KevinmH9

What exactly is the difference between the two, there are the common differences but what are the differences between a Mountain Bike and a Road Bike in terms of purpose and frame and all that other stuff?

P.S I noticed I spelled Versus wrong, long day...College is winding down towards finals week...

WorldWind

purpose is…

A road bike is designed to be ridden on the road...
A mountain bike is designed to be ridden off road..

The frame of a road bike is designed to primarily transmit energy from the rider to the ground and maneuver on a smooth surface

The frame of a mountain is designed to motivate over rough terrain and allow the rider to climb and descend areas that are not traversable by foot.

What other stuff, be specific.

Retro Grouch 

Well, it's kind of like a Ferrari and a Jeep thing. While they might be variations on a theme, the details make a world of difference.

phantomcow2

Yea road bikes are ment to go on the road, fast. Mtn bikes have a variety of sub groups i think. I prefer mtn bikes, they are more versatile.

Doctor Morbius

Agree 100%. Even though I use mine mostly on the road, there are times I get the urge to go do some exploring. It's nice to have those rugged features for whatever may crop up.

phantomcow2

Thats what steered me away from road cycling. If i am downtown and want to jump over a curb or take a little shortcut over a patch of grass or anything of the like. I wouldnt want to do that with a roadie. If i put on my Tom slicks my bike is down to 21 or 22lbs. Not as light as some of these roadies but still enough to go quite fast

operator

Urban riding, i'd go with something more bombproof like a fixie. I've honestly never had the need for a mountain bike anywhere near, in or out of the city.

JBehrmann

Cyclocross!

Gurgus

Why not have both? Mountain biking led me to road biking. through running my mountain bike with Hookworms on it. I got addicted to going fast. Now I've gone to ss and probably end up riding fixed one day.
It's funny that I never thought of it before I started riding again, but the difference between my road bikes and mountain bikes is just like the difference between my Integra and Pathfinder. One's for fast crazy type fun, the other's for off-road crazy type fun. It's all good, whatever mood your in, I guess there is something to ride.

BostonFixed

Verus means truth in latin, so I guess the title of the thread wasn't entirely wasted...

gcasillo

Mountain bike is to Hummer as road bike is to Ferrari.

MadMan2k

Then trials bikes are like rock crawler jeeps?

What are bmx bikes then? Go carts? lol

Maelstrom 

Not quite, I don't think, what he would have meant by urban.

Maelstrom 

Dune buggy

MichaelW

In the US, the trend is for manufacturers and shops to concentrate on sporting extremes of design: the race-ready road bike or the dual-sus downhill bike. Inbetween there are a whole load of intermediate types which are better suited to the kind of riding which most people do.
From road bike:
Light touring/sport bike
Loaded touring bike
Cyclo-cross
Flat-bar sport bike
hybrid
Urban utility
singlespeed/fixed
recumbent
Folding commuter bike
Folding performance bike
Ridgid MTB
hardtail MTB
Dual sus MTB

Each bike has its intended use but intermediate styles have a wider range of alternate uses.

UmneyDurak

Which hammer? If it's H2 then equlivant will be the most poseur, useless, overpriced mountain bike that people with something to compensate for can buy.

monogodo

Being on my road bike has never stopped me from hopping a curb or taking a shortcut over a patch of grass.

DCCommuter

One aspect that no one has touched on is that road bikes and mountain bikes have different conventions for the sizes of parts and that you generally can't switch between them. There are obvious things, like 26" wheels vs. 700cm wheels, and subtle things like the spacing of the dropouts, the diameter of the handlebars, and the pull of the brakes. It's like the difference between American and Japanese cars. Once you get a set of tools and parts for one style of bike it's easier to stay with that style.

gcasillo

Let me try to take a stab at this:

Light touring/sport bike - Honda CRV
Loaded touring bike - Chevy Suburban
Cyclo-cross - Jeep Wrangler
Flat-bar sport bike - Kia Sportage
hybrid - Suburu Outback
Urban utility - Toyota RAV4
singlespeed/fixed - Mazda RX-8
recumbent - Mazda Miata
Folding commuter bike - Toyota Prius
Folding performance bike - Honda Civic Hybrid
Ridgid MTB - Toyota 4Runner
hardtail MTB - Land Rover Range Rover
Dual sus MTB - Jeep CJ7

phantomcow2

Can you go over stairs and take shortcuts through the woods with it too? I know I can make it to school in 20 minutes if i go on the road. If i go through the woods i can shave off 5-7 minutes. Sure wouldn't want a roadie there

Crack'n'fail

Seems to me they are both beautiful variations on the greatest invention of all time.

The thing that seems to be most different about all the different types of bikes you've mentioned are the people who ride them. Of course I'd be speaking in gross generalities to go on any farther but I'll do it anyway.

Most people I know who ride road are in a hurry to get out and ride, hammer miles, be fast, outrun one another and generally burn off the bad parts of their life by hammering. They generally are drawn towards really expensive bikes and parts and this will generally be the only topic of conversation on the ride, all other social chat is left to the post ride beer.

Mtn. Bikers generally seem to be more social, hammering sections of the trail and then stopping to chat about how rad that last section was, often returning to hit a sweet section of trail a second time. Mtn. Bikers will talk about anything, including politics and the arts, but often gravitate towards discussions about really expensive bikes and/or parts. They do not need to wait for for the post ride beer gathering to chat, or to have beer for that matter!

I count myself among both of these groups, depending on my mood. This past weekend was sheer bliss for me, I got in a 60 mile road ride after work on Friday, spent 4 hours on Saturday helping to build some MTB trails at a local park before going climbing, then Sunday I got to do about 15 miles of trail riding on said trails. Perfection.

Allright, now everyone set into me and tell me why my stereotypes are wrong and/or bad and help to show how the cycling community is a beautiful cross section of our diverse world.

monogodo

Depending on the flight of stairs and the path through the woods, yes, I'd do it.

trek5200-ryder

I have both, mountain bike and road bike. love them both. right now I'm focusing more on road bike, because I'm trying to drop a few pounds, and it's great cardio workout. constant peddling, whereas the mountainbike, about half the time I'm on it, I'm coasting (down hills, over rougher terrain). I would never get rid of either though.
One big difference is in the gearing. If You jump off a road bike, and hop on a mountainbike, you'll have a heart attack if you try to keep the same speed, pace, cadence.