How do you decide between a road bike and a mountain bike?
Should a ‘beginner’ cyclist get a road bike? I’m not very good at cycling; mainly I’m afraid of sharing the road with cars and also tend to overreact to potholes and cracks in the ground. I’m also pretty weak on climbing. On the other hand, it’s my objective to overcome these obstacles and eventually be able to ride long city trails. Should I start with a mountain bike and build up my skills first, or should I just go ahead and get a road bike since that’s my end goal anyway?
A mountain bike is more durable than a road bike, and will better put up with the uneven roads you’ll find in a city. Road bikes are designed to go very fast on open roads. You don’t really want to jump curbs on a road bike; you could bend your wheels.
The problem with mountain bikes is that they’re designed for extremely rough terrain. They have big, nobbly tires which grip trails but have a lot of friction on pavement. That makes them harder to ride if you’re going far. They also have more shock absorption, which is great if you do ride over a pothole, but it’s really designed for tree roots. And that shock absorption also absorbs some of your energy, slowing you down.
You can try a hybrid bike, which tries to combine the best features of both. In fact, they’re often more comfortable than either kind, since they’re designed with a shape designed to allow you to sit more upright. (Both mountain and road bikes encourage you to get low, out of the wind, which is fast but very uncomfortable for long rides.) This may be the perfect bike for you, even better than a road bike, no matter what your level of experience.
I highly recommend visiting your local bike shop rather than buying online. Getting a bike that fits is extremely important for comfort and even for health: an ill-fitting bike can put strain on your joints. A good bike shop can help you get the right size, and then adapt the bike to your particular style (different saddle or handlebars, smoother tires for pavement, the right kind of pedals, etc).
You can try to shoot straight for your final road bike, but there are so many variables that go into picking a bike that I’d figure you’re going to want something different from your first bike anyway. So get something good and not too expensive to learn what you like, and only later spend the real money to get a great bike.
How to Fit a Road Bike