Raydek Posted August 15, 2014 Share So having taken road cycling a bit more seriously recently and having purchased a road bike I have come across a mental block/problem. I cannot seem to get comfortable with speed on my road bike compared to my mtb. I am quite comfortable doing 60km/h down a track, but come to doing the same on the road and my brain goes NOPE, and I slow down. To confuse the situation even more, if I hit the same road hill on my mtb I am more than happy to get the speed up and find myself pedaling my legs off trying to get more out the bike. Begs the question, why don't I trust my road bike? Edited August 15, 2014 by Raydek bullet77 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alouette3 Posted August 15, 2014 Share Have the same problem, but it's getting better. Ride with other roadies to get your confidence up. Raydek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapee.. Posted August 15, 2014 Share So having taken road cycling a bit more seriously recently and having purchased a road bike I have come across a mental block/problem. I cannot seem to get comfortable with speed on my road bike compared to my mtb. I am quite comfortable doing 60km/h down a track, but come to doing the same on the road and my brain goes NOPE, and I slow down. To confuse the situation even more, if I hit the same road hill on my mtb I am more than happy to get the speed up and find myself pedaling my legs off trying to get more out the bike. Begs the question, why don't I trust my road bike? HTFU Jigghead, DIPSLICK, GreatGusto and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIPEOUT 1000 Posted August 15, 2014 Share I have exactly the opposite problem. Despite having experienced some really bad high speed wipeouts both on the road and the dirt, I feel much safer on my road bike. I.e. I'll pedal down most downhills on the road till I basically run out of gears/rpm's, but I seldomly if ever pedal down a downhill on a MTB race. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted August 15, 2014 Share Okay - quick question - what width are your MTB bars, and what length is your MTB stem? Now comparatively, how wide and long are your bars & stem on the roadie? Part of the reason may be that. I know it's a very different feeling going from my MTB's 750mm bars to my road bike's 420mm bars (yes, I need to get wider ones - just now) and my Roadie stem is 20mm longer than my MTB stem, so the feeling is intensified somewhat. It's also a very different feeling getting down into the drops versus sitting pretty on the bars, 'cos often the brake levers aren't as easy to get to as the MTB's brakes. All factors which could influence your feeling of instability. Also - the thin wheels / tyres give you a LOT more feedback from the road, so your hands feel a lot more connected, and any sense of speed is magnified accordingly. So - step one - widen your bars, shorten your stem. Same concept as in MTB. Step 2 - ride more! Practice! That's the only way you'll get used to the speed... BarHugger, Skinnyone, Prince Albert Cycles and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapee.. Posted August 15, 2014 Share Okay - quick question - what width are your MTB bars, and what length is your MTB stem? Now comparatively, how wide and long are your bars & stem on the roadie? Part of the reason may be that. I know it's a very different feeling going from my MTB's 750mm bars to my road bike's 420mm bars (yes, I need to get wider ones - just now) and my Roadie stem is 20mm longer than my MTB stem, so the feeling is intensified somewhat. It's also a very different feeling getting down into the drops versus sitting pretty on the bars, 'cos often the brake levers aren't as easy to get to as the MTB's brakes. All factors which could influence your feeling of instability. Also - the thin wheels / tyres give you a LOT more feedback from the road, so your hands feel a lot more connected, and any sense of speed is magnified accordingly. So - step one - widen your bars, shorten your stem. Same concept as in MTB. Step 2 - ride more! Practice! That's the only way you'll get used to the speed... Yes I would also suggest putting training wheels on the Road bike and maybe also dont ride with those thin wheels. This will make a huge difference. You can also just ride slower, best option IMHO Ryan, DJR, DirtyDan and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted August 15, 2014 Share Yes I would also suggest putting training wheels on the Road bike and maybe also dont ride with those thin wheels. This will make a huge difference. You can also just ride slower, best option IMHO BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapunzel Posted August 15, 2014 Share Straight rd like vissershok is cool on a mountain bike but cornering at speed not so great. Then again, brakes on a mountain bike are far more effective if you need to stop at high speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoke101 Posted August 15, 2014 Share It all depends on what you are used to. I started on a MTB and then spent a few years on the Road and at first it felt very weird, but over time you get used to it. Then recently went back to MTB and it felt weird so it works both ways. Raydek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcza Posted August 15, 2014 Share Yes I would also suggest putting training wheels on the Road bike and maybe also dont ride with those thin wheels. This will make a huge difference. You can also just ride slower, best option IMHO On form today I see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vetseun Posted August 15, 2014 Share Yes I would also suggest putting training wheels on the Road bike and maybe also dont ride with those thin wheels. This will make a huge difference. You can also just ride slower, best option IMHOheheheheeeheeeeheeeheee ChUkKy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanJan Posted August 15, 2014 Share I guess you don't own a motorbike then.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted August 15, 2014 Share I guess you don't own a motorbike then.. With a moto it's different though. Far less feedback and wider bars (unless you're on a road bike) Plus, there's the weight of the bike to consider. Road bikes feel flimsy in comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porqui Posted August 15, 2014 Share I only begin to get doubts when using road bike on trail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raydek Posted August 15, 2014 Share HTFU Lol... Will get right on that!! Edited August 15, 2014 by Raydek Escapee.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pure Savage Posted August 15, 2014 Share Dont even think of doing the 99er, 60km/h on dirt on a road bike!! That was hairy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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