I want to ride faster

[momof4greatkids]

My average speed now is about 14-15 mph, (ok.....13 mph with a strong headwind!). I'd like to be able to go 18-20 mph.

Colleen

[Veronica]

How far are you riding? How hilly is it?

Unless you're pretty intense about training, averaging 18 - 20 mph on a 30 to 40 mile ride is pretty fast.

It took me a year of serious training to increase my average speed from 14 - 15 mph to 15 - 16 on a 40 mile ride with 2000 - 3000 feet of climbing in it.

V.

[Triskeliongirl]

You will go faster *for the same effort* on a lighter bike, especially where climbing is concerned. That is because speed depends on your power to mass ratio. Mass is the weight of you and the bike, so if that is reduced, especially rotational weight (wheels, hubs, etc.) you will be faster. But as Veronica said getting to 18-20 mph requires mucho series training and a super light bike both. But getting from 12-15 mph to 14-17 is realistic with consistent riding and a lighter bike (average speed too depends a lot on how hilly it is where you ride).

[Veronica]

You will go faster *for the same effort* on a lighter bike, especially where climbing is concerned. That is because speed depends on your power to mass ratio.

And you have to decide how much are you willing to spend for the two or three minutes you may save by getting a lighter bike.

Here's a calculator that shows you how much faster you can be with a lighter bike.

http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

Use a ride you have some data on and plug in the weight of your bike and then do the same thing with what you think a new road bike would weigh.

V.

[Triskeliongirl]

I agree that often folks have unrealistic expectations when they move from a 20 lb bike to an 18 lb bike, or 18 to 16. BUT, moving from a 25 plus pound bike (typical hybrid) to 18-20 will make a difference. So will moving from a hybrid to a road bike, where in addition to weight savings, she may get a more effecient position (with proper fitting), a more aerodynamic postion which can cheat the wind, more hand positions, etc. I do think that someone who is averaging 14-15 mph on a hybrid is probably topped out, and will benefit from a move to a road bike.

[Veronica]

That's why I posted the link to calculator. She can play around with all the numbers and various configurations and decide how to spend her money.

I know I put out 188 watts. When I put my data into the calculator and say I am on a mountain bike with medium slick tires it would take me 5 more minutes to do my local climb.

Is five minutes on an 11 mile ride worth a couple of thousand dollars? That's something she has decide.

Also how long is she spending on the bike? Is she averaging 15 mph on a 30 minute ride? Or a 3 hour ride? That makes a difference as well.



V.

[kelownagirl]

Cool link Veronica! I don't know how many watts I put out but according to the chart, it varies between 148-198 depending on whether my hands are in the drops or not! Interesting!

How to do increase my "wattage"? Just ride more? Is it something one can improve?

[TsPoet]

My average speed now is about 14-15 mph, (ok.....13 mph with a strong headwind!). I'd like to be able to go 18-20 mph.

Colleen

For reference (from someone who has both, sort of)
On my 20" front wheel bent (the recumbent equivalent to your hybrid DF), I average ~13 mph on my commute to work. On my performance bent (equivalent to an entry level road bike), I average ~17 mph on my commute to work.
Differences: aerodynamics, weight (32 lbs vs 25 lbs, bents are heavy) - that's pretty much it, I have narrow tires on both. My faster bent is also aluminum, which I think works well for me, and the other is cromoly. The weight difference is more than that, though - I carry cloths and lunch and things with me on the comfortable bike and much less on the road bike.
You should always buy a new bike when you want to! OK, my comfort bent is for sale, I've run out of room to store them all.

[Geonz]

I have averaged either 21.3 or 23.1 mph on a 30 mile ride - in a paceline - on my 7500FX. The paceline of course made me a whole lot more streamlined.

Did I miss this skimming the replies: What tires do you have? I added 2 mph, no effort, when I went to skinnier tires (tho' I did it on the bike before the trek; when I bought this one, Fritz said "of course you'll want to switch out tires." I have 25 cc tires; most of my road buddies have 23s.

The only way I could hold 18-20 is with a paceline (or a tailwind - I did average 17.9 on the RAIN ride but the 8 mph breeze helped ) unless it was prestty short and sweet.

[roguedog]

cool link! thanks v

[momof4greatkids]

...thank you for sharing your advice. My tires are 32cc. A good ride for me is 42 miles at 14.8 mph, with some small hills, no big grades. I really don't do much climbing here in Ohio, it's more like little rollers.

That link is amazing! I have so much to learn, gotta admit a lot of those variables go right over my head.

Geonz, my ambition is to do RAIN, but I cannot see myself averaging 17.9 on my bike, but your story gives me hope!

Colleen

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

...thank you for sharing your advice. My tires are 32cc. A good ride for me is 42 miles at 14.8 mph, with some small hills, no big grades. I really don't do much climbing here in Ohio, it's more like little rollers.

Wow, that's fast if you ask me!
I have 700c x 38c tires - really WIDE, I know, but I started with them on purpose when I started riding 5 months ago- I was scared to death of skidding on the gravely roads we ride here. Was scared of traffic too. Many small but steep hills here, and not many flat stretches of more than a mile or so. Also, my lugged steel bike is somewhat heavy- 27 lbs fully loaded. With all this, I tend to average only 9.5 mph! Pathetic, I know.

But I am over my skidding fears at this point after 5 months of riding now...so I am about to switch to 700 x 27c tires. I suspect that's going to make a big difference for me, going from 38 to 27 width. Lately I've actually been feeling my tires were sort of gluing me to the road! But we do lots of very rough gravel wooded backroads, so I don't want to go thinner than the 27's.

I think you are FAST, girl!

[Kano]

That calculator is interesting!

According to it, I think I need to lose 40-some pounds of me to equal the change I'd make by losing about fifteen pounds of bike.

Now, losing 40 pounds of me is a really good idea, since the combination of losing some of me and losing some bike weight is HUGE!

Karen in Boise

[Geonz]

If you go to skinnier tires, you'll go faster for cheap.

However, it sounds like you've made a sort of psychological transition... you want to be a roadie

Ride some. See how they feel. (I have not found one that doesn't make me irritable after 30 miles - maybe I have some "core muscle" issues so I don't do the aerobic position well ??... we'll see what spring-semester-yoga can do for me. Sitting poses give me *exactly* the same bad mood...)

[momof4greatkids]

Wow, that's fast if you ask me!
I have 700c x 38c tires - really WIDE, I know, but I started with them on purpose when I started riding 5 months ago- I was scared to death of skidding on the gravely roads we ride here. Was scared of traffic too. Many small but steep hills here, and not many flat stretches of more than a mile or so. Also, my lugged steel bike is somewhat heavy- 27 lbs fully loaded. With all this, I tend to average only 9.5 mph! Pathetic, I know.

But I am over my skidding fears at this point after 5 months of riding now...so I am about to switch to 700 x 27c tires. I suspect that's going to make a big difference for me, going from 38 to 27 width. Lately I've actually been feeling my tires were sort of gluing me to the road! But we do lots of very rough gravel wooded backroads, so I don't want to go thinner than the 27's.

I think you are FAST, girl!

Sometimes I think I am doing fine until a group of very fit and handsome and MUCH younger men fly by me on their bikes That's when I think, I gotta get faster!

I think you are doing very fine especially w/the terrain. You will probably feel like you are being pushed by angels when you go to the skinny tires! I know that's how I felt when I switched from my mtn bike to the hybrid. I remember thinking, this feels effortless!

I'm in a rural area, so roads are not as daunting. But now that it's more wintery and getting dark so early, I like to stick to the trail. I'm 99% of the time riding alone, so I always try to be very cautious.

Colleen