I want to ride faster

[RoadRaven]

I've been reading this thread and thinking about something my sister, who's ridden for many years, told me. If you want to go faster, ride with guys-they'll really push you. I have to admit, when I ride with my hubby, I go faster!!

Yup - they will... men tend to ride faster because they tend to be stronger, therefore you can use them to "motor-pace" yourself and increase your endurance and speed (its also a psychological boost because you think - gee, I CAN ride that fast... so it lifts your performance when you ride without them).

Riding with anyone else tends to lift my performance - I just push myself a little bit more... the advantage of riding with my partner is that he is waaaay better and more experienced than me and will pace himself to optimise my training...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, I feel I must report my own experience with thinner tires, just to be on the record...
I am sure that it is probably true for many of you that you gain speed when you put on skinnier tires. But oddly, it did not seem to make a difference for me.

I went from 700c x 38cm tires on my road bike to 700 x 28cm tires (with smoother tread as well). That's quite a difference to jump in tire width.
Although it "felt" a bit quicker and more responsive on turning, etc,...according to my bike computer and my wristwatch my usual 21 mile ride did NOT get any shorter at all, time-wise. I re-checked the time about four different times under varied conditions. Interesting!
Your mileage may vary (ha ha)....

[Triskeliongirl]

Well, I feel I must report my own experience with thinner tires, just to be on the record...
I am sure that it is probably true for many of you that you gain speed when you put on skinnier tires. But oddly, it did not seem to make a difference for me....

I am curious, did you try to go faster, meaning did you ride you bike with both sets of tires, each time trying to go as fast as you could (i.e. sort of like a personal time trial)? Does your route have hills, where rotating weight will make a difference? I notice a huge difference in speed when I ride my touring tires (32c) vs racing slicks (23c), but I imagine if you are out riding to ride, you may just notice that it was easier to push the lighter tire, and rather than taking advantage of that to go fast, kept at your usual comfortable pace.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I am curious, did you try to go faster, meaning did you ride you bike with both sets of tires, each time trying to go as fast as you could (i.e. sort of like a personal time trial)? Does your route have hills, where rotating weight will make a difference? I notice a huge difference in speed when I ride my touring tires (32c) vs racing slicks (23c), but I imagine if you are out riding to ride, you may just notice that it was easier to push the lighter tire, and rather than taking advantage of that to go fast, kept at your usual comfortable pace.

Each time I was "timing" either tires I was going at a pace where I was pushing myself moderately- trying to always keep pedaling rather than coasting, pushing my legs a bit but not killing myself either. I don't "think" I lagged because of the lighter tires being easier to push- I was really looking forward to cutting some time off my ride and thus I was pedaling with some enthusiasm. Yes, my route has lots of rolling hills and several short very steep hills- actually not much flat riding around here at all. ....but what do you mean by "where rotating weight will make a difference"? -can you explain?
I did have a cold at one point and am still slightly feeling the residual effects, but my first skinny-tire timing was right before that hit. I also note that the weather has been slightly breezier overall than before I changed the tires- it coming into winter and all...
It's frustrating to work against changing weather conditions in trying to make accurate comparisons. But you'd think at least ONE of my rides since changing tires would be faster than on my old fat tires!

[Triskeliongirl]

....but what do you mean by "where rotating weight will make a difference"? -can you explain?

Rotating weight means weight that is related to movement, i.e. wheels, tires, crank set, pedals. Cutting rotating weight increases speed even more than non-rotating weight, i.e. the frame, handlebars, etc., which is why it is often recommended that folks with hybrids try putting lighter skinnier tires on their bikes in an effort to improve speed. That is why some folks spend so much money on super light wheels for their racing bikes. In general, when you decrease tire width you also decrease tire weight (less rubber unless you purchased an unusually heavy 28c tire), which is why the laws of physics say your new tires should be faster. BUT, maybe you are comparing apples and oranges, i.e. fall rides to winter ones. I know my speed is slower on a cold day, or on a day I am a bit under the weather than on a nice sunny day. So, maybe you need to give your new tires some time.

[RoadRaven]

Hi... me again

Lise... technically speaking 28cm tyres are still "fats".

When you can, get some 23cm tyres (like Triske also describes) which are racing slicks. You can get several tread types, true "slicks" are treachorous on a wet down-hill or heavily cornered ride, but they are awesome in a TT...

If you wanna do a quick check on what will be fastest, check out what the pros choose - def not 28cm...

So, when you can, get some 23cm slicks and make another comparison
Enjoy your experimenting



EDIT: Oh, and I meant to also add that over a shorter distance you may only be talking seconds difference... over a moderate distance, perhaps a minute or two... it depends how you ride... as well as all the other variables as you have mentioned - weather, temperature, time of the month, health, hydration, nutrition etc tec

The best way to "test" your time is over a set course or courses as you have. I have a flat out and back 15km course, a couple of short steep hill courses, and a rolling to flat course with a consistent wind.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Hi... me again

Lise... technically speaking 28cm tyres are still "fats".

When you can, get some 23cm tyres (like Triske also describes) which are racing slicks. You can get several tread types, true "slicks" are treachorous on a wet down-hill or heavily cornered ride, but they are awesome in a TT...

If you wanna do a quick check on what will be fastest, check out what the pros choose - def not 28cm...

So, when you can, get some 23cm slicks and make another comparison
Enjoy your experimenting

Hey I appreciate your input!! You make some good points about comparing under various conditions. (I assume you meant Lisa, not Lise)
I can't put 23's on my bike because DH and I ride a LOT of back dirt and gravel farm roads- one of our favorite things to do! Actually, we specifically got our Rivendell road bikes BECAUSE they have clearance for wider tires. You would be horrified to see some of the sharp stoney jagged roads we ride- cut rocks sticking up everywhere like daggers on a lunar landscape! So many you can't avoid them all. The "pros" on their 23's would have been left far behind, fixing their flats all day! But my new 28cm Kevlar tires passed the test of fire yesterday down one murderously rocky road. DH and I decided that any skinnier than 28's and we would start having flats too much. I just feel happy to have gone from 38cm to 28cm- that's a BIG jump for me!

I do think that perhaps the breeze and my cold and other variations might have affected my time on the new tires- there always seems to be "something" working against me. And you're right- a 21 mile ride (which is my daily standard for timing) might only show a difference of a couple of minutes on a good day.
I guess time will tell. Thank you for your helpful ideas!

[DebW]

Rotating weight means weight that is related to movement, i.e. wheels, tires, crank set, pedals.

To be more specific, rotating weight is the product of mass and distance from the center of rotation. On a wheel, the axle is not rotating mass. The hub flanges are, but they are so close to the center of rotation that they have little rotating weight. Likewise the cassette. The rim and tire constitute most of the rotating weight. A crank and pedals do rotate, but the radius is not very large.

For you folks who are taking or have taken calculus, try integrating r*M over a crankset (assume uniform density from r=0 to r=R) or over a wheel (assume all weight is either in the hub (r=~0) or in the rim r=~R). This exercise may make you want to use a compact crankset and 650C wheels (if rotating weight were the only concern). I'm getting an r-cubed dependence in the crankset and an r-squared dependence in the wheel. Can anyone confirm or deny my solution of the simplified problem?

[Grog]

May I just volunteer...

isn't that 23mm???