"Roading" up an MTB

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by rtsy
I have a Giant NRS3 (all stock except for slick tires) but I've been using it mostly on the road.

On straight stretches of road, I often find myself crouching down and holding the bars closer to the center which to me means an aerobar may be needed. I've never seen aerobars on MTB's, is there such a thing?

I'm also considering lightening up the bike over time, for use also for a triathlon*. Any suggestions?

1--the fork in my NRS3 is a nearly 2kg Rock Shox. I've seen Manitous and Marzocchi's and even Rock Shox own models at 1.2kg. Are those a good idea in my case?

2--MTB review postings say the NRS3's crank and wheelset can be much improved. Question is to what? Shimano XT parts?

Thanks in advance!

*For triathlon, I'll probably get a road bike but that'll be a while. My NRS3 will have to do for now.

Dude, totally not worth it. For the cost of upgrading to lower weight, you might as well get a road bike, a used road bike, or a used tri bike.

Besides, in the end, you get 2 bikes, instead of 1 totally unoptimal bike and 1 pile of spare parts.

If psycho's common-sense answer isn't practical for you, your money is best spent getting some lighter weight wheels - something like Mavic X517/X317s (depending on whether you're running discs) on XT or XTR hubs with double-butted spokes. Depending on what your existing wheels weigh this could save you up to 500g of rotating weight, which you'll definitely notice on the road!

The shox are only worth replacing once they're knackered, then maybe have a look at Manitou Skarebs (Rockshox SIDs are light, but flexy)/

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by rtsy
I have a Giant NRS3 (all stock except for slick tires) but I've been using it mostly on the road.

On straight stretches of road, I often find myself crouching down and holding the bars closer to the center which to me means an aerobar may be needed. I've never seen aerobars on MTB's, is there such a thing?

I'm also considering lightening up the bike over time, for use also for a triathlon*. Any suggestions?

1--the fork in my NRS3 is a nearly 2kg Rock Shox. I've seen Manitous and Marzocchi's and even Rock Shox own models at 1.2kg. Are those a good idea in my case?

2--MTB review postings say the NRS3's crank and wheelset can be much improved. Question is to what? Shimano XT parts?

Thanks in advance!

*For triathlon, I'll probably get a road bike but that'll be a while. My NRS3 will have to do for now.

i agree with Psycho- i have a 21lb mtb xtr componets, sid sl <(junk) but light ok on pavement, and i just bought a 17lb rd bike
a month ago and im no faster on my rd bike, i blew off
a bunch of roadies on my mtb! the good differance for me is
the rd bike is more comfy on long rides.

I have a 19lbs mtb which is setup entirely for road. I have basically converted it over the last year with the odd component here and there. The bike might be a couple of pounds heavier than a good road bike but its blisteringly fast still. I actually find it more comfortable than any road bike i've ever riden, this may be because my back isnt very flexible though and i find the drop on most racing bikes to extreme. But just because it has a mtb frame and 26" wheels doesn't mean its slower than a road bike although phsycolgically it may feel that way.

I use aerobars on my mtb.

MidBunchLurker is right about the Manitou Skareb shocks. I have them on my hardtail and they are very light. The biggest benefit is the lockout. Without it you are losing valuable pedal energy through the dampening of the front fork. If you do upgrade, make sure you get forks with a lockout.

Cheers,

Wave

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by DanBB
I have a 19lbs mtb which is setup entirely for road. I have basically converted it over the last year with the odd component here and there.

I use aerobars on my mtb.

DanBB,

Mind sharing your bike's component list? That may give me an idea how to go about mine.

I don't often see aerobars on MTB's where I am. Is there someplace where I can see pictures of aerobars on an MTB?

Thanks!

rtsy,
I have an Iron Horse hybrid with disc brakes/700c rims. Just for the hell of it I swapped wheels with my dual susp. KHS. The swap worked fine for both bikes. This will only work for disc brake bikes.
On my hybrid, I have an old Scott AT4 bar. It's an aero/mtb bar Scott tried about 8yrs ago. A guy from Austrailia in these threads is looking for one. They're sweet for the road cause of the many hand positions. You won't be able to use Grip Shifters with them.
Larry S.

rtsy,
Using an MTB for the road is like driving a Toyota pickup in a drag race. I agree with the other forum users... get a road specific bike.

Even a cheaper bike like a used Trek 1200 or something. Put aero bars on that with a fast-forward seat to open up your hips and tilt the seat forward. It will put more of you over the aero bars and allow you to be more "standing" on the bike, almost like you're running as you pedal. An MTB's geometry will never let you do that.

Per your questions about forks, any suspension AT ALL in the front will add considerable weight (even a SID adds pounds, unlike road forks measured in grams).

Wheels are a whole new ballgame. Wheels add what's called rotational weight to your ride. MTB wheels are built for strength and putting up with the abuse of stumps, rocks, and roots. Keith Bontrager is quoted as saying "Strong, Lightweight, Cheap... pick any two." In other words, a strong MTB wheel is not lightweight. However, road wheels by comparison are far lighter because they don't have to tolerate the same kind of high-impact abuse. Road wheels also have a larger circumference, allowing the wheel to travel farther (26" compared to 700c).

