hackwire

I just bought a mountain bike recently and I wonder if it is the right machine to ride on the tar road ?

Is mountain bike only meant for riding on jungle treks ?

Is the speedbike the prefered bike for riding in the city instead of the mountainbikes?

I hope some expert will help to clarify this term.

Thanks

Chris L

I ride my mountain bike on sealed/tar roads all the time. In fact, I often do rides exceeding 200km on tar roads with it. I actually find it extremely useful in the city where GCCC are always digging unnecessary holes in perfectly good roads. I am immune to roadwork.

I have my bike fitted out with slick tyres and I have SPD pedals that allow my shoes to clip in, and as a consequence I have little problem in cruising at 30km/h on the ride to work or wherever. In fact, I find that my slicks can also handle 90% of dirt roads I come across, making them the ideal weapon in my view.

Richard D

Mountain bike is a term that's perhaps a bit of a misnomer - the alternative name is All-Terrain Bike which better describes they're capabilities. Having said that some low-end "Mountain Bikes" might have the basic styling but not the ruggedness to really go off road.

Whilst a true mountain bike is generally heavier than a bike designed purely for road use if you fit it with fast-rolling slicks or semi-slick tyres there's no reason why you can't use it on the road.


Richard

locutus_of_borg

There is no way I would ride a road bike around San Francisco. It can be bone-jarring on a dual suspension, let alone a rigid frame road bike. Street car tracks, Cable Car tracks, train tracks, warped/cracked/split/bumpy/really bumpy/bordering on speed-bumps bumpy pavement, potholes big enough to swallow a Ford Festiva, huge (think6") deep gaps in ajoining sections of concrete, 12" tall curbs, 25%+ grades, violent and sudden stops (thank God for discs), cars, busses, (blind) cabbies, (blind, deaf and mute) pedestrians, run-away empty glass bottle filled shopping carts, other cyclists, double parkers, cars pulling out, and of course the occasional rabid stray animal.

Mountain bikes are made for urban jungles.

MichaelW

Between an off-road trail bike and a racing road bike are all maner of inbetweeny designs, ideal for tackling city streets. An MTB with mid-sized (1.5") slick high pressure tyres is about as effective as a road/touring bike with mid-sized (32mm) high pressure slick tyres.
Roadified MTBs are fine for most road riding, but the suspension systems can make it harder to fit some useful accessories such as a luggage rack or fenders. Suspension also sucks a bit of energy on hill climbs. Whatever, if that is the bike you have, then use it.

JasBike

heh thanks for alaugh man

HR_Freerider

Tar roads are ok for doing some trials stuff,if theres alot of ledges,high curbs,grass hills,and possible places for gaps. Also,they`re good for practicing manuals,pogos and abubakkas on the flatland part of the road.