MTB Position compared to roadbike position

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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BORCHETTO
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by BORCHETTO

How is the position on an MTB compared to the position on the roadbike (for crosscountry/marathon use with hardtail).

jbbikerider
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by jbbikerider

A tad more upright. Only a tad, maybe 3-4 cm's.

by Weenie


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schmiken
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by schmiken

Mine is almost identical, measured saddle tip to tops of road bars, so I'm a bit more upright if anything.
Last edited by schmiken on Sun Sep 08, 2013 7:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

mattr
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by mattr

Pretty much the same as riding in the hoods on the road bike.
At least, my legs/hips/back are. Hands might be somewhere else.

HillRPete
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by HillRPete

+1 jbbikerider, 5cm less at most, I'd say. Also depends how low your road position is, of course.

I'm running the same reach as on the road (but to the "top of bars" position, not hoods), with a bit less drop from the saddle. Also depends on how technical the courses (downhills in particular) are on your races.

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Kastrup
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by Kastrup

I have my seat height and setback dialed in to mimick my fit on the road. Reach and stack are still experimental but i would say that it's definetly more upright.
"Stay cool and try to survive" A. Klier to the other members of the Garmin classics squad the night before P-R.

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yourdaguy
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by yourdaguy

Seat crank same. My road position is very flat and aero so my MTB position is much more upright-shorter stem also much wider bars.
For certain parts stiffer is more important than lighter.

DanW
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by DanW

Definitely keep the crank length, pedal Q-factor, saddle setback, saddle height the same or as close as possible between the two.

From there I would keep the back/ shoulder/ elbow angles (mostly reach and drop measures but remember wider bars for the same saddle tip to stem centre length will feel more stretched out) as close to the road bike as possible without it negatively affecting handling in the technical terrain.

Likely the bars will be a tad higher but it very much depends on your road starting position) but not raised to the extent climbing loose, steep offroad climbs becomes a wrestling match with the front end of your bike :)

tonytourist
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by tonytourist

My saddle height and setback is pretty close to the road bike, main differences are due to crank length and shoe stack height. My handle bars are much higher on the MTB versus the road bike, but I ride a 29er with a slammed -17 stem.

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michel2
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by michel2

My sadle height is the same on my xc/track/road bike,
I rode alot of time with my hands on th hoods or in the bottom o my road bars, drops? And have no spacers between stem and headset on my roady,im guessing my mtb bars are in the middle of the top-bottom of my road bike, im stretch on my mtb but not as mutch ason my roadbike.
On the road i aim for a low front, so to speak, where on my mtb i want/needto b able to shift my weight in downhill sections or rockgardens..
Hope this helps

konky
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by konky

Road position is determined by aerodynamics, MTB position is determined by control.

BORCHETTO
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by BORCHETTO

Thanks for the advice.

Tokyo Drifter
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by Tokyo Drifter

for me: saddle height 2cm lower, 1.5cm further forward, relative to BB.

175 cranks instead of 172.5

fitting the front end is a whole different scenario, obviously, because they're not only different bikes, but different styles of bike.

If you are riding more euro-style courses (steep as *f##k*, very little technical riding) you'll be best served by a lower, narrower bar.

In short, disregard your road position and fit yourself to your bike. Make adjustments as demanded by terrain, injuries and riding style.

Geoff
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by Geoff

If you are like me and use the MTB as a training tool, as opposed to racing it off-road, you can replicate your road position quite closely. If you have an aggressive position I will caution you, though, on technical descents it is dicey.

DanW
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by DanW

I don't understand those changing the saddle/ pedal relationship between the road bike and MTB. This is dictated by biomechanical requirements surely. The bar/ hand/ upper body position is then free to vary between bikes according to aerodynamic/ technical descending requirements. My knees certainly wouldn't be happy with a saddle 2cm lower and there is no real advantage on the descents to doing so!

by Weenie


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