# Climbing Hills......roadie vs. mountain....



## MCF (Oct 12, 2006)

The main reason I am considering getting a road bike is because all the hills surrounding my home...I have been riding them with my mountain bike, but is it easier to climb on a roadie vs. mountain bike? Do roadie's have lower gears? Sorry for the newb question....thanks!


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## Infamous (Sep 21, 2006)

You probably have lower gears on your MTB (but that depends on the particular road set up), but the narrow tires, lack of suspension, and body positioning which is oriented more toward power rather than bike handling will make climbing much more efficient for you.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*No simple answer*

MB's usually have lower gears than road bikes, but you can get all sorts of gearing on either.
The bigger differences are the narrower, smoother higher pressure tires, and the lighter weight. The reason to switch to a road bike is not because of the hills, but because . . . you ride on the road. I assume you're talking about riding on pavement. If so, a road bike with slick tires will be more efficient and faster, uphill, flat or down. It's not the terrain that determines which is the best tool; it's the surface.


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## MCF (Oct 12, 2006)

*Ok...*



JCavilia said:


> MB's usually have lower gears than road bikes, but you can get all sorts of gearing on either.
> The bigger differences are the narrower, smoother higher pressure tires, and the lighter weight. The reason to switch to a road bike is not because of the hills, but because . . . you ride on the road. I assume you're talking about riding on pavement. If so, a road bike with slick tires will be more efficient and faster, uphill, flat or down. It's not the terrain that determines which is the best tool; it's the surface.


Yes...the main consideration is for riding the roads and hills around Florence, Italy as I am finding that there is a lot more enjoyable road riding in and around Florence than true 'off road' mountain biking....


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

MCF said:


> Yes...the main consideration is for riding the roads and hills around Florence, Italy as I am finding that there is a lot more enjoyable road riding in and around Florence than true 'off road' mountain biking....


Just get a road bike with a triple chainring at least a 12-27 cassette you will be fine.


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## omniviper (Sep 18, 2004)

or a compact


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Firenze!*



MCF said:


> Yes...the main consideration is for riding the roads and hills around Florence, Italy as I am finding that there is a lot more enjoyable road riding in and around Florence than true 'off road' mountain biking....


You gotta get a road bike, Paisan'. You're in the spiritual heart of road cycling there.


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## Cycler64 (Jul 7, 2006)

If you get a triple crankset on a roadbike the gearing is almost as good. Also road bikes are a lot lighter than mountain bikes, (unless your mtb is a really nice one), so it's easier to go a lot faster up hills.

That's what I found anways, I'ts pretty hilly where I live and I find with my double crankset I can get up any hill I could with my old mtb.


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

omniviper said:


> or a compact


Isn't that something that women carry?


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## janix (Mar 24, 2006)

*almost the same*



brianmcg said:


> Just get a road bike with a triple chainring at least a 12-27 cassette you will be fine.


that will almost have the same gearing as an mtb...


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## lawrence (May 17, 2005)

MTB and comfort bikes have 2 or 3 lower gears than road bikes. If the lowest cog is 34 teeth, than it will have 3 lower gears especially if it's a 9 speed. On a 9 speed MTB, the two lowest gears are usually 31 and 34 and you may have a 28 there also. You can compare on any bike parts website the different gearing on the cassette. Here's the gearing on my comfort bike and road bike. I haven't yet counted the teeth on my MTB.

comfort bike - 8 speed 11-12-14-16-18-21-26-32
road bike - 9 speed 12-13-14-15-17-18-21-23-25


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## Infamous (Sep 21, 2006)

lawrence said:


> MTB and comfort bikes have 2 or 3 lower gears than road bikes. If the lowest cog is 34 teeth, than it will have 3 lower gears especially if it's a 9 speed. On a 9 speed MTB, the two lowest gears are usually 31 and 34 and you may have a 28 there also. You can compare on any bike parts website the different gearing on the cassette. Here's the gearing on my comfort bike and road bike. I haven't yet counted the teeth on my MTB.
> 
> comfort bike - 8 speed 11-12-14-16-18-21-26-32
> road bike - 9 speed 12-13-14-15-17-18-21-23-25


But how does a 26" knobby compare to a 700c in diameter? (That's an honest question)


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## MCF (Oct 12, 2006)

*Two things for sure...*



Infamous said:


> But how does a 26" knobby compare to a 700c in diameter? (That's an honest question)


1. Less rolling resistance
2. Less wind resistance (my front tire is a 26 x 2.5)....


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*pretty close, actually*



Infamous said:


> But how does a 26" knobby compare to a 700c in diameter? (That's an honest question)


If you're suggesting the difference in low gearing might be greater than what lawrence shows, because the smaller wheel gives you effectively a lower gear, the difference is really pretty small. The 26" rim (559mm) is about 10% smaller than the 700c (622 mm), but the larger tires on the knobby make up most of that. Comparing the typical tire sizes, the difference is probably only 1-2%


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## PhysicsGuy (Apr 5, 2006)

Don't worry so much about the gearing. I used to do my commute to school on my mountain bike until I bought my road bike. Hills I used to struggle with on my mountain bike felt like nothing on my road bike. As I result I can use much bigger gears on the road bike with ease. The difference in rolling resistance makes that possible. As far as the difference in diameter between my mountain bike wheels and my road wheels with their tires is measured in millimeters. But the thing to remember is when your sitting on the mountain bike your tires will deform more since they are inflated to a lower pressure. That along with a difference between knobby tires and slicks makes the road bike easier to climb with on the road.


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