prhey404

I want to start bike riding more during the week but I can't make it out to the trails everyday. I will have to ride through the neighborhood mostly during the week. Will there be any harm to my mtb if I start riding it a lot on the road and on the trails? I have started mtb racing and want to make sure I take care of the mtb. Also, what is specific training I should focus on for racing when I can't practice on the trails? Thanks.

rydaddy

Other than faster tire wear there is nothing to worry about. Go hard, on or off the trail, for best results.

nachomc

You should buy a road bike (if you can afford to). It will be a lot more fun than riding a mountain bike on the road IMO and you will be able to go further and faster.

junkyard

Agreed on the road bike. The two disciplines compliment each other nicely.

sirtigersalot

yeah road biking is good training for mtn biking, I'm now able to commute to class on my single speed (roadbike) and I find that to be really good training, road biking builds great endurance but doesn't always help you be able to put out a ton more power ie going up a really steep hill in the wrong gear, so it woudl be a good idea to do windsprints (NOTE: i know road bikers sprint, and can throw down alot of power, i also ride road, but if you don't train right you won't get that b/c of how much just spinning you do, your not always racing)

anyway if you ride ur mtn bike on the road the tires will wear faster which sucks if they are expensive.

if you can't afford a road bike or w/e but would like ot go faster, you could invest in another wheelset and some slick tires, that woudl make a big diff

ferell

Hi,
I also go with the junkyard and nachomc you should use a road bike rather than a mountain bike.
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c_m_shooter

The good thing about training on the road is you can recover faster, because you're not getting beat up every ride. Once or twice a week do intervals to increase your endurance(90-100% effeort for a minute or two followed by 5 minutes of recovery-repeat until you get light headed or throw up). You still need to hit the trails though, because that is the only way to keep the bike handling skills. When your lung capacity gets better than your bike handling, you tend to get in over your head more often.

prhey404

I went ahead and bought a road bike, it's pretty old but hey, it works. After riding it the past couple of days though, I will have to save up for a better one! I didn't think of doing the intervals, will definitely do that.

Could you explain this further? Do you mean this in a good or bad way?

Ok, windsprints are fast running intervals, right?

Thanks for all the great advice.

BoSoxYacht

If you do a lot of road riding and don't have time to get out on the trails often, you'll want to do some strength training for the upper body. I'm mostly a roadies these days and I notice my upper body is weak when I go mountain biking(or try to open jelly jars)

Zan

just one thing to keep in mind if you DO buy a road bike:

i read in a book... something like the cyclist's training manual, that you should keep the geometry of your various bikes the "same." It explained that if you race mountain biking, a road bike is good to have for training on the road, but try to get into a similar position as you are in on your mountain bike. so... i would suppose that means similar seat height, similar crank length, similar handlebars, similar "hunch," etc.

i'm sure some would argue, and i don't really care. just mentioning something different.

nachomc

That's interesting, I've never heard that before. I guess I set my bikes up that way though - I have the Epic for mountain biking and the Tarmac for road biking. They're both the aggressive, racing geometry for the sports. I just picked what was more comfortable and matched my riding style

born2bahick

But.......... What about the picture with the road bike, Sis?! I love the excited look you had with the new mountain bike. Don't we get the "thumbs up" pose with the road bike?

prhey404

LOL yeah I was a little too excited when I got my mtb I see those pics now and laugh! But hey, is changing my life. I'll see if I can get one with the road bike but I warn you... It's OLD!

stapfam

I'd forget the road bike and get a decent set of wheels and high pressure slicks for road riding. Started riding in 1990 and only had mountain bikes till 2006. Road riding- Metrics- 100milers and enduro XC all done on the same bike. Since going road- I now struggle on the stiff offroad climbs and overall fitness has decreased. Perhaps I ought to get out on the MTB a bit more often.

pyroguy_3

DO IT! I rode my mountain bike on pavement for at least a year, almost every day (9 months out of said year), and only went through one set of tires. It all depends on the type of tire. A softer one will wear quicker, a harder one not as quick. Stair gaps are fun if you get the chance.

mtnbiker66

Road bikes suck...........really.........hard.....

BoSoxYacht

I just use the right tool for the job.

mtnbiker66

Riding the road sucks........

BoSoxYacht

Fixed

Many Pro XC guys use road bikes for training. Some guys have raced both. You might have heard of some of them (John Tomac, Bob Roll, Ned Overend). I think they might have even won a race or two.

sirtigersalot

idk if thats even really that possible, i have way diff riding styles road and mtn, every bike i have is set up to accomidate its intended purpose, you can't get road bars as wide as my mtn bars and i wouldnt' want em, the head angle is diff to account for the fork diffs ect, and the wheelbase is gonna be insanely diff, my road bike has a 39in axle-axle, while my mtn bike is 44in. my single speed road has a super short stem and with 38cm bars and like a 6in seat-hoods drop so it turns super quick for car dodging ect in town but it sucks for long distance.

ps road bike are alot of fun cause you go really fast, don't wanna get into a road vs mtn fight I like both, been doin alot more mtn biking lately but I still love the road (its also more fun with a nice bike) every time i get on my road bike i'm like omg the stiffness idk what to do (scandium-carbon roadbike vs full suspension lol)

oh yeah and by windsprints i meant intervals yeah...

BoSoxYacht

Tomac raced this back in 1990 so that he could keep his position Identical to his road bike. He says it was way awkward.



At Interbike the Tomac booth had a psuedo replica(I have photos of it somewhere). the rep gave me a hat and a tee-shirt for knowing what it was all about.

mtnbiker66

Riding the road on anything without a motor sucks. I know pro DH guys that use them for training as well.....but they still suck.I'm not trining for anything so when I'm out riding it ain't gonna be fighting with cars for space.

BoSoxYacht

A valid point, but the OP is asking about training for mountain bike racing. By looking at his bike, and his location, I'd guess he's going to be racing XC, but I could be wrong.

victim

You, my friend, are my new hero. You sure do make the TGMBG proud.

prhey404

Have a race next sunday. So I have been running 5am (on foot) and with the road bike, after I went hard on the road bike and the next day went to the trails I guess I used different muscles cause my legs were out of it and I fell on the climbs, I haven't fallen in months! Maybe it's just that I need to get used to the continuous pedaling on the road.

Does he mean buy separate road tires and rims to switch out on my mtb when I go on the road?

Also, what exactly is racing XC? I have an FSR XC bike, and all I know is that I ride mountain bike trails, but no mountains in florida!, (Oleta Park, Markham, etc) but what is the definition of XC? I'm still learning... The trail I ride the most (oleta) is mostly technical from what I know, about 10 foot drops and lots of roots, singletrack with tight corners and moderate sudden climbs 10 to 15 feet. When I was in tallahassee it was different, lots of downhill about fourth of a mile and sharp turns at the bottom of a descent and not much sudden drops, and slow long tiring climbs, but that was a different story not used to that (tallahassee).