Is riding a road bike (bicicle) hard?

Question

i want to buy a road or racing bicicle and i wnted to know if it was hard to balance on such thin tires?

Answer 1

just ride it its fun, as long as you kick it u wont fall.

Answer 2

In some respects it is easier to balance on a road bike than say an mtb.  Road tyres have a round cross section whereas mtb tyres are more of a box section giving them a flat contact with the ground.  This means it is much easier to corner at speed on a road bike.  In addition the drop handle bars mean you have a lower bike position and so a lower centre of gravity than sitting upright on an mtb.

I feel a lot more stable on a road bike than I do on my wife's hybrid.

Answer 3

If you can ride a bike, then no, it isn't hard to ride with thin tires. I remember when I first started riding, they scared me because they were so thin, but I couldn't tell the difference.

The biggest difference you will notice is that you can ride farther and faster with thin tires. There is less resistance because there are no k***s, and you can pump them up to a higher PSI which means less of the tire is on the road at any given time, that combination means you go faster with less effort!

I highly recommend getting a road bike if you are going to be riding on the road...why waste the energy riding a mtn bike when road tires are so much more efficient!

Answer 4

Well, with a motorcycle, the speed of the actual bike takes away your balance problem.

With a racing bicycle, it's pretty much the same, except your legs will hurt. LOL.

Hope I resolved your question.

Answer 5

In my opinion, it's not noticably more difficult to do.  Thin tires are able to rotate faster than thicker tires so the faster speed takes care of the balance issue.  What is hard is the stamina and the strength it takes.  I would say it's not easy to learn, difficult to excel.

Answer 6

if you have sufficiently good handling skills riding one should be a breeze but you need to get used to the more crouched posture cos it's a bit hard on the back at first

Answer 7

Road bikes handle differently from, say, mountain bikes, but this has little to do with the thin tires.

Road bikes have a shorter wheelbase than mountain bikes, which makes them feel a little twitchier, but that's one of the benefits of riding one!

Answer 8

Dear. . Dear . .Dear . . !!

Two people Silenus and Andy(atheist) have worthwhile comments to make.

I am unsure if any of the other contributors have actually ridden a roadbike!

As already stated, the tyre width has no impact on stability but the overall set-up and riding is very different than a flatbarred or MTB.

The tyres are narrower than many other bikes and the reduced friction coefficient will move you along a little faster, However;

The penalty you pay for this is - less comfort and less rubber on the road (something to remember when cornering at speed in the wet).

PS. Despite the fact that Mr Atheist wears toe-clips, I would just like to say I'm cheesed off with 'ill-informed thumbs down merchants' as well.- It wasn't me I don't give them!

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