Road Cycling Tips

This is probably one of those questions that many new cyclists ask, “Should I get a road bike or a mountain bike?” There are pros and cons to each and it is important to get the one that suits your riding style. So first, you got to ask yourself, are you going to cycle only on paved roads? Or are you planning to ride off-road?

I am a paved road rider!

If you see yourself riding on paved roads most of the time, then a road bike is clearly more advantageous. Compared to a mountain bike of the same price point, a road bike usually:

• is lighter in weight, hence it goes faster with the same effort.
• has larger diameter rims, resulting in less rolling resistance.
• has slick tires as default, which also result in less rolling resistance on paved roads.
• has thinner tires, which has less wind resistance.
• has drop handlebar, which offers more hand positions (tops, hoods, drops) than a mountain bike’s upright handlebar, but might take some getting used to.

All these combine to give a smoother and faster ride on paved roads than mountain bikes.

I am an off-road rider!

If you plan to ride on soft surfaces such as mud and sand, or a lot of extreme biking that will trash your bike around a bit, a mountain bike is preferred. Mountain bike usually:

• has stronger frames, allowing more abuse.
• has knobby tires that provide better traction on soft surfaces.
• is capable of changing to slick tires if you decide to ride strictly on paved roads in the future.
• is heavier than a similarly priced road bike.
• has upright handlebar, which you are probably already familiar with.

Conclusion

As you can see, it’s easy to decide which bike to get once you decide on what kind of roads to ride on. So if that is exactly what you can’t decide on, get a mountain bike and a spare set of wheels with slick tires on, and you can swap in the right set of wheels anytime. But if you are like me who would only ride on paved roads, go for a road bike!