Mountain biking commute instead of road bike

dario28

Would there be any advantage to using my mountain bike for commuting over using my road bike

Or would the different positioning mean that the fibers and muscles used racing wouldn't benefit

road bike is about 7kgs MTB is 13kgs or so

Commute is just under 30kms round trip

Kintarō Hattori

I cycle from Balbriggan to town about once a week, roughly 70km on a mountain bike and I wish I was doing it on a road bike. You simply can't get up enough speed on a mountain bike. As much as I love my MTB I'd prefer to do it in around an hour as opposed to the 90/100 minutes it currently takes me each way.

kenmc

dario28 wrote: »

Would there be any advantage to using my mountain bike for commuting over using my road bike

Less wear and tear on your road bike is about all I'd say.

But Mountain Biking, like actually in trails and stuff, though definitely does help, it's much more of a full body workout and you do learn how to handle a bike much better, you almost even get comfortable with the bike skidding Don't know if it really works the other muscle groups, you'd probably need to go to a gym for that

Rew

I do 20k each way on a MTB every day its fine but I dont have a road bike to compare. I use slick tiers but I have done it on the knobblies and didn't make a massive difference but you do have to work a bit harder.

reallyunique

Really depends. 30k round trip is pretty short and if it's mostly urban then the lower gearing won't be such a problem.
I MTB from Dundrum to Howth and back (via Killiney) quite regularly on an 10yr old MTB and don't find any trouble with it.
If you're light then then knocking a few kg off the bike will help a bit but I'm well overweight so the best way to reduce the strain up hill is for me to stop eating.

The MTB has the advantage of suspension. I watch the roadies dodge every pot hole whereas I can just plough through. Punctures may be less common too (I use some old Specialized Armadillos and get away with murder) and jumping on and off pavements, navigating the city generally I find easier on a sprung bike.

If you have the money, stop reading this and buy another bike but just don't do it because you feel you have to

manwithaplan

Is the question about whether commuting on an MTB is better training for road racing than commuting on a road bike? You could see how long the commute takes you on an MTB and then use your road bike for the same amount of time - just add the required extra kms onto your commute. I suspect it would do you more good.

If the question is more about having a pain in your arse cleaning and maintaining your race bike following commuter use, that's another issue. There's something to be said for having an everyday bike that you're not so bothered about. I wouldn't make it an MTB though!

I just picked up a singlespeed today that will need very little maintenance but is a similar geometry to my race bike. It will give me the illusion that I am getting some training in when I am pottering about.

Lumen

I think MTB riding, even on the road, uses different muscles due to the less stretched out position. XC geometry is longer though.

If you were serious about cross training you'd run to work. :pac:

daragh_

reallyunique wrote: »

and jumping on and off pavements

Why do you need to do that?

reallyunique wrote: »

If you have the money, stop reading this and buy another bike

+1

Wishbone Ash

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I cycle from Balbriggan to town about once a week, roughly 70km on a mountain bike and I wish I was doing it on a road bike. You simply can't get up enough speed on a mountain bike. As much as I love my MTB I'd prefer to do it in around an hour as opposed to the 90/100 minutes it currently takes me each way.

Unless you're in the semi-professional bracket you won't do Balbriggan to Dublin in an hour on a road bike. It takes me an hour to do Rush to Dublin (29kms) on a road bike and I don't be hanging about.

4leto

I bought a hybrid road bike, you have the best of both worlds, first the comfort of a mountain bike when it comes to pot holes etc and you have the a lighter faster bike then a mountain bike.

I also have a handy option of been able to lock the suspension from my handle bars, which does give a surprising boost to speed and eases the effort of the cycle.

Outkast_IRE

4leto wrote: »

I bought a hybrid road bike, you have the best of both worlds, first the comfort of a mountain bike when it comes to pot holes etc and you have the a lighter faster bike then a mountain bike.

I also have a handy option of been able to lock the suspension from my handle bars, which does give a surprising boost to speed and eases the effort of the cycle.

Best of both worlds or advantages of neither ?:D
you could just as easily say you cant bring your bike on trails or race it .
Your right about the remote lockout on the suspension its pretty much essential if cycling on the roads or uphill much

4leto

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Best of both worlds or advantages of neither ?:D
you could just as easily say you cant bring your bike on trails or race it .
Your right about the remote lockout on the suspension its pretty much essential if cycling on the roads or uphill much

Well yes but as a commuter bike it is perfect, I really couldn't imagine the state of my" knackers" at this stage on a racer when I am cycling nearly 50 KM a day on the Dublin dirt trails which can be some stretches of our cycle lanes.

I jest of course, my bike is a Cube hybrid and surprisingly light, but I did pay a 1000 euros for it, but I got the substantial reduction with the brilliant and visionary BTW scheme.

I was lucky in that I didn't know about bikes or this forum when I bought it, but I can honestly say I chose right.

I am contemplating buying a racer as well at the moment, but not to commute but to train, as I have acidently found an exercise I really enjoy.

dario28

manwithaplan wrote: »

Is the question about whether commuting on an MTB is better training for road racing than commuting on a road bike? You could see how long the commute takes you on an MTB and then use your road bike for the same amount of time - just add the required extra kms onto your commute. I suspect it would do you more good.

.

This was my only question alright !!!

julio_iglayzis

dario28 wrote: »

This was my only question alright !!!

I'm a mountain biker that converted to the dark side this summer. I was doing a daily round trip commute of 30KM on a hardtail with slicks, I upgraded to a Felt Z85 during the summer and it has done wonders for my fitness - consequently my mountain biking has improved, most notibly on uphills. You'll find yourself doing far more miles on the road bike, I always try to find an excuse to take the long way home these days.