Interesting perspective from a former pro mountain biker on road riding
09-04-06, 12:09 PM
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Interesting perspective from a former pro mountain biker on road riding
Ran into this very fit rider-who took it easy on me- named Brad in his early 30's on the Red Rock Scenic loop here in Vegas ( the same climb that Lance Armstrong and Robin Williams did last year). He used to be a former top-level mountain bike racer in Texas. He also raced road crits for a long time. Actually, he was from Austin and he mentioned that he had heard more bad local Lance Armstrong tales than good ones, FYI.
Anyhoo, we got to talking and he compared road biking to "reading a good book" and mountain biking like "watching a good movie".
I thought that was very intriguing - I've never tried mountain biking but I sure as hell want to now!
He also said that mtbikers most always have a cooler full of brew or a stash of weed on them for a little after ride "cool -down". Right on I say! That's quite a refreshing change from yuppie swines mingling at Starbucks discussing their law practices
Any thoughts from guys here that ride both road and mountain bikes?
Anyhoo, we got to talking and he compared road biking to "reading a good book" and mountain biking like "watching a good movie".
I thought that was very intriguing - I've never tried mountain biking but I sure as hell want to now!
He also said that mtbikers most always have a cooler full of brew or a stash of weed on them for a little after ride "cool -down". Right on I say! That's quite a refreshing change from yuppie swines mingling at Starbucks discussing their law practices
Any thoughts from guys here that ride both road and mountain bikes?
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09-04-06, 12:23 PM
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Comparison? OK.
Road biking = Missionary (Smooth roads with hilly terrian)
Mountian biking = Doggie style (A little more wild of a ride and can geta bit bumpy a times)
Seriously, I find that;
Road biking is all about the speed (Who got dropped)
Mountain biking is all about the ride (Who nailed that drop)
T.J.
Road biking = Missionary (Smooth roads with hilly terrian)
Mountian biking = Doggie style (A little more wild of a ride and can geta bit bumpy a times)
Seriously, I find that;
Road biking is all about the speed (Who got dropped)
Mountain biking is all about the ride (Who nailed that drop)
T.J.
Last edited by Tequila Joe; 09-04-06 at 02:00 PM.
09-04-06, 12:41 PM
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TJ, that's the best comparison i've heard in such few words
09-04-06, 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by botto
where's the 'interesting perspective'?
Road Riding = "The Good Earth" ?
MTB Riding = "Gone with the Wind" ?
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09-04-06, 01:19 PM
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Originally Posted by danimal
TJ, that's the best comparison i've heard in such few words
Last edited by Tequila Joe; 09-04-06 at 01:59 PM.
09-04-06, 01:28 PM
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He also said that mountain biking gives your entire body a better workout than road riding...that same as AMA motocross motorcycle riders regular work-out with weights for more upper body strength.
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09-04-06, 01:41 PM
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the speed/ride thing.... i think any sexual comparisons could take this thread into some personal territory which, frankly, i really don't want to know THAT much about any of you
09-04-06, 01:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Sincitycycler
Ran into this very fit rider-who took it easy on me- named Brad in his early 30's on the Red Rock Scenic loop here in Vegas ( the same climb that Lance Armstrong and Robin Williams did last year). He used to be a former top-level mountain bike racer in Texas. He also raced road crits for a long time. Actually, he was from Austin and he mentioned that he had heard more bad local Lance Armstrong tales than good ones, FYI.
Anyhoo, we got to talking and he compared road biking to "reading a good book" and mountain biking like "watching a good movie".
I thought that was very intriguing - I've never tried mountain biking but I sure as hell want to now!
He also said that mtbikers most always have a cooler full of brew or a stash of weed on them for a little after ride "cool -down". Right on I say! That's quite a refreshing change from yuppie swines mingling at Starbucks discussing their law practices
Any thoughts from guys here that ride both road and mountain bikes?
Anyhoo, we got to talking and he compared road biking to "reading a good book" and mountain biking like "watching a good movie".
