Road cycling on a Mountain Bike

[Moski]

I have been traingin for my departments Bike Patrol and have managed to loose 9lbs in the last month and routinely do 10-15 rolling miles a day. As it is now I can only afford the bike I have now for Training, I ride a Marin at work. My current steed is a Mongoose D40r that I bought 10yrs ago. What inprovements could/should I make to that bike to improve my gains and training(parts?). I've been riding that bike for 10yrs and it fits well, plus I can't afford another at this time. Bring on the wisdom.

 

[Scotty_Dog]

Answered 3 days ago here:
Mtn Bikes as Road Bike

 

[Moski]

I know, I was trying for more answers in this fuorm specificly from road bikers.

 

[davereo]

A good set of slicks should get you rolloing along a little quicker.

 

[cyberlegend1994]

Not to mention, the gearing on a MTB is different from that of a roadie, MTBs have smaller chain rings which will increase power while decreasing speed. If you need to ride on a variety of terrain, you might want to consider a hybrid.

 

[maydog]

I second a good set of slicks (tires). Also if you do not already have bar ends, they come in handy by giving you more hand placement options.

Before I got my road bike, I got a little crazy and put aerobars on my mountain bike. I can actually go just about as fast on my mountain bike as my road bike, but when I stand up to pedal the front suspension soaks up all the power.

 

[randochap]

It can be done with some modifications. I rode my old Rocky Mountain Blizzard on a full Randonneur series (200, 300, 400, 600km brevets) without issues.

See it here in both configurations (touring and randonneuring).

At a certain point though there are diminishing returns and you might as well invest in a lower end or used road or hybrid bike.

 

[CdnRider]

Agree on the slicks. I once lost a bell lap race in a crit to someone on a mtn bike and slicks...and rear disk!!! He just smoked me down the last 200m to steal 2nd place from me! I still won a late tube for my effort. Haha. Same dude used to easily keep up with all us roadies on our weekly group training rides.

 

[bigfatomcat]

I went the slicks route for a year. I was tired of watching folks fly by me.

This spring I traded a GT Avalanche in toward a beginner road bike.

Ended up with the Schwinn Le Tour and the difference is amazing.

I'd consider a trade...

 

[Moski]

I just ordered a cyclocross bike and I'll just get extra wheels with road tyres on. I'll keep the mtn bike and fix it for a trail bike. I like some of the trails in Mt. Gretna so I'll keep my options open on all fronts. Now to pay for all this..

 

[Baldie]

Rigid forks will be cheap - you don't need all that weight or suspension, plus you'll be hardcore if you go off-road again!

 

[BHOFM]

Is this police patrol? They ride mountain bikes here, with road tread. We do have
some up and down streets.

 

[Moski]

Is this police patrol? They ride mountain bikes here, with road tread. We do have
some up and down streets.

No, this is my personal bike. My current work bike is a Marin hardtail. We have about five diff makes in our fleet, including two Mercedes-Benz branded that were donated by the factory a while back.