Mountain bike or road bike?
Q. I need a new bicycle but I don’t know if I should get a mountain bike or a road bike. What are the pros and cons of each type?
— Confused Carl
A. Dear Confused Carl, good question. I’d say the best way to think of it is this: The mountain bike is a SUV and the road bike is a sports car. Which type of bike is best for you depends mostly on where you plan on riding.
Without knowing your answer, my first instinct is to tell you to get a mountain bike. The reason: durability and versatility. Mountain bikes are very durable because they’re designed to handle rough off-road conditions. They have heavy duty gears and parts, a stronger frame (like the bike’s skeleton), and some even have cushy shock absorbing suspensions for smoothing out the bumps. But don’t let the name “mountain” fool you—whether you’re riding on trails or bouncing off curbs around your neighborhood, this versatile type of bike will stand up to all sorts of riding.
On the other hand, road bikes are usually lighter weight with thin frames and skinny tires. They are really fast and agile but definitely not well suited for rough roads. If you have a need for speed, get a road bike. If you wanna ride a little bit of everywhere, buy a mountain bike.
I think I’d get a mountain bike, just because their more durable.
Road bikes are AWESOME!
I would really get a road bike
@ the moment i got a DJ kona which i converted to a street bike. i choose the mountain bike because i have to go pretty far to get into town with my friends, but i changed parts on it because i do street tricks
if you like BMX but you have 2 do a bit of traveling as well, i suggest you either get a dirtjump/sreet bike or a 24″
but if you have no intentions of doing tricks i say get trek mountain bike
I ride “mountain” with knobby tires on the road. people in far inferior bikes pass me all-the-time, but I like the sure-footedness (especially in rain)of my arrangement.
The frame-size (proportion) of cruiser/mountain bikes is different; a 17″ mountain will feel bigger than a 17″ cruiser. The seat on a cruiser is intended to be set further from the top (crotch) bar.
I agree with the Answer man.
I ride a Specialized RockHopper, ive never taken it on the trails and i don’t plan to! i usually just ride it in my neighborhood and off my ramp. What should i do? stick with my Mountain bike or geat a BMX bike?
i prefer mountain bikes, but thats just me
You could get a road bike and a Mt. bike that way you can do both off road and on road riding.
If you want to go fast on the roads, but still want to be able to go on gravel and dirt trails a little, get a hybrid bike like the Muirwoods 29er.
i would use a cross bike u can is is a cross from a street and mountain bike