Road bike vs Hardtail Mountain bike

[Jono]

MTB has knobbly tyres.
Would a proper road bike / road tyres make it that much easier to ride on roads? It seems to be a lot more effort than I'd expect.

Tis a Specialized rockhopper. IT's never really been offroad. I'm thinking of trading it in if possible or buying a proper road bike, but is that necessary?

I'd like to really up my distance on the bike, and it's not the most comforable thing to ride. 20 miles killed me in the buttocks department (but it had been a while since I'd been on a bike).

 

[SDK^]

Road tyres on an MTB will make a difference - for me it was 2mph average faster over a 16 mile route. A proper road bike is night and day better - It's smoother, easier to maintain speed, more comfortable and therefore a lot faster.

 

[semi-pro waster]

A proper road bike is significantly easier to ride fast and for distance on the road, I've never tried to quantify it but you should notice a big difference. Whether the change is worth it for you I can't say though. As SDK^ says changing for road tyres will help but it's still a compromise.

 

[Big Chris]

I have some 1.5" slicks I use on my MTB, pumped to 60psi they hoon it along on the road. I've been doing some decent enough (by my standards anyway) road distances recently and haven't had any problems. A decent saddle will certainly help and I tend to sort of lean on the palms of my hands a good few inches in from the ends of the bars rather than adopting a 'normal' MTB riding position.

That said, if I could afford a road bike too I'd have one for sure, they're much lighter and geared better for roads, plus the drop-bar position is more suited.

Bargain

 

[Dazzy]

I have both a road bike and a slick MTB, road bike is just plain faster. It has a much more immediate response to it.

BUT the MTB is more comfortable so unless im in a hurry MTB it is.

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

Dazzy, I'd guess your road bike doesn't fit very well. If road bikes weren't supremely comfortable people couldn't ride them as quickly as they do for 10 hours at a time. Comfort means you are riding more efficiently which means you can go further more quickly.

In what way is it uncomfortable?

 

[SDK^]

As [DOD]Asprilla said - A road bike is more comfortable.
I can ride for 7+ hours non stop on my road bike but after 2 hours on my MTB on the road my wrists are hurting and back aching.

The suspension on an MTB does take out the large bumps but the weight and sluggishness accelerating totally negates any benefit from the plush ride.

 

[Jonny69]

Road bikes fly down the road compared to mountain bikes. You can make some serious progress. Example this morning; I was just ambling along taking it easy and a chap on a mountain bike pressed on and passed me. We got no more than 200m down the road and he'd lost his pace and I overtook him at the same speed I was doing before and eventually lost him. If I'd been putting some effort in he'd have never caught up with me in the first place.

Steel road bikes are comfy but my experience with aluminium bikes is that they are not. Can't comment on carbon bikes because I've only ridden one.

 

[Murf]

Road bikes are night and day faster, and more comfortable once you get used to the tougher saddle (took me a couple of weeks).

My old MTB weighed 13.8kg and I commuted in at about 15mph. I'm now on a < 8kg road bike and for the same effort I'm doing about 20mph.

 

[Jono]

Hmmm will have to keep my eyes open for some bargaintastic deal of some kind. Anyone know of any?

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

How about something like this:

http://www.leisurewheels.co.uk/products.php?plid=m10b3s6p6897&rs=gb&vid=23100

I'd recommend it over the Allez mentioned above because it's a little more relaxed so there is a better chance you'll find it comfortable. However, fit is vital for road bikes. If the bike is the wrong shape (and 1 cm on any tube matters here) then you won't get most out of it and you may even find it uncomfortable to ride.

First thing to do is go and sit on a few and see how you like the position; remember that 99% of your riding will be with your hands on the tops or the hoods (brake lever / shifter tops) and on 1% on the drops.

Saddle should be higher than the bars, but unless you have a six pack and do yoga then you are looking at 2-3" difference rather than 5-6" as all that bending puts a lot of strain on your back, especially if you don't stretch out your hams from time to time.

 

[Dazzy]

Dazzy, I'd guess your road bike doesn't fit very well. If road bikes weren't supremely comfortable people couldn't ride them as quickly as they do for 10 hours at a time. Comfort means you are riding more efficiently which means you can go further more quickly.

In what way is it uncomfortable?

Im not talking about the riding position, I mean that with regards to bumps and rubbish roads the mountain bike gives a more cushioned ride with its slighty wider tires and more forgiving (rigid) forks.

 

[Jono]

That allez does look nice....

 

[Jono]

Are Carrera bikes from Halfords at all comparable to an Allez?

 

[Big Chris]

The Vanquish isn't a bad looking bike, but I'd definitely spend the extra ton and go for the Speccy.

 

[Jono]

How much do you guys reckon I could get for my 05 Rockhopper Disc... it's pretty much in pristine condition, given how little it's been ridden. Probably done 100 miles on it if I'm honest. I didn't have it with me for most of the years I've had it, so it's been stored at my parents' and I just rode my crappy old bike instead.

 

[Big Chris]

Probably around £200, give or take.

 

[Alasdair]

I'd say less than £200 unless it genuinely is pristine. Standard formula that most seem to work to is half less 10% for every year of ownership.

OP: Road bikes make a huge difference. If you don't want to go fully slick, consider a cyclocross instead as they're more upright and can still be taken offroad. To illustrate just how good they are, my commute I maxed at 22 mins 30 in, 28 mins out (a big hill!!) on my hardtail with the tyres pumped solid and forks locked. On my CX, I can hit 18 in and 24 out if traffic is good.

 

[Jono]

Hmm. I'll see what I can get for it at bikescene as part-ex. If it's not that much then maybe I should just hold onto it and actually ride it off road/trials. It's not something that really appealed to me, but Dalby forest is meant to be quite good.

Is it worth/possible to get another set of wheels and semi slick tyres and converting it into a Hybrid, or is that silly, because I'd have to buy a new <whatever that thing at the back with all the gears on is called> and stuff?

 

[Jonny69]

Yeah you could put skinnier wheels on it. No idea what width yours are, but the ones I just returned were only about 25mm wide - really slim for mountain bike wheels. The set of gears at the back is called a cassette. Assuming you buy wheels with the same cassette fitment, you can re-use it. Any bike shop will be able to tell you which one you need if you take the bike (or just the rear wheel) in