Road Bikes VS. Mountain Bikes

Riding bikes has been a popular sport for many individuals for as long as they have been around. There are many different types of bikes to choose from depending on your style of biking. Two of the most famous kind of bikes are road bikes and mountain bikes. Each of these bikes serves a different purpose and is known for their specialization of their particular task.

Road bikes are built in a way to enhance the rider's speed and to provide better mileage for the biker. On the flip side, mountain bikes are crafted in a way to provide stability in rough terrain. The following four areas will help you understand and identify the differences between road bikes and mountain bikes.

Design: Road bikes are pretty much designed for speed and are built in a way that enables the rider to be more aerodynamic. The rider is usually found in a hunched position that allows your legs to provide much more power and less strain on the back. There is also a huge difference when it comes to the handlebars. Mountain bikes have wide, straight handlebars offering more control to the rider. Road bikes tend to have bent handlebars that are lower in the bike to keep the rider in that hunched position that was mentioned earlier.

Mass: Mountain bikes are heavier than road bikes. This is because when moving down the mountain, it is vital to go much slower and when the bike is heavier, the bike moves at a slower speed. Mountain bikes also come with bigger, wider, thicker tires and most bikes today come with suspension to make the ride as smooth as possible. Road bikes are very, very light. They are designed to reduce the weight of the bike and are often built out of material like titanium to make them strong.

Tires: Mountain bike tires have traction. They are wide and thick and allow the rider to have more control when biking off road. Road bike tires are thin and smooth. This reduces the friction between the road and the bike to increase the speed and performance of the bicycle.

Suspension: As said above, road bikes are built for speed, so they do not have any suspension. However, they do have certain materials that work to absorb the shocks of uneven terrain. Mountain bikes can come equipped with front and rear shock absorbers.

As you can clearly see, there are huge differences between these two types of bikes. Depending on what you want to do with your bike, is how you should decide what type to get.