As a novice bike, your question is obvious and genuine Should I Get a Mountain Bike or Road Bike? As a beginner, nobody is sure and doesn’t even know about mountain biking.
I have been working with bikes for the past 20 years. After 3 years of mountain biking, I finally chose a bike that was perfect for me concerning size, endurance, and other gears.
You will have to write down your requirements to choose a bike that will best meet your needs.
Based on budget, I would suggest to go with a city bike as I don’t want to ruin your biking experience by recommending an MTB that is cheap but doesn’t have the necessary features.
If you want a hippy bike with the speedy experience to ride on the racing tracks, buy a road bike, or else forgo the looks and get an endurance bike for yourself.
No, you don’t need three years like me because my mountain bike guide is here to help. One thing I want to make sure, I am not recommending you any products to help you make a selection.
Instead, I will tell you about all mountain bike types, compare their features, and write pros and cons so you can read by yourself and choose your future bike independently.
This guide will not only help you choose a bike right now, but the points I have made will remain helpful forever.
Without a lag, let’s get started:
Should I get a mountain bike or road bike?
Mountain and road bikes are different in some way or the other, and nobody can acclaim to suggest a better one.
Different people have different choices. So, you will have to write down your requirements to choose a bike that will best meet your needs.
Here I have made some points to help you out.
- What do you plan to do with your bike (Daily commuting or fun)?
- Budget (how much you can pay).
- The area you live in (the mountains, forest trails, or flat roads).
- Biking to lose weight or just using it as an adventurous activity.
- Are you riding for fitness or fun (although they are not mutually exclusive)?
Once you decide on the points mentioned above, next find the difference between road bikes and mountain bikes, these could be one too many.
Difference between road bikes and mountain bikes
The primary difference between road bikes versus mountain bikes is that they are built for different times of pavements or roads.
Road bike definition
According to the road bike definition, these are two-wheelers designed for smoother, flat, and paved paths with no such obstacles.
Road bikes are available in different types, such as aero, endurance, lightweight, or gravel. However, all of these are smooth street rides.
Mountain bikes
According to the definition and formation, mountain bikes are to ride off-road tracks and trails with obstacles, needing more skills to drive through barriers.
Mountain bikes are also available in different types like rigid, hardtail, cross country, or full-suspension bikes to pass off-road pathways.
For a better understanding, here I am comparing the features, pros, and cons of different mountain bike types, so you can better understand which style suits your need the best.
Road bike versus mountain bike
Road bikes and mountain bikes differ in terms of price, weight, speed, and various other factors. Below I am discussing everything in detail:
1. Cost
In terms of price, you might not see much difference in the figures and can have Road or an MTB at the same cost, but in terms of features, a cheap mountain bike will lack a lot.
Well, it will need a little explanation to help to decide should I get a mountain bike or road bike.
Road or city bikes don’t need so many gears, such as they don’t need suspension brakes, rugged tires, or double chainrings. It means, at a low cost, you can get a good deal.
Contrary to this, a good MTB has to pass through many obstacles and jagged trails; it requires a front and back suspension, rugged tires, and shock-observing features to give the rider a smooth ride.
These features are expensive, and you will not be able to obtain them on a mountain bike which comes at a low price. With all gears included, the price of a mountain bike will be much more and could be out of your budget and affordability.
So, if I had to conclude based on budget, I would say you should go with a cheap city bike as I don’t want to ruin your biking experience by recommending a two-wheeler that is cheap in quality.
However, if you are not on a tight budget, choose any according to your choice.
2. Appearance
If I compare the outlook of a city bike with an MTB, the road bike will stand out because it will have lusher and slimmer bodies and a better-looking presence.
Now it is up to you; if you want a hippy bike with the most incredible experience to ride on the racing tracks, buy a road bike, or if you can forgo the looks as it doesn’t matter to you much, go with MTB.
3. Commuting
One more thing to help in configuring should I get a mountain bike or road bike is to understand the reason behind buying a bicycle. Are you going to use it for commuting purposes or fun?
If this is for fun, try figuring out your areas of interest, and there are chances you are trying to be an off-road expert who can cycle on rough terrains. In this case, MTB is what you should get.
