Is a road bike really worth it?

I love riding and tinkering with bikes but I've always had this idea that to be a proper cyclist you need a road bike (MTB for off-road obviously).

I don't have much money available for cycling, and you can find quality bargain retro MTBs easily - much more so than with road bikes - so I've always justified it that way, whilst keeping an eye out on the off chance of a bargain road bike.

A few have come up recently and I now have one that fits me
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=317916

But... I don't know if I like it. And I think it's the road specific features rather than the bike itself.

I'm rarely overtaken on the road and often overtake/race roadies. I can easily do 60 miles plus with little discomfort. Bar-ends help for options and if my hands get tired I'll often just go no handed for a bit.

My MTBs have a high seatpost so while not quite as aerodynamic as a road bike they're not far off. I imagine there's a slightly lower top speed due to gearing and wheel size though that can be adjusted with gearing. And I'm not racing.

I find the road bike awkward. Less nippy from standing (the larger wheels maybe?) And I find the drops less sure and steady. I'm sure that will improve with time but I just feel the MTBs are more fun with little disadvantage.

Plenty of you guys rack up many more miles than me so I'm wondering if there are people out there who cover a lot of road miles and still prefer an MTB? If so why? If not why not? If I persevere with the road bike will I start to see the advantages?

I'm posting this here rather than the road section because I know the response I'll get there! But seriously I'm wondering how many serious road cyclists out there prefer a lightweight rigid MTB on high pressure slicks

Re:

Well, on the road, it has to be a road bike for me unless I'm just commuting, then it just depends what I left in the kitchen the previous night!
If I want a proper weekend road ride, I take the road bike then. Every time.

Mike

I only ride for fun so:

Road for road, cx if I want to go further than mtb and then explore, mtb can do both but draggy by comparison. A good tourer style road bike is a joy. Iainlynuse my MTBs though but only for a couple of hours at most.

Re:

If I ever had to go to just one bike..God forbid...It would be an easy choice.
My Reynolds 853 Cyclocross,,and a spare set of road wheels.
I can ride anything a retro mountain bike can do,,and I have a road bike with better brakes.

Re:

Yes.

I kinda agree with the OP. I have a road bike (actually two if you count the recumbent which is buried under a load of stuff somewhere) - and it's the still the mountain bike I reach for. Admittedly, it is a modern one (but rigid and v-brake equipped) as I simply don't like the ass in the air position of my retro ride anymore. For the road bike, I just not so keen on the ride position or feel of it.

My modern(ish) MTB just feels more playful, and faster too. It is a rather better bike than the roadbike though - and closer to the front door which probably helps!

I have a 'road' bike that I use off road but its not a CX bike.

neil__i has the one 25 year old mtb that he uses on/off road with two sets of wheels shod with MTB tyres and slicks.

26x1" Continentals allow you to go like shit off a shovel but you soon end up spinning out

My neighbour is just as fast on his 26" slick equipped MTB as his neighbour is on their road bike

Modern road bikes are very upright compared to proper race stuff and road stuff of old

I built my Zaskar into an on/off road machine with drops, 52t outer ring, chain tensioner, extra long chain and 11t 32t cassette. It stayed like that for about 5 years pre-retrobike until the Hope hubs went 'ping' in 2007

I went for a 'bimble' on my Saracen Pro-trax and ended up covering 46 miles. A second bimble turned into a 63 mile monster. On a mountain bike with a 44t outer and Ritchey Megabites

my main ride at the moment is a rather comfortable full suspension mtb with some fast rolling Nokian tyres.

The 3 'road' bikes are gathering dust, muttering to themselves that I never take them out.

So, in short, it DOESNT MATTER - I say ride whats comfortable, cycling is not a punishment.

This is rather nice. It will be an all day plodder if you can make it comfortable for yourself. Tyres and how they feel can make or break a bike and adjust riding position to suit.. I bet you are a hood rider, get some nice levers or set these to comfort level 1, even if it means shorter stem and / or shorter reach bars. Do not compromise comfort for looks.

legrandefromage":2feftmj8 said:

Do not compromise comfort for looks.

Click to expand...

Don't compromise comfort for retro-ness either, i've not got a road bike i couldn't happily sit on for 5 or 6 hours straight.
Ditto the nipping in and out of traffic, or hopping up and down kerbs at speed. Road bikes, if set up properly, will have very little downsides as compared to a commuting style MTB.

And get the right sort of bike for the job too FFS.
Trying to commute on an ultra short wheelbase 80s timetrial bike, with 18mm tubs at 150psi will be an exercise in futility.......... same as complaining that your authentic 70s 1 1/4" tyres at 60 psi are a bit squirmy and don't handle or grip very well..... bodging a bike to fit is no better. If you need a 50mm stem and the saddle all the way forwards (or downwards!) it means the frame is likely the wrong size.

And FWIW, as a proper MTBer and a proper roadie, MTBs on slicks is one of the most pointless exercises i've ever come across, except for (heavily) laden touring.

jaypee":4psb2284 said:

and often overtake/race roadies.

Click to expand...

You mean really bad roadies, or those out for a gentle zone 1/2 bimble.
Even on 1" slicks and at 100 psi a road bike will be around 2 mph quicker at the same power. (Check analytic cycling website for the exact numbers.)