First don't worry about others. Some will be in the 25+ mph range. But, there will be people slower then you too.

A road bike will be faster. But, I have seen MTB riders in the race beat a lot of people on road bikes. So the person makes a difference too.

Do you have slicks on your bike? Smooth higher pressure tires will help you gain speed over knobies.

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The differences can be significant. MTB tires have way more rolling resistance, and the typical gearing will not allow you to go as fast in your top gear.

I have some friends who ride MTBs all the time. A couple years ago we rode from Vail to Breckenridge going over Vail Pass - about 40 miles. On my road bike with modest effort I averaged 18 and thought it was kinda slow. On their MTBs they averaged 12 and thought they had gone fast.

Yes, different tires can help improve speed, but the gearing still won't allow these bikes to reach the speeds of a road bike - plus the riding position is more upright and much less aero.

Yes, a very competent MTB biker can ride faster than a less skilled road biker, but it doesn't sound like you ride all that much.

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I just got my first road bike yesterday and the difference is amazing. In my first (and only, to date) race, I used my hybrid and averaged 18.9 mph and had to work REALLY hard for that. On the first road bike ride, it was short, but I was hitting over 20 with not nearly the effort I would have put forth to reach 20 on the hybrid. I am IN LOVE with my new bike!

I started my tri training on a MTB. I had knobby tires. It was heavier and slower than a road bike, but I hadn't ridden a bike in years, so I didn't really know the difference. I just started riding and training. It was all I had at the time. The lower gears helped me on the hills when first starting out since my legs were pretty weak. I eventually decided to buy a road bike 2 weeks before my first tri. I fell in love with cycling once I got my new bike. I hated it before with my MTB. So, for me, it changed my attitude about cycling. I love riding my bike now! If you like it, then stick with the MTB for now. Get slick tires and just train. You might decide soon that you want to invest in a road bike or you might decide to wait a while. Yes, a road bike will be faster than a MTB, but if you don't train, you'll get smoked on a road bike as well. You will ride faster in a race. I average about 15 mph in my training rides, but I average 17-18 mph in my races.

Don't worry about what others times are. You just need to train and get stronger and you will be faster whether you are on a MTB or a road bike. Most road bikes will have 9-10 in back and 2 in front. You can get a compact if you have lots of hills. I'd train on your current bike and see what progress you make first.

Kelli