Should I try Mountain Biking or Road Riding

[Northamger Abbey]

... no problem whatsoever and thank you for the interesting question.

Where do you plan to take things next?

Contrary to popular opinion, it's all about the bike in my view, it will be your new partner, trusty steed, 'Hey-ho Silver' etc. - is this a bike buying driven question?

Are you trialling bikes at a shop / club?

If not, then why the urgent need to decide one way or the other?

How nice of you to ask. I'm quite young and was really inspired by the olympics to take up cycling. After a long hard battle of persistance, I finally joined a good cycling club that is based near the Olympic park. And I live even closer to it.
Joining a cycling club was just about me wanting to be good at something for once in my life as well as wanting to impress people and become a part of something real to me and identify with a certain group of people. I tried Road at first but the bike didn't like me so I'm going for MB. The consistent thing was just about me wanting be fully dedicated to something in order to be good at it. As long as I love cycling and cycling loves me, I'll go wherever it takes me.
After looking at me, you WOULD NOT think cycling as I have the opposite look of your typical cyclist. I don't own a bike. But that's because I'm trying it out until I'm sure I want to spend vast amounts of money on it.

 

[Spinney]

On the subject of your build and cycling:

On the left we have short and stocky, on the right we have tall and skinny. Both pretty successful...

 

[Radchenister]

... I don't own a bike. But that's because I'm trying it out until I'm sure I want to spend vast amounts of money on it.

Well as long as it doesn't restrict your ability to get out and cycle you may as well use someone else's for now.

I've spent an hour this afternoon tweaking my young son's MTB which has been sat in the shed since Autumn. He's off for a long weekend with the Scouts in Wales tomorrow and he's already given it a good beating after 1 summer of occasional use. He's aimed to be be good to it but there's still lots of little chips and scratches, general wear and tear, muck everywhere - it's looking much better now though after some TLC but they don't look new for long.

 

[lulubel]

It looks like you've already found your own answer, but for the benefit of others who are wondering the same thing, you have to go with whichever you're most drawn towards.

For me, I started out riding the cheapest hybrid I could find. I bought it from Halfords to commute on. My commute was 20 miles round trip a day on a mixture of main roads and lanes, and the bike was totally unsuitable, as well as too big for me. It didn't get much use!

About 9 months later, I realised I was gazing in longing at every road bike that I passed while I was driving my bus (I was a bus driver at the time). I started buying Cycling Plus every month and reading it avidly, even though there was nothing in there I could afford. Eventually, I realised I would only convince my OH to agree to a road bike if I demonstrated that I would use it to cycle to work. I commuted on my heavy hybrid for 2 months (and developed very strong legs!) then bought a road bike.

I rode my lovely road bike a lot over the next year or so, then things happened, we moved to Spain and ended up living 2km up a rough, rocky track. I didn't cycle for a bit because I would have had to push my bike to the road, then bought a cheap mountain bike. I HATED mountain biking with a passion. The bike was so heavy, so slow, and it was SO hard. I only rode it a couple of times.

After another year, we moved to a house on the road, and I started riding my road bike again. I got hit by a van 18 months later, and my bike was written off. While I was waiting for the insurance to pay out, I started riding around on my cheap mountain bike. I watched the Olympic mountain bike events, and thought that looked like a lot of fun. So, I went up the mountain trails, and had a great time. It was still hard, but I was a lot fitter, and used to riding the mountain bike, so I could manage it, and I got a lot stronger again.

By the time the insurance paid out for my bike and injury compensation, I knew I wanted to do both road and mountain biking, so I built myself a new road bike, and bought a better mountain bike.

Now I do both, and I love both.

The moral of this tale is .... whatever bike you buy now probably won't do everything you want a little way down the line. Be ready for that. Your cycling tastes will change or expand as time passes. Just go with the moment and do what you enjoy today.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

^^^ in other words no matter which one you try you won't know for definite which one you are going to prefer and you could end up liking both to the point where n+1 (next bike) is on the agenda. I have 3 bikes - a dedicated expedition bike (think off-road touring), a road bike & a mountain bike. Currently miles wise the road bike is seeing the most use, but I love being out on the mountain bike and the expedition bike is simply wonderful fun full stop, but too expensive to lock up anywhere like college...

 

[CopperCyclist]

I do both. I find MTB is more fun (until the point when you are cleaning your bike after every single ride), yet road biking is so much more accessible. Guess this is highly dependant on where you live though.

Also a caveat - by mountain biking I mean proper MTBing, over bumps and technical bits. Whilst I also enjoy just riding cross country, I put this is a different bracket again, somewhere in between the others for both fun and accessibility!

 

[Risex4]

Neither. Run away whilst you still have a bank balance and a healthy skepticism of going out in freezing cold rain.

 

[Peteaud]

I do both, but i enjoy Road by a long way.

It is good fun hitting the red routes, and Cwmcarn and Haldon are great places.

But me, a roadie, the sun and the countryside, nothing can come close.

 

[marzjennings]

Mountain biking, easy choice, more fun and better for you.

I actually do both and in all honesty do more road miles than mtb, but those road miles are done in support of going faster on the mountain bike.

I've toured countries both on and off road and while I've do enjoy them both, the touring by mtbing has been my preference where available.

 

[Sittingduck]

Road FTW
MTB is for tramps!

 

[marzjennings]

Road FTW
MTB is for tramps!

Tramps, really! I think we (MTBers) are more tart'ish than tramp'ish, tarts not tramps, if you don't mind.