[scribble79]

I currently ride my trek mountain bike around the neighborhood every day trying to get some endurance and also get fit. I can't really get more than 5 miles in without being exhuasted and my knees hurting.

I am wondering if jumping to a road bike would be more efficient and easier on my knees to justify changing up. I am looking to race just maybe do some of the rides that are in my area like the tour de cure and such like that.

 

[PJ352]

I currently ride my trek mountain bike around the neighborhood every day trying to get some endurance and also get fit. I can't really get more than 5 miles in without being exhuasted and my knees hurting.

I am wondering if jumping to a road bike would be more efficient and easier on my knees to justify changing up. I am looking to race just maybe do some of the rides that are in my area like the tour de cure and such like that.

Depends. If your exhaustion is caused more by lack of fitness, a road bike isn't going to help much. At least not in the short term.

Knees hurting suggests a poor fit on your current bike (and that will lead to exhaustion - not to mention, pain/ discomfort, so if you decide to stay with this bike, at least opt for a standard fitting at a reputable bike shop.

OTOH, if you opt for a new bike, I'd suggest going about the purchase with an eye towards getting fit right. What I mean is, if your budget is too low to buy from a LBS (or similar source providing sizing/ fit assistance) you run the risk of getting another poor fitting bike.

Buying used you can still take steps to safeguard that pitfall, but it requires that you bring any bike under consideration to a shop for fit assessment. Not a bad idea to do anyway, because they can also ballpark value and mechanical condition.

 

[JoePAz]

I currently ride my trek mountain bike around the neighborhood every day trying to get some endurance and also get fit. I can't really get more than 5 miles in without being exhuasted and my knees hurting.

I am wondering if jumping to a road bike would be more efficient and easier on my knees to justify changing up. I am looking to race just maybe do some of the rides that are in my area like the tour de cure and such like that.

No Not really. Sure a road bike will be much more efficient, but you will go maybe 8 miles before you are exhausted. So a road bike won't make you fit when you are not. If you want to get fit just ride what you have at least right now.

Now I will say that if you only want to ride road then don't bother with a mtn bike. I have both and don't ride the mtn bike on the streets. I have the road bike for that. So if you goal is to do a lot of road riding and never do any singletrack then getting a road bike is not a bad idea especially if the new toy is good way to motivate you to ride more. Riding more is good for fitness. The knee issue could be any number of things including bad bike fit.

 

[c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n]

Do you have some XC single tracks in your area? You can still build up your endurance and fitness off-road.

Are you correctly sized on your MTB? When you ride on the road, in most cases, you will need to extend your seat post. A good starting point is to sit comfortably on the saddle, with the pedal at the 6 o'clock position, the seatpost should be adjusted to a length such that with your leg fully extended, your heel should be resting on your pedal.

I am sitting even higher than the above measurement on my road bike. On my MTB bike, riding off-road, the saddle is adjusted to about 1-2 inches lower.

 

[scribble79]

We do have some offroad trials but they are not close to the house. I like being able to take off from the house on a moments notice and ride out and back. I did try adjusting the seat up and down forwards and backwards but no real help with the knees.

What is a reasonable price for getting fitted for a bike?

 

[Kalel]

I currently ride my trek mountain bike around the neighborhood every day trying to get some endurance and also get fit. I can't really get more than 5 miles in without being exhuasted and my knees hurting.

I am wondering if jumping to a road bike would be more efficient and easier on my knees to justify changing up. I am looking to race just maybe do some of the rides that are in my area like the tour de cure and such like that.

More efficient, yes.....better on your knees....no. A proper fit on a road bike or mountain bike should not give you knee pain. Make sure you are properly fitted. You could always go to an lbs to see what size fits than buy somewhere cheap.

 

[PJ352]

We do have some offroad trials but they are not close to the house. I like being able to take off from the house on a moments notice and ride out and back. I did try adjusting the seat up and down forwards and backwards but no real help with the knees.

What is a reasonable price for getting fitted for a bike?

That bold statement is one reason I chose road riding many moons ago. Beats running off to a gym/ fitness center or carting the bike to some designation.

If you're getting knee pain, don't wing it and guess at the correct saddle set up. Go get a standard fitting and avoid further stress/ injury.

As to the cost, depends on the region, but around $50-$75 should do it. WHO does the fitting is important, so shop/ ask around and find a reputable fitter.

And please, don't use an LBS's inventory to size yourself with the intention of buying elsewhere. :nonod:

 

[jjaguar]

If you are just riding for fitness, you could always get road tires for the mountain bike.

 

[c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n]

Go to a LBS and try out one of the road bikes there ... take a tape measure and take note of the 'effective' top tube length. This is a good starting point.

Try a few out there and after a couple you should have a pretty good idea what you need in terms of geometry and sizing.

do submit pictures if you can once you have your new bike ... we all love pictures ...

 

[Zeet]

I would also add that you should most probably get a medical check up, first. Before, assuming that your knee pain is due to anything other than some event irrelated to cycling.