Thursday, May 14, 2009

Mtn. Bike vs. Road Bike

I've been absent as of late. It's that time of year when school is crazy and there is a great deal to do in order to wind the year down. Final music programs, more assessments to give, projects to grade, portfolios to complete, grades and report cards, graduations, etc.
All of this along with family commitments, friends, and trying to train for a 124 mile road ride with 12,000 plus feet of climbing. Needless to say my road miles are seriously lacking, but I'm not very concerned about it.

I've been putting more miles on mountain bike than anything else and enjoying every minute of it. The single speed has been a great training tool for me. I feel like I am much stronger than I was at this point in time last year, particularly climbing. I do need to get more miles on the road particularly distance miles, but if I had a choice I would just ride the mountain bike. Also, because of the fact that I have some other aspirations in mind that do not involve a road bike.
I had a remarkable ride on the 29r single speed Monday evening. Putting in 36 miles in 2 hrs. and 44 minutes. The ride left me feeling very satisfied and optimistic. Last year I wasn't putting in mileage like this on the mtn. bike until August. Most of my miles last year were on the road bike. This year will definitely be different. Now, I just need to make time for some single track down at Murphy.

This past week I've had two pretty good sessions on the road bike, all involving hills and hill repeats.
Tomorrow it will be early morning spin class and then the park to log more mountain biking miles. Then Sunday will be a long session on the road bike doing primarily hills. I'm hoping to get 70+ miles in on Sunday. However, I'm not sure my ass can handle that kind of mileage with the current saddle I have on the road bike. I definitely need to look at getting something more comfortable. Right now I'm considering the WTB Vigo.
Summer vacation and the freedom to ride when I want and where I want are right around the corner. The future is looking bright, promising, and ideas are definitely rolling around in my head. Looks like I could be spending some time up north this summer.

2 comments:

KB said...

I agree - mountain biking rules! I was a serious road bike racer for many years but it's been, probably, 10 years since the last time I rode a road bike. Dirt is where it's at!

Anonymous said...

Mike In WI say's

I have been using my Rigid Mountain bike as a long range touring bike for both the road and trail...the key for good handling on the tight turning trails was to keep most of the weight in the center line of the bike frame...I am guessing ahead of time those may be your plans mentioned???

Mike In WI