norskagent

If I had to tote my bike up and down stairs daily, a cushioned top tube would be nice for putting the bike up on my shoulder.

bhchdh 

It seems to me that it is just a matter of cost. An entry level road bike is simply more expensive than an entry level mountian bike.

ColonelJLloyd 

I'm convinced MTBs are a plenty logical choice. There have been many good points made. Another reason I like this forum; you ask a question and get a reasonable answer.

cudak888 

The dynamic of the Advocacy & Safety forum explained:

"Any comment or statement shall be met with at least one person who finds it offensive to his or herself. This includes the following highly offensive terms: 'car,' 'motor,' 'enjoyment,' and 'fun.'"

-Kurt

jamesj

ha ha ha awesome response!

RobbieTunes

I always just figured they were more practical. They are not just using those bikes to fulfill their mission, those bikes are their only transportation, are they not? In that case, I would think a bike with the ability to curb-hop, tote groceries, reach the masses, in any weather, would be a MTB of sorts.

Perhaps they'll all gravitate towards Trek 520's, so they can adapt them to the local terrain, wherever they are...

If some of them came to my door, the guy with the lime/orange fixie and the grin, that's the guy who you listen to....

hamish5178

I agree that a straight road bike would be less versatile. But wouldn't a hybrid make a lot more sense than a double suspension MTB?

Never seen a mormon on a bike, but I guess that has to do with living in DE.

HopHornbeam

In my experience, most missionaries on bikes weren't big bike people before their missions, and the perception is that mountain bikes with suspension are more comfortable. I think most people don't realize until they've been in the bike world for a while that you can get a lot of good suspension characteristics just from tires, and not have the energy-sapping nature of mechanical suspension. Missionaries' bikes are also among the hardest used (ridden hard by people who don't yet have bike handling finesse, lots and lots of miles with little maintenance--there's not much time to maintain them--and the riders not knowing that they need to adjust their brakes and derailleurs to avoid unnecessary wear to components) that I know of. Lowest cost for the most transportation. Mountain bikes tend to be more durable, and that's probably why missionaries are usually seen with them. I do think that rigid steel with 42+mm tires would generally be the most efficient, but most people just don't know that.

Some missions provide bikes, and in others the missionaries have to supply their own. They will usually either buy them or use what has been left behind.

Sometimes missionaries on bikes are in areas next to those where the missionaries drive a vehicle. I can't help but think that the foam on the top tube has something to do with protecting it from the car's bike rack when they get a lift from the driving missionaries.

steine13

>> an old Stumpjumper that's even my size locked up outside the mercado usually.

Now you know why it's locked up
Thou shalt not covet...

EDITed to say -- My Goodness, I didn't realize this was a resurrected Zombie thread. Nvr mind the dumb joke then. -mathias

Swampthing 

I thought this was going to be about me.
but the crisp shirt and tie thing ruled me out.

Happy Feet

Don't forget: common sense.

SurferRosa

And why don't they ride tandems?

Ferrouscious 

Something that hasn't been mentioned is theft. If you're relying on a bike for transportation all over a metropolitan area, you're bound to end up in some less than perfect places. Thief sees (and likes) a bike shop level bike, it's gone in 5 minutes. The lessons and visits to members and investigators can easily be over two hours. Every little bit helps.

GravelGuy

Most of those kids are on a budget, paying out of their own or their family's pocket. And truth be told, come from families that are middle class or worse. They don't need fancy, they need transportation for all kinds of weather. And sometimes that transportation was not that reliable. The shop I used to work at had a lot of these kids come in for repairs. Many times the bikes were pretty beat up, having been passed from one kid to another as they rotated through the area.

cudak888 

There is no such thing.

-Kurt

ofajen

Because it’s quicker and easier than pushing them.

Otto

USAZorro

Need to put myself back on the record. Ceased being a Mormon about 9 years ago.

This said, have to ask why I went to target back in 2003 or so and bought Magnas for my kids. I didn't know any better then.

GMS 

For many years the new Missionaries would come in and buy bikes. They did seem to prefer upright bars. My Mother loved working with the polite young men. One year it just stopped. We were told the church was getting the bike for them.

RobbieTunes

I’m thinking kickstands.

cudak888 

When this thread was first started, MTBs and MTB-looking hybrids were pretty much the only thing the average person could find easily in a bike shop.

Finding other comfortable commuters (e.g., IGH bikes) meant the user already knew what they wanted and were willing to make a special effort to acquire the type of bicycle they wanted.

Since then, there's been a lot of companies that have realized that the general public has grown weary of those sport-oriented trendmobile bicycles - and as such, commuters with North Road handlebars have returned to many lineups. Hence, it is actually possible to walk into a bike shop as a layperson and find something sensible and comfortable once again - without having to make a special effort. The chances of walking out with an MTB-shaped object is now a lot lower.

Speaking of which, there's going to be a gazillion loop frames making the rounds (or getting shoved in city warehouses) as the Social Bicycles-based bike share bikes get retired around the end of the year. They're retiring their controllers due to AT&T's eventual drop of 3G systems (which, if I'm not mistaken, is currently supporting the controllers' 2G networks). Heavy, but practical - if it wasn't for those cantankerous Shimano roller brakes.



-Kurt

SurferRosa

And is there any bike riding in the afterlife?

John E

For general purpose transportation, including shopping, I use my non-suspension, 26x1.95 tired mountain bike a lot, particularly if the roads are wet or if I expect to encounter potholes or stretches of dirt or gravel. It is also super-easy to trackstand at red lights.

I recall chatting with a couple of missionaries a number of years ago -- and joking with them about the coincidence of both of their first names being "Elder." They told me they were now encouraged to buy mountain bikes instead of road bikes, primarily for durability.

As for the answer to the original question of why they ride MTBs, it is clearly "to get where their destinations."

cudak888 

That point where the bike buying advice provided to the average person is limited to two poorly suited options...

-Kurt

Digger Goreman

For a moment I thought you were referencing the upcoming usa elections....

Het Volk

Yeah. But also sadly this is still often the mentality of those selling the bikes as well. Either a full carbon road bike with proprietary components and 23MM tires or full suspension mountain bikes. Now, you could argue that the new gravel bike craze will at least mean shops selling bikes that are a happy medium, however, many are carbon, which unless your racing (and even then I think that is oversold), a steel gravel bike with lots of braze-ons would be the best option for what Mormons need out of their bikes.

Ironically, converted no-brand mountain bikes from the early 90's into gravel bikes might be the best option both in terms of functionality and, as a poster above noted, less likely to be stolen.