Maybe the biggest deliberation among riders is what kind of bike should I choose, and maybe the biggest factor is which among them is safer? However, you need to know that both types are rugged.
When it comes to your safety this is one of the most important factors you have to think about before buying a bike because if you choose a bike that does not fit your level, it can be very dangerous for you and can cause a life-threatening accident and I am not exaggerating at all.
What is more dangerous road or mountain biking? The simple answer is that road bikes are much more dangerous than mountain biking, especially because riding on the road is more dangerous than riding on the terrain because the road has loads of dangers that can jeopardize your safety compared to mountain bikes where there are far fewer dangers.
And if you don’t believe me, I’m going to tell you why road bikes are more dangerous
Just before we start, I highly recommend you also look at the comparison I made between mountain bikes and road bikes to show you which type of bike is the best. Click here to view
How dangerous is mountain biking?
Although road bikes are considered a lot more dangerous than mountain bikes there is still some kind of risk involved too such as animals, trees, mountains, and rocks than can endanger you
However, riding in the field is much less risky than riding on the road and the best thing about mountain biking is that they will let you fall and crash without significantly injuring you since there are no cars or roads that could endanger you.
In addition, mountain biking offers slower speeds and those who have a mountain bike know that it is more difficult to pedal mountain bikes as opposed to road bikes and maybe mountain bike will give you slow speeds and you will be safer but with this, you should take into account that it could mean less thrill.
I personally would recommend mountain bikes for kids and for people who want bikes for riding in the terrain that requires passing through obstacles like mud, water and rocks.
How dangerous is a road bike
Road bikes are the complete opposite of mountain biking. While road bike are much more dangerous and are designed for riding on the road and long-distance riding
The problem with road bikes is that they may not give you a second chance are involved in an accident and every accident can be life-threatening and I’m personally not aware of any riders who ride a road bike and had an accident, and escaped with a small injury.
Also, road bikes are very fast and very easy to reach very fast speeds of over 40 mph and I’m not kidding, so you have to be very careful.
I recommend road bike only for professional riders or people who want to ride a bicycle for a purpose, such as to travel to work or study, but I would recommend it less for kids or beginners.
What are the reasons why road bikes are more dangerous than mountain bikes?
At first it may seem that mountain bikes are more dangerous than road bikes but in reality it is really not and even you have better chances of being killed as a result of road biking than mountain riding and this is because of the 2 main reasons that make road bikes very dangerous
- Speed - Road bikes are super-fast compared to mountain bikes that have thin and light wheels and they also weigh very lightweight which reduces the friction in the ground which gives them a ride at very high speeds, thus making them more dangerous when compared to much slower mountain bike tires and wheels.
- Environment – Environment is a very significant factor to consider when talking about why road bikes are more dangerous. This is mainly because when riding on road bikes you ride on the road which has cars and pedestrians that increases your chance of having an accident unlike mountain biking where you do not have cars. Even if you have an accident on mountain bike it will still not be that bad or life-threatening.
Now, I’m not saying that mountain biking is the most amazing sport and maybe you even also had the chance to fall from mountain biking and maybe even you will crash more when riding than road biking but with that, if you crash in your road bike, your chance of a life-threatening accident is higher than a mountain bike accident where you might have some minor injuries.
5 Important Safety Tips You Must follow to be safe when riding on a bike
Wear a helmet
The most important thing you will have to make sure you have before every riding is, of course, a helmet. And I tell you that a helmet will simply save your life and I can’t even explain how important a helmet is but consider that 75 percent of deaths from bicycle accidents are as a result of a head injury and about 50 percent of the deaths from bike accidents could have been avoided if riders were wearing a helmet. This greatly reinforces the fact why helmet is crucial for every cyclist between mountain biking or road biking
Also, if you want the best helmet for riders I recommend you take a look at my sales page. Click here to view.
Make sure you are visible to other road users
It may surprise you, but many car riders do not see the cyclists riding on the road, which can be very dangerous for you because of the fact that many bike accident cases are because of Car collision with cyclists
To be more visible to car riders, you need to wear bright and reflective clothes so they can see you clearly, especially when you are riding at night. I would also recommend that you buy a Light colored bicycle so that you would be more visible to other riders on the road
Install mirrors
The worst thing you can do is turn back to see riders behind you because you don’t have a mirror. So many riders do not attach importance to the sights and I know that mirrors look very small when it comes to your safety, but believe me you must have them to make you feel safer and also to see the drivers behind you.
Also, I highly recommend before every ride to make sure the mirrors were clean and not dirty you can clean them with a wipe or detergent.
Do not use your phone will riding
Maybe the most dangerous thing you can do is ride your bike while using your phone. I can’t tell you how many riders I know who were using their phone when they had a very serious accident, simply because most of their concentration was not on their riding.
And because of that, it is very important to always be 100% concentrated on the riding and not on the phone, and if you have an important call to answer, make sure you stop at a safe place before using your phone.
Drinking Drinking Drinking
Drinking water is a super important thing that you will have to pay special attention to especially when riding during the summer where it is very easy to become dehydrated due to the scorching sun.
Generally, 3 liters of water can be enough for you for long riding while for relatively short riding; a liter and a half will be enough for you, while also making occasional drinking breaks.
In addition, if you want to see some more important safety rules that you must follow while riding. I recommend you read this article that shows you 30 important safety tips. Click here to view.
Summary
To summarize this article, I explained to you why road bike is more dangerous than a mountain bike.
I personally would recommend road bikes to advanced riders that have experience and are not afraid to take the risk or to those who just need fast bikes to ride to work. However, in other cases such as a job or school purposes, then I will recommend you go for electric bikes that can be more efficient.
However, mountain biking is better for novice or rookie-level riders or anyone who wants to ride the terrain and want to be safer.
For any questions, you may have or an opinion on the article, feel free to write us a comment and we will get back to you within 24 hours.
Thanks for reading until the next post.