On the other hand, if you are looking to do your daily commute on the bike to your college, work, or supermarkets, a road bike is all you need because it is lightweight and easy to drive.
4. Distance
You cannot travel too far on a mountain bike for many reasons, such as heavy weight, difficulty pulling big tires, and slow speed. Within some time, you will feel exhausted.
Therefore, if you are intended to cover a massive distance on a cycle, a city cycle or bike, as it is lightweight, will be a good trade to reach distances faster. It will also make you feel less tired while pulling the wheels.
Consider the distance to draw a better decision in terms of should I get a mountain bike or road bike.
5. Weight
Mountain bikes are heavier because they are known for their endurance on the roads. Some superfluous yet heavy machinery is used to build MTBs with such controlling kits.
The weight of a road bike is way lesser than the MTB because it doesn’t come with heavier kits of dual suspension modes and gears.
If you are a strong person, go with MTB, and if you cannot impose too much strength on pedaling, a road bike should be bought.
6. Speed
Road bikes are designed for swiftness as they have less weight to offer substantial speed with trivial pedaling.
Can you ride a mountain bike on the road? Yes, mountain bikes are for endurance and don’t offer good speed. You can check my complete informative blog by clicking the link.
Consider this factor while deciding, should I get a mountain bike or road bike.
7. Gears
Gears or machinery in MTBs are heavy and geeky, while gears for street bikes are simple. MT cycles have suspensions, brakes, dual chainrings, and many other things which RT Bikes lack.
The gears, as stated in the above lines, are the reason for the high cost of hill cycles. However, lacking such gears doesn’t make mountain bikes any less favored.
The city bikes do not have such kits because these gears are simply not needed on a flat road.
8. Safety kits
You need a list of kits for safety and on the way while mountain biking which can add to its cost. These include helmets, riding shorts, gloves, knee pads, and multi-took kits.
For road biking, the safety and maintenance kits include helmets, lubricating oils, basic tools, cycling jerseys, and padded shorts.
The hydration pack remains constant because you must drink plenty of water while cycling. Consider it while deciding should I get a mountain bike or road bike for cost.
I always carry hydration packs than bottles as they don’t require refilling again and again. I can carry an ample amount of water in the packs and drink on the way. Keeping hydrated is a must!
9. Area
The locality where you live or ride your bike also matters when it comes to buying a bike.
For instance, if you live near the mountain bike trails in southern California, there are chances you will commute on hills and mountains mostly. A road bike will not be a good choice in this regard.
Besides, a road bike will serve you best if you are a city resident and don’t find many hills and off-road tracks nearby. So, decide accordingly.
10. Satisfaction
Your satisfaction level is something that any apparatus or machinery cannot determine. It is only who knows what makes you happier, mountain biking or road biking.
Try to figure out your level of interest and what makes you more satisfied when riding a bike. Is it rough terrains and passing through woods with lots of obstacles interest on the speed of your cycle?
If you go with the former one, you should buy an MTB, of course, while people feeling more satisfied with speedy rides should be buying road bikes.
Consider these ten things while forming a choice should I get a mountain bike or road bike? These are going to help you a lot.
FAQs
Now I am adding some questions that you sent me in the comments and through emails to learn more about mountain biking.
Are mountain bikes good for the road?
Although I have written a detailed blog if mountain bikes are good for the road or how you can make your MTB ready to jaunt the flat streets.
For a small note, I can tell you that mountain bikes can be ridden on the roads, but you will have to compromise on things like speed and ease of pedaling.
To erase all your confusion, check my guide MTBs on the road.
Can you buy a mountain bike for beginners?
Yes, but beginner riders don’t need luxury shifting, dual suspensions, and other kits that professional MTB bikers need. So, you can remove some features to save cost and lessen the weight.
As a beginner, I would suggest getting a hardtail mountain bike with just front suspension. The other features are not required at the moment.
Bottom Line
I hope your query should I get a mountain bike or road bike is resolved, and you must have decided on your bike type. Do tell me what you favor by commenting below. Also, if you have any suggestions, feel free to write to me.
