Budget road bike or mtb?

[breamster]

Hi,

I've been challenged to a long road ride (~120 miles) for which I will I need to do alot of training.

I have an MTB that cost ~£600 about 5 years ago with bouncy forks, disks etc and isn't very light.

If I buy a new road bike for ~£300 would it be much more efficient than if I simply put skinny tyres on the MTB and lock the forks out?

I'm 5'9 with short legs so I think I'll need a 54cm frame - does this sound about right? Any recommendations in the £300 budget if this is the way to go?

I have had a few back problems over the years so should I avoid drop bars? Or MTFU and they won't be too bad.

Thanks.

[anonymous-user]

a £300 road bike will be awful, save your money, fit slicks to the mtb and lock out the forks.

on the bristol to london ride last year a good few peopel were doing it on mtbs and were coping ok, some were even on full sussers. one guy did it on a post bike so you have no excuse.

just get the miles in on training rides, be sensible regarding diet and things leading up to the ride, take regular breaks, break it down into 4 x 30 mile rides, eat lots of flapjack and stop being a big girls blouse!.

[breamster]

pablo said:

a £300 road bike will be awful, save your money, fit slicks to the mtb and lock out the forks.

on the bristol to london ride last year a good few peopel were doing it on mtbs and were coping ok, some were even on full sussers. one guy did it on a post bike so you have no excuse.

just get the miles in on training rides, be sensible regarding diet and things leading up to the ride, take regular breaks, break it down into 4 x 30 mile rides, eat lots of flapjack and stop being a big girls blouse!.

Thanks. Sort of thought that might be the response. Spare set of wheels may satisfy the urge to spend some cash then!

[budgie smuggler]

pablo said:

a £300 road bike will be awful, save your money, fit slicks to the mtb and lock out the forks.

on the bristol to london ride last year a good few peopel were doing it on mtbs and were coping ok, some were even on full sussers. one guy did it on a post bike so you have no excuse.

just get the miles in on training rides, be sensible regarding diet and things leading up to the ride, take regular breaks, break it down into 4 x 30 mile rides, eat lots of flapjack and stop being a big girls blouse!.

I know nothing of road bikes - why will it be awful? Anything specific to look out for or is it just that everything will be poor quality?

I've been looking at these for example:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-id_8167038.htm...

Aluminium frame and carbon fork. Seems a bit heavy but okay as a starter bike?

[darkyoung1000]

Buy a second hand steel framed road bike for c £50 (one that hasn't been turned into a fixed gear horror) and it will very likely be lighter and faster than your MTB.

If it doesn't give you a taste for the road bike side of things, you can always sell it one without losing much and revert to plan A, but I honestly wouldn't both with a new road bike on that budget.

Cheers,
Tom

[Roman]

budgie smuggler said:

pablo said:

a £300 road bike will be awful, save your money, fit slicks to the mtb and lock out the forks.

on the bristol to london ride last year a good few peopel were doing it on mtbs and were coping ok, some were even on full sussers. one guy did it on a post bike so you have no excuse.

just get the miles in on training rides, be sensible regarding diet and things leading up to the ride, take regular breaks, break it down into 4 x 30 mile rides, eat lots of flapjack and stop being a big girls blouse!.

I know nothing of road bikes - why will it be awful? Anything specific to look out for or is it just that everything will be poor quality?

I've been looking at these for example:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-id_8167038.htm...

Aluminium frame and carbon fork. Seems a bit heavy but okay as a starter bike?

That's the only OK road bike for £300 rrp. I have a friend with one and for general road riding/commuting it's been fine.

Otherwise I'd suggest slicks for the mtb & some rigid carbon forks (plenty on ebay for around £100) which will transform the feel of an mtb on the road and drop the weight by around 1.5kg.

[CoolC]

It might be worth while thinking about gearing a little too.

A slightly larger big ring on the front to give a bit more top speed.

[braddo]

darkyoung1000 said:

Buy a second hand steel framed road bike for c £50 (one that hasn't been turned into a fixed gear horror) and it will very likely be lighter and faster than your MTB.

If it doesn't give you a taste for the road bike side of things, you can always sell it one without losing much and revert to plan A, but I honestly wouldn't both with a new road bike on that budget.

Cheers,
Tom

Yep - look at secondhand road bikes. Much lighter, already on road tyres, better gearing, more aerodynamic riding position - all these will make it 5-10km/h faster than a cheap mountain bike for the same amount of effort you put in. That could be easily be a 2 hour difference for a 120 mile ride.

Weigh your mountain bike and look at how upright the riding position is. For the time/money spent to make it more able for distance road riding (e.g. tyres/tubes, bigger front ring, road cassette, fixed fork, lowering handlebars), you could just buy a cheap road bike that will still be 4-5kg lighter.

[MrB1obby]

darkyoung1000 said:

Buy a second hand steel framed road bike for c £50 (one that hasn't been turned into a fixed gear horror) and it will very likely be lighter and faster than your MTB.

If it doesn't give you a taste for the road bike side of things, you can always sell it one without losing much and revert to plan A, but I honestly wouldn't both with a new road bike on that budget.

Cheers,
Tom

I'd second that, I bough an 80's road bike for £70, it's done everything I've asked and I'm completely addicted.