There is also the consideration of gearing. An MTB is geared to climb steep hills and cover short distances quickly. A road bike is far better suited to handle long, steady distances and is geared accordingly. Next time you're at a bike store, put a road bike, any one, next to a mountain bike and look at the gearing. The chain rings up front are far bigger in the road bike, and the cogs in the back are far smaller and have a much more defined range than mountain bikes.

You don't have to go nuts with an expensive road bike. However, if you do get a used bike from a private seller, make sure you get fit at your local bike store. Also, find a place that does triathlon fittings because a tri fit is far different than a regular road fit.

Floyd,
Your right on every point you made. The gist of rsty original post was that he will have to make do with what he has for now. If I were in in his situation I think I would swap out the front fork for a non shock fork and use Cinelli or Profile add on aero bars. Maybe a longer stem if need be. Doing the swap would take at most an hour and do it only for actual compitition, then swap back if need be. Threadless forks make this a lot easier.

I've been out on club and charity rides and have seen guys use their mtbs totaly rip. I often think; if this guy were on a good road bike, he'd be off the front. It has taken time but I've built up stable of bikes so that I have one for each disipline. Some guys are just getting started.
Larry S.

Hi every1, 🙂

I just started riding MTB 1.5 years ago and had to travel way out of town just to enjoy a couple hours of fun! I started to get serious on training and locally only had a choice of riding road with the roadies mid week. I pull out my Cannondale superV400 and the roadies laughed as they dropped me!
I kept coming back for more rough treatments & comments. I also modified my MTB because I didnt know what kind, size, ect...of road bike to get.
I end up at the front of the pack now and cant get dropped anymore by these roadies!
This is how I had my Cannondale superV400 set up like.
I put a 46T front sprocket on, 11-21T dur-ace cassette, 135m x 17* stem upside down, raised the seat height up, a 700c carbon fiber road fork, 170lbs air pressure in frame shock, 1.0 x 26" continental gran prix 3000 slicks @ 120lbs tire pressure, high rise handlebars that I put on upside down!
I waited til the last minute to pull my goofy looking bike out of my car because it looked funny as [censored] but I always had the last laugh when we were all done riding. 😉

I now have a road bike and have made my superV400 into a XC race bike. Tell you the truth, I dont feel that much faster on a road bike! I just won a local 6 hour MTB race on the superV. It is more the rider than the bike. I maybe wrong? 🙂

Beware of the man with one bike. He probably knows how to use it.

American Floyd hit the nail on the head.

Wow, 1.5 years and this thread is still going.

The only thing I ended up doing was slap slicks on my Giant NRS3 and it's taken me on 50 and 100km rides last year. I was comfortable and was not racing...I just wanted to go the distance.

I've since been gifted with a really nice road bike (at least for me). It's a carbon Bianchi with 9 speed DAs. You were all right, nothing like a road bike for roads and an MTB for off-roads.

I've since moved to Switzerland for my post-graduate studies and I could only bring one bike. I picked my MTB and brought both slicks and knobbies. The tough Swiss hills (like those in Grandvaux ) have since forced me to change a number of the parts from my original NRS3 like LX cranks, BB, & rear shifter, XT hubs w/ the suggested Mavic rims above for my rears--the front ain't broken yet so why bother?

I've taken the MTB on trails like those in Lally as well as on road rides from Lausanne to Morges (~30km), Montreaux (~60km), Geneva (~135km) and my longest ever, around Lake Geneva (210km).

Bottomline, what I learned is that one does not need ultra-$$$, specialized bikes to enjoy cycling, perhaps unless one is a competitive pro.

Thanks for all your responses. I've learned a lot and have enjoyed cycling much more through your experiences.

rtsy said:

I have a Giant NRS3 (all stock except for slick tires) but I've been using it mostly on the road.

On straight stretches of road, I often find myself crouching down and holding the bars closer to the center which to me means an aerobar may be needed. I've never seen aerobars on MTB's, is there such a thing?

I'm also considering lightening up the bike over time, for use also for a triathlon*. Any suggestions?

1--the fork in my NRS3 is a nearly 2kg Rock Shox. I've seen Manitous and Marzocchi's and even Rock Shox own models at 1.2kg. Are those a good idea in my case?

2--MTB review postings say the NRS3's crank and wheelset can be much improved. Question is to what? Shimano XT parts?

Thanks in advance!

*For triathlon, I'll probably get a road bike but that'll be a while. My NRS3 will have to do for now.

Though it is not as good as a road bike, I decided to use my mtb bike for everthing. Change wheels and set to go. I use Scott AT4 bars, they loop around and provide a semi comfortable aero position. They are getting harder to find (Scott AT4s). I bought an extra pair off Ebay awhile ago. Good luck.