Do you like mountain bike or road bike? Let's analyze the differences between mountain bike and road bike riding.

Riding design aspect.

Generally speaking, the mountain bike has good passability to adapt to the rugged and changeable mountain terrain, so the tire mostly are tooth tire with a width of 1.95"~2.3", and even wider tire 2.5"~2.8" (such as Carbonal mtb rims 35mm and 42mm wide, which it's fit for 2.3"~2.8" tyre), the mountain bike wheel size available 26", 27.5", 29". Meanwhile, using disc brakes and shock-proof forks to allow mtb riders to ride on complex, changeable mountain roads. In the face of more complex terrain, drivers will even use a more textured full suspension mountain bike to cope. In a nutshell, high stength, high flexibility and high permeability is synonymous with mountain bike.

Compared to the idea of wild mountain bike design, the road bike design concept is more inclined to high stength, super lightweight and low wind resistance. 700C road rim & wheel assembled with a road tyre in narrow width and shallow tread, which is lower roll resistance, meanwhile combined with pneumatic design such as flat aero frame, bending handlebar and hidden clamp. Road bike is born for speed!

Team consciousness aspect.

The road bicycle race is more inclined to the team cooperation ability, not just physical stength and endurance. How to change the formation to cope with crosswind, how to lead the teammates through the encirclement, how to get in position before the sprint, how the barge cyclist can bring his sprint out successfully. These must rely on strong tactical cooperation and close teamwork to achieve.

Compared with the“unity is stength”road bike race, mountain bike race is more inclined to a single-fight race form. Because the particularity of mountain bicycle race condition, narrow and complex terrain is not conducive for teamwork, and it's not necessary. The key to the success of the mountain bike race is strong endurance and excellent skill level. So the mountain bike race is more like a competition for individual stength.

The pleasure of riding.

The pursuit of speed maximization allows road cyclists to squeeze their energy out of their daily cycling training, so that they can keep up with great prossional riders in "leisure riding", even one day to go beyond it. Therefore, for the vast number of road bike riders, enjoy speed of the wind, or sense of transcendence, as well as the eyes of passerby, these can be a source of pleasure.

The brave mountain riders who explore alone in the mountains also have their own pleasures. The jumping, the high speed downhill, the dangerous climb and the continuous turning all caused the driver's adrenaline to soar. Although mistakes and minor injuries are inevitable, but in repeated practice constrantly conquer technical difficulties, the feeling of riding in the nature, it has become a recognized pleasure for mountain bike enthusiasts.

Cycling planning aspect.

Road cycling is a highly planned sport, such as frequency trekking, constant speed, distance from another bike, how much supply, when to supplement energy, these need to be fully considered. The meter, the heart rate machine, the frequency stepping sensor and the power meter gradually become the standard match of the road riders. With the data from these devices, the road rider is able to fully grasp the changes in his physical condition to make adjustments to his next riding plan.

Mountain cycling is less constrained than sophisticated and complex road cycling. For mountain cyclists, a bottle of water, a set of tools, and a few packets of dry food can be the start of a ride. Free riding in the nature is the pursuit of the mountain bike riders. So when it comes to cycling, the mountain riders do not have much to think about, and the complexity of the mountainous terrain will keep drivers focused on the moment, don't have much time to understand the changes in riding data. Mountain bikes will also be less equipped than road bikes.

So what do you prefer? You must have the answer in your mind after knowing all above info. However, whatever kind of bike you ride, it's important to ride and enjoy it! And pay more attention to bicycle carbon rims, carbon wheels from Carbonal bike ;-)