Road v MTB km's?

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I have been invited to go on a Mtb bike tour X country for 10 days.

In the ten days they cover on average 40km's per day.

I Currently ride to and from work on a road bike and it's about 18km's each way.

On weekend I usually do 50k on Sat and on a Sunday I do about 80k's.

Anyway I don't own a Mtb bike yet, just about to get one for the tour and was wondering this...

What is 40k equivalent to on a road bike? The track is not overly technical as it's on fire trails / single track and some tar roads.

TB

MTBs are a lot less efficient, and the rougher conditions even on fire trails will drain your legs a lot faster since you use them to absorb the shocks and save your bum and back.

My suggestion: try to get a soft tail with a pro-pedal rear shock. You'll last a lot longer before running out of grunt than on a hardtail, despite being less efficient on the climbs. XC MTB riders generally run their saddles about 2cm lower than what you'd use on a roadie, so maybe lower your saddle by 5mm a week until you get to that height so that your back and knees have time to adapt.

On the upside is that you are taking all day to do what you'd cover on a road bike in less than two hours, so I think you'll be fine. :)

What is 40k equivalent to on a road bike? The track is not overly technical as it's on fire trails / single track and some tar roads.

TBSomewhere between your 50k Saturday and your 80k Sunday depending on the trail. The distance should be no problem for you - the daily getting back on the saddle with a sore arse is what hurts.

JR might be right about the suspension - I'm not sure. What I do know is that all my extended rides have been on rigid and I really appreciate the ability to climb - it would piss me off if I had to keep getting off to push cause I was dissipating too much energy through the suspension (and extra weight). As you're cross-country (as opposed to man-made MTB trails) the lack of suspension shouldn't be too much of an issue (and it'll feel right if you're used to road bikes). Try rigid, hardtail and full susser and see what you think.

The saddle drop JR mentions is a safety thing - you're gonna shift around that saddle a lot more then on your road bike - you don't want to get your lycra caught as you try to get back off the saddle for a steep downhill! Depending on terrain and comfort you can play around with this during the ride.

Whatever you decide - have a good trip. The MTB is the best way to travel - it gets you to places you'd never get to otherwise (unless you have the time to walk) and it's a whole lot of fun to boot.

Cheers.