Question:

Oh why is a mountain bike more trust worthy (less break downs) than a road bike

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m.r. i had like 7 break downs now on my road bike and only got 860 miles on it i got 1,200 miles on my mountain bike only had one break down in 1,200 miles witch was a flat tire

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  1. Regardless of what you ride you must maintain it. Yesterday on the train to work a rider was admiring my cheap old commuter and was incredulous that it's 15 years old. He asked what a bike like that costs (PLEASE don't ask other riders what their bikes cost! It's not only rude but in this market, high gas prices, we don't publicize the price cause .... I don't want someone to overhear and steal my bike. If you need the price, look it up online or go tou your LBS, that's local bike shop).

    Anywho his bike, relatively new already looked like cr@p, my 15 year old mtb rides and looks new. Keep your bike clean, lubed, tuned and it will last a lifetime.

    Also have a 1980's and a 1970's steel lugged bikes which someone threw out because they felt the bike was worthless. With proper repair and a little work these old bikes are gorgeous and going strong.

    So learn how to tune, clean and lube your bike, and or find a shop that will do this for you regularly and both bikes can last a lifetime (unless you crash).

    Wait,no, don't do that. Please abuse and neglect your bike, don't do even the simple things like inflate the tires, clean and lube the train and throw it out by the side of the road because I'll easily be able to fix it, donate to my local "bike kitchen" and give it to someone who knows how to or will learn how to work on their bike ;-)


  2. well the tyres (made out of a very tough rubber) are designed especially to grip any surface. Plus the metal parts are usually industrial-strength and soldered as well as bolted and screwed. Mainly so they don't slip down a mountainous area and you will severely bruise your privates!

    They do tend to be a  bit more expensive though but worth it.

  3. Mountain bikes are built to take a beating.  Road bikes are meant for the road only.  any small thing can cause a tire to burst.

  4. I don't see any real difference between my road bikes or mtn bikes as far as reliability goes. The only thing I can offer is that you might pay more attention to the wear and tear on your mtn bike than your road bike. I'm not nearly as fanatical on the maint. on my road bikes as my xc race bikes, but than again I can't let my sponsor down with a parts failure due to my neglect. (I'm super fanatical on the maint. of my DH bike, If I have a failure on this bike during a Kamikaze run it will hurt a lot.)  

  5. they're built more ruggedly

  6. This is not true. You just need to maintain your road bike regularly. Lube the chain, inflate tires, etc. Maybe you just have a S****y road bike and a nicer mtb.

  7. Sooper... I can agree with. They aren't. I have quality road and MTB bikes and both are solid and very reliable. Why would you think differenty?

    EDIT: Your experience isn't due to bike type but quality of the road bike in question. I have to do more maintenance on my MTB only because it takes abuse on the trail but it doesn't break down. My road bike never breaks down either with minor maintenance.

  8. Basically mountain bikes are built more sturdy and are made for more rugged terrain.

  9. Mountain bikes are only better than a road bike if you are using on rough terrain! I have a mountain bike, and its no more useful than my roadbike if I'm using it to bike in the city.

    (Actualy, on the contrary, my mountain bike is showing wear and tear faster than my road bike) Sometimes when people buy heavier/tougher bikes, they tend to use it more wrecklessly than their road bike, and damage it! Neither is more trustworthy in general, but I'd keep with the road bike for inner-city biking.

  10. Simple answer: they are not.

    It is really easy to find low-quality mountain bike.

    It is just as easy to find a high-quality road bike.

    "Break downs" will be more related to the following:

    Quality and age of equipment

    frequency and type of use

    experience of user

    quality of maintenance performed

    Talk with a salesman at a bike store and get better details on what manufacturers produce more reliable gear, and what riders can do to minimize downtime and repair costs.

  11. By "break down", I think you're referring to the number of flat tires that you've experienced (based on another question you asked recently)....right?  

    If that's what you mean, then there's a simple answer, really.  (I'll preface that by suggesting that you buy some road tires with a kevlar flat protection belt....you'll love them and they aren't that expensive.  Kevlar belt, not a folding kevlar bead, although the tire may have both in it.  Also, the flat protection may be labeled as "aramid" or something, not necessarily kevlar...depends on the brand.)

    Mountain bike tires are wider and run at lower pressures.  Except for really stiff little thorns, the mountain bike tire is far less likely to puncture from the usual road hazards. Being wider, you have more surface area to spread out your weight.  In combination with that, being at a lower pressure allows the tire to give a little when you roll over something.  

    Look into those flat-protection tires for the road bike and you'll start being a happy rider again.  Don't bother with liquid sealants or plastic tire liners....get the tires with built-in protection.  

    Hope this helps, and I hope you have fewer flats!   :o)

  12. cuz mountain bikes are ment for trailing and road bikes are ment for pavement

  13. I don't think a mountain bike is more trustworthy than a road bike, I just think they are designed for different things.

    For example, a road bike is more trustworthy for riding down paved mountain roads...the wide knobby tires of a mountain bike would not provide enough traction for the speeds involved and the tires would also overheat and puncture due to the high heat of breaking.

    The same can be said about trying to ride a road bike up steep unpaved trails...not very trustworthy since the skinny slick tires cannot provide enough traction to keep your back wheel from spinning out and do not provide enough cushion to keep the wheels from being damaged from rocks.

    So, for me it's just like a car. Highway Cruiser or off-road wrangler:> Don't drive your sports car in the dirt...don't drive your lifted jeep across the country...

  14. I'm turning 38 this month and I've never owned a car and I have several bikes; and over the years have taken turns using them not just for commuting and traveling but just general errands or recreation, and I just started riding a recumbent a couple years back.

    This last month alone I've put 380 miles on my Iguana mountain bike and 400 collectively on two road bikes; 200 on my bent.

    In all the years of my cycling I see absolutely no difference in break downs. The most issues I have had with my road bike(s) is generally flats; I've also broken several chains, and ruined several bottom brackets, I'm a former racer and have quite a push on the pedals; after some expensive but necessary upgrades I’ve not had any more issues.

    Here are some questions for you?

    What kind of bike are you using for 'road' is it a brand name bike or a department store* bike?

    If you bought a good bike, from a Bike Shoppe, you may have some possible choices.

    What kinds of break downs are occurring?

    You could have a defective bike also; or no offense meant the bike is not being properly used.

    Do you regularly maintain your ride or have a six month general cleaning and overhaul?

    Are you overweight; do you ride on rough roads or streets; one lose bolt or missing bolt can actually cause lots of stress on your machine; are you putting undo stress on the bike with- gear-weight- utility use, popping/jumping curbs, leaving your bike outside over night, or for long periods etc.

    I'm a retired courier; I rode the same bike for over fifteen years, through car filled streets, been hit, pushed rammed from behind slid under my fair share of city bus’ and skidded many times and many feet on ice, and many times while pulling heavy trailers, I've carried post bags on it and over my shoulder.

    I still ride that bike today; no problems at all, a bike that is first and foremost a real Bike* and is properly maintained will/can last all your life. My neighbor commuted for over 35 years on the same bike, a Raleigh Novasport and it doesn’t have a spot of rust on it or even a scratch. It runs like it was just bought.

    * What I mean by a real bike is that it was not bought at a department store; those bikes are not properly made, packaged, stored, shipped and put together.

  15. Structure: heavier frame, bigger tires. The road bike is built for speed, and road racers will tell you that you can get a very trust worthy one, but will probably admit they can breakdown. O' course, a mountain bike can break down, too. It depends how you ride.  

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