Evil bike..?

[Popoki_Nui]

Sure, the shorter rear end and steeper fork does change the feel of the bike (this one is indeed a lot "twitchier than any of my other road bikes), but that shouldn't have a significant effect on speed. Even going downhill, this bike is slow. ( to put it another way, a LOT more effort is required to attain the same speed as on my other road bikes, even downhill). FWIW, the geometry of the frame (main triangle tube angles and lengths) are virtually identical with my TdF, only the wheelbase is different. Both are d/b steel.

I'm wondering if I'm using tires which are too narrow? I have read in the past that tires which are too narrow can cause a loss of efficiency. Maybe that's the problem??

[Bad JuJu]

Interesting.... I've always thought that it was wider tires that cause lower efficiency by providing greater rolling resistance. But hey, you learn something every day--how would narrow tires cause decreased efficiency?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

There's just something about that bike picture that makes it look oddly proportioned in some way, not sure what it is. The saddle and handlebars seem awfully big and clunky, but you say you changed the saddle. Everything looks so short in length and built up tall, even the frame, but it's just an impression...

[SouthernBelle]

There's just something about that bike picture that makes it look oddly proportioned in some way, not sure what it is. The saddle and handlebars seem awfully big and clunky, but you say you changed the saddle. Everything looks so short in length and built up tall, even the frame, but it's just an impression...

Look at the length of the headtube (term?) the distance from the toptube to the down tube does seemd to be greater. The backend seems to be higher too. Or is this all just an optical illusion. Could you compare the measurements on specific parts of the frame with your other bikes?

[Grog]

You didn't say anything about the wheels.

What about the hubs? Are they the same as your other bikes? Maybe they're a different quality and just don't roll as fast? Maybe the bearings need a bit more maintenance?

Just pitchin' in.

[Popoki_Nui]

You didn't say anything about the wheels.

What about the hubs? Are they the same as your other bikes? Maybe they're a different quality and just don't roll as fast? Maybe the bearings need a bit more maintenance?

Just pitchin' in.

All ideas gratefully received!! The hubs are Shimano 600, Ambrosio rim up front and Mavic rear. I completely disassembled them, replaced the bearings, lubed, reassembled, adjusted them when I rebuilt the bike. They spin nice and easily (only about 650km's on them), certainly as well as the hubs on my other bikes. Brand new XT cartridge BB, too.
To put this all into perspective, I normally do an avg speed or around 25-30km/h (15-18mph) on rolling roads/paths on my Gitane and Falcon on a nice Sunday ride. This bike I can just manage 20km/h (12mph) with the same effort. Just seems like I'm fighting to make it go.....

[Tuckervill]

Maybe you're only riding this bike when you're feeling slow and full of lead? Maybe it's not the bike at all.

Karen

[Popoki_Nui]

Look at the length of the headtube (term?) the distance from the toptube to the down tube does seemd to be greater. The backend seems to be higher too. Or is this all just an optical illusion. Could you compare the measurements on specific parts of the frame with your other bikes?

Mostly it's an illusion from the angle I took the pic from, and those lines on my garage door don't help either Maybe I should try for a better pic...

I did compare measurements from my Gitane (which is supremely comfy to ride, and which I compare all potential project bikes with): the top tube, down tube, seat tube, and head tube are all the same. The head tube angle is identical. The seat tube angles are a degree or so different (72 degrees on the Gitane vs ~70.5 on the Bianchi). Nothing there explains why the dike requires such high effort to get the same speed. Curiouser and curiouser....

[Bluetree]

Nothing there explains why the dike requires such high effort to get the same speed. Curiouser and curiouser....

I'm sure our fellow TE'ers of a different s**ual persuasion would have more input on that one!

[DebW]

What about the tires, in terms of suppleness, weight, etc? Could you swap wheels between this bike and another one of your bikes and see if that makes it feel any different? There would be a noticable difference, for instance, between 2 wheelsets of the same overall weight but with different weight distributions between hub and rim.

[Popoki_Nui]

I'm sure our fellow TE'ers of a different s**ual persuasion would have more input on that one!

....oops!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Nothing there explains why the dike requires such high effort to get the same speed.

Hmm....so what speed is SHE getting on it??...
(this is getting complicated)

[Popoki_Nui]

There's just something about that bike picture that makes it look oddly proportioned in some way, not sure what it is. The saddle and handlebars seem awfully big and clunky, but you say you changed the saddle. Everything looks so short in length and built up tall, even the frame, but it's just an impression...

No...you're quite right....the very short wheelbase makes the bike look short and tall. It looks somewhat more proportionate in person vs that photo, but it is oddly proportioned compared to other bikes. The bars look clunky due to the thick cork wrap, but they're just regular flat road bars with bar ends.