MTB vs Road Bike

Sacko
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Sacko
I know everyone has their preference on MTB vs road biking on here for cross training for moto but do we have any evidence that one is more beneficial then the other? Or do they serve difference purposes within the sport?
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rhargrave431
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rhargrave431 5/3/2019 6:16am
5/3/2019 6:16am
With road bikes, you can maintain a certain heart rate much easier. Mountain biking, I believe you can get a higher heart rate, but it spikes up and down with hills and steepness of grade.
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owndjoo852
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owndjoo852 5/3/2019 6:21am
5/3/2019 6:21am
I use road bike for steady state cardio, maybe mix in some sprints, but mainly just a good steady calorie/fat burn. Mtb is more of a cardio threshold training. Get that HR up high like in moto. It's good to mix it up, same thing with also running a mile or two, high HR in a different way.
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Casting
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Casting 5/3/2019 7:06am
5/3/2019 7:06am
What the others said above me is true -- road helps you maintain a steady heart rate while MTB can help more with the technical side of riding and managing your endurance when dealing with heart spikes from challenging sections.

You can figure out what benefits you are looking for and tailor your road/mtb rides to give you that specific boost. Long road rides at a consistent pace will help with endurance while short intense mtb rides can help with sprint speed and getting comfortable with a high heart rate. Mountain bikes are also good for practicing your breathing while going through challenging sections which will translate to moto.

Have fun and ride on.
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Ridelow 5/3/2019 8:02am
5/3/2019 8:02am
Just make sure its an E-bike! Tongue

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biscuit11
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biscuit11 5/3/2019 8:05am
5/3/2019 8:05am Edited Date/Time 5/3/2019 8:06am
A lot more line selection riding a mountain bike than a road bike. Not just the heart rate but feeling the flow and riding smooth are things to focus on while on a mountain bike that dont really come into play on a road bike. I love pushing the heart rate then hitting a tricky switchback section it really is tough to keep 100% focused.
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chuckdavies 5/3/2019 8:12am
5/3/2019 8:12am
rhargrave431 wrote:
With road bikes, you can maintain a certain heart rate much easier. Mountain biking, I believe you can get a higher heart rate, but it spikes...
With road bikes, you can maintain a certain heart rate much easier. Mountain biking, I believe you can get a higher heart rate, but it spikes up and down with hills and steepness of grade.
I road ride mainly as it's such low impact, great for recovery after riding and, as people have mentioned, good for endurance.

I don't quite agree with 'you can get a higher heart rate (with MTCool , you can absolutely max your heart rate instantly on a road bike with proper interval training.

On a road bike you obviously don't learn any technique skills like you could potentially pick up from a MTB, but there's a good reason why most Pros mix it up between Road/MTB. There was an article recently where they asked a few riders what training they do and most ride road bikes most weekdays during the season.
tingo
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tingo 5/3/2019 8:36am
5/3/2019 8:36am
Yeah, slightly different purposes, but totally different levels of fun, IMO. Road is boring as hell (breathing and cadence are the focus), but great exercise. I love the constant eyes scan --> brain analyzes --> body reacts process that takes place when you're selecting lines on a MTB trail, just as you do while riding moto. It's insane to think about how quickly it happens. Nailing berms, drops, jumps, difficult sections, etc, keeps the fun flowing, too.
Black Diesel Bomber 5/3/2019 8:42am
5/3/2019 8:42am
In MTB you smash yourself and often dust yourself off....in road biking cars smash you without notice
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Falcon
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Falcon 5/3/2019 9:40am
5/3/2019 9:40am
I have a buddy who only rides a road bike. I have to tell him all the time that it isn't his fault and that he was born that way. No judgement here. Someday, with support from the community, we may be able to get him a mountain bike and he'll be able to lead a full and rewarding life.
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tingo
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tingo 5/3/2019 11:11am
5/3/2019 11:11am
Falcon wrote:
I have a buddy who only rides a road bike. I have to tell him all the time that it isn't his fault and that he...
I have a buddy who only rides a road bike. I have to tell him all the time that it isn't his fault and that he was born that way. No judgement here. Someday, with support from the community, we may be able to get him a mountain bike and he'll be able to lead a full and rewarding life.
Sure, that'll probably happen right after you get him off his quad.
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MDMCG
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MDMCG 5/3/2019 11:13am
5/3/2019 11:13am
Depends on where you live and what your trails are like. We have 150 miles and 5k vert in our neighborhood. It even offers sustained climbs for hours. #Mtnbikesrule.
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ob
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ob 5/3/2019 3:15pm
5/3/2019 3:15pm
I think it depends on how often you moto. If you moto 4-5 days a week then road, you don’t need all the extra benefits of MTBs. If you moto 1-2 days a week MTB for sure.
Derek Harris 5/3/2019 3:29pm
5/3/2019 3:29pm
I did both, and found MTB was more effective for moto if done right

If you don't want to get hyper involved on training program - go mtb and push your self quite often

If you want hyper focussed and targetted training - road bike.