I thought that was very intriguing - I've never tried mountain biking but I sure as hell want to now!
He also said that mtbikers most always have a cooler full of brew or a stash of weed on them for a little after ride "cool -down". Right on I say! That's quite a refreshing change from yuppie swines mingling at Starbucks discussing their law practices
Any thoughts from guys here that ride both road and mountain bikes?
09-04-06, 03:16 PM
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spent more money on roadie stuff but I still consider myself a mtb'er (I haven't got any mtb ride for almost 6 months now 
)
About the after-ride beers, that's so true. ONE GEAR = MORE BEERS
)About the after-ride beers, that's so true. ONE GEAR = MORE BEERS
09-04-06, 03:50 PM
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MTB is a lot of grueling climbing for a really intense ride down, the more air that is involved the better. Road? Tons and tons of spinning, much more of an endurance thing. And, as much as I dig MTB, I love spinning more.
09-04-06, 04:56 PM
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I posted these thoughts in some other threads a while back but I feel they're somewhat appropo for this one...
Originally Posted by khuon
To be honest, I'm probably the biggest poseur cyclist out there. I have nice equipment and pretty high-end gear. I dress in flashy lycra at times. However I'm not into road biking to train for races or be part of some peloton. I'm also not into MTBing to do cool stunts or ride the gnarliest of trails. I don't particularly care to seek out the biggest baddest rock garden to conquer. My goal in cycling is to get a different take on life and the world. If the trails turn singletrack because it's a way to get me to where I want to go then I'll ride it. If I have to traverse a stream then I'll do it. If all that's between me and the beauty of the rolling plains is a "boring" stretch of dirt road then I'll ride it. Things do look differently to me when I'm on a bike. And I find the beauty of the outdoors regardless if I'm riding road, bike paths, XC, downhills, etc. I like riding my roadbike and hitting little towns along the way, stopping in at a coffee shop to take in the local scene, cranking across the farmlands passing fields of albiet smelly cow manure, descending through the fog on the tip of the islands to visit the lighthouse... I could go on. The same holds true for MTBing. Climbing that singletrack to get to the top of Mt. Muller so I can see clear across the Olympic Penninsula, spinning through fast fireroads near the Cascade pass or simply doing endless pointless loops in the trails behind my house. It's all about the experience of the ride to me and less about the fitness and training or the challenge of the obstacle I cleared. That's all just course de riguer rather than the goal. I consider myself an adventure cyclist over anything else and as such I find adventures in both road and mountain biking. They're different but they're no less equal.
Originally Posted by khuon
I never gave up my MTB and still use it quite a bit. I tend to think of myself as an adventure cyclist so if I decide I want to go seek out an adventure, I first pick someplace interesting and decide which would be best to get me there. Sometimes the answer is the MTB because there will be offroading involved and this can be anything from twisted singletrack to fast fireroads and maybe a bit of what some would call freeriding or maybe I just want to do some urban stuff. Other times I find a new route on a map that will take me to some random town and since it's all by road, I'll use the roadbike. I pick the adventure and then choose the equipment. Rarely do I do it the other way around.
Originally Posted by khuon
I don't consider myself to be a former mountain biker because that would imply that I no longer mountain bike. As a kid I rode around on the sidewalk and road. I went through a lot of bikes at the time including a cheapie Roadmaster 10-speed roadbike which I destroyed by riding offroad. I guess that's what turned me onto MTBing. During college, I picked up another roadbike for training and to keep in shape as I was racing XC back then.
Currently, I still consider myself a MTBer even though I also consider myself a RBer. I do not find the two activities to be diametrically opposed. I live right next to some trails so I can get out and do offroad riding anytime I wish. Likewise, nothing keeps me from heading out and hitting the roads around here.
