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So, I think this has been done before, but how many MTBR’s out there also ride Road bikes? Lately, I have been focusing on the Road, simply because it demands less time. No driving to Road bike. What percentage MT and Road do you typically ride?
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i just recently got into road bikes thanks to devon_p. i must say that i love it. its a lot easier for me to ride where i live, we have the tammany trace here in covington, LA that runs about 31 miles so you can get a real good work out in. also, there aren’t any trails within an hour for the mountain bike so that is limited to mostly the weekends, given the hours i work. i’d say that i do a lot more road cycling than mountain biking.
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I converted my old hardtail to a fully rigid, and have installed a pannier rack and street tires. In this configuration I ride it to work and on casual rides with the family, but I wouldn’t call it a road bike per se.
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Here in Colorado we are fortunate to have a staggering amount of paved bike paths, and also a governor who is a cyclist.
Just a couple of weeks ago he signed the new bike safety bill into law which has a lot of benefits and protection for cyclists.
It’s really encouraging to see a state take cycling and cyclists seriously.
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My bike commute to one of the two locations I work at is 22 miles, with all but 1/2 mile being on paved, maintained and patrolled (by cops on bikes) bike paths.
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"maddslacker" wrote
My bike commute to one of the two locations I work at is 22 miles, with all but 1/2 mile being on paved, maintained and patrolled (by cops on bikes) bike paths.
That is very cool. I’m with Mongoose though. If I rode my bike on the same route I drive to work, I would fear for my life.
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On the other hand, riding in traffic here is pretty non-stressful. A lot of the car inhabitants are also cyclists.
There was one trail/street intersection on my former commute where I was next to an interstate off-ramp with cars turning right on red. 90% of the time ( I actually counted) that a car turned into me, it was a female driver of an SUV and she was talking on her cell phone.
**This is not a gender-based bias either, I actually counted over the course of about a month!
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dont ride a road bike but i ride roads every day i hit the trails, i ride on the road to get there
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My selection criteria might have been skewed slightly by the fact that a block south, in the direction of said right-hand turn, is an elementary school…
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"maddslacker" wrote
My selection criteria might have been skewed slightly by the fact that a block south, in the direction of said right-hand turn, is an elementary school…
So now what are you saying? Only women can be teachers? Only women take their kids to school?
😆
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Well, it was in the afternoon, so they would be picking up the kids, and it happens to be my kids’ school, so yes, it’s predominantly moms picking them up, my wife included.
The dads tend to do the morning drop off…
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[i:uog6cx1y]NEVER[/i:uog6cx1y] again will I ride a road bike. However, my hardtail is somewhat suited for riding on the road. But when I do it’s for commuting to work, other than that I’m on the trails in the middle of nowhere!
Besides, IMO I think road riding is MUCH more dangerous, people who drive, well actually, just can’t drive. It sickens me, and I’ve seen many cyclist who follow the rules of the road get hit because of poor driving skills. In fact before leaving work today, there was an accident…. Anyways I’m not sure if there is any research or data that proves my point. Also I just don’t find any fun in it. There doesn’t tend to be any… what’s the word…… ADRENALINE!!
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"Mongoose" wrote
Speaking of bike accidents……There was one this evening across the road from my home where a woman pulled out in front of him as he was riding on the sidewalk. He was sent to the hospital with some serious injuries, but I do not know the extent of them, just serious. That happening reminded me of this topic, and Asfyxiate just reminded me of it.
That sucks.. it really does… I often daydream about how the roads would look If there were no automobiles on the road, just bikes.. Kinda seems cool, however I know the world can’t function the way it does now, without the transit of some automobiles…
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i like dirt
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I’ll third that, technical trail riding is my game,But I guess if I could afford a free ride or down hill bike,I would enjoy that just as much.But I can only afford one bike so I have a do all bike I can do a little of everything with. 😀
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I definitely understand the safety concern just yesterday, I was almost ran over by a Fire Rescue Ambulance when I was just minding my own business in the bike lane. On the other hand I think that most free riders are partially out of their mind after going to Santos.
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I will have to agree with Goo! But I also like to road bike (on my hardtail) to help keep myself in shape, along with mtbing.
I have actually caused more harm to myself road biking than mtbing. I got 6 stitches from it. took a turn too fast on pavement and slid into a steel flower bed encasement… 😠
kinda makes me wonder what i could possibly do mtbing to match or exceed that level of harm…..hmmm.
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"maddslacker" wrote
Well, it was in the afternoon, so they would be picking up the kids, and it happens to be my kids’ school, so yes, it’s predominantly moms picking them up, my wife included.
