It seems that where I am, here in Canada, road biking is big. Every day, while driving on the road, I'll see road bikers. Coming from a city where biking on the streets can be suicidal, I've never had the desire to ride on the road, and its taken me almost 2 years to be convinced that it was fairly safe to road ride here in Canada. How come? Let me explain...
Here in Burlington, Ontario, there are bike lanes along the road. Drivers are not as stressed out and therefore don't have a 'killer' instinct and are almost always very polite and forgiving. Some say its because the insurance is crazy and the punishment for an accident is very expensive. Rules are very strict. If you hit a bike, without question, you're highly likely to be the one in the wrong. Driving is a privilege, not a right. So... with all these in mind, drivers tend to be more careful and less reckless. Hence it is very safe to ride on the roads, well, in Burlington or the GTA anyway. Toronto is another thing altogether, and I won't get into that.
Anyway, after one and a half years here, I decided, get a road bike and try it out. How hard can it be anyway (or so I thought).
I got myself a Giant Full Carbon (TCR) road bike from Kijiji, connected myself with Mountain Equipment Corp group and started riding on Saturdays.
My first outing was an utter failure! I thought I was fit. How wrong I was. Getting left so far behind the rest of the group was an eye opener for me.
Let me give you an idea. When I ride on the road on my mountain bike, I'll be doing about 21-25 km/h for a good workout. When I ride on the road bike, my speeds would be anywhere from 26 - 38 km/h! And I still get left behind. Road riding is hard work, and long!!!
While mountain biking demands short spurts of strength for climbing those hard and steep hills, road biking on the other hand demands long endurance and strength. In addition, the gears on a road bike are designed for speed and not big hard climbs. So when there is a climb, I have to be in shape and very strong. And then repeat it for 50km... as compared to 25km on a mountain bike.
2 hours in total.
So what's my conclusion?
I love it both differently.
Mountain biking, I can do alone, any time, any weather, any terrain, and fun manoeuvring through rocks, roots, holes, mud, jumps etc, riding in one area mostly, can be scenic too, the after-ride clean up can be extensive.
Road biking, in a group - else it would be too boring, dry weather, not winter, only road, and nothing but straight roads, covers a big area and sightseeing is nice, not much clean up other than your shower.
Both work different muscle groups and different fitness buildups. I won't say which demands a better fitness level because it depends on the individual and the type of ride you're doing. For me, I like climbs, and while road biking climbs are less steep, they are harder for me because i have less gears for climbing and I find them harder. So for me, if I want to get fitter, I'd go for long rides on a road bike with some hard long climbs. The cost?... boredom.
Things in common?
They both are good cardio workouts, strengthen your legs, demand full attention and focus, demand that you're well hydrated throughout the ride, after the initial investment take very little money for maintenance.
Well, take a look at some of the pictures I have and you'll see I'm never alone when road biking, but mostly alone when mountain biking. End of the day, whatever turns you on. Go for it.
