Road vs Mountain vs Cyclocross Bikes – Who Wins?

Tired of looking for the right bike? Look no further, we’ve got you covered. Check out this comparison of various bikes and their uses. 

Mountain Bike – Perfect for Off Roading   

As the name suggests, the mountain is a bike that is ideally suited for off-road use. This makes specific demands on the bike. Thus, the mountain bike including a particularly sturdy frame as well as wide tires that provide on difficult ground for good traction. Nevertheless, the MTB can also be used on roads.

Compared to many other bikes, MTBs have smaller frames to which disc or cantilever brakes are mounted. Further features include derailleurs and suspension systems for classic MTB equipment. An MTB can have either full suspension or a hardtail where with front suspension only.

When MTB it should be noted that they regarded more as sports equipment rather than a transport equipment. Parts such as bell, lights and reflectors must therefore be purchased separately here and accrue additional costs.

Road Bike – Good for Urban setting

Although no standard definition of a road bike there, there are some essential features that are common to all racing bikes, such as the bent arm, the sleek racing saddle and narrow wheels and tires. This extremely sporty design serves only one purpose: cycling at top speed! It does not happen by chance that racing bikes can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h on straight roads.

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To achieve such a high speed, it is essential to save as much weight as possible. Therefore, only those parts are installed in a road bike, which are for driving imperative. This in turn means that parts like fenders and luggage racks in the basic equipment of a racing bike does not exist and subsequently difficult to assemble the part. Typically, the weight of a road bike is 6-9 kg.

The total fixation on speed and the radical weight loss also have disadvantages too – parts such as bell, projections and light and various reflectors have to be purchased separately and accrue additional costs.

Cyclocross Bike – Robust All-Rounder 

Cyclocross is a discipline in cycling. This bike looks at first glance exactly like a road bike. However, there are some important differences that are due to the off-road use of Cyclocross. It has studded tires that allows the wheel to have good grip on difficult surfaces.

On the other hand, the bottom bracket is a little higher, to allow off-road ground clearance. Naturally, also the frame of the Cyclocross is significantly more stable than that of a racing bike. The great advantage of cyclocross is clearly due to its versatility. So you can rapidly drive off-road, but also in adverse weather conditions – even in difficult road conditions, the bike maintains its good handling characteristics. 

What to Choose?

In order to make the right decision between racing and cyclocross, you should first ask what bike type you actually are and where you want to use your bike. Are you looking for an ultra-light bike that can achieve the highest speeds, the road bike is probably the right decision. If one compares a racing and cyclocross bike side by side, they seem to be identical.

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A wheel that allows you to make good progress in spite of a somewhat more robust construction and the addition due to its all-round qualities as a whole is something for everyday use, a cyclocross could be ideal for you.

For biking through mountains and rough terrain, nothing even comes close to the mountain bike. 

 No matter which option you choose, we wish you much pleasure with your new bike!

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