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| *Vultures Knob>>>Mountain Bike |
Why are mountain bikes sized differently than road bikes? |
I understand that mountain bike frames are generally sized 10-12cm smaller (for a given person) than road bikes? Is that because it is assumed that a mountain bike will be used for off-road riding? I am asking because I use my mountain bike 98% for road riding - perhaps I should size my next mountain bike as if it were a road bike? thanks Paul they are sized differently because they are ridden differently for different riding styles... MTB are meant for off road applications, navigating over rocks and switch back turns Road bikes are built for speed, high revolutions of the entire drive train, and they put the rider in a more aerodynamic position I don't think you should size your bike different. How do you feel on your current setup? and what do you want to improve? I think in fitting a mountain bike as a road bike will be completely off! If your doing 98% road riding I would suggest that your next mountain bike should be a road bike. You already have a mountain bike, keep that. Most of us have each, the best of both worlds. Mountain bikes have a proportionally longer top bar. The right sized mountain bike does not depend on the type of riding conditions just your size. Same for the road bike One reason I've hear, being and old school cyclist, is that it really was for better top tube clearance when standing over to uhhhh protect some things... Hence the proportionately longer top tube (which would ideally be similar to the length of your road bike top tube). Seat height would be relatively similar, to slightly lower, but with a longer seat post. I mentioned old school because that's what I heard from manufacturers over 15 yrs ago when I worked at a shop. Now I see road bikes and own one myself with a sloping top tube (effectively shorter seat tube) and longer seat post. However, the top tube + stem combination is the same. Ditto for mountain bike size. The other effect of having a smaller frame is slight increase in stiffness and perhaps very slightly better control from having tighter angles... IMO. If you're gonna ride on the road, or even dirt for that matter get the seat height right and adjust around that... a good shop should be able to help with that. Mountain bikes are an American invention, whereas road bikes are of European origin. That mountain bikes are made to go offroad and give you beter standover clearance is the other reason the frames are "smaller" than road frames. If you want a bike to ride on the road, buy a road bike. If you want a sturdy road bike, get a touring bike from Waterford, Rivendell, or buy a cyclocross bike instead. mountain bikes have much more techinicall stuff to go through and so the center of gravity is lower for better handling go with one of those mixed bikes, they are road bikes with thicker wheels and shocks go to a performance bike or whatever They are made for completely different terrains. Not only that, they position themselves differently over the frame and seat. |
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