference what exercise you are involved in. So, if you like riding off road, then an MTB is the answer for you.

But, if you want to travel the most miles that you can with a fixed level of effort and a fixed time, then a road bike will better fit the bill.

Neither concept is better than the other. It all depends on what you want out of your experience. In fact, there are a lot of folks who buy and use the $100 special beach bikes with balloon tires, fat springy seats, and wide handlebars, and get just as much exercise as those who use either MTBs or road bikes.

stonecrd

It also depends on who you ride with. If you are riding by yourself no problem either bike will be just fine. However, if you have mtb and the people you are riding with are using road bikes you are going to spend a lot more effort keeping up. That was my case. I came to FL from CA where most of my riding was off road and by myself. When I came to FL I started riding with a group on road bikes. After a couple of weeks of that I went and got a road bike.

NOS88

I've started to use a heart rate monitor to help pace the rides. I too was guilty of barely getting warmed up and then riding as hard as I could... al without thinking about it. Now, I use the heart rate monitor to pace different kinds of rides. I can tell you that last summer I got fit quicker that I thought possible using this approach.

Now in terms of which bike... I say both! Ride where you can when you can!

SteveE

What was the question? Was it rhetorical? If you want to go fast, get a road bike. If you want a workout, get a real heavy bike that makes you work for every .10 mph speed increase. Count me in the "going fast" group.

SteveE