Road bikes- offroad limitations?
 

Hey all,
I am still getting a feel for the roadie scene, I don't have a bike yet. I am hoping to get one this weekend. Just to save myself pain after I actually get a bike, I want to know how strictly road a roadbike is. I mean, can you ride it down curbs? Up curbs (slowly)? Grass? Dirt paths? Potholes? Don't worry, I don't want a mountain bike! I just need to know before I end up with a dented/bent rim...

Thanks

I ride down curbs (slowly). Grass is no problem, and I've even taken my road bike on a rail trail. I have fairly wide tires however - 700x28.
Mine is similar to this, but a couple of years older:
http://www.bikespecialties.com/marinoni/ciclo.html

A good road bike should not be ridden in the way you described. If you want to do that, consider a cross-bike.

What he said.

I disagree.
Those bikes are built to take much more than you can ever dish out.
Seriously, a decent set of wheels and tires will get you across any surface.
In attempting to avoid dangerous traffic, I've ridden my Trek down washboard roads, cobble streets, rail-trails, etc. at full tilt.

Granted, you might have to replace headsets and bottom brackets a little more frequently, but you're not going to kill your bike. Ain't no way.

Well a cross-bike is absolutely the way to go for anything except VERY occasional "off-road". Although I have done the things I described, it wasn't fun or recommended.

I've ridden my CF roadbike over curbs and have bunnyhopped it over potholes. I've hit some potholes at high speed too. Also, I occassionally ride it on gravel trails that I use as shortcuts to get back home. It's good to have very solid wheels with strong rims. I'm running Mavic Ksyrium SSCs with 700x23C Continental GP3000 @ 130PSI. In the four years I've had the bike, I've bent a spoke once but I'm not even sure when and how that happened. And after I discovered the bent spoke, I checked the wheel which was still true and round. I even rode on that bent spoke for another 500 miles while awaiting the replacements (I ordered extra spares) to get shipped. The only time I had to retrue the wheel was after I replaced that spoke and even then it wasn't really a retruing... just a tensioning. While it's not advisable to continuously offroad a roadbike, it can be done from time to time for short distances without a problem.

crossbike++

Kind of like 4WD on a car . . . most people don't need it, but when you do need it, there's no substitute.

If you're spending money on a nice bike, treat it right. However if you're riding a beater do whatever you want with it. Road bikes and road tires can be ridden off road...carefully.

I second (or third) the cross bike suggestion. Especially for a first bike. If you commute around town, or just ride in town, it's probably the best choice. You can still have drop bars, STI shifters, and tall gearing. The wheelsets you can use however, are much better suited even to the occasional offroading. I prefer 30/32 700C's for around town use, but switch to a traditional road wheelset for weekend rides. You can't do that with most "road" frames.

I am poor so my baby stays safely in the road. I dont even like riding it on the sidewalk but maybe Im just weird. If I need to ride somewhere like that, I take one of my other bikes.

With a road bike its best to learn how to pop up the front and rear wheels separately. That way when you come up to a curb you first pop the front wheel up (primarily done by pulling up on the bars and giving it a good kick on one pedal). Then when the back wheel is a few inches from hitting the curb, lean forwards on the bars and use the clipless pedals to "bunny hop" the back wheel over the curb. Make sure that you don't lean to far forwards, especially in deep grass. If I had a dollar or every face plant from this move I've seen going into the grassy areas around crit courses (not people who were racing, but people who already did race or were waiting to race). If you get good at this you should be able to do the back and front wheel at the same time, enabling you to hop over RR tracks at full speed. Make sure they aren't double tracks though, its a LOT farther and you risk landing a wheel on the rails which could either get you hurt badly or at the least you wheel.

I have taken my bike with training wheelset over a few things. I do worry about things like scraping my long crank arms, etc though. At races I have seen it more than once so it can be done.

two words:

Paris - Roubaix

ok two words and a hyphen

So what aren't you supposed to do with an expensive road bike?

Depends how comfortable you feel. I've ridden my bike through the gravel at one point during one of the RR, bike is still in one piece. Yes road bike is not intended for of road riding, but comming down from a curb on a occasion won't destroy it.

Don't worry about that. I am a BMXer, I can bunnyhop up waist high ledges, with platform pedals ;)

I've gotten road bikes with 700x23 tires down more miles of dirt roads -- plus three very memorable miles of dirt road in pouring rain -- then I care to remember at this time. I wouldn't necessarily recommend high speed, but you can most certainly get through it. I'd think the danger of hitting potholes is greater to you (from the resulting fall) then it is to the bike. I wouldn't make a habit of riding off curbs, bunny-hopping, hitting potholes, etc., but the bike can most certainly take it. Get some good wheels, and you're good to go.

As another poster said, look up some pictures from the cobblestone sections of the Paris -- Roubaix race. Greg LeMond once compared it to riding over a miniature graveyard.

Snakebites may be the most common problem with bumps and potholes etc.... Keep the tire pressure high it will help somewith that Carry pump and spare tube patch kit etc....

Ive taken road bikes on tracks and trails, curbs, potholes etc. They don't falll apart if you avoid ultralight weight-weenie type equipment. Did you see in the TdF when Lance avoided a crash, and cut a corner across a ploughed field at fairly high speed?

With curbs the technique described above is good, where you pop the front wheel up, then brake, then get the rear wheel over. Riding off curbs is no problem, unless you drop into a rising camber at slow speed. With potholes, you can lift the front wheel over the hole. It all comes down to having a responsive and sensitive technique.
Taking a road bike off-road will improve your riding skills.

... can you ride it down curbs?
Yes.
Up curbs (slowly)?
Yes, although I've found it easier to bunny hop up it while going fast.
Grass?
Yes.
Dirt paths?
Yes.
Potholes?
Yes, again, I prefer to bunny hop them.

I've done everything on your list with every one of my road bikes with no damage sustained to any of them.

I've ridden my road bike on trails, grass, etc. and never had a problem. A reasonably strong set of wheels will hold up to almost everything one could throw at them.

If a bike's too fragile to handle the occasional off road foray, then how well will it hold up hitting a pothole, rock or whatever at 24 mph? Don't worry...most modern frames will hold up better than the rider off road.

I think you've hit a key point (no pun intended :)). It's once again... not about the bike. The rider skill probably plays more a roll in the survivability of the bike when riding offroad than the bike itself. Sure you need strong wheels and such but a good rider who can pick clean lines and knows how to manage their speed and momentum can bring most bikes through an offroad situation without damage.

Does light offroad riding do anything bad to your frame over time?

You probably cycle (as in stress/strain cycle) the frame more than you would normally but in general, I don't think it accelerates fatigue beyond the expected/pragmatic lifetime of the frame. Of course the lifetime of a frame is a subjective thing and not everyone agrees on what that should be. Hard ridden MTBs sometimes only last a season or two and they're designed for offroad punishment. Know your terrain, know your bike, know yourself and ride within the limits.

IMO, putting the bike on a wind trainer and locking the front fork down does more damage to a bike than riding on a dirt road.

And even then, only trace amounts.