# Slow bike ?



## cycl1st (25 Mar 2011)

I mainly use my bike for work, but am also a keen photographer, so I cycle miles to the countryside quite a lot. I use a mountain bike for this, but have noticed people on 'expensive' mountain bikes always seem to go flying past. I'm no slouch, but they seem to be putting in a similar effort to me, but going a lot quicker.

I originally had schwalbe road tyres, the city jet ones, I changed to the nobbly tyres... for comfort really. The bike is pretty slow with both types of tyres. 

So, I don't think the problem is with the tyres, are there cranks/cogs/chains/wheels that perform better than others, to make the bike go quicker ?

Admittedly I've hardly got a 'top of the range bike'. Its actually a Giant Boulder-Shock from 2000. Its not particularly heavy.

*PS, years ago I had a Carrera and Saracen with really light frames, but cheap parts - had the same problem



Any help appreciated


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## sabian92 (25 Mar 2011)

The knobblies won't help. I recently changed from knobblies to Marathon Pluses and I easily doubled my average speed from about 5mph to a little over 10mph. I'm really slow and 3 stone overweight, but by God, it made a difference.


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## cycl1st (25 Mar 2011)

I've just bought the Schwalbe Land Cruiser tyres after reading the reviews. The city jet ones were fine, quite slick. I go past grannies and people on 'dole' bike with little effort. Just people on better bikes (usually wearing lycra) go flying past me with no effort. Generally on a Kona or Trek etc.


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## sabian92 (25 Mar 2011)

It sounds daft, but are you reasonably fit?

I can't really see it being anything else, I mean you can go fast on a 60 quid bike from JJB or a 1500 quid, obviously it being down to how fit you are.


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## cycl1st (25 Mar 2011)

Yes, I'm an outdoors type. Also go walking/hiking, play football etc.

I don't mean going fast as in pedaling as hard as you can, most of the time its more of a leisurely ride. A friend has a decent bike that was bought recently and I went on his bike. It wasn't really expensive, it was just an early 2010 Carrera, but I went far quicker on his, with little effort. He also has nobbly tyres.

So all I can think is his has better parts or a better mechanism somewhere.

My wheels, chain etc are always lubed well with TF2, co can't be that.


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## Norm (25 Mar 2011)

The Giant Boulder is a hard-tail, so it has suspenders at the front but a solid rear. It's not one of the bestest available but is a step up from my own Giant Hardrock "dole bike"  which sees me just fine on the road with City Jets. In fact, it's surprised a few peeps on roadies when I've been scalped whilst aimlessly meandering along on the way back from signing on. 

Tyres can make a lot of difference, switching to City Jets from off-road tyres improved my speed by nearly 20%, which is a fair amount. 

The efficiency of the rest of the drive train (cranks, wheels, cogs, pedals etc) can be guessed from little stuff like putting the bike upside down and spinning it. Spin the wheels and they should continue to rotate freely smoothly without binding, spin the pedals, spin the cranks, all should be the same. You can generally feel when the bearings are getting tired. And an old chain can be a killer, all your power goes through a few narrow bits of metal which have to rotate freely as they rub together hundreds of times a minute. 

When something feels right is impossible to communicate over the 'net but most can tell when something feels wrong if they are looking / listening out for it.


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## Angelfishsolo (25 Mar 2011)

If I recall the Giant Boulder has no lock out on the forks and has pretty soft suspension. That will act to slow you down. Also what gear are you riding in.

+1 re the choice of tyres. The Schwalbe Marathon Plus roll like slicks and I think would survive a nuclear war.


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## RecordAceFromNew (25 Mar 2011)

Norm said:


> The Giant Boulder is a hard-tail, so *it has suspenders at the front but a solid rear*.


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## Muddy Ground (25 Mar 2011)

101 things slow you down - they may just have a more "go for it" attitude or have just started out on a ride. As Lance says - it's not the bike! A good cyclist will never blame the bike.... well just sometimes.

But, all of the above mechanicals plus something like a 2.1 Maxxis Aspen front and rear. If that doesn't sort you out, then you are just slower than them plain and simple.

www.muddyground.com


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## Zoiders (25 Mar 2011)

Tough love time - I am afraid it's you and not the bike.

I used to commute on a slicked up MTB and I had no problems keeping up with the rest of the serious commuting crowd on the Nottingham run every morning and evening.

Simply try harder - also look at how you dress to ride, how the bike is set up position wise with things such as saddle height and your own general level of CV fitness, also be honest with yourself if you are over weight.


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## Muddy Ground (25 Mar 2011)

You will go slightly faster with a better bike, but not by much - certainly not enough to catch the fast boys up. A lot of speed is to do with how they carry and maintain momentum, or even that perhaps they tolerate a lot more pain for the gain. Here we do a timed Box Hill climb, and some of the fit guys absolutely hammer everybody else - really hammer. Basic fitness is one thing, but being a full on cyclist another.

