Mountain Bikes vs. Road Bikes
May 11th 2018
You're in the market for a new bike, and now it's decision time. Mountain bike or road bike? Road bikes are for paved roads, everyday riding and speed. Mountain bikes are for trails, natural terrain and, well, mountains. You might gravitate naturally towards a road bike, but these details about mountain bikes just might change your mind.
Bianchi: Intenso 105 - 2018 (left) Marin: Hawk Hill - 2018 (right)
Fitness
It takes a lot of energy and core strength to maneuver a mountain bike. There's definitely a lot more being asked of your body and your mind when you are out on a mountain bike. Managing unpredictable terrain and obstacles and balancing both body and bike whilst propelling yourself forward, this bike is for people who like a challenge. Road bikes are easier to maneuver, much more straightforward, you'll have to put in a lot more time on a road bike to get the same fitness advantages.
Weight
Mountain bikes are heavier because the bike needs to be able to take a beating. Almost every single component on a mountain bike will be heavier and bigger than a road bike. Road bikes are made to be lightweight and geared towards optimizing speed.
Tires
Mountain bikes have thick, heavy, and wide tires. This is to enable the bike to conquer difficult paths, terrain, but also to maintain traction. This results in a slower speed, but also much safer for the rider. Road bikes have thinner tires with high air pressure, so the rider does not have too much resistance from the traction between the tire and the road.
Suspension and Gears
Mountain bikes do not have tires with higher air pressure so the ride is quite bumpy. To offset this, many mountain bikes come with suspension systems. These systems are designed to absorb and offset the energy coming from the rough terrain to provide a much smoother ride for the rider. Road bikes have a higher high and low gear than mountain bikes. Having a higher gear ratio means road bikes have a higher top speed than mountain bikes.
M1 Sporttechnik Electric: Das Sterzing CC, S-Pedelec - 2017
Style
Both mountain and road bikes come in a wide variety of styles. It is possible to get a road bike that's heavier duty and has similar features of a mountain bike and vice versa. Especially within these two bike categories, there are several different sub-categories that have both functional and stylistic differences that will suit you better than its typical counterpart. Visit us in store and we can demonstrate these differences for you.