AVG joe will gain more and faster with MTB if you have hills/climbs to do on it with your rides

I also found MTB helped replace some strength training in the legs that the road bike didn't target without really specific training

As to translation to moto riding - NONE. Moto translates to MTB imho, but not the other way.
three9zero
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three9zero 5/3/2019 3:37pm
5/3/2019 3:37pm
Caution, if you live in an area where the mtn bike trails are awesome, especially some downhill, it leads to less moto.
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endurox
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endurox 5/3/2019 3:49pm
5/3/2019 3:49pm
With a gravel grinder bike(dual sportish) , one can do road and single track. I avoid the roads anymore with the distracted drivers.
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Deja New
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Deja New 5/3/2019 4:05pm
5/3/2019 4:05pm
You can take a mtb on the road but you will not have fun taking a road bike to the trails Smile
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stone881
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stone881 5/3/2019 8:12pm
5/3/2019 8:12pm
MTB is definitely more likely to cause you to get hurt, don't forget that! A crash on a mtb could very well end months worth of moto.

Road biking for me is a no go anymore, too many drivers looking at screens.

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ob
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ob 5/4/2019 9:22am
5/4/2019 9:22am
Derek Harris wrote:
I did both, and found MTB was more effective for moto if done right If you don't want to get hyper involved on training program -...
I did both, and found MTB was more effective for moto if done right

If you don't want to get hyper involved on training program - go mtb and push your self quite often

If you want hyper focussed and targetted training - road bike.

AVG joe will gain more and faster with MTB if you have hills/climbs to do on it with your rides

I also found MTB helped replace some strength training in the legs that the road bike didn't target without really specific training

As to translation to moto riding - NONE. Moto translates to MTB imho, but not the other way.
I don't agree totally with your last sentence. If you ride XC I agree, but if you ride a more capable bike (enduro) pointing down its really motoish. My MTB is set up suspension wise like my moto bike. Coil shock longer travel front, and I use lots of the same technique as I do on the moto bike. Scrubing, pre jumping, clearing big gaps wich takes the same timing as moto, railing berms just like moto, and whoops and rythem sections. XC bikes, not so much at all. XC MTB is just the same as being a roadie (wich I was for years) but on dirt. And this all depends on where you live, most of the country is flat so you kinda have to ride XC style bikes and trails.
ob
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ob 5/4/2019 9:26am
5/4/2019 9:26am
Deja New wrote:
You can take a mtb on the road but you will not have fun taking a road bike to the trails Smile
Shit I use to ride my carbon, deep stiff ass carbon wheeled road bike all over in the dirt. I think I'm going to add a cyclocross bike to my collection just for that purpose.
ob
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ob 5/4/2019 9:30am
5/4/2019 9:30am
three9zero wrote:
Caution, if you live in an area where the mtn bike trails are awesome, especially some downhill, it leads to less moto.
Totally agree. This stuff really depends on where you live. If you live in a flat part of the country you might as well just ride XC it's the same as road. I raced XC for years in TX. If you live near trails pointing down you might have more fun on your enduro bike than on your moto bike. Like on the trails in SoCal, or at least just as much fun.
Falcon
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Falcon 5/4/2019 5:22pm
5/4/2019 5:22pm
stone881 wrote:
MTB is definitely more likely to cause you to get hurt, don't forget that! A crash on a mtb could very well end months worth of...
MTB is definitely more likely to cause you to get hurt, don't forget that! A crash on a mtb could very well end months worth of moto.

Road biking for me is a no go anymore, too many drivers looking at screens.
I'm rehabbing a broken collarbone right now. Thanks, enduro MTB! Woohoo
TeamPropainTurbo38t 5/4/2019 5:26pm
5/4/2019 5:26pm
I ride my mtb on the road. It's fun trying to hang in a paceline with my roadie buddies.

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