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Road cyclists

Old 06-11-19, 06:25 PM
  #51  
Dr.Lou
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Originally Posted by Hr1
Has anyone else noticed how riding a road bike is competely different than riding a mtb or cruiser? The lack of a cushiony suspension or shock absorbing heavy, wide, low pressure tires + a heavier, thicker seat end up isolating the rider from really being one with the s road. Riding a SS really dramatizes this fact. A fixed is the limit, but I cheat a little riding a freewheel.

I've always thought it'd be interesting to see a cop in a mtb chase a cyclist on a road bike. I'd put my money on the road bike.
As a former bike cop I can tell you I never encountered such a scenario. That said, there’s no road bike that could out run my radio...or Sig Sauer.
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Old 06-11-19, 08:22 PM
  #52  
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Originally Posted by Hr1
Shooting an unarmed fleeing suspect in the back is illegal right?
Only when stealing your bike

Sorry I forgot the smiley face in my original post.
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Old 06-11-19, 08:55 PM
  #53  
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Its looking like I've been misunderstood. If a mtb's characteristics suit you then ride on my bicycle brother. I found an excellent post on Stack Exchange on this subject that echoes exactly how I feel re: road vs. mtbs >

"The difference is HUGE! When you get on a set of skinny, hard, fast rolling, knob-less road tires, it will feel like your bicycle has been set free. The knobs on a low pressure mountain bike tire create and enormous amount of drag, when you no longer have to push against them the difference will be unbelievable.

You may also notice you are no longer riding with your chest stuck out like a sail. You will find the new, sleeker, aerodynamic profile allows you to maintain your speed with much less effort.

You will also notice the ride on the skinnier, harder, road bike tires is much rougher going over bumps and potholes. This drawback is well worth not having the drag. You may compromise by getting a fatter tire than allows for lower air pressure and gives you more cushion but I prefer the reduced drag hard and skinny tires give you.

You will probably notice the road bike is lighter and with your lighter bike and less tire drag it is much easier to accelerate on.

Going up steep hills you will probably notice the gearing on the road bike is higher and may miss the lower gearing unless you road bike is equipped with a touring gearing (3rd smaller inner ring).

You will probably not notice the lack of tread, even on gravel bike trails. For the most most part the tread is not necessary on gravel bike paths but if you corner hard in gravel you will notice that your wheels wash out much easier, so take extra care when cornering.

If it's a traditional road racing type setup, you will notice the handlebar and braking setup is different and that it's even a little harder to stop. At first you will also find shifting is a bit confusing and may take a little time to get used to.

You may also find your riding position is a little less natural and a little less comfortable.

Get a road/commuter specific bike. You wont regret it."


Here's another >

In regards to the speed it really depends on the rider as much as it depends on the bike. I do frequently 30 to 50 miles social rides on the weekend and and I keep up on my 26" MTB. The only times I'm in real disadvantage is long gently sloping downhills where I simply don't have high enough gears.

You will notice 3 major differences right away, with other difference you can optionally implement in the future.
  1. Road bikes generally are much lighter than mountain bikes. Less weight means you can go further or faster with the same amount of effort you put into your mountain bike.
  2. Road bikes have much narrower tires (compared to a mountain bike) with much higher pressure. This means you have much less rolling resistance on a road bike. Once again, you can go further or faster with the same amount of effort you put into your mountain bike.
  3. Your riding position on a road bike is much more aerodynamic than it is on a mountain bike. Thus you can go further or faster with the same amount of effort you put into your mountain bike.
Those are the stock differences. Optionally you can:
  1. Add toe clips or cleated pedals to your bike. Locking your foot to the pedal increases the efficiency of your biking. This can make it another 10% easier to ride your road bike.
  2. Add aero bars- if you bike in the wind often, or ride fairly fast, adding aero bars gives you an additional biking position with lower wind resistance. This can make it another 10% easier to ride your road bike.
One last quote:

I have now had a road bike for 3 days since i transferred from mountain biker to road biker. I've done just over 50 miles and my experiences so far would be both bikes have pros and cons. The mountain bike is a LOT slower. The width of the tyres being thicker means more surface contact with the road and it slows you down and requires way more effort to ride especially uphill. The road bike i have, has thin tyres and the speed difference is amazing. The only drawback i have found is that without a suspension, you really feel every tiny bump/divot in the road and on long rides this can become very uncomfortable in your back/lower body/arms.The mountain bike protects you much more. Your body position too needs getting used to. Leaning forward rather than sitting up straight is a bit weird but again, i'll get used to that. Overall though i'll be sticking to the road bike, you'll love the speed difference.

