Many of us have to drive our cars to decent mtb trails. For those that don't live near trails, how many of you often ride right out of your home and ride around town etc, to get in some cycling?
What do you typically ride? Old mtb with street tires? etc?
When I retired from the Army I figured I would earn enough to head over to Europe and just ride and camp, then come back home to the US when I was done. That was about ten years ago and I am still in Europe, riding and camping.
Just can not get enough of this place.
I use a Surly Moonlander, racks forward and back and a Yak trailer with a rack on it.
I spent most of this summer in Italy this year and was on my way towards Turkey for the winter, maybe I will go see Georgia, who knows but heading north to skirt the Adriatic Sea all the way around to Greece and then I will skirt the Med to Turkey. Had to stop for a few days to help one of my friends with an issue he is having. Lucky I found camp grounds with internet, not all have them in Europe.
Commute to work (30 miles roundtrip) on hardtail 29 and save the FS for dirt. Hated the road (find some enjoyment in it now) but one day a week on the trails wasn't enough to keep me in decent cycling shape. Work schedule just doesn't allow enough trail time. Now if there were only singletrack to fit into my commute......
I typically ride around towns at night, getting dark lately in England so I decided to leave trail riding till days off and weekends. I just use a standard mtb though some different tires would be better I some times go off road omw to from town so not so advisable.
i just got into the world of cross country tires, low weight and rolling resistance , they seem to be a good compromise except for they may wear out a little quicker
Many years ago I took an old rigid mtb and put skinnier street tires on it. Found I really enjoyed this kind of riding. A few years ago I bought a rigid hybrid with 27x32c street tires for across town riding. Also enjoy bombing through local neighborhoods at night.
I ride a Trek Metro Track 700 hybrid for road riding. I live on a mountain and a mile in any direction drops me about 800' in elevation. So I often do a 13-14 mile loop. The descent is fun, though I have to check my speed before things get out of hand! The climb back home is a good workout for the body. It's also rural so I encounter little traffic.
Well. I have a road bike that rather I'm burnt out on riding. I have a hard tail MTB with fast rolling tires too. BUT... my favorite bike is my 6" carbon framed/tubeless tired (fast rolling!) MTB and this is the bike I always grab to blast around town because it's FUN...and that is the whole reason, right??
I do this more and more lately. I even bought a new bike specifically for this purpose
My reasoning:
1) It's extremely dry here due to drought conditions. The trails are all dusty and blown out.
2) I commonly do not have the time to drive to the dirt to ride so a quick blast from home is great.
2A) I can avoid the Summer heat by getting onto the saddle faster and getting my workout done before the sun is beating down on me.
2B) I get home from work with just enough time to do a quickie from out me front door before it get's dark.
I ride my Giant TCR advanced 0 road bike. Road bikes are definitely the most fun for paved surfaces. There is a lot of fun to be had on a road bike. There are a lot of riders who only do one
Or the other. I can say that those who ride road generally have a high level of stamina and power on the bike. I love both types of riding, but do find road to be more convenient when you are pressed for time.
A mountain biker who doesn't road ride has no legs.
A road rider who doesn't mountain bike has no soul.
Road bikes for me and my wife. I'm currently living in a place without mountains or even hills so the road bike is the best option when I don't want to drive to a park that at least has trails. My wife and I recently spent time at a different resort and rode beach cruisers as our means of transportation for two days and they were down right fun. To me, the type of bike is less important then just being on a bike.
To keep in bike shape and ready to hit the trails when the time permits I get on my road bike. I can put in miles in the morning, at lunch or after the kids are asleep. I have to drive to trails so this gets saddle time. For a large number of people I know that ride regularly or compete, the road bike is the key to keeping in form.
MTB training can be a number of things. For me it is legs, lungs and endurance. For others it may be learning how to hop over a log. For that type of training getting out for some urban MTB is always fun.
I have a mtb and road bike. I live about 15 min from a decent set of singletrack to I trail fide when possible.
That said.,. Occasionally I get tired of the road bike and roll my mtb down to the local skate park. Lots of ramps, stairs, ect. I just make sure to go during school hours otherwise it is crowded with teens!
Currently I just have a mountain bike, and a spin bike at the house. I do plan on getting a cyclocross bike to ride through town when I'm not able to hit the trails though. Haven't tried my fs santa cruz on the street, really don't want to do that to her.
I usually ride my Nomorea 24" BMX cruiser on the streets if I'm not riding to the forest. Simple, quiet, fast, light and lots of fun. It's a good workout.
I ride my Rune everywhere. I've went out riding and hitting urban stuff with it just to get out.
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