MathBunny

I was wondering if the mountain bike uses your hams more than your quads. I seem to have very strong hams, and weaker quads. I realized that I do not go significantly faster on a road bike than a mountain, and I was wondering if that could be the reason.

If yes, how can I use my hams more on a road bike? Push the seat back?

THANKS!

bt

a tailor made thread for stucky

MathBunny

What does that mean? O.o

Homebrew01

Pretty much same muscles in the legs, but a lot more upper body. Mtn biking & cyclocross are more strenuous because you don't get much coasting or flat "cruising".

spdracr39

also your up off the seat a lot and you are constantly on and off the power climbing over a variable surface with no way to maintain a steady cadence.

I <3 Robots

I find that I'm out of the saddle a lot more on the mountain bike. Also when you crest a hill on a road bike...for the most part you can sit and coast to recover some. On a MTB...unless you're riding straight fireroad, you'll be out of the saddle on the way down. If the section is really rough (where your body can really take a beating, especially the quads and shoulders)...you won't get to sit until you hit a smooth patch. I would think that you'd use muscles that you wouldn't use too much while on a road bike, but would use on a MTB to stabilize yourself on the descending in the dirt.

Wanted to add the cadence that spdracr39 mentioned. I also find myself really spinning in a low gear to get up steep techy sections. Steep with loose dirt with rocks.

Jiggle

Sure, you CAN coast on a road bike, but if you're out for a good workout, you can put down a higher, steady power on the road bike. On the mountain bike you'll be constantly forced to coast, unless you pedal while braking. Obviously this depends on the nature of the trail.

I <3 Robots

You can do it seated on a road bike. On dirt...you gotta stand and pedal if you're really hauling down a hill. Thats just how it is on dirt. Its much more technical than riding down a paved road. On a road bike you essentially stay seated and pedal, there will also be a point to where coasting is actually more efficient than pedaling.

DonBjr

I think it depends... I find the fit between my road bike and my full suspension mtn bike to be substantially different, so yes the muscles are used a bit differently, though for me it seems my road bike fit is more hams. Also, being relatively new to road bikes, I found I had gobs more power than on my mtn bike -probably because of the lack of suspension, clipless (use platforms on mtn bike), shoes, bike weight, riding position...

I'm not sure about significantly faster on road bike... depends on what you think of as significant. I probably average 3-4mph faster on the same paved relatively flat bike path with road bike, and I can accelerate up short steep hills on my road bike where I just decelerate with my mtn bike.

kbarch

I can only imagine, but wouldn't there be a bigger difference in the use of ones core and maybe upper body, due to the way one changes position more when off road - particularly when riding downhill trails? Maybe something similar to horseback riding, or riding a motorcycle on a track; compared to general-purpose road riding, you don't just sit there and pedal.

happyscientist

There is definitely a different fitness between mountain and road bikes. I have a riding buddy who always drafts off me and who I have to wait for on every road ride. Then I got a mountain bike. I thought I would be able to keep up with him, and I was wrong. Even if I had his bike handling skills, he would be able to drop me without breaking a sweat.

I <3 Robots

Thats just the nature of the beast. I use 2.3in knobby tires and run ~22psi rear and 20psi front. The MTB has a ton more rolling resistance compared to my road bike that runs 23c tires and 100psi. Getting up and trying to accelerate on pavement with the MTB feels like I'm riding through mud. Every time I hop back on my road bike after a day on the MTB...I'm amazed at how much faster accelerating the road bike is.

I actually did a four mile descent with my road bike and mountain bike on different days. Straight up coasting...I did not have to touch the brakes on my MTB even for the turns...where if I did not use the brakes on my road bike...I'd fly off the road.

coachboyd

I use my sphincter and muscles that make my mouth say "oh sh*t!!" A lot more when I'm mountain biking.

lsberrios1 

Mountain bikers are usually much stronger riders.

banerjek

Except for when bikes are set up identically, you'll notice that the muscles you use are a bit different. How different is a function of how different the bikes are.

R1lee

Upper body is definitely used more on mtb and cross. I just did a cross ride with some friends and was beat after 30min. Less so on the legs, mind you I didn't cover the same distance I normally would but it was exhausting.

Looigi

+1. Also much better upper body workout lifting mtb onto roof rack.

Looigi

How do you mean?

mcours2006

+1. Lmao

redfooj

you would also generally sit slightly lower for body maneuvering during technical bits ... getting above the saddle; getting behind the bike; etc. that should also alter atleast slightly muscles used during pedaling

RJM

Flying down a hill is quite a bit different on a mountain bike than a road bike.

Climbing is different too because your body shifts so much mountain biking just to keep traction.

I find mountain biking physically harder but it also improves road riding for me.

I do agree but till a point. I find that roadies can abuse themselves for longer durations than mountain bikers.

DonBjr

Yeah rolling resistance is part of it. However, when using our mtn bikes on gravel dust rails to trails, or pavement, we pump the tires up to 60lbs or so. We always assumed it was the big knobby tires that were the problem with relative bike speed, but when I got my road bike, a friend put 'narrow' slicks on his hard tail mtn bike (he also uses clipped pedals and is generally stronger than me) to keep up, but it didn't do the trick by a long shot.

DonBjr

Yes certainly. My mtn bike for instance, is not setup in any particular way. Just sort of out of the box, with me routinely raising and lowering my seat to wherever depending on the type of riding I'm doing. That's why I get a laugh out of fit problems that are solved with 2mm adjustments on road bike. Seems crazy. heh

I've been fit for my road bike, on the other hand. It makes we wonder if I should go through the process with my mtn bike.

lsberrios1 

I wasn't serious. Roadie legs are most likely to be stronger than mtbrs. At least in the endurance dept. mtbs may be able to sprint faster but i just cant see someone dedicating 10+ hours a week to gain aerobic capacity on a mtb.

hairnet

I can feel those differences on the road bike because I'm sitting and going through the same motion for hours. On the mtb my posture is always changing and rides aren't usually as long a road rides, so small fit issues aren't as noticeable.