Using A Mountain Bike On The Road

It s not like there is anything inherently dangerous or unsafe about riding a mountain bike on the road.

Using a mountain bike on the road. I wore shimano carbon sole road shoes for years a while ago i switched to the new specialized body geometry road shoes designed by andy pruitt. One aspect of using the same shoe and pedal for both road and mountain that is not often addressed is that the q factor the distance from the center of the pedal to the centerline of the frame is wider on a mountain bike. In all other cases you will end up with a non road bike. The other benefit of a mountain bike over a road bike is the riding posture that a rider assumes.

I like to use my mountain bike pedals and shoes for road biking but i get funny looks on group rides. Riders convert mountain bikes because it s their only bike or to try their first granfondo road group ride gravel grinder or simply to commute. Somehow using spikes to me corresponds with using a mtb and not a road bike. Riding a mountain bike on the road may seem out of place but it s actually quite common.

This is a guide to mountain bikes but they re only one niche of a pretty wide range of cycling machines. Meanwhile a road bike subjected to continuous abuse from potholes and poor road conditions may have problems a lot quicker than a mountain bike. For many of us mountain bikes are less expensive more durable and feel safer than slick road bikes. In today s video i will show you the conversion that i did to make my favorite bike my off road and on road bike.

The idea stemmed from local pro racer brian schworm. The mountain bike or road bike conundrum has foxed many a prospective rider so let s make sure you want a mountain bike in the first place. You can turn your favorite. Let s get one thing straight a mountain bike is designed and built for going off road and on the other side of the coin road bikes are totally designed for yep you guessed it riding on the road and you can get a full rundown on the different types of mountain bikes in my recent post mountain bike history and mountain bike types.

I cannot imagine a biker who would stop riding a mtb because she s on a road whereas most road bikers would rarely use their bike off road. Ride the bike that you have there s no reason not to. As such road specific pedals can choose materials and control the contact patch better allowing a much smoother float and often more float than mountain bike systems. What shoes do you use.

Imho if you want to bike on roads only a road bike is ok. How much performance am i giving up if i use mountain bike shoes and pedals. To find the right bike we first need to understand what we ll be doing with it. It is generally much more upright and comfortable for your spine.