The dads tend to do the morning drop off…
I’m just messin…by the way, I do the morning drop offs and my wife picks up, so you may be on to something.
To get us back on track though (sorry Mongoose), even thought I voted for "dirt", I am more psyched now about putting some road tires on the old bike and using that to kick around the neighborhood. That way, I won’t have to buy a new wheelset or swap tires whenever I want to change terrain. And to think I considered selling the ol’ HardRock. What was I thinking?
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I will admit that I actually enjoy grabbing my ipod, hopping astride the now fully rigid hardtail with smooth tires, and spinning out some miles without thinking about technical features and whatnot.
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I think the main thing here is that everyone just loves to ride. I’m sure most on this site (being a MTB site and all) perfer the dirt; but I also think they wouldn’t pass up the chance to ride anywhere.
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I much rather ride dirt. But in the Florida summer it can get so hot and muggy and if there is no breeze to help cool things down a little it can be unbearable to try to get a good ride in. I rode yesterday after 5PM and felt like I could suffer from heat exhaustion if I pushed it very hard. This is where the road bike would come in handy. You can generate your own breeze. I used to have a nice road bike and would take it to Van Fleet Trail in Polk City and knock out 40 miles in the shade on a paved rail trail. You would never catch me riding on the side of a road unless there was a low speed limit with a bike lane or there was practically no traffic because the route went through neighborhoods on side street. But I got bored with it and sold my road bike to buy a FR bike to go ride some DH ( hence the avatar ). Now I miss my road bike. And I would have to agree with Asfixiate about the dangers of road bikes. Lots of my mtb/roadie buddies suffered some pretty serious injuries. Mostly from running in those tight packs where they draft each other…one little mistake and it’s 😮 .
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The heat issue is one of the reasons we got road bikes also. Louisiana and Florida are in the same class when it comes to summer heat and humidity. It can be quite harsh in the woods in July/August. On the flip side we get to ride in January/February and basically all year where others have funny looking white stuff on the ground 😃
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Ok, you caught me…
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The heat is definitely brutal in FL, a few days ago after finishing a 50 mile road ride I practically thought I was going to die in the shower afterward. When I moved to FL in the winter I thought it was awesome, but now I am starting to change my mind.
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"Mongoose" wrote
Ha! You young GA boys can’t hang with the big dogs!! 😆 😆 😆
Hang in there bro, you have only been here a short time, it takes some time to get used to this oven baking State. Dry heat is one thing, but this crap is a whole different world down here. You would think that it would be cooler here with the Atlantic breeze on one side and the Gulf breeze on the other. What gives!!! 😮 😮 😮 😕
Seems like that ocean breeze is only good for about a mile inland in Florida summers. Ouch…
Course I’ll feel real sorry for you in February. 😃 Virgina winters are just cold enough to be miserable – and humid too. Ride most of the year though.
Thinking of getting a road bike though; still I hate traffic. Where I work (Roanoke) the greenway system is almost to the point where you can get around town on it. Not quite , but each year it grows.
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The road is a dangerous place no doubt, but traffic is what you make it. The main problem is that no matter how safe and smart your are on the road not all drivers respect cyclists. Almost weekly on the road I am yelled at by drivers who care less about bikes on the road while abiding by all the state laws.
You can definitely do somethings to protect yourself above the obvious (helmet, lights, basic signals, etc.). Such as: Ride with others! when your in group you are more noticeable. Ride on less driven roads, less cars mean less chance of an incident and its way more scenic. Be familiar with area roads and find bike lanes. These are just a few tips, but I would have to argue that MTBing is pretty inherently dangerously as well. I think people’s biggest deterrent from road cycling is that when on a trail you are the only one responsible for your safety, however when on the road you have to rely on others(drivers) for your safety.
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"RunandBike0519" wrote
The main problem is that no matter how safe and smart your are on the road not all drivers respect cyclists.
Yup, 3 cyclists killed in Boise by negligent drivers the last few weeks. Stick to the dirt.
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We are lucky in Colorado that so many drivers are also cyclists. Drive around here on the week-ends is crazy with all the bikers!
I started as a pure roadie and picked up MTB later on. I still like to hit the pavement – but never a bike path – now those are dangerous with dogs, glass, and little kids!!
I’m about 33% road and 67% MTB – road is great if it’s been rainy. Nobody is gonna call you out for riding on the asphalt when it is still wet!
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Agreed on the Colorado cyclists-in-a-car! And how about that new cycling safety law!!!