Last edited by Hr1; 06-11-19 at 09:48 PM.
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Old 06-11-19, 11:08 PM
  #54  
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In my experience, a road bike is like a slow old guy riding a road bike, and a hybrid is like a slow old guy riding a hybrid.
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Old 06-12-19, 04:29 AM
  #55  
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I ride my bike straight off flights of stairs, and then up the stairs if they're not too high.. straight into kerbs side-on, wade through water with bricks in it, and over tree roots - whilst cornering. I'm fine with the level of feel I have, I don't really need a harsher ride.
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Old 06-12-19, 04:50 AM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by Skipjacks
No idea what this is about. Riding my mountain bike is exactly the same as my racing road bike. And both of those feel just like my BMX I rode as a kid.

In fact...I think the BMX might have been faster.

Not as fast as my tricycle when I was a wee lad, mind you....but I don't have the heart for those blistering speeds anymore.
And no plastic tricycles back in the 60s, they were solid steel!
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Old 06-12-19, 07:00 AM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by Hr1
Its looking like I've been misunderstood. If a mtb's characteristics suit you then ride on my bicycle brother. I found an excellent post on Stack Exchange on this subject that echoes exactly how I feel re: road vs. mtbs >


And then a bunch of quotes telling us water is wet.

If your only concern is maximizing speed on good roads, then obviously a road bike is optimal. But if you're riding in the real world with potholes and other obstacles, slick wide tires often work better.

As far as commuting, a lot of people do commutes where being aero really isn't much of a factor, and an upright position may make it easier to deal with cross traffic. Not to mention, they may be carrying enough stuff where the lightness of the frame is too small a factor to matter at all.

Personally, I like a CX bike, it's a good compromise that goes pretty damn aero when appropriate, but is easy to ride in an urban environment.

My sense is you really don't know that much about bikes, and there's nothing wrong with asking questions. But you keep making assertions about which type of bike is better that are really coming off as silly.
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Old 06-12-19, 07:06 AM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by Hr1
I've always thought it'd be interesting to see a cop in a mtb chase a cyclist on a road bike. I'd put my money on the road bike.
I would give much better odds of the mtb cop catching a suspect on a road bike than a cop on a road bike catching a suspect on an mtb.

You only need to be a little stronger on the road on an mtb to catch the road bike. But if you are on a road bike, and the suspect on an mtb, all the suspect needs to do is hop a couple curbs or shoot through some green space to lose you.

Last edited by Kapusta; 06-12-19 at 09:44 AM.
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Old 06-12-19, 08:58 AM
  #59  
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For the defense I offer exhibit A.

It's 39 minutes long. You may thing "I can't watch all that". but you will.. you will...



I run an exercise program at work for seniors and have a wheelchair adapted bike they pedal. I put this on the 32" inch TV in front and they ride along with it.

Last edited by Happy Feet; 06-12-19 at 09:01 AM.
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Old 06-12-19, 09:02 AM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by MikeyMK
I ride my bike straight off flights of stairs, and then up the stairs if they're not too high.. straight into kerbs side-on, wade through water with bricks in it, and over tree roots - whilst cornering. I'm fine with the level of feel I have, I don't really need a harsher ride.
^ That sounds like alotta fun for sure.
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Old 06-12-19, 09:51 AM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by nomadmax
I used to be a bike cop an I've chased down a few people on road bikes, albeit most were not cyclists.
I think both types have advantages the other doesn't. Its not a either or kinda thing. I just prefer the quickness and lightness of the RB over my 2x as heavy mtb.
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Old 06-12-19, 09:55 AM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by Kapusta
I would give much better odds of the mtb cop catching a suspect on a road bike than a cop on a road bike catching a suspect on an mtb.

You only need to be a little stronger on the road on an mtb to catch the road bike. But if you are on a road bike, and the suspect on an mtb, all the suspect needs to do is hop a couple curbs or shoot through some green space to lose you.
I think the biggest deciding factor is the cyclist. A HIGHLY motivated 180lb criminal on a single speed 17.5lb road bike being chased by 220lb cop w/ full belt and bike gear on a 37lb mtb stands a better than even chance of getting away. But as w/ all hypothetical situations there are MANY other factors at play.
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Old 06-12-19, 10:08 AM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
My sense is you really don't know that much about bikes, and there's nothing wrong with asking questions. But you keep making assertions about which type of bike is better that are really coming off as silly.
I know enough to know what I prefer to ride and thats obviously a light, fast bicycle w/ superior handling and acceleration and thats a Road Bike. As I've said if someone wants to put themselves through pushing a vehicle thats often 2x+ as heavy w/ wider tires that are MUCH harder to push down the street then be my guest. The laws of gravity and physics cannot be denied when evaluating this issue. Just like the jarring effects on the human body of hitting bumps and potholes on a rigid framed 17.5 lb bicycle w/ no suspension. < That also cannot be denied as major factor when deciding what someone chooses to ride.
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Old 06-12-19, 10:41 AM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
For the defense I offer exhibit A.

