Mountain vs Road Bike: #Miles/Unit of Effort?

(Pete Cresswell)

Does anybody do both and have a rule of thumb on how many miles they can cover
each way with about the same time/effort level?

I do MTB - fire roads, bridle paths, road shoulders, corporate lawns/parking
lots - nothing technical, always take the easy path.

I'm wondering how my rides stack up milage-wise against what I'd cover on a road
bike - but not enough to go out and buy one.

Rough estimates, anyone?
--
PeteCresswell

G.T.

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> Does anybody do both and have a rule of thumb on how many miles they can cover
> each way with about the same time/effort level?
>
> I do MTB - fire roads, bridle paths, road shoulders, corporate lawns/parking
> lots - nothing technical, always take the easy path.
>
> I'm wondering how my rides stack up milage-wise against what I'd cover on a road
> bike - but not enough to go out and buy one.
>
> Rough estimates, anyone?

Anywhere from 1 road mile equals 1/100000th of an off-road mile to
1/100000th of a road mile equals 1 off-road mile.

Disappointed,
Greg

S o r n i

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> Does anybody do both and have a rule of thumb on how many miles they
> can cover each way with about the same time/effort level?
>
> I do MTB - fire roads, bridle paths, road shoulders, corporate
> lawns/parking lots - nothing technical, always take the easy path.
>
> I'm wondering how my rides stack up milage-wise against what I'd
> cover on a road bike - but not enough to go out and buy one.
>
> Rough estimates, anyone?

After mountain biking for (at the time) ~7 years, I bought a road bike last
summer. Generally, my road rides are at least double the distance of
typical mountain bike routes, but the effort is roughly equal (very rocky
terrain here in San Diego).

Bill "2:1 and 1.5:2 (approx.)" S.

Matt O'Toole

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:

> Does anybody do both and have a rule of thumb on how many miles they
> can cover each way with about the same time/effort level?
>
> I do MTB - fire roads, bridle paths, road shoulders, corporate
> lawns/parking lots - nothing technical, always take the easy path.
>
> I'm wondering how my rides stack up milage-wise against what I'd
> cover on a road bike - but not enough to go out and buy one.
>
> Rough estimates, anyone?

I had been riding on the road with my MTB until I bought a road bike last fall.
I didn't have too much trouble keeping up with the group I usually ride with, as
long as the pace was under 16-17mph (it's hilly around here, and that helps).
But if they stepped up the pace on the flats, or if there was a headwind, I
really started to suffer.

Basically, a MTB hurts when you start to feel the need for the drops -- you
can't get as aero without them. Up to that point, some good slicks and maybe a
tighter cassette will put you on par.

Matt O.

Ian G Batten

In article <PvHgc.8458$Aq.709@nwrddc03.gnilink.net>,
Matt O'Toole <matt@deltanet.com> wrote:
> Basically, a MTB hurts when you start to feel the need for the drops -- you
> can't get as aero without them. Up to that point, some good slicks and maybe a
> tighter cassette will put you on par.

My usual riding is ~25 miles on canal towpaths: mostly flat, modulo
sharp rises over locks. I use a Marin Mount Vision on Panaracer
Speedblaster (I think) tyres --- listed as XC race, but in fact a
lightweight semi-mud tyre. I realise the bike is overkill, but
it's very handy when dropping rapidly down flights of locks, and some of
the towpaths I use are in a very bad state. I can ride the 20-odd miles
from home to work in about 1hr45.

I did my first longer road ride yesterday: 48 miles over vaguely hilly
terrain. I put slicks on the bike, and --- being cautious as I'd never
ridden the distance and I'd never done much in the way of ascents or
descents --- I managed 3hr38, and suspect that if I did it again next
week with a little more confidence and self-knowledge I'd do about
3hr25. It's hard to judge relative performance, but I was able to keep
up with people of about my size and age on full-on road bikes on
everything other than long flat sections, was probably faster then them
on some of the descents (damp day, confidence coming from big disc
brakes) and had the advantage of lower gearing available on some of the
ascents. I don't know to what extent the speed differential on flats
was aero, and to what extent a top gear of 42x12 on 26" wheels hampers
me: I was turning over the top gear a lot, and could have used more.

ian

PeteCresswell

> Basically, a MTB hurts when you start to feel the need for the drops -- you
> can't get as aero without them. Up to that point, some good slicks and maybe > a> tighter cassette will put you on par.

Thanks. In retrospect, I think that's what I was fishing for....

One observation on the aero: If you get your cockpit length more from
the top tube and can run a stem with considerable rise - like 40/100 -
you have the option of flipping it upside-down. I've done that a
couple times when I had to go upwind for an extended period of time
and it helped - a lot more comfortable than riding with bent arms.

Ningi

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> Does anybody do both and have a rule of thumb on how many miles they can cover
> each way with about the same time/effort level?
>
> I do MTB - fire roads, bridle paths, road shoulders, corporate lawns/parking
> lots - nothing technical, always take the easy path.
>
> I'm wondering how my rides stack up milage-wise against what I'd cover on a road
> bike - but not enough to go out and buy one.
>
> Rough estimates, anyone?

YMMV but...