Yeah, my work commute is mostly bike path, dog walkers are NUTS! I ride my old hardtail with Bontrager hard case tires so broken glass hasn’t been an issue for me.
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First off, I love the dirt. We have been getting alot of rain the last couple of days , and the trails are so sloppy, LOVING IT !!
I also ride into work alot, And we also have a large paved trail system thoughout our valley. nice to have since our hyway is a major construction site at the moment, new hyway for the Olympics.
But one of my biggest pet peeves is bikers / cyclists who think that they are motorists. It’s not just the driver’s who don’t pay attention, there alot of cyclists out there who are just as bad if not far worst. They think that since they are cyclists, they have some sort of special privlages on the roads. If you know that you are gonna be riding through high traffic areas, Take off your head phones!!! If you can’t hear the traffic around you, you are handicaping yourself right off the bat. It annoys the hell out of me when cyclists are all over the road like they own it. They are popping out into traffic from behind Busses, buildings, large trucks. I’m sure alot of them get a rush out of ducking and weaving through traffic, narrowly missing car after truck after bus. Last time I was in the city I almost took out a cyclist after he blindly popped out from behind a bus.
Remember be safe and be smart.
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I must admit I like riding the dirt, but I also ride the road too. I just finished rebuilding a road bike that I bought in a yard sale three years ago thats been sitting in the basement. Now it’s just a matter of tuning it. But dirt trails are in my vein’s
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We have something similar here, the govt are trying to help people cycle to help the environment and carbon footprint.
There are cycle paths and routes being made they will even send you free maps to use. plus the big one, under the govt scheme i got £380 off my FSR XC, paid by the govt.
Problem is the roads in London were designed for horse and carts not what they are used for today and alot of them have the original roman roads underneath them so the cycle lanes are not really lanes.
I cycle to work every week day and conferences etc and you can take your bike on some of the tubes (underground rail) some are 150 years old and are too small.
Besides the roads get you to the trails..
Dac
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I ride my mountain bike on a 30 mile road ride sometimes on Saturdays but thats about it.
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"garbanzo" wrote
But one of my biggest pet peeves is bikers / cyclists who think that they are motorists. It’s not just the driver’s who don’t pay attention, there alot of cyclists out there who are just as bad if not far worst. They think that since they are cyclists, they have some sort of special privlages on the roads. If you know that you are gonna be riding through high traffic areas, Take off your head phones!!! If you can’t hear the traffic around you, you are handicaping yourself right off the bat. It annoys the hell out of me when cyclists are all over the road like they own it. They are popping out into traffic from behind Busses, buildings, large trucks. I’m sure alot of them get a rush out of ducking and weaving through traffic, narrowly missing car after truck after bus. Last time I was in the city I almost took out a cyclist after he blindly popped out from behind a bus.
Remember be safe and be smart.
I have to agree with you on that. One of my friends still has nightmares about the guy he hit, he was drunk in all black with no reflectors and he went in front of my friend and he couldn’t get stopped in time.
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"IATyler" wrote
[quote="garbanzo":2s801lpt]But one of my biggest pet peeves is bikers / cyclists who think that they are motorists. It’s not just the driver’s who don’t pay attention, there alot of cyclists out there who are just as bad if not far worst. They think that since they are cyclists, they have some sort of special privlages on the roads. If you know that you are gonna be riding through high traffic areas, Take off your head phones!!! If you can’t hear the traffic around you, you are handicaping yourself right off the bat. It annoys the hell out of me when cyclists are all over the road like they own it. They are popping out into traffic from behind Busses, buildings, large trucks. I’m sure alot of them get a rush out of ducking and weaving through traffic, narrowly missing car after truck after bus. Last time I was in the city I almost took out a cyclist after he blindly popped out from behind a bus.
Remember be safe and be smart.
I have to agree with you on that. One of my friends still has nightmares about the guy he hit, he was drunk in all black with no reflectors and he went in front of my friend and he couldn’t get stopped in time.[/quote:2s801lpt]
So what was the outcome? Did your friend get the ticket anyway?
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no ticket bt im not going to say much more as there is still legal things going on dealing with it
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This vid will change road haters attitudes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4 -
Yes, I had already seen that….
ummm, I don’t know what to say…and nice job of him littering with his water bottle and Gu package. 😆
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I started road riding so I wouldn’t have to give up a ride because of a wet trail 😢 I really enjoy it….I have gained so much strength from the sustained climbs in road biking that it has made me soooo much better on the mtb trail! 😆 Mountain Biking is still my fave tho!!! 😃
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"MTBchicnAugusta" wrote
Mountain Biking is still my fave tho!!! 😃
😀:)
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