As long as you enjoy it, and get something out of the ride, who cares how fast they are? Also you've no idea how far they've ridden. Here in Surrey we get a lot of cyclists drive to the trail head, cycle a mile or so at full pelt, then go home. They look fast over a short course is all. 

A camera bag will also kill speed like nothing else. You're going to do 40mph off road with your expensive camera in a bag are you? 

Don't sweat it, be tactical. Reel them in on the ups or over distance, or convince yourself that they are missing on the view and photo opportunities.

An expensive bike is just an expensive bike, no more, no less.

www.muddyground.com


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## david1701 (25 Mar 2011)

what d'ya do with your tripod? I sling mine bandolier style on an mtb atm but am moving to an xc frame so need to work out a better rack solution (as I haven't had mine stay tight for more than 4miles yet). I have a shoulder bag going the opposite way (so make an x on my chest) for say body and 2 lenses.

what kind of terrain are you travelling over, you might be able to hold the pace better with smoother tyres if its all road.

In all honesty I think the kittykat for moving faster is being fitter and riding more, from upping my distance I've found my speed on shorter rides and my hill climbing ability (so average speed) has improved dramatically. I hold myself as a relatively n00bish cyclist so the differences are pretty marked


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## cycl1st (25 Mar 2011)

Zoiders said:


> *Tough love time - I am afraid it's you and not the bike.*
> 
> I used to commute on a slicked up MTB and I had no problems keeping up with the rest of the serious commuting crowd on the Nottingham run every morning and evening.
> 
> Simply try harder - also look at how you dress to ride, how the bike is set up position wise with things such as saddle height and your own general level of CV fitness, also be honest with yourself if you are over weight.



As I said above, my friends Carrera goes quite a lot faster than mine, I rode his bike for some miles, so obviously saw a difference. Also as I said we both had nobbly tyres.

So it isn't me and I know I'd never keep up with someone on a good road bike.

Its not like I'm racing people, just wondered if there was some parts I could buy to speed it up...


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## cycl1st (25 Mar 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> If I recall the Giant Boulder has no lock out on the forks and has pretty soft suspension. That will act to slow you down. Also what gear are you riding in.
> 
> +1 re the choice of tyres. The Schwalbe Marathon Plus roll like slicks and I think would survive a nuclear war.



I changed my forks for some 2nd hand Rock Shox, that someone shamefully sprayed Silver. They are adjustable, so can have them as stiff as I need. I did have the City Jet tyres, they were nice on tarmac, but horrible on gritty roads. I've purchased the Land Cruisers that are meant to be somewhere in between. I quite like the Schwalbe brand.

I'm surprised no-one has bullied me for still riding an 11 year old bike 

I am considering changing for a rediculously light framed bike - seef that makes a difference.


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## ashleygreen14 (25 Mar 2011)

Is there any chance you could take a high end compact rather than all of that kit? I used to ride with kit then switched to a Panasonic TZ65 and the results have been incredible both for my shots and my speed!


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## cycl1st (25 Mar 2011)

ashleygreen14 said:


> Is there any chance you could take a high end compact rather than all of that kit? I used to ride with kit then switched to a Panasonic TZ65 and the results have been incredible both for my shots and my speed!



I generally take one or two of my Panasonic Lumix bridge cameras nowadays, maybe if I'm not going too far a telescopic tripod/monopod. Then a few tools for my bike.

One thing I do notice is a lot of cyclists have their seat about as high as my shoulder...

Not really a problem as such been overtaken, but if I can somehow increase my performance, that would be good.


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## blubb (25 Mar 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> If I recall the Giant Boulder has no lock out on the forks and has pretty soft suspension. That will act to slow you down. Also what gear are you riding in.



Have you tried it? Am using a Rock Shox Reba SL and prefer to not use the lock on the roads, the difference in acceleration is minimal, top speed not noticeable and mine is set to pretty soft. The only time i would lock it, is when going uphill.

My tips would be:

1. Clean and lubricate your chain/gears.

2. Make sure your bearings have no noticeable resistance and run smoothly.

3. Make sure your brakes don't grind while driving.

4. Put more pressure in your tires than you would in the dirt


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## Angelfishsolo (25 Mar 2011)

I used to have a Giant Bouldershock. I am amazed you find the lock out causes minimal difference, I find it makes a huge difference on hills.

I agree with your other comments.


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## blubb (25 Mar 2011)

On hills i can fully agree with you, but on normal flat roads and when accelerating from the lights i hardly feel it taking strength or energy away. Could be down to the damper though, seen a few cheap forks that spring back almost instantly. Those are a pet hate of mine, because they are pretty much useless everywhere.


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## david1701 (25 Mar 2011)

maybe its a gearing thing?

does he have a different set of gears to you?


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## RecordAceFromNew (26 Mar 2011)

cycl1st said:


> One thing I do notice is a lot of cyclists have their seat about as high as my shoulder...



This might be the crux of the matter. When you are sitting level on the saddle, is your leg practically straight when you put your heel on the pedal at 6 o'clock position?

