What is the difference between a mountain bike and road bike?

hi, im 14 years old and i live in toronto. its summer right now so i bike a lot. i bike a pretty long distance to get to the pool. i also bike to places for fun (which can be several km's). i currently have a mountain bike 18 speed and it feels kinda slow and harder to pedal than my friends road bike. people say i should a road bike cause i want to make the Olympics road race 2016 or 2020.

so my question to this is which bike should suit me more (road or mountain)

A road bike has geometry that will help give you more speed, be alot lighter, and the tires will be very narrow. Road bikes are made purely for riding on streets, where as a mountain bike can be used on a trail or street. If you seriously want to make the road race, look for a road bike with at least a carbon fork (it will be lighter and thus increase speed). Go to your local bike shop, and check out their offerings, let them know your goals, and they should take it from there. Good luck and have fun!

Mountain bike = great off road, not so good on pavement

Road bike = efficient, fast, not quite as comfortable
While a racing bicycle is fast and sleek, it is comparatively expensive and fragile. A great compromise for general use and speed is the touring / sport touring bicycle. They combine the best of a race bike's efficiency while being more robust. This way you could see if you like racing without breaking the bank and still being practical.

Comfort = upright seating, sprung saddle, smooth riding tires
These are very practical for rides up to about 10 - 15 miles.

Go to your local bike shop. They can help you decide very quickly what kind of bike best suits and fits you. Fit is the #1 criteria when choosing what brand of bike to get. They will also have a much larger selection than a department store.

well if i were you i would look for a 27 speed mountain bike becuase if your slower than your friens your not gonna make the olympics(i'm not saying you should not follow your dreams) but you can use a mountain for anything you want,but a road bike is only for the road and nothing else,(i would not even reccomend riding on on a sidewalk because if you are going over some bumps fast or something the tires will pop

if you goal is to do road racing, you need to get involved in racing and you will need a road bike. by 14 many youths have been racing for years by now. you should see if your local bike shop or on the internet and locate a local club and get involved with them. time is getting away from you, as most olympic cyclists get spotted by coaches at very young ages.

well. the difference is HUGE. road bikes are generally lighter. road bikes normaly have slick tires. ii would suggest getting a road bike if u r guna be riding on the rad alot.although it sounds like you could do with a type of of bike called a hybrid. that means that is it a cross between the two. still very light but wont break the second you hit the jumps.
hope this helped.

A mountain bike is really only made for cycling up and downhill.
And it is made for dirt, but not for BMX jumps.

And a road bike, are the bikes with thin wheels.
They are used for bike rides, races and triathalons.

~Niic!

Are you riding on roads? Then go for a road bicycle. If you wish to train for the Olympics, there is no alternative - everyone there will be on a road bicycle, and a quality one too.