Road vs Mountain bikes and a question of speed (rant)
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So i'm fairly new to this forum, started lurking a few weeks ago before making an account and i would like to bring up a subject that always comes up, whether it be here, cycling videos on youtube, LBS websites and the likes. This is, as the title suggests, the question of speed differences between road bikes and mountain bikes. It seems that no matter how much it's avoided, the topic will eventually arise, and it only ever seems to rest in a way that always baffles me. For this reason, i'd like us to take a moment and think about the ACTUAL differences between road and mountain bikes, and how they relate to speed.
Firstly, I wish to address the notion that whenever comparing the two, the person involved on either bike is, for some reason, never good enough. What i mean is, people will always jump to the conclusion that it's not your bike that makes you faster, it's you. Well excuse my brief language but no ****, Sherlock. Yes, practise makes proficiency. Everyone vested in any hobby knows this. However, thats not the topic being questioned. I'm sick of seeing people respond to this, saying that it doesn't matter which you ride on, as long as you're riding. This is pure bs. I'm much faster on my 70's Huffy road bike then i am on my '13 29er, and i have numbers to back it up. On my 29er, my PR on a segment i frequent was 2:04. Days after getting my road bike, and my first time doing that segment with it, i got it to 1:53. Clearly, the bike being used matters.
Next, i would like to discuss what makes a road bike definitely faster than a mountain bike. Now i'm no expert, far from it. I'm a novice cyclist with less than 2k miles under my belt who only recently found out what the word peloton means. Despite this, however, it seems to me that the #1 thing that sets apart a mountain bike and road bike in terms of speed, is geometry. Mtb's are all laid back and relaxed, while road bikes are aggressive and straight forward, literally. Geometrically, the difference between a Specialized Demo and a Specialized Shiv is monumental. It's not just about being aero. In my experience, being in a more aggressive geometry has allowed me to put a huge difference of power down. On my 29er, i would be struggling on 2-5 sitting up right, but if i clung to the forks, i'd be zipping by on 3-7 with 80+ cadence no problem. The difference in ability was astounding and all i had to do was change my geometry.
Lastly, i'd like to talk about marginal gains. I'm no Team Sky advocate, but i'll be damned if their view on marginal gains isn't spot on. This idea that speed is solely dependent on the rider is constantly proven nonsense day in and out by people around the world when they try different things on their bike. It may be a new position, it may be lighter wheels or perhaps clipless pedals. People are always trying to upgrade their ride because they realize that many little things make a big difference. A ten dollar road bike from a garage sale shaved 11 seconds off a PR on my favorite segment over my $200 mtb. Why? Geometry and the ability to effectively put more power down is one, but it's also marginal gains. A much lighter frame to push, much less rolling resistance, slightly more aero bike and available position. These small, marginal gains allowed for a big difference in results. Those 11 seconds might not seem like much over a 1 mile sprint, but taking advantage of those gains could lead to even more over a greater distance, leading to better speed. Thats the whole point here: going faster.
I realise that i've ranted a lot so far, so i'm going to put this into simple formulaic sense. X=rider at 145lbs Y= Strava segment, Z= 25<x lb 29er hardtail, Q= ~20lb crappy old road bike. So then:
X+Y+Z= 2:03
X+Y+Q= 1:53
This example is hardly scientific, but accurate. The mere change is bike adds gains. And when the question is achieving greater speeds, why is it that people always feel the need to fight gains? When Contador wins the TDF on a mountain bike, then we can say the bike doesn't matter. Until then, road bikes are faster than mountain bikes on the road, hence the ****ing classification.
TL;DR: A lot of little gains lead to big gains and if you think differently, you're not thinking right.
P.S I see one person saying it's the rider not the ride, and i will burn down an orphanage.
Firstly, I wish to address the notion that whenever comparing the two, the person involved on either bike is, for some reason, never good enough. What i mean is, people will always jump to the conclusion that it's not your bike that makes you faster, it's you. Well excuse my brief language but no ****, Sherlock. Yes, practise makes proficiency. Everyone vested in any hobby knows this. However, thats not the topic being questioned. I'm sick of seeing people respond to this, saying that it doesn't matter which you ride on, as long as you're riding. This is pure bs. I'm much faster on my 70's Huffy road bike then i am on my '13 29er, and i have numbers to back it up. On my 29er, my PR on a segment i frequent was 2:04. Days after getting my road bike, and my first time doing that segment with it, i got it to 1:53. Clearly, the bike being used matters.
Next, i would like to discuss what makes a road bike definitely faster than a mountain bike. Now i'm no expert, far from it. I'm a novice cyclist with less than 2k miles under my belt who only recently found out what the word peloton means. Despite this, however, it seems to me that the #1 thing that sets apart a mountain bike and road bike in terms of speed, is geometry. Mtb's are all laid back and relaxed, while road bikes are aggressive and straight forward, literally. Geometrically, the difference between a Specialized Demo and a Specialized Shiv is monumental. It's not just about being aero. In my experience, being in a more aggressive geometry has allowed me to put a huge difference of power down. On my 29er, i would be struggling on 2-5 sitting up right, but if i clung to the forks, i'd be zipping by on 3-7 with 80+ cadence no problem. The difference in ability was astounding and all i had to do was change my geometry.
Lastly, i'd like to talk about marginal gains. I'm no Team Sky advocate, but i'll be damned if their view on marginal gains isn't spot on. This idea that speed is solely dependent on the rider is constantly proven nonsense day in and out by people around the world when they try different things on their bike. It may be a new position, it may be lighter wheels or perhaps clipless pedals. People are always trying to upgrade their ride because they realize that many little things make a big difference. A ten dollar road bike from a garage sale shaved 11 seconds off a PR on my favorite segment over my $200 mtb. Why? Geometry and the ability to effectively put more power down is one, but it's also marginal gains. A much lighter frame to push, much less rolling resistance, slightly more aero bike and available position. These small, marginal gains allowed for a big difference in results. Those 11 seconds might not seem like much over a 1 mile sprint, but taking advantage of those gains could lead to even more over a greater distance, leading to better speed. Thats the whole point here: going faster.
