Your bike is very heavy. There might be something wrong with it too, but without more info it’s hard to tell.
lantern264 on
Check the brakes, might be it
Smurry2015 on
That’ll be your reflectors
DeadBy2050 on
It’s a heavy bike. Of course it feels heavy when riding.
Did you have a question?
tntexplodes101 on
Make sure your brake pads aren’t dragging, and check that they’re hitting flush with the rim without contacting the tire. Then, look for any play in your bearings, and check how easily they spin.
…Also, wow. V-brake arms that use cantilever pads? That’s the craziest crossover I ever did see.
Working-Promotion728 on
Do both of the wheels spin freely? It could be that the hubs need adjustment. Remove the wheels and check how freely the axles turn. They don’t need to spin like they’re on air, but they should turn smoothly at least.
mtranda on
That’s because it’s a shit bike. Or “bike shaped object” as they are sometimes called. And your bike being shit is not about it being cheap. In fact, I’m sure you could get a better bike for less than what yours costs.
The main telltale sign that your bike is bad is the “full suspension” on your frame as well as the suspension fork. But mostly the frame. It just makes you slower and saps away at your power as it bounces around. If it hasn’t frozen in place yet, in which case you’re carrying around dead iron.
Even a cheap, suspensionless bike from Decathlon would be faster and lighter.
Sorry about the bluntness. I usually try to salvage any bike I can, except for these things. These are just a cheap, iredeemable marketing gimmick meant to attract people who don’t know any better.
Hour_Recognition_923 on
Try skinnier tires that hold more pressure.
mcg00b on
This one time I had grease dry out in the bottom bracket. It was the cone-cup maintainable kind. Bike felt noticeably harder to ride.
sotto_nuggs on
Try lifting the back wheel off the ground and turning the pedals by hand. If it’s relatively easy to turn, then as others have said, it’s just the fact that the bike itself is very heavy and cheaply built. If you encounter a lot of resistance and/or the rear wheel stops turning immediately after you stop the pedals, without freewheeling at all, then it might be worth looking into further.
locorhe_ on
unrelated but, both of your tires seem to be installed backwards
gregn8r1 on
For starters, it probably is just heavy. The reason it is heavy is because it looks like a cheaper bike, so it’s built with lower end and heavier parts. Another major factor is that it is dual suspension, which adds a lot of weight, but also takes some of the energy out of your pedal stroke.
Aside from that, pick the front of the bike up by the handlebar and spin the front tire. It should spin freely for a while. Then pick up the rear and spin the rear wheel. It also should spin freely for a while. If it doesn’t, there may be something rubbing that is slowing you down.
92beatsperminute on
It looks heavy.
Pattern_Is_Movement on
I wouldn’t waste any more money on this, you should be able to buy a bike many times nicer for $50 used.
hypnoderp on
Good job putting road slicks on it, that probably helped a lot. As others have mentioned, it is really heavy. That said, the suspension is probably a huge contributor to the feel of it. When you pedal, a lot of energy is going into making the bike “bob” up and down. That pedal bob is energy that’s not going into spinning the wheels. You need a bike that’s rigid if you’re just road riding, with no suspension, and that will help a lot. In the mean time, I’m not sure you can do much about the fork, but you may be able to crank the rear suspension tight. There should be a tightening ring you might be able to get a pair of channel lock pliers or vise grips on. That will preload the big white spring under the rear suspension. If you screw it tighter you preload it more, it will bob less. Maybe grease the threads with some oil before you crank on it to make your life easier. The rear suspension saps more power than the front when pedaling, so that may be a good stopgap for you while you source a new bike.
spyro66 on
Tire pressure.
It makes a HUGE difference in how fast a bike feels – more than any bearing or drivetrain (aside from actual catastrophic failures.
Pump up your tires (literally and figuratively), get it really dialed in, and you’ll feel way better. Keep an eye on it too, and consider getting some tubeless sealant in your tires to help with any slow leaks.
Get in the habit of checking it often, and you’ll get a really good feel for your tires, where you just need to squeeze them a bit, give em a little meep meep, and you’ll be able to tell if you’re low.
Aside from that, if you’re up for a major upgrade, you could consider an aluminum frame. Even a similar style of bike with an aluminum frame and a modern-ish fork will feel way better in the long run.
In the meantime though, ride what you’ve got, ride it with pride, enjoy the journey, and learn a bit here and there there as you go. Cheers!
