Road Bikes vs Mountain Bikes?

Question

i know Road Bikes are faster but they are so much uglier then Mountain Bikes. I just hate the whole curvy handle bars and the awkward position you have to obtain. Also, you cant ride Road Bikes down city or suburb streets without looking foolish. But thats just my opinion.

What do you think? Road or Mountain? Why?

and if you pick Mountain, can you say which one? Full Suspention or Hardtail? Why?

thank you =) cant wait for your replies!

Answer 1

If you intend to ride "city or suburb streets", the choice is obvious. You want a road bike. There is no reason to ride a mountain bike on the road. You will look MORE foolish on a suspension mtn bike on a paved road than if you were riding a road bike. If you're a mtn bike enthusiast, get a mtn bike and go off road. On road, use a (one more time, duh) road bike.

Answer 2

Tom is right. most people on Mountain bikes around town are POB's- Pedestrians On Bikes. Most are inexperienced and really think that their bikes are two-wheeled Hummers. Sadly they are mistaken. If you want to look good for girls, ride a road bike. If you want to look good for the guys, then ride a mountain bike. I'm a roadie and I've received more than my fair share of phone numbers from women in my lifetime. Heck, I even met my wife when I was out on a ride. Now, I just smile as they whistle at me or shout stuff like "Nice @$$!!". By the way, I'm 35.

Answer 3

get a commuter, it looks like a mountain bike without suspension, and it rides like a cruiser.

Answer 4

I can tell from your question that you tend to prefer mountain bikes, the slight speed advantage on a racer doesn't sound like it is very important to you.

Personally I prefer mountain bikes around town, as they cope much better with bad road surface, have better grip, and you feel more confident in traffic with the more upright riding position. But when I need to go further than about 10 miles on the road, I grab the road bike.

Unless you plan to do extreme mountain biking, I advise you to get a hardtail bike. Full suspension bikes weigh more and bounce when you are pedalling, unless you pay big money. You can get a decent hardtail starting about £200 ($400) below that price they tend to use rubbish components.

Make sure you invest in a good lock though, as mountain bikes are more of a target for thieves. Have a look online to see what choices there are, but I strongly advise going to your local bike shop.

Superstore or mail order bikes that seem great value tend to be imitation bikes made with 10 year old surplus components.

Answer 5

Road bikes are better for roads

MTB's are better for off-road

Thanks for your opinion on awkward riding positions and looking foolish!

Maybe you will change your opinion when you reach puberty!

EDIT: Lochlevencycles (Hmm . .MGW?)  is right !, you obviously prefer MTB's - so stick with them!

You are not ready for Roadbikes yet!  . . so party on DUDE!!!! lol.

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Answer 6

Think about it literally:

It's called a ROAD bike.

Most people who ride MTBs around town are POBs (Pedestrians on bicycles)

Answer 7

I don't agree. I'm a roadie and proud of it. Many women love men in tight bike shorts !  ;)