What is easier to bring on long road trips, mountain or road bike?

[Meth]

Me and my friend come from a high mountainous area and we're planning to go to a beach that's 100-120 km away from our start point, I'm wondering if its better to use a road or mountain bike on this trip because some of the roads are a bit rough and there are lots of ups and downs going there, and I mean a lot and most are pretty steep. Also any tips on what to bring gear wise?

 

[Germanrazor]

Well, I am a road biker and if the roads are paved and everyone’s grading a roads quality is rather subjective, it would depend. Have you ever watched road bikers run cobblestone? That’s as rough as I can think of, but if you mean serious potholes and major separations with edges, well that is another matter.

Without knowing the road it is hard to say. I have had road cyclist whine about a road and when I ride it I don’t find it too bad, so hard to know and give an opinion.

But I will say this, I have ridden both disciplines, road cycling to me is like a drug of happiness and mountain biking too laborious to me.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

All depends on your ability imo.

I have heard some forum members call a short 100 yard climb at 6% A WALL!


What do you consider steep? 6% for 8 miles?

3% for 1/4 mile?

Or 16% on a 6 mile climb with 2,500 feet if gain averaging about 8%?

I myself on a 60 mile ride would prefer a road bike. I did a 114 mile ride with 12,000 ft of elevation gain on a ride with this road included. I hated it but still not a problem on the road bike. I'd still rather ride the road bike since there was mostly a large portion on better roads.

I have to say it sucked, but still preferred the roadie.

I'D PROBABLY ONLY PREFER THE MTB IF IT WERE RAINING !!!

 

[Froze]

Well 120 km is not that far, in America that's only 74 miles, either bike will work. Either bike can do paved roads, but if some of the area you'll be riding on is gravel, dirt etc then take the mountain bike. If your leg strength is a bit weak the mountain bike will make climbing steep pave grades a bit easier, but I assume that shouldn't be the case with you since you ride in a mountainous area, so other than road surface I don't know why you couldn't take a road bike.

 

[cobbwheels]

I live in the same country as the OP and I ride a road bike with 35mm tires, 95% of the time in pavement.

Our paved roads are just horrifically bad, absolutely horrendous, I really wish I had bought an MTB instead to be able to clear >2" tires. But you know how poor countries are, adjusting for inflation and local per capita incomes, bikes are a lot less affordable even the dirt cheap department store ones and the used bikes are still expensive around here.

So I'm stuck with my bike. I've managed to solve 50% of the problem by switching to extra-wide, thickly-padded commuter saddle. It looks way out of place on a road bike but it works. But 50% of the problem remains on the front end. Even with 35mm tires and steel fork, is not enough to tone down the bumps on the front end.

I'm literally starting to have headaches getting my head shaken violently by the bumps that I have stopped riding to the mountains for now. I still do 60 to 70 mile weekend rides but in the city doing multiple laps within rich neighborhoods where the roads are nicer. I can still make 5000' elevation gain by simply doing hill repeats on another rich neighborhood.

The main problem in our country is severe corruption in all levels of the government. They deliberately make road building and road repairs as bad as possible so they can make repairs and rebuild again and again so they can embezzle (steal) more money from funds / taxpayer's money.

Cars here will develop rattle and squeaks far too sooner than the exact same car on another country and generally age much faster due to the very poor quality roads.

So my advice to the OP, it's either you get a MTB.........OR.....a carbon roubaix type road/gravel bike although I'm pretty sure the OP won't able to afford a carbon roubaix bike unless he is rich (by our standards in this country).

 

[HillClimber364]

Hey there, HillClimber364 here. I couldn't help but notice your comment about your road bike and the challenging road conditions in our country. While I understand your frustration, I believe it's essential to look at the bigger picture. Investing in an MTB with larger tires might indeed be beneficial for tackling rough terrains, but it's important to consider the terrain you frequent the most. Ensuring your bike is properly maintained and equipped with suitable tires can go a long way in overcoming these difficulties without a significant overhaul. Happy riding!