Mountain biking originated in the United States and has a short history, 
while road biking originated in Europe and has a history of more than a hundred years. 
But in the minds of Chinese people, the idea of ​​mountain bikes as the "origin" of sports bikes is very deep. 
It probably originated from the early days of reform and opening up in the 1990s. 
A large number of American culture entered China. 
The first batch of "sports bikes" to enter the Chinese market were almost all mountain bike
And many riders have misunderstandings about road bikes.

Misunderstanding 1: 
China's road conditions are not good, and mountain bikes are more suitable for China's road conditions.

In fact, to talk about road conditions, the road conditions in Europe, 
where road car sports are the most developed, are very poor. 
In particular, the birthplace of road cycling in Flanders, 
Belgium, where the cycling events are known as the Stone Road Classic.

In the past two years, "all-terrain road bike", or gravel bikes, 
have become more and more popular in Europe, 
which is also inseparable from the poor road conditions in Europe. 
And gravel is not very popular in China, 
also because the road that domestic riders often ride is much better than these.

On the mountain bike, it seems that there is a shock absorber, 
which seems to be more comfortable to ride. 
In fact, the shock absorber on the mountain bike is actually born for the control rather than the "cushion", 
whether it is front or rear. The tires are more grounded, not more comfortable to ride. 
These shocks barely work on paved roads.

Misunderstanding 2: Road cars are not strong and easy to break

In terms of fall resistance, mountain bikes are indeed more fall-resistant than road bikes, 
after all, the weight and tube shape are there. 
The middle and low-end equipment on the market will only be stronger and not lower. 
Therefore, road bikes are indeed not as durable as mountain bikes, but they are strong enough, 
even for mild off-road use.

Misunderstanding 3:Road bikes are expensive

not
Of course, mountain bikes of the same level are still cheaper than road bikes.
After all, it is much more expensive for road riders to change this thing than the brake levers + shifters of mountain bikes.

Finally, I would like to emphasize my point. 
Cycling is diverse, as long as you have fun, you are right. 
The more fun you can ride, the more dynamic the sport can be.