Hi,
I just finished this build; it’s my dad’s former 30-year-old Kuwahara. I really like how it turned out. It’s surprisingly light (11.5 kg or 25 bald eagles) and nimble.
The thing is, I was not expecting to ride this bike seriously ever. But last night, I took it for a spin with my wife. This thing was fast on the tarmac. Like, super fast. I have a serious and ugly half-carbon 28” hybrid with narrow tires, and this felt equally effortless. My poor wife was struggling with her hybrid, and I barely broke a sweat.
Could it be because those Billy Bonkers are comparably heavy, so they maintain momentum? Is the rolling resistance lower than normal? I inflated them to 4 bar (or 58 corn breads).
I’m actually pretty eager now and planning longer trips with this beast. The riding position is upright and comfortable.
Anyone else with similar experiences?
by Suurvisiiri
11 Comments
I mean, mountain bikes were made for racing. There’s a strong line of thinking that with more comfort you will actually ride faster because you have more confidence on little bumps and the whole thing just feels good. I bet the weight is not that different from a modern aluminum hybrid and the comfort you gain from a wider tire is absolutely worth it in confidence to rip. My two cents.
Fresh components and reasonably fast rolling tires means a fast feeling bike.
Go all the way through her hybrid bike with fresh bearings, grease, etc. Then put GP 5000s with tpu tubes and she will be nearly as fast.
Well. You build a nice bike. So it rolls nicely
More seriously the overall geo numbers should not be really that far from your hybrid, billy bonkers are not insanely fast but still decent tires and as the other commentor mentioned comfort = speed most of the time. Sure a super moderne road bike is gonna be fast, but you’re gonna be in a really tiring position to accomplish this. And get gassed faster.
I usually tweak my bikes to the point where the ride position is slightly aggressive but style within the chill zone. That works wonders.
Also if you ride withe a lot of uphills and stop and go. 26″ are beasts. Feeling like you accelerate without efforts
The only times when I don’t feel fast on my 26ers is during strong winds. Where my big ass body acts as a giant sail that can’t get a comfortable aero position
Una belleza!!! A beauty!!!
I agree with you.
I prefer to ride gravel/road/touring type bikes and even though I lust over these 26″ bikes I (secretly) poopoo on them because they probably aren’t fun or fast.
Then I ride one….
4 bar is insanely, unnecessarily high pressure for tires like that. You’re very likely to blow them up and it does not make them faster at all. Run them at 30psi max.
Looks great!! What handle bars are those?
The rolling resistance of a tyre is a lot more about the way it’s built and the rubber compound than the width. Check bicycle rolling resistance for [MTB](https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/mtb-reviews) and [touring ](https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/tour-reviews) bike tires and you’ll see that there’s some significant overlap. Keep in mind you’re seeing MTB results for lower pressures.
Nice build, looks quite cool!
The momentum will only change the behavior during acceleration and braking, not during rolling. If tires are extremely heavy, it makes the feeling less agile. However, your end speed is mainly determined by the drag of the air and the rolling resistance of the tires.
Maybe the bike feels fast, because you have a good riding position and you can efficiently get power into the pedals.
PS: Depending on the surface you are riding on, you may reduce the tire pressure. Such big tires with low pressure will make your ride very comfortable on rougher surfaces, like cobblestones.
Fast because you put the gear shifter in the aero position. Haha just a little razzin. Looks good bud.
58 psi is high af. Unless you are a giant or ramping it off stairwells. Try 45 rear 35 front just for giggles. Your spine will thank you. Those aren’t your grandpa’s BMX tires.