If you leg has to be bent at the knee (without tilting your hip on one side or other), your saddle is too low, and your pedalling efficiency would be MUCH lower than otherwise.


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## Muddyfox (10 Apr 2011)

A decent set of wheels will make a huge difference

Simon


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## viper (12 Apr 2011)

Went for a ride in the New Forest Sunday ,18 miles of different terrain ( fire tracks ,light bog , very loose gravel to nightmare sand )

My bike has 21 gears whereas my mates has 27 , riding side by side at a steady 14 mph i was in top gear top ring my mate was in top gear on his middle ring and our legs were in tandem , this left him another 9 gears to go up.


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## Norm (12 Apr 2011)

viper said:


> ... this left him another 9 gears to go up.


Unlikely. As it's not a car, the smallest cog on the middle ring is probably about the same as 2 or 3 down from top in the big ring. 

As an aside, smallest on the back and middle on the front could have quite a kink in the chain-line, making pedalling harder and wearing out the drive-train faster than required.


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## viper (12 Apr 2011)

> Unlikely. As it's not a car, the smallest cog on the middle ring is probably about the same as 2 or 3 down from top in the big ring.



Yes i agree, but i think what i was trying to get at was , lets say our speed has now gone up to 20 mph, i would now be pedalying like blazes whereas he would now be in his highest gear and pedaling relatively easy. correct me if im wrong but thats how i see it .

I guess what im trying to say is, it would appear his bike is higher geared than mine, so for the same amount of effort his bike will go faster.


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## Bayerd (12 Apr 2011)

viper said:


> Yes i agree, but i think what i was trying to get at was , lets say our speed has now gone up to 20 mph, i would now be pedalying like blazes whereas he would now be in his highest gear and pedaling relatively easy. correct me if im wrong but thats how i see it .
> 
> *I guess what im trying to say is, it would appear his bike is higher geared than mine, so for the same amount of effort his bike will go faster.*



That isn't correct either as higher gears take more power to turn. His bike will have higher gears and therefore has the potential to go faster but it does require more effort to do so.


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## Norm (12 Apr 2011)

Bayerd said:


> That isn't correct either as higher gears take more power to turn. His bike will have higher gears and therefore has the potential to go faster but it does require more effort to do so.


Indeed. Using the car analogy again, when you are doing 30, it's best (more economical, less damaging etc) to be in 3rd gear even if 6th gear pulls lower revs. Lower revs doesn't mean lower effort.

If you are taking a hairpin up a 1 in 3, then you'll be using first or second gear and a car with a 6 speed gearbox will be wasting 4 of them under those conditions.

If you are not spinning out (when the bike is going faster than you can pedal), then your bike isn't too high-geared for you. 

To use another example to show that the number of gears doesn't reflect either the speed or the amount of effort, in the 1970s, our tractors had 8-speed gear boxes that topped out at about 18mph. The Jag we were running at the same time had a 3-speed auto and would do 130+. Allegedly.


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## Bicycle (13 Apr 2011)

MTB that's slow on the road?

Maybe one or more of the following:

1. Front Shocks absorbing a lot of your pedalling effort. Lock them if you can when on road. It also makes handling and response more direct.

2. Knobblies will slow you down. Under-pressure knobblies even more so. 

3. It's surprising how much faster a bike in good condition goes. Is everything clean and lubed? You mention being faster on a friend's new bike. That will be clean, lubed and in 'as-new' condition. Bikes being simple machines, it's cheap and easy to keep them in 'as-new' condition - and that will help with speed. I always do my fastest commutes the day after servicing my bike.

4. Are you sure you have the saddle where you want it? The wrong height or too far forward/backward will slow you down a LOT.

I hope this is helpful.


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## Ticktockmy (13 Apr 2011)

cycl1st said:


> I mainly use my bike for work, but am also a keen photographer, so I cycle miles to the countryside quite a lot. I use a mountain bike for this, but have noticed people on 'expensive' mountain bikes always seem to go flying past. I'm no slouch, but they seem to be putting in a similar effort to me, but going a lot quicker.
> 
> I originally had schwalbe road tyres, the city jet ones, I changed to the nobbly tyres... for comfort really. The bike is pretty slow with both types of tyres.
> 
> ...



Firstly, you dont say how old you are, or how fit you are, all key factors in what your average performance is going to be. Remember it's your highest average speed you want to achieve, not a highest sprint speed, any one can creep up behind you and sprint by looking as if they are at peak fitness, but once out of sight around a corner, they slow down leaving you wondering what you are not as fit as them. I know I have done it a few times.
To be honest why worry about other people speed, as long as you can plod along with your Photographic equipment and enjoy both activities then you are ok


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## byegad (13 Apr 2011)

I tried knobblies on my Matrix-V and while it was excellent off road it was damn hard work on road. Back on the original Kenda Kwest semi slicks it positively flew on road. 

Also I found M+ and ordinary Marathons to be very slow compared to say, Pasela Tourguards.


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