Losing MPH on my new TREK FX 7.6 WSD Hybrid

[kajero]

I have been riding my new TREK FX 7.6 WSD hybrid the last few days. I've been riding it pretty much on the same trails I ride my Specialize Ruby Carbon Elite. WOW, has my MPH gone down. I never was that fast before, but at least I could hang around 11.5. On the hybrid it's around 9.5. :eek:
I would like to use it for some longer rides because I can put and rack with a trunk bag on it, but with speed I am going it will take me forever to get anywhere.

Also, the TREK seems to take so much more energy to ride at any speed or gear. The Ruby feels like a sports car; the TREK feels like a tank.

Any tips how to I can get more comfortable and more speed while riding the TREK hybrid?

[OakLeaf]

Titanium fasteners? :p

Seriously, that's a LOT of weight difference, and 2 mph isn't going to make that big a difference in how soon you get wherever you're going.

Wheels are traditionally the biggest bang for the buck, because they're rotating weight with a very large radius. But I thought you didn't want to throw another few hundred dollars at this bike?

Tanks are fun to drive (or so I hear). Just don't expect to drive them at Ferrari speed. Better spend your mental energy enjoying the things you can do on the hybrid that you *can't* do comfortably on the roadie, like ride in sand or gravel, strap on unwieldy loads, or run over random stuff. :D

[kajero]

You are right, I absolutely do not want to spend any more on this bike!

And your advice is great! I will do that. Hopefully, I can keep up with my friends on the crushed limestone part of the Luce Line trail. They haven't been available to ride with since I got the bike.

I keep track of my mph to see how I am doing. I think I will start keeping two ledgers, one for each bicycle.

[Owlie]

That's sort of the nature of the beast. You're comparing a carbon fiber road bike to a hybrid. The roadie is built for speed. The hybrid...not so much.

My cross bike is the same way. He's a tank--sturdy, comfortable ride, but definitely not speedy and zippy. (Half of that has to do with the fact that it has the cross tires on it, but still.) I can do 14 plus average on my road bike. It's 12-13 on my cross bike.

It's a different bike, meant for different things. I can't do mtb trails on my roadie! I just put a separate column in my spreadsheet to note which bike I was riding.

[Crankin]

You are comparing apples and oranges.
I would not expect to have the same average. When I had my Jamis Coda, my speed was anywhere between 2-5mph slower than on my carbon road bike. That was not the purpose of that bike. I did do some 25-50 miles on the Coda, but they were not speedy rides... most of the riding I did on that bike was for errands or short fitness rides.

[kajero]

I am relieved. Thank you for your suggestions. I will treat my bikes as cousins, not as identical twins. I still wish I could go faster. It will come. I was sure I was going to walk up one of the hills with the hybrid today, but I didn't' have to (just barely). I must be doing something right. I do like the trunk bag on the TREK so I take stuff along our put stuff in it.

Three years ago I rode my old hybrid in the MS150. It was a two-day ride. Each day was 75 miles. The old hybrid seemed a lot lighter than this one, but then was a $400 price difference. I finished both days and didn't use Sag. Maybe I am nearly 3 years older and things are just harder

Thanks for your help.

[TigerMom]

Exactly what Owlie and Crankin said.

However, you will be able to ride the crushed limestone paths with your hybrid which is NOT safe to do with your Ruby road bike. If you ride road only and want speed only, ride your Ruby. I'm glad that you were able to get your Ruby back from the thieves!

[Tokie]

You will probably build new strength by pedaling about on your new hybrid too- so your Ruby will feel light as a feather & you may pick up some speed from "cross training"! Tokie

[kajero]

TigerMom

The trail ended and turned into crushed limestone. I knew I shouldn't ride my Ruby on the crushed limestone, but I did. I mean how little could 6 miles hurt until we reached asphalt again? It was awful. I was scared. There were all kinds of things that have damaged the tires or made me crash. I slowed way down to about 5 to 6 miles an hour and kept looking for any thing that would "get" me. My other two friends had hybrids so they didn't quite understand why I went from a speed of around 13-14 miles per to half of that. They following me most of the way around 13-14 miles. The all of sudden I am following them and I was way behind.

We will all be on hybrids now. It will interesting to see how the next ride goes.

[fallstoclimb]

The plus side is if you regularly ride the hyrbrid for a while, and then take out the road bike for a spin, you will feel SO fast and strong. I commute on my Trek 7.2 hybrid, with a loaded pannier, and am SLOW. Luckily the route isn't long. When I take my Specialized Dolce out on weekends....I feel like I can conquer the world :)

[kajero]

:D So I can be forgiven for riding slow????

[Penny4]

Is your FX a triple or double? When I had my FX, it was a triple and for some reason, I rarely went all the way up to the big ring in the front, keeping me from going faster. It was kind of laziness on my part, because it seemed like as soon as I'd hit the big ring, i'd need to shift down again pretty quickly. I used to ride my FX on group rides where everyone else was on roadies. I would fall behind, but I could keep up.

Enjoy your bikes !

[kajero]

I think it is a double. I have so much paper work and had so many changes I am not even sure what I have anymore. One day I am going to sit down and go through the many receipts and make a list.

I couldn't keep up with my roadie, I guess this won't be any different with hybrid. Of course I have other riding friends and I am always faster than them. They tell me to slow down. I guess if want to feel like a speedster I will ride them. :D

[withm]

Well it seems like you are comparing apples to oranges. The weights of the bikes are surely different, as are the tire sizes. Both of which would account for the speed differential.

Even still, have you checked to be sure you don't have a brake rubbing on the tire?

[kajero]

Yes, I did check to see if there was a brake rubbing on the tire. I learned to do that after I rode 12 miles around one of the hilly lake trails with the front brake rubbing against the tire. I thought I was just tired and uncoordinated that day. I took triple exercise points that day. Now I check everything before we ride and before I put the bike away. It seems when we put the bicycles on the bike rack we sometimes knock the brake a little.

Oh, I didn't even look at my MPH that day.

[ny biker]

I think it is a double. I have so much paper work and had so many changes I am not even sure what I have anymore. One day I am going to sit down and go through the many receipts and make a list.

Look at the chain rings -- the gears by the cranks. Are there two or three?

[kajero]

There are two chain rings.

This is so neat. We rode this morning. Although there were some hills, the trail was flatter than the ones I normally ride. WOW! I really increased my MPH! The trouble is, I love the challenge of the hills which of course lowers my MPH. I want to see if I can get up them while increasing my speeds. I do plan to ride one of the long flat trails and see what happens.

There are two hills that I look at and immediately get off my bike and walk. The seem to be at 90 degree angle and are very short. It takes a lot of stamina just for me to walk up them. I have tried to climb them periodically with no success. I have seen the really good riders struggle to get up them. And they are clipless and have really light expensive carbon bicycles. .