# MTB as a flatbar road bike



## bruce.craig (Sep 16, 2020)

I've been riding my Trek FX 7.4 Disc for the last few years and I really like the bike, but over the years it's become harder for me to endure the rough roads (bumps, rumbles, etc.). I'm 72 and decided to try a full suspension MTB to see if it helps. I picked up a new (2021 model) Gravity FSX 1.0 to try it and I like the feel of full suspension. My concerns are, besides the poor reputation of the bike, is the weight and being able to load it in my truck. It weighs about 35 lbs and although it doesn't sound like much, it's a chore to wrangle it up and in.

I've been looking at the older Cannondale Super V 900 and 1000 to set up as a road bike. Being new to mtb I was curious if there are any better options for sub $1000 used. Full suspension and lightweight. Thanks


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## wayold (Nov 25, 2017)

Depending on how bad your roads are just using big tires at low pressures may provide enough cushioning without the weight, cost and complexity of full suspension. I have an old rigid MTB that I've put semi-slicks on that I use when I want a relaxing road ride.


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## jspell (Jul 11, 2006)

I use my 2013 Cannondale F29 carbon with slick 38MM gravel tires for my road bike. I have carbon bars and seat post to help with the pounding. At just under 22 lbs it is good enough for me. Due to arthritis I can't really ride the trails any longer. I also ride with the fork unlocked about 75% of the time. I will never have another drop bar bike so it will always be mtb.


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## telemike (Jun 20, 2011)

At 72, I'm waiting for a replacement on the right hip I destroyed skiing last winter. So, I can't walk much at all but I can ride the flats out here where I live if I keep the cadence high and the speed slow in a pretty high gear. I'm good for 5 - 6 miles before the hurt catches up.

Since I'm riding a mix of farm roads and relatively unused frontage road, I'm riding my Fezzari Cascade Peak, a full sus 27.5 + bike instead of my road bike with the skinny vulnerable tires. I could ride the old FSR XC, but the plus bike is very good and much more fun to ride. It also looks boss, important even where there's no one there to even see me ride!

MTBs are nowhere near as comfortable to ride in one position for a long time. When we ride the trails, we're up and down, on the seat off the seat, and (me) pushing. The road bike is much better at extended rides and keeps the butt and hands happier but does not like glass, rocks, and dumped trash along the frontage road.

Right now, harvest is mostly done for row crops so the farm roads are churned to dust and powder. The plus bike is a big plus here.

So, ride whatever you have and whatever you feel like riding. It's a bike and bikes are fun so go for it any way you want!


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## fredcook (Apr 2, 2009)

Just my opinion, but when I want to smooth out a ride on gravel, old roads, etc., nothing beats a fat tire with lower pressure. And with the right carcass/compound, low pressure rolling resistance isn't as bad as one might think. The primary goal of a FS MTB is not to smooth out a ride, but to maintain traction when things get bumpy. Sure, they soften the blow, but that's a (sometimes) nice side effect. My experience has been when dialing a FS for smooth gravel riding (high sag, no volume spacers, soft rebound and dampening, etc.), pedaling efficiency suffers (bob). And... there are fat bikes under 30 pounds.


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## jimPacNW (Feb 26, 2013)

How long are your rides?, and are you trying to keep up with the other guys on road bikes?, or are just riding by yourself and not going after any age group KOMs? I would rather ride a hardtail 29er than a fs 26er: if you're doing not really long rides and aren't too concerned with your avg mph, I'd try a lightweigh hardtail 29er with some fast rolling, but still with cushion and lower pressure than typical road tires. You should be able to find a good quality but 'dated' hardtail 29er race bike for under $1k, the steeper head angle race bikes are out of fashion and have depreciated quite a bit. 
Put some skinnier Vittoria Mezcal's on there and you'd be pretty happy on road, gravel, and most trails, plus you could have a 24 pound bike to load into your truck.


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## Radium (Jan 11, 2019)

Strange.....I coulda sworn I posted near the beginning of this thread about my mtb-flat bar road bike in detail, but nothin' here. OK, then.


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## KingOfOrd (Feb 19, 2005)

Radium said:


> Strange.....I coulda sworn I posted near the beginning of this thread about my mtb-flat bar road bike in detail, but nothin' here. OK, then.


https://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussion/mtb-flatbar-road-bike-1152347.html#post14990269


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## Radium (Jan 11, 2019)

Train Wreck said:


> https://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussion/mtb-flatbar-road-bike-1152347.html#post14990269


Oh. well, OK now. Thanks for that. The rest of you, never mind............


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## austink26 (Jun 24, 2019)

Have you considered a gravel bike? My gravel bike is way more comfortable and fun to ride on bumpy/crappy roads than my mountain bikes. I run 650b X 47c tires on my gravel bike and it really erases the cracks and potholes(assuming they aren’t huge). It is also way less weight than my mtbs. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Darth Lefty (Sep 29, 2014)

The entire point of four bar suspension linkages, and the reason that they are entirely prevalent now, is that they control the adverse effects of pedaling, braking, and running into things. Different designs optimize or emphasize different parts of this, but a single pivot design just can’t do it as well. Add to this the fact that one of the bikes you mentioned is 25 years old, with an unknowable amount of wear on it, and that Cannondale Headshoks mostly weren’t great, and I think you can talk yourself into a new bike.


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