First off, a disclaimer: I'm a mountain biker. Always have been, always will. And as the founder of a mountain bike adventure company, I've made it my career. So I'm more than a bit biased when  thinking... road bike vs mountain bike,  when planning my next ride. 

Secondly, I don't have anything against road riding. I've tried it many times. I tried to love it. I tried to like it. But ultimately it's just not for me. I know that millions of people love road riding (and that it's more popular than mountain biking), but... I also think millions of road riders haven't tried mountain biking yet. :)

So without further ado here are...

ROAD BIKE VS MOUNTAIN BIKE...

MY 10 REASONS WHY MOUNTAIN BIKING IS BETTER THAN ROAD BIKING:

1. The obvious one: No Cars: Nothing harshes your mellow more than 4,000 pounds of noisy steel whizzing by you at 70 miles an hour, 18 inches away.
 

2. Mountain Biking is Better for your Health: see above. Not sharing your ride with CO2-emitting vehicles is a lot better for your lungs, particularly when you're surrounded by......

3. Trees: There's nothing quite like the feeling of flying down a trail through the woods with trees whoosing by (and hitting a tree  hurts a lot less than getting hit by a car). 

4. Quiet and Solitude: Mountain bike trails often take you to remote, peaceful places, where you can commune with nature, meditate, and enjoy the great outdoors. You rarely get such opportunities on a road bike, unless you happen to live in an area with rarely-used paved roads (which are pretty rare these days).
 

5. Fewer Type 'A's: Mountain biking seems to attract more laid-back people. Whenever I've gone out for a road ride, everyone quickly gets really competitive. When I go out mountain biking with my buddies, it's all about enjoying good times and good laughs with good friends.