I realise that i've ranted a lot so far, so i'm going to put this into simple formulaic sense. X=rider at 145lbs Y= Strava segment, Z= 25<x lb 29er hardtail, Q= ~20lb crappy old road bike. So then:
X+Y+Z= 2:03
X+Y+Q= 1:53
This example is hardly scientific, but accurate. The mere change is bike adds gains. And when the question is achieving greater speeds, why is it that people always feel the need to fight gains? When Contador wins the TDF on a mountain bike, then we can say the bike doesn't matter. Until then, road bikes are faster than mountain bikes on the road, hence the ****ing classification.
TL;DR: A lot of little gains lead to big gains and if you think differently, you're not thinking right.
P.S I see one person saying it's the rider not the ride, and i will burn down an orphanage.
& don't forget the weight savings from ditching the underwear!
#27
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Originally Posted by BenPS
and you better use a $4000 carbon fiber hammer, or gtfo
And yes, bikes made for riding on the road that are crazy expensive are perhaps a little faster than cheap bikes made for being on the dirt. I'll be in the news van.
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Did we really need to go through all that to know that road bikes are faster on the road and mountain bikes are faster on the trails? Really?
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#32
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If it's "the engine", than why is it that people on long boards zipp past cyclist on descents without breaking a sweat? Is it possibly because their mode of transportation is faster and more efficient? Or do you want to argue that their superior fitness allows them to produce more power?
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All I can add is that you don't wear tidy whities under your bibs. If you do, you won't be as fast.
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This is why I wish there was a mountain bike team classification in the tour de france. Have 3 or four teams race on mountain bikes and require them to use slicks. Then we'd be able to see the real difference in a race.
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i just switched from mt biking to road. some of my best times on pavement were on my mt bike. a lot of it comes down to position and stamina. granted once i got my first road bike, i gained 2-3 mph on average speeds. the mt bike was a better work out calorie killing wise but the road bike is soooo much more fun.
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I droped the hamer on an MTBer that was trying to suck my wheel today. I think (based on my butt-based power meter since I was on my old wheels) that I successfully dialed it up to 1000W, but let's just say it was 400W to be on the safe side.
(and none of the carbon on my bike asploded)
(and none of the carbon on my bike asploded)
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When people talk say "it's not the bike", they are (usually) talking about the same type of bike (comparing road bikes that cost $6000 and $2500).
Weak riders often think that spending $$$ on a road bike is going to make them "much" faster. That really isn't true.
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This thread is a bit like walking into a BMW dealer and asking why nobody drives cars anymore.
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Originally Posted by catgita
This thread is a bit like walking into a BMW dealer and asking why nobody drives cars anymore.
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OP,
keep in mind, you can set up the riding position on a 29er or mtb similar to riding a road bike on the hoods...or even more aggressive.
Until I parted out my Ti 29er, I was pretty fast on it and would often ride with roadies when I had 28c road tires on it.
I think you understand most of the tradeoffs by your post.
Aerodynamics is a big deal...so riding in the drops helps a lot. In that position, a roadie will be able to lay down the power...if set up properly.
The rest is aerodynamics and even weight if accelerating or climbing even mild hills.
Biggest mistake I see on guys who ride mtb's is they ride too upright. They choose a bike with too short a top tube or too short a stem. A more aggressive position on a mtb is better for speed in particular if riding on the road or shredding single track.
Good to own both styles of bike. My next bike will likely be an aero road bike with aero bars because I ride on long straight flat stretchs of road. I have simulated this position on my road bike with resting my forearms on the handlebar tops and pushing the seat forward with close to a flat back really reduces power output for high speed riding.
Dave Weins was the perennial Leadville champ. If you don't know about that race, google it. It is basically like a long road bike tour stage (100 miles) on dirt. Check out Weins bike below that he won the race on in 2009. Notice the saddle to bar drop. It is set up more aggressive than most road bikes on this forum. Also I am quite sure he can drop most roadies on this forum on that bike...even with knobby tires ...an incredibly strong rider.
keep in mind, you can set up the riding position on a 29er or mtb similar to riding a road bike on the hoods...or even more aggressive.
Until I parted out my Ti 29er, I was pretty fast on it and would often ride with roadies when I had 28c road tires on it.
I think you understand most of the tradeoffs by your post.
Aerodynamics is a big deal...so riding in the drops helps a lot. In that position, a roadie will be able to lay down the power...if set up properly.
The rest is aerodynamics and even weight if accelerating or climbing even mild hills.
Biggest mistake I see on guys who ride mtb's is they ride too upright. They choose a bike with too short a top tube or too short a stem. A more aggressive position on a mtb is better for speed in particular if riding on the road or shredding single track.
Good to own both styles of bike. My next bike will likely be an aero road bike with aero bars because I ride on long straight flat stretchs of road. I have simulated this position on my road bike with resting my forearms on the handlebar tops and pushing the seat forward with close to a flat back really reduces power output for high speed riding.
Dave Weins was the perennial Leadville champ. If you don't know about that race, google it. It is basically like a long road bike tour stage (100 miles) on dirt. Check out Weins bike below that he won the race on in 2009. Notice the saddle to bar drop. It is set up more aggressive than most road bikes on this forum. Also I am quite sure he can drop most roadies on this forum on that bike...even with knobby tires ...an incredibly strong rider.
Last edited by Campag4life; 11-14-14 at 09:35 AM.
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