I recently bought a road bike to replace my MTB for on-road cycling.
I've been riding it for a few months and I am finding that I can average
about 2mph faster over moderate distances (30-40 miles) on the road
bike. So, where I was averaging 15-17 mph on the MTB, I can now average
17-19 mph. The difference on rolling terrain seems more noticeable than
on the flat, which surprised me a little.

Pete

rocketman58

"(Pete Cresswell)" <x@y.z> wrote in message news:<13b680lpipc35haqb06kdeoouc6uo062t5@4ax.com>...
> Does anybody do both and have a rule of thumb on how many miles they can cover
> each way with about the same time/effort level?
>
> I do MTB - fire roads, bridle paths, road shoulders, corporate lawns/parking
> lots - nothing technical, always take the easy path.
>
> I'm wondering how my rides stack up milage-wise against what I'd cover on a road
> bike - but not enough to go out and buy one.
>
> Rough estimates, anyone?

My typical 2 hour rides:
MTB (ridden on hilly technical off road course) about 10 miles
Road (ridden on mostly semi-flat bike trail) about 33 miles
Recumbent (ridden on mostly semi-flat bike trail) about 40+ miles

The Recumbent required much less effort than the others. So much
less, I sold it because I was not getting enough of a workout. It was
awsome for flat century rides however.

Kinky Cowboy

>> Does anybody do both and have a rule of thumb on how many miles they can cover
>> each way with about the same time/effort level?
>>
>> I do MTB - fire roads, bridle paths, road shoulders, corporate lawns/parking
>> lots - nothing technical, always take the easy path.
>>
>> I'm wondering how my rides stack up milage-wise against what I'd cover on a road
>> bike - but not enough to go out and buy one.
>>
>> Rough estimates, anyone?


For the same effort, and covering the same topography, my 12 mile
non-technical off road circuit takes me 50 minutes on my singlespeed
hardtail, and the 10 mile tarmac equivalent takes 32 minutes on my
fixed gear road bike.


Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary

Mark Hickey

Kinky Cowboy <user@domain.com> wrote:

>
>>> Does anybody do both and have a rule of thumb on how many miles they can cover
>>> each way with about the same time/effort level?
>>>
>>> I do MTB - fire roads, bridle paths, road shoulders, corporate lawns/parking
>>> lots - nothing technical, always take the easy path.
>>>
>>> I'm wondering how my rides stack up milage-wise against what I'd cover on a road
>>> bike - but not enough to go out and buy one.
>>>
>>> Rough estimates, anyone?
>
>For the same effort, and covering the same topography, my 12 mile
>non-technical off road circuit takes me 50 minutes on my singlespeed
>hardtail, and the 10 mile tarmac equivalent takes 32 minutes on my
>fixed gear road bike.

It's impossible to make an estimate without knowing more about the
bikes. For example, I have a MTB set up for "urban combat", with
1.25" (32mm) high-pressure slicks. I'm at worst about 1mph / 2km/h
slower on it than my road bike. If I were to hold a more aero (but
more uncomfortable) position on the MTB, I suspect the difference
would be less.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

Marty Wallace

"Mark Hickey" <mark@habcycles.com> wrote in message
news:ldaa80dlfevri0sti0cbhogig7inr3dp2c@4ax.com...
> Kinky Cowboy <user@domain.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >>> Does anybody do both and have a rule of thumb on how many miles they
can cover
> >>> each way with about the same time/effort level?
> >>>
> >>> I do MTB - fire roads, bridle paths, road shoulders, corporate
lawns/parking
> >>> lots - nothing technical, always take the easy path.
> >>>
> >>> I'm wondering how my rides stack up milage-wise against what I'd cover
on a road
> >>> bike - but not enough to go out and buy one.
> >>>
> >>> Rough estimates, anyone?
> >
> >For the same effort, and covering the same topography, my 12 mile
> >non-technical off road circuit takes me 50 minutes on my singlespeed
> >hardtail, and the 10 mile tarmac equivalent takes 32 minutes on my
> >fixed gear road bike.
>
> It's impossible to make an estimate without knowing more about the
> bikes. For example, I have a MTB set up for "urban combat", with
> 1.25" (32mm) high-pressure slicks. I'm at worst about 1mph / 2km/h
> slower on it than my road bike. If I were to hold a more aero (but
> more uncomfortable) position on the MTB, I suspect the difference
> would be less.
>
> Mark Hickey
> Habanero Cycles
> http://www.habcycles.com
> Home of the $695 ti frame

Put some tri bars on your mountain bike, pump up the pressure in the tyres a
bit and you'll be amazed at how fast and how far you can go on tarmac and
off road. It's more comfortable than a tri bike too, (because of the front
shockies.)

Marty

(Hello Mark!)

dvt

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:

> Does anybody do both and have a rule of thumb on how many miles they can cover
> each way with about the same time/effort level?
>
> I do MTB - fire roads, bridle paths, road shoulders, corporate lawns/parking
> lots - nothing technical, always take the easy path.
>
> I'm wondering how my rides stack up milage-wise against what I'd cover on a road
> bike - but not enough to go out and buy one.
>
> Rough estimates, anyone?
Back in the day, when I rode MTB frequently, I would average 10-12 MPH.
That included as much technical terrain as I could find. I would ride a
road bike at around 18-20 MPH at the same time in my life.

My conversion factor was about 1.5-2 road miles = 1 MTB mile. Your
conversion factor might be a little lower since you don't ride a lot of
technical terrain.

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu