Need some feedback/comments

[David Alden-St.Pierre]

I posted this to FB but I wanted to reach out here too:

Need some comments/quotes from my bike homeboys and homegirls: I’m writing an article that compares and contrasts road and trail riding. I want to focus on the experience and the efforts involved—NOT a roadie vs MTB pissing match. So, do you ride both? What do you like about each? if you don’t ride both, why not? 

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David Alden-St.Pierre, MS, PA-C
davidalde...@gmail.com
USA Cycling Level 2 Coach

BICP Ride Leader

Member: Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals

[Jason Fitzgerald]

My thoughts:

Cycling is a great way to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time while taking in the scenery along the way. It's perfect for touring a part of the country/world you've never been to before or maybe even enjoying your own backgroads in a way that driving them doesn't.  Cycling is a true test of endurance whether you are completing your first century, crushing those hill climbs, or just trying to keep up with the pack on those Tuesday evening club rides. Lycra optional...

Like cycling, mountain biking also pushes the boundaries of your physical fitness, but I would argue that it can be more of a cerebral challenge. Allow me to explain...when aboard the skinny tires it's much easier to keep your cadence and mentally check out as the miles click by. Trail riding, most of the time, does not offer such luxury. Singletrack requires the brain to constantly calculate risk and make several micro-decisions in order to achieve flow. Sure, dodging potholes and patches of sand while simultaneously not getting creamed by a car is risky, but I would argue that mountain biking is more like baseball requiring one to think several steps ahead to mitigate disaster. Technical features, trail conditions, and the oh so important line choice are the special elements that make mountain biking unique. 

It's obvious that cycling and mountain biking are very different, but the good news is you do not have to be fully committed to one or the other. You can enjoy both! Maybe bring the two together and get yourself a sweet gravel bike to have that one bike quiver. Just know that the right bike is the one you are pedaling, so get out there and enjoy your ride on two wheels. 

J-Bone

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

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[Jeff Soderman]

I ride the road and MTB so my thoughts on the differences:  I feel road is a better for getting a workout in, as intervals etc are easier to do on an open road as opposed to a trail with turns, punchy climbs etc.  I agree with Jason that MTB is a bit more mental as you do have to think and react with the terrain as opposed to just pedaling.  I’ve found myself riding less road recently due to what I consider less safe roads here on the north shore. Ironic, since I used to live in Boston, I definitely prefer how I road the road there i.e. bike lane to get to the near suburbs or put the bike in the car vs. going out my front door here.  Hence why I got a gravel bike recently.  I do still enjoy riding centuries on the road though.  I’ve really come to enjoy exploring the woods on a MTB and the day trip to ride somewhere cool (Kingdom, Green Woodlands etc) is much more fun on an MTB.  Extended drives to do a road ride have always been kinda meh for me, unless it’s somewhere really unique.  I enjoy and do both, but I definitely have shifted to off-road in the last few years.

Jeff

[Ben Pike]

I’ll keep it short and sweet. 

I ride road for speed and to travel longer distances. I can push myself hard or go easy and still cover distances to places I’ve never been before other than a car, and I absolutely love that feeling with road riding. I can leave the house and have ridden the oceanside with incredible views and be back home for a shower in less than 2 hours. The speed and thrill cannot be compared to my mountain biking. I care about staying as light as possible with clothing and gear so I can keep the speed up. 

I ride MTB for the technical side and a challenge. I am going much slower, riding rocks, roots, steep hills up and down and navigating my lines depending on my mood. There is a lot more stopping and starting for me in the trails and although I feel like I’m riding more dangerously in the woods, I feel safer in the woods than I do on the road. Unlike road riding. I don’t care about staying as light as possible for gear. I don’t mind bringing extra tools and equipment needed to tackle the rough terrain. 

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[Jason Gonzalez]

Why I don't ride MTB:

-Probably for the same reason I no longer (and hardly did) ski. I just don't have the coordination and confidence to be able to go downhill on any steep rough incline. I've always been afraid of falling and getting hurt (and I have mildly crashed several times on even easy non-technical to intermediate technical MTB trails, which also scared me for the rest of the ride), and whenever I've tried it, I am always almost out of control and spending more time stopping and starting my way down the hill. 

When on flattish/level ground or climbs, the roots and rocks "jar" me and disrupt my rhythm to the point I am often having to stop and walk and "heft" the bike  over rock gardens, etc.. I also don't like leaving the ground (doing any type of jumps (again the same with skiing)), for the same reasons.

I've never been an aggressive rider to begin with, and I think the innate aggressiveness needed to be able to be successful (along with a "have no fear" attitude) and make the experience enjoyable, is just not there for me.

Why I ride Road:

I've been riding since I was 3 or 4 on paved surfaces, and doing endurance rides since I was 15 all on the road (getting into gravel in 2016). I was always influenced by "roadie" type movies like "American Flyers" and documentaries like "RAAM", "Inspired to Ride", as well as watching races (and racing myself in local ones) like the Tour de France. For me, the constant rhythmic vibration of the smooth/semi-smooth surface on the road, along with the sound of the bike gears and pedaling and the feeling of the air rushing behind me puts me in Zen like state. I cannot get this anywhere else. Plus, I like the ability to just go fast and far, and I like the challenge of long climbs and short rollers with unbroken terrain.

It's what I got exposed to at an early age, and what I've stuck to.

Best regards,

Jason Gonzalez

(913) 669-1842

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From: rac...@googlegroups.com <rac...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of David Alden-St.Pierre <davidalde...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 6:04 PM
To: racer-x <rac...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Need some feedback/comments

 

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[David Tufts]

Years ago while riding my road bike, I realized that I’m actually a BMX flatland trick rider who was riding a road bike because I was training for a huge mountain bike endurance race…

I always have fun on any kind of bike, but some are better than others for specific reasons.  I got into riding road bikes mainly to train and therefore gain endurance for my mountain bike riding and races.  Road bikes are my least favorite type of cycling, but they can still be fun.  I mostly ride on the Longleaf Trace Rails to Trails paved path that we have here locally in Hattiesburg, MS.  45 miles of peaceful bliss… And group rides can be fun and social, which is nice if I can keep up!  I don’t like riding around vehicles because most people see us as being in the way.  And getting hit by a car sucks asphalt. I REALLY don’t like getting chased by dogs.  I love animals, but when a dog wants to kill me because I’m riding by, it scares me to death, for me and for the dog.  Mountain biking or trail riding (depending on what’s local) is SUPER FUN!  Getting out in nature is amazing and I love the full body and mind adventure of cruising down single track for hours at a time. I love the fresh air, the sounds and animals and even the technical riding. There’s something about flowing down a trail and losing myself in the woods that makes me happy. I need to go ride soon actually. And yeah I love flatland the most, but this article isn’t about that, so I’ll just go pop some wheelies and leave it at that!  Whatever your favorite, GO RIDE!

Thanks Dave Alden for all you do!  You’re cool!

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 15, 2023, at 9:21 AM, Jason Gonzalez <jason.gonz...@outlook.com> wrote:



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