What makes mountain bikes slower than road bikes?
June 5, 2010 by pbik
Filed under Mountain bikes
I have a mountain bike with front and rear suspension, wide knobby tires, and a heavy frame.. if I get some road tires (still wide) for it, and lock the rear suspension, will it be easier for me to keep up with my friends riding their road bikes on the street? Or is it not worth trying and should I save my money up to buy a proper street bicycle?
Buy a roadie. Mountain bikes have smaller diameter wheels for one thing. And their geometry is geared towards off-roading. Road bikes are tons more efficient for pavement.
here is what you are working against
heavy wheels and tires – more rotating inertia, overall weight
knobby tires – more rolling resistance and air resistance
upright seating – more air resistance
wide tires – oddly enough they also have more air resistance
heavy frame – only a factor going up
suspension – eats energy that you supply, though you are locking it
yes get a road bike for the road
wle.
Get a road bike, there is nothing you can do to even get close to being that fast.
Go ahead and tighten up the front suspension while you’re at it. You’re losing energy from vibrations in the road being absorbed in that suspension.
Also, go with the wide, slick road tires. BUT…look for a tire with a HIGH pressure capacity, because the more pressure in the tire, the less friction on the road. You will glide over the asphalt, instead of rumble over it.
This may just be an afterthought and maybe a wasted effort, but you could look into new wheels that are outfitted with smaller hubs, and less thick rims. Mountain bike rims are made to be thick and strong, because well, they think you’ll be screaming down a MOUNTAIN over rocks and trees and animals. So, you may just drop a few pounds there…maybe..
-Good Luck. This will hold you over for now, but ultimately, I would suggest keeping the mountain bike gear, and saving up for a road bike..so you can have both. They’re both great.