Holiday-Phase-8353 on
Is there air in the tires?
yoyodillyo10 on
Clean and lube your drivetrain. Looks like it’s a pretty heavy bike anyway but that’ll help
19 Comments
As it should.
Your bike is very heavy. There might be something wrong with it too, but without more info it’s hard to tell.
Check the brakes, might be it
That’ll be your reflectors
It’s a heavy bike. Of course it feels heavy when riding.
Did you have a question?
Make sure your brake pads aren’t dragging, and check that they’re hitting flush with the rim without contacting the tire. Then, look for any play in your bearings, and check how easily they spin.
…Also, wow. V-brake arms that use cantilever pads? That’s the craziest crossover I ever did see.
Do both of the wheels spin freely? It could be that the hubs need adjustment. Remove the wheels and check how freely the axles turn. They don’t need to spin like they’re on air, but they should turn smoothly at least.
That’s because it’s a shit bike. Or “bike shaped object” as they are sometimes called. And your bike being shit is not about it being cheap. In fact, I’m sure you could get a better bike for less than what yours costs.
The main telltale sign that your bike is bad is the “full suspension” on your frame as well as the suspension fork. But mostly the frame. It just makes you slower and saps away at your power as it bounces around. If it hasn’t frozen in place yet, in which case you’re carrying around dead iron.
Even a cheap, suspensionless bike from Decathlon would be faster and lighter.
Sorry about the bluntness. I usually try to salvage any bike I can, except for these things. These are just a cheap, iredeemable marketing gimmick meant to attract people who don’t know any better.
Try skinnier tires that hold more pressure.
This one time I had grease dry out in the bottom bracket. It was the cone-cup maintainable kind. Bike felt noticeably harder to ride.
Try lifting the back wheel off the ground and turning the pedals by hand. If it’s relatively easy to turn, then as others have said, it’s just the fact that the bike itself is very heavy and cheaply built. If you encounter a lot of resistance and/or the rear wheel stops turning immediately after you stop the pedals, without freewheeling at all, then it might be worth looking into further.
unrelated but, both of your tires seem to be installed backwards
For starters, it probably is just heavy. The reason it is heavy is because it looks like a cheaper bike, so it’s built with lower end and heavier parts. Another major factor is that it is dual suspension, which adds a lot of weight, but also takes some of the energy out of your pedal stroke.
Aside from that, pick the front of the bike up by the handlebar and spin the front tire. It should spin freely for a while. Then pick up the rear and spin the rear wheel. It also should spin freely for a while. If it doesn’t, there may be something rubbing that is slowing you down.
It looks heavy.
I wouldn’t waste any more money on this, you should be able to buy a bike many times nicer for $50 used.
Good job putting road slicks on it, that probably helped a lot. As others have mentioned, it is really heavy. That said, the suspension is probably a huge contributor to the feel of it. When you pedal, a lot of energy is going into making the bike “bob” up and down. That pedal bob is energy that’s not going into spinning the wheels. You need a bike that’s rigid if you’re just road riding, with no suspension, and that will help a lot. In the mean time, I’m not sure you can do much about the fork, but you may be able to crank the rear suspension tight. There should be a tightening ring you might be able to get a pair of channel lock pliers or vise grips on. That will preload the big white spring under the rear suspension. If you screw it tighter you preload it more, it will bob less. Maybe grease the threads with some oil before you crank on it to make your life easier. The rear suspension saps more power than the front when pedaling, so that may be a good stopgap for you while you source a new bike.
Tire pressure.
It makes a HUGE difference in how fast a bike feels – more than any bearing or drivetrain (aside from actual catastrophic failures.
Pump up your tires (literally and figuratively), get it really dialed in, and you’ll feel way better. Keep an eye on it too, and consider getting some tubeless sealant in your tires to help with any slow leaks.
Get in the habit of checking it often, and you’ll get a really good feel for your tires, where you just need to squeeze them a bit, give em a little meep meep, and you’ll be able to tell if you’re low.
Aside from that, if you’re up for a major upgrade, you could consider an aluminum frame. Even a similar style of bike with an aluminum frame and a modern-ish fork will feel way better in the long run.
In the meantime though, ride what you’ve got, ride it with pride, enjoy the journey, and learn a bit here and there there as you go. Cheers!
Is there air in the tires?
Clean and lube your drivetrain. Looks like it’s a pretty heavy bike anyway but that’ll help