It's 39 minutes long. You may thing "I can't watch all that". but you will.. you will...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpnh6yLj_OA


I run an exercise program at work for seniors and have a wheelchair adapted bike they pedal. I put this on the 32" inch TV in front and they ride along with it.
Have you seen the women's race? Enjoy...

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Old 06-12-19, 10:48 AM
  #65  
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I can't believe no one has linked to this story yet.

How an Olympic Hopeful Robbed 26 Banks on His Bike
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Old 06-12-19, 10:56 AM
  #66  
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Originally Posted by hillyman
Takes a certain kind of person to stick with riding a bike. That's the important thing. To become One with a certain type of bike is magic. But you may be amazed how over time that magic may change over to many types of bikes.
W/ almost 20k posts on this great cycling forum I'll accept your opinion at face value as being much more creditable than my own. Thanks for your contribution.
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Old 06-12-19, 11:00 AM
  #67  
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Originally Posted by caloso
I can't believe no one has linked to this story yet.

How an Olympic Hopeful Robbed 26 Banks on His Bike
^ Jeez...Holy Smokes, what a story. Thank you soooo much for this story. Wow!!!!

Last edited by Homebrew01; 06-12-19 at 11:37 AM. Reason: Edited language
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Old 06-12-19, 11:46 AM
  #68  
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Originally Posted by Hr1
I know enough to know what I prefer to ride and thats obviously a light, fast bicycle w/ superior handling and acceleration and thats a Road Bike. As I've said if someone wants to put themselves through pushing a vehicle thats often 2x+ as heavy w/ wider tires that are MUCH harder to push down the street then be my guest. The laws of gravity and physics cannot be denied when evaluating this issue. Just like the jarring effects on the human body of hitting bumps and potholes on a rigid framed 17.5 lb bicycle w/ no suspension. < That also cannot be denied as major factor when deciding what someone chooses to ride.
I've ridden 25mm tires on the street and tires as wide as 1.95 inches--you're way overestimating the difference in effort needed to "push" them down the street. Tread's a much bigger factor than width in that regard.

Try road riding a slick wide tire on a bike sometime--you'll be very surprised. Because you can actually go very fast without feeling much of the vibration, it feels very much like flying.
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Old 06-12-19, 12:29 PM
  #69  
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Originally Posted by Hr1
Has anyone else noticed how riding a road bike is competely different than riding a mtb or cruiser?
No. No one ever noticed that.
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Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton

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Old 06-12-19, 12:33 PM
  #70  
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I've been riding my road bike for a few years, so I know it inside out. Or so I thought. After reading this thread I went to check, and it turns out that it was a cruiser all along. Who would have thunk so?
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Old 06-12-19, 12:48 PM
  #71  
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Originally Posted by PepeM
I've been riding my road bike for a few years, so I know it inside out. Or so I thought. After reading this thread I went to check, and it turns out that it was a cruiser all along. Who would have thunk so?
Your cruiser must be red. The redness makes is faster than a normal cruiser, tricking you into thinking it's a road bike.
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Old 06-12-19, 12:50 PM
  #72  
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Glad to see a better grade of troll onsite .... things got bleak for a while there.
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Old 06-12-19, 12:58 PM
  #73  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Your cruiser must be red. The redness makes is faster than a normal cruiser, tricking you into thinking it's a road bike.
Are you saying that red bikes ride completely differently from bikes of other colors? I don't buy it.
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Old 06-12-19, 01:01 PM
  #74  
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Originally Posted by PepeM
Are you saying that red bikes ride completely differently from bikes of other colors? I don't buy it.
Duh. They are fasterer. The molecules of red paint are more smoother, making red bikes more aero and thus faster. I thought you had a college degree or something.
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Old 06-12-19, 01:06 PM
  #75  
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Makes sense.

I do have a degree, a BS in BF physics. Maybe I skipped that day.
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