Exercising while experiencing nature and enjoying the weather has always been more preferred than hitting the gym behind closed doors and its more fun just to go out commuting talking to people and enjoying the weather and appreciating nature it seems more fun to me rather than going to the gym whiling cycling may not build your muscles but its really great for a simple workout, burning some calories and enjoying the nature at the same time, while both the road bikes and mountain biking have their own respective benefits they are both really okay for a light exercise and an enjoyable ride but to answer you question which is better for an exercise road bike or mountain bike here’s a simple answer.
Road bikes are best for burning calories, cardio exercises while mountain bikes are best for aerobic/general commuting, and they are more on the fun side. But if you are seriously exercising, road bikes are better.
Still, there are many things to be counted on which would be best for you and which one are you thinking about getting now.
Here is some additional info about both types of bikes to help you understand both better so you can make your choice on which is meant for you
Road bikes advantages and disadvantages:
advantages of road bikes:
- Fast
- light
- better cadence
- better exercise
- good for long rides
- better cardio exercise
Road bikes are much faster you can start riding them as soon as you get out of the house and be on your way.
they are lighter easier to drive but you may or may not notice they have higher cadence it means that you will be burning calories fast, they are good for long-distance travel as well and you can essentially ride them anywhere at any time and have fun on the roads.
They are good for cardio exercises due to the higher cadence you work out much more than a mountain bike.
Well, you may be thinking then why not just go for a road bike then, well wait while road bikes are good but they have their downs/ disadvantages as well.
disadvantages of road bikes :
- riding with traffic
- no off-roading
- difficult to ride
- exposure to pollution
Well the main disadvantages for road bikes are as listed above you will be constantly riding with the traffic and in places, there might not be some dedicated bike lanes and trails road bikers are exposed to constant danger.
Pollution is another major drawback road bikers are constantly exposed to air pollution that seems to be constantly on the rise and not getting down they are more exposed to pollution than any vehicle driver.
road bikers have slick tires that mean you can’t ride on rough terrains ride will be more bumpy and uncomfortable as they mostly are not equipped with suspensions and the frame is much more fragile than it is on mountain bikes.
Advantages and disadvantages of Mountain bikes :
Mountain bikes are really fun and I prefer them much more than road bikes but this particular article is for you to choose what you like and what you want than me so I will be as transparent as I could be.
Advantages of mountain bikes :
mountain biking has a list full of advantages from exercising socializing and from any point they are the best but since we are looking here from an exercising point of view the results may surprise you as they are not very far off in terms of calories burning or cardio or aerobic exercises than the road bikes.
here’s a list of some handful advantages of mountain bikes.
- burning calories
- muscular exercises
- aerobic exercises
- healthy environment
- stress release
- mental health
- socializing
now as for burning calories I did say road bikes are better but mountain bikes are not too far off yes there may be a 100 or 200 calorie-burning difference but the extra fun compensates for it whereas road biking seems a little bit drier but then again everyone has their own choice.
Mountain biking is well known for stress relief and mental health they are significantly more advantageous or better than road bikes all the twists, turns, jumping, and hopping just adds up to it being more fun and stress relieving and great for mental health.
They are great for muscular exercise as they are a bit heavier than road bikes and the tracks have slopes twists and turns, downhills tracks, uphill tracks climbing descending your muscles are constantly being used its great for body exercise.
The most advantageous thing about mountain biking is its healthier unlike road bikers breathing air pollution day in and day out mountain biking happens in the heart of nature with no pollution around.
Disadvantages of mountain bikes :
Now there are some disadvantages to mountain biking as well here’s a list to consider.
- time-consuming
- trails finding
- skills dependent
- prone to little injuries
- expensive
Now the main disadvantages would be they are a bit time-consuming means you have to have a schedule free to do mountain biking and also mountain biking is not a cheap sport in the wild you can get scratches to broken parts of your bike so repairs are a bit of an issue.
trail finding is easier in areas around you but sometimes if there are no forests or hilly areas around you, you may need to travel a bit more to find those trails, of course, you can ride your mountain bikes on-road but it’s not as fun as when you are on trails and in the dirt.
Now, you can start mountain biking right away but know that all tracks are not for you need to have some levels of basic skills to ride different trails but they have a very nice and outlaid information on the trails and you will find many helpful people there as well to help you with the knits and grits of mountain bikes as a beginner.
Know that you will suffer some injuries trails can be difficult to master in strat but hey isn’t it same for everything you will be riding falling again repeating the same mistake learning, failing and the process goes on until you become a full-fledged mountain biker and trust me its more fun than a hassle and you will know it in the first week of riding.
road bike vs mountain bike for weight loss :
While both bikes promise weight loss but if you are thinking of burning those calories as fast as you can and putting everything aside then road bikes are for you.
Road bikers burn more calories than mountain bikers the reason being cadence the faster you go more you are burning those calories but the difference between the two is really not that much.
Now, if you were or if you are thinking that mountain biking should have burned more calories than road bikes but the reality is a bit different mountain biking can be a bit slower so you are not putting as much in as a road biker also road bikes usually come equipped with those higher gears for climbs as mountain bikes do
Simply because both serve different purposes if you are riding uphill on a road bike you are constantly pushing and you may not notice it as much as well but overall the calories burning between the both is really not that significantly noticeable or argue able.
Mountain biking is overall advantageous because it’s all happens in nature and in a more fun way surely you had like to have fun on a bit of ride as well do some stunts and in the process, you are burning some calories.
But at the same time road bikes are a bigger source of burning those calories faster. but now if you are an outdoorsy person and you had like to have some fun as well and you might be thinking of mountain biking is hard or it may be harder with the weight.
Is mountain biking hard :
well to simply answer the question
No, mountain biking is not hard and the trails differ on the level of skills that you have as a beginner you can go for green and blue trails, they are not much complex and beginner-friendly.
even if you are a bit heavier it’s ok there are options if you still think that trails may pull a lot out of you, You can always go for electric mountain bikes they will help you get into the sport and help you on those steep hills and just enjoying your rides while exercising.
I have a complete article on electric mountain bikes that you can check here
Mountain biking can seem intimidating at first glance but trust me once you start you won’t be able to stop, there are always new things to learn new goals to be achieved and you just can’t get enough of that adrenalin rush it’s just so awesome, also you will find amazing people on the tracks who will be more than happy to help you out and its a good way to make new friends and expand your social circle.
Still not convinced it has many mental and physical health benefits and you can do this all while having fun what more can someone ask for.
Conclusion :
This is by no means a bias conclusion or my own thoughts but I think mountain biking is better than road biking even from an exercising point of view the most advantageous among all is you are riding in nature and it’s great for mental health and it increases your focus.
While this is all I had to say but it doesn’t mean that it’s for you, do what you like just choose any get into the knits and grits you can always buy new bikes whether it a mountain bike or road bike just start with something trust me it’s more fun than sitting at home all day every day.
We can argue on which one is better and which is not but in the end, don’t listen to anyone and just do what you want and still if you have any problem you can leave a comment down below and let us know your problems surely we can work something out.
Let me know if the article was useful to you, In case I missed something let me know that as well, and Happy riding people!