I think if I had to classify myself into one style of cycling, it would be as an adventure cyclist. I use cycling as a method for allowing me to exercise my sense of adventure. Sometimes that means a twisty singletrack deep in the woods. Sometimes that means cruising between towns on quiet country roads. Sometimes that means fast rolling smooth hardpack singletracks or fireroads. Sometimes that means hucking off walls at the local college campus. I simply like cycling and what cycling allows me to experience.
Currently, I still consider myself a MTBer even though I also consider myself a RBer. I do not find the two activities to be diametrically opposed. I live right next to some trails so I can get out and do offroad riding anytime I wish. Likewise, nothing keeps me from heading out and hitting the roads around here.
I think if I had to classify myself into one style of cycling, it would be as an adventure cyclist. I use cycling as a method for allowing me to exercise my sense of adventure. Sometimes that means a twisty singletrack deep in the woods. Sometimes that means cruising between towns on quiet country roads. Sometimes that means fast rolling smooth hardpack singletracks or fireroads. Sometimes that means hucking off walls at the local college campus. I simply like cycling and what cycling allows me to experience.
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09-04-06, 05:37 PM
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For some reason I don't see much difference between the two types of riding. I get just as much thrill out of each, get to experience equally as impressive scenery from each, burn a similar amount of calories with each, and look forward to riding each. Maybe that's why I love cyclocross so much, too.
Whether it's a 50 miler through country roads, an epic ride on singletrack, commuting to work, cross racing, zoobombing, or a beer run.... as long as the cranks are turning, there is revolution, and there's a smile on my face.
Whether it's a 50 miler through country roads, an epic ride on singletrack, commuting to work, cross racing, zoobombing, or a beer run.... as long as the cranks are turning, there is revolution, and there's a smile on my face.
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09-04-06, 05:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Sincitycycler
He also said that mountain biking gives your entire body a better workout than road riding...
09-04-06, 11:34 PM
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Originally Posted by redfooj
time to update the ignore list...
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09-05-06, 12:08 AM
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On today's group ride there was a guy wearing plain ol shorts and someone was giving him some good natured ribbing about getting some cycling shorts and he replied it wasn't about the shorts but about what's on the inside and heart. I said you're talking about mountain biking, out here it has as much to do with what you look like as what you do on the bike.
09-05-06, 12:11 AM
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Good One TJ 
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09-05-06, 07:26 AM
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khuon is my hero. I do it a bit more fo rthe exercise form the sounds of your posts but still that hit pretty close to home.
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09-05-06, 08:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Sincitycycler
Ran into this very fit rider-who took it easy on me- named Brad in his early 30's on the Red Rock Scenic loop here in Vegas ( the same climb that Lance Armstrong and Robin Williams did last year). He used to be a former top-level mountain bike racer in Texas. He also raced road crits for a long time. Actually, he was from Austin and he mentioned that he had heard more bad local Lance Armstrong tales than good ones, FYI.
Anyhoo, we got to talking and he compared road biking to "reading a good book" and mountain biking like "watching a good movie".
I thought that was very intriguing - I've never tried mountain biking but I sure as hell want to now!
He also said that mtbikers most always have a cooler full of brew or a stash of weed on them for a little after ride "cool -down". Right on I say! That's quite a refreshing change from yuppie swines mingling at Starbucks discussing their law practices
Any thoughts from guys here that ride both road and mountain bikes?
Anyhoo, we got to talking and he compared road biking to "reading a good book" and mountain biking like "watching a good movie".
I thought that was very intriguing - I've never tried mountain biking but I sure as hell want to now!
He also said that mtbikers most always have a cooler full of brew or a stash of weed on them for a little after ride "cool -down". Right on I say! That's quite a refreshing change from yuppie swines mingling at Starbucks discussing their law practices
Any thoughts from guys here that ride both road and mountain bikes?
09-05-06, 08:52 AM
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He also said that mtbikers most always have a cooler full of brew or a stash of weed on them for a little after ride "cool -down". Right on I say! That's quite a refreshing change from yuppie swines mingling at Starbucks discussing their law practices