Mountain Bikes vs. Road Bikes

There are four areas where mountain bikes and road bikes differ: shape, weight, tires, and suspension.

Shape: Road bikes are designed for speed. Their handle bars are built lower to position the biker closer to the tire and pedal, making it possible for high efficiency for getting power from your legs and making the biker more aerodynamic. On mountain bikes the handle bars are wider and higher, giving the biker more control over the bike, which is needed when going up and down mountain trails.

Weight: Again, road bikes are built for speed, so a well made bike will lose as much excess weight as possible. Higher quality road bikes are usually made out of titanium or carbon fiber, which are strong, but light materials. Mountain bikes are usually heavier because of their wider tires and suspension systems that help make riding on mountains trails easier to manage.

Tires: Mountain bike tires need traction, so they are wider and covered with deep tread; both of these help the bike stay in contact with the trail. Road bike tires are usually very thin and very smooth. Also, road bike tires are pumped up to around 80 psi or a little more whereas mountain bike tires are around half that.

Suspension: Because road bikes are built for speed, they don’t have a need for any suspension, but they are usually built out of materials that absorb vibrations that come from unevenly paved roads. Mountain bikes, on the other hand, usually have a couple different types of suspension. Hard tail mountain bikes only have front shock absorbers and full-suspension mountain bikes have both front and rear suspension systems.