Bicycling - Road and Mountain

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Which type of bike?

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lbritz
lbritz Posts: 5
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Hi guys,

I'm new to MFP, hopefully I can get some good advice here though. My old mountain bike which I use to rise in and out of uni and to the gym has pretty much had it... I'm looking to buy a new one, primarily just for riding on the roads and trails to and from campus and the gym. I don't think I should get a mountain bike (?) - but I think I would fall off a road bike! Hybrid? Is a mountain bike a lot slower? Confused!

Thanks!

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  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
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    It sounds like you would be a good fit for a Hybrid bike. It is built much like a mountain bike frame with smoother road tires.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Mountain bike with knobbly tyres - very slow and hard work on the roads.
    Fit road tyres and you gain loads of speed for less effort - I managed a couple of 60 mile charity rides on my old steel frame, dual suspension MTB.

    Hybrids cover quite a range from the "almost as fast as a road bike" with skinny semi slicks to steady shopping type bikes. Really you want to look at the type (and width) of tyre fitted to work out the use they are aimed at. Great in traffic and as comfortable as a MTB.

    I really enjoy my hybrid and rarely use my road bike with drop bars. Have a look at Evans Cycles to get an idea of the scope - if you can stretch to a carbon fork then they are a lot less harsh to ride than all alloy.
    ( http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/bikes/hybrid-bikes )
  • lbritz
    lbritz Posts: 5
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    Great, thanks a lot guys
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
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    Yup; Road bike, Cyclocross (CX) bike or Hybrid would be my choice (in that order).

    Depending on the type and severity of the trails, then a CX would be my weapon of choice :wink:
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Mountain bike with knobbly tyres - very slow and hard work on the roads.
    Fit road tyres and you gain loads of speed for less effort - I managed a couple of 60 mile charity rides on my old steel frame, dual suspension MTB.

    Hybrids cover quite a range from the "almost as fast as a road bike" with skinny semi slicks to steady shopping type bikes. Really you want to look at the type (and width) of tyre fitted to work out the use they are aimed at. Great in traffic and as comfortable as a MTB.

    I really enjoy my hybrid and rarely use my road bike with drop bars. Have a look at Evans Cycles to get an idea of the scope - if you can stretch to a carbon fork then they are a lot less harsh to ride than all alloy.
    ( http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/bikes/hybrid-bikes )

    Agreed.

    I'd probably look at a hardtail 29er, then swap out the knobby tires for something more street worthy.
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,686 Member
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    I honestly don't understand why someone who's riding on the road would want to ride anything but a proper road bike (or at a push, for a bit of vesatility a 'crosser...) If it's that the roadbike isn't tough enough - well - all I can say, you must be hard on componentry, because I was rattling around the roads on a bike with carbon forks, a sub 2kg frame and fulcrum racing5's when I was around 390lb...

    Certainly, I just don't get WHY you'd be any more likely to fall off a road bike than a MTB - frankly I fall off my MTB far, FAR more often than I do the roadbike - indeed, It's sort of a given on the MTB - if you don't fall off occasionally, you're not trying hard enough!

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