Can Changing Wheels or Tyres make me quicker

[black'n'yellow]

don't worry about wheel size, it won't be an issue. A pair of folding 25/28c tyres like the Vittoria Rubino Pro will make a fair bit of difference compared to the 35s that are on there now....

 

[Fab Foodie]

One of these? http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Claud-Butler-Explorer-100-2012-Hybrid-Sports-Bike_52026.htm

The suspension fork might be sapping a bit of your energy assuming it doesnt have a lockout.


How much of a real speed increase are we talking?

Id guess it would also depend how fast his average speed is already to how much of a benefit youd see from upgrades

I've no idea, but I've yet to meet anybody who's not benifitted from such an upgrade, even hybrid riders. On my TCR the change from heavier winter wheels to lightweight aero summer wheels transforms the bike and the cycling experience, it's worth a few mph, but just feels great.

 

[Fab Foodie]

don't worry about wheel size, it won't be an issue. A pair of folding 25/28c tyres like the Vittoria Rubino Pro will make a fair bit of difference compared to the 35s that are on there now....

I would, I'd go the whole hog for a rim for 23/25c. Lighter and more aerodynamic.

 

[Pauluk]

I have 700c wheels tyre are 35c

My hybrid current has 700X35C lightly treaded tyres. My rim internal is 17mm which means I could safely go down to a 25C. Without changing your wheels you could probably go down to a 28C or 25C slick/semi-slick tyre and you may well notice an improvement in speed as the thinner slicker tyre will roll with less friction.
There will be trade offs as with most things. Reduced ride comfort, puncture susceptibility (although this can be mitigated with the type of tyre, but may add weight). You could try just changing the rear tyre first to a thinner/slicker one as the drive wheel has the most affect on the rolling friction, where as the front at 35C will give some comfort benefits (to the wrists at least). Its also halves the cost initially so you can see if it makes any difference.
I'm sticking with my 35C at the moment since I do a lot of off road stuff as well as road, but I may well change to Marathon+ in the hope of reducing punctures and improving road speed, but that's only an idea at present.
I must confess if I were only doing roads I would go for a road bike with thinner wheels and tyres and just as important less weight.

 

[betty swollocks]

The best and cheapest way to go faster is a) lose weight and b) pedal faster and harder.
Sounds facetious, but I don't mean it to be so.
Why spend money for marginal improvements when easily the best way to increase speed is to get fitter?

 

[Arsen Gere]

First of all you need a reference like your average speed on a route you do regularly, if it's 10mph then changing bits is not create a great deal of benefit. The faster you are going, the more you will notice.
I'll take a punt and say doing over 13mph average would see a noticeable improvement but that might mean it feels easier, you stll have to put the effort in to go faster

 

[I like Skol]

I have a hybrid with 700x35c tyres and mudguards and a pannier rack with panniers full of tools and a big lock etc and nobody ever accuses me of being slow.

By far the biggest improvement you can make is to upgrade your legs and lungs, i.e get fitter!

I have a lightweight roadie bike which, while it is enormous fun on the right day, the clock/computer suggests is little if any faster than the hybrid, the timings don't lie!

 

[Browser]

Have you got a pump with a pressure gauge on it? If not they're worth investing in as you can't get your tyres up to near their maximum pressure accurately otherwise. Keeping tyres near max pressue can make a big difference.

 

[ushills]

Have you got a pump with a pressure gauge on it? If not they're worth investing in as you can't get your tyres up to near their maximum pressure accurately otherwise. Keeping tyres near max pressue can make a big difference.

You don't want tyre necessarily at max, you want 15% drop.

Google for the Bicycle Quarterly article on tyre pressure, however, slick thinner tyres will probably be better, 25-28C.

+ train harder/more.

 

[defy-one]

I went out on my old old hybrid last night. Didn't feel drastically slow compared to my road bike. What i did notice was my ability to pedal harder stronger for longer over my usual training loop.
As others have said - get fitter. If your already in good condition,then think about wheels & tyres

 

[User16625]

Depends on what you have on it now? Generally slicks plus good Ali rims will make you faster, how much is another matter.

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

Ali rims will make him faster, float like a butterfly and sting like a bee too.

Sent from my Toshiba Laptop using Tiscali.

 

[Hector]

Any part of the bike that moves should be the first part of a bike that gets upgraded.

And wheels are at the top of the tree, upgrade the wheels to something French and you can't go wrong imo.

When I upgraded to some Ksyrium SL's I flew.

 

[Hacienda71]

Bike/rider weight is more critical when climbing. Aero position and less rolling resistance is more critical on the flat. If you are down on the drops rather than in an upright position on the hoods you will see your speed rise noticeably. Hence the reason all the serious TT'ers wear super smooth gear and have aero designed bikes. Re the op, a combination of a wheel upgrade and a tyre upgrade will make a noticeable difference. Also don't forget inner tubes can weigh suprisingly differing amounts which also has a bearing (excuse the pun) on the rotational weight of your wheel, not that it would make a massive difference.
As said before the most important part is to train more. You want the best motor to drive the bike and that comes from putting the effort in.

 

[Pazz1974]

Thanks for ideas and tips, I'll give the tyres a go I think, but keep the old ones just in case.