Road Bike Vs Mountain Bike Speed Difference

A mountain bike comparison.

Road bike vs mountain bike speed difference.

Decent mountain bikes and road bikes will run upwards of 800. Some people find the dropped riding position difficult to maintain comfortably for a long time. When it comes to speed you can t make a road bike vs. As we mentioned before mountain bikes get pawned more so you might save on the used market.

They are not as well suited for operating off the road. Road bikes can easily speed up to 50mph the frames of road bikes are thinner and more aerodynamic that help a biker achieve high speeds. Jim s numbers indicate about a 17 20 increase in mph for a road bike versus a mountain bike. Road bikes are slender and more aerodynamic to achieve higher speeds.

Based on the speed test i found the road bike rolled on average about 11 faster than the mountain bike. One interesting thing to note is that a lot of the speed difference in the test seemed to come in the first 10 yards along the test track as the bikes accelerated up to speed. Mountain biking became a sport in 1970s and has since then diversified into cross country riding became an olympic sport in 1996. Less popular as difficult to film and televise and is the only mountain biking event at the summer olympics.

This discrepancy in speed results from the weight of the bikes the position of the riders and other basic differences in construction. Mountain bikes are harder to pedal and slower on pavement. So the road bike vs mountain bike debate can t be settled on cost alone. Mountain bikes are created for off road cycling in non paved rough environments.

In general it takes more energy to propel a heavy mountain bike than it does a road bike. On any given day road bikes have greater speeds than mountain bikes. However if you put the mountain bike on the same touraine i e a smooth paved trail the difference in speeds between mtb and road bike should be closer. In the design of the road bike and that of a mountain bike is different.