My wife's not a regular cyclist, maybe do 3 or 4 family rides a year. I've never spent much on her bike as a result. She had this old aluminum Norco last year and it was a decent ride, even though the bike is probably a size too small for her.
This year I managed to find this modern aluminum Supercycle for free with a rusty handlebar that I quickly replaced. Is a much bigger and a better fit for her.
Well, we just did a big 30km family ride yesterday and she was gassed the whole time! She kept complaining the Supercycle doesn't maintain momentum and glide along, like she needs to peddle twice as much.
I thought she might just be in worse shape than last year but I just rode both bikes down a tiny decline with no peddling, groma complete stop to see how they compare just cruising. The Norco went twice as far before finally stopping.
Is the Norco just a better bike or is there anything I can check/fix on the Supercycle? WD40 the axles!? Lol
by constructioncranes
14 Comments
Different tyres are causing different rolling resistance, the gearing won’t be the same and the geometry is most likely a better fit for her.
The norco is probably a considerably better bike. There are a ton of things that could be making the supercycle slow, from flex in the frame/fork to weight to bike fit.
I would just keep riding the Norco as it’s a better bike.
It’s heavier, the suspension takes some energy out of the pedal stroke, different tyres as the other comment mentioned, all have a pretty big impact. Why doesn’t she just ride the old one though?
Do the hubs roll smoothly, do the brakes drag? If it was a free bike, it very well might be worthwhile to have it tuned in a shop.
Supercycle are big box bargain bikes and are built from, I won’t say “shit”, but from components that were modern in the 80’s, and what isn’t vintage is certainly from the lowest cost supplier. A bit more drag in the hubs here, a bit more drag in the crank there, slower tires for that extra bit of nuisance and a cheap and heavy fork to make sure to dampen the pedaling effort.
The norco should be the better bike and doesn’t look much smaller than the supercycle, you could probably change a few components and make it fit.
tire rolling resistance an suspension takes up a ton of energy & Weight. which is why we always make fun of people buying crap full suspension walmart bikes for cruising around the neighborhood.
Lift them up and try to give each wheel an equal spin, front and front then back and back. Maybe the Norco hubs spin better.
Otherwise people have mentioned tires making a huge difference, pressure, and also could be losing momentum if the fork is very springy (the fork may be able to be locked out).
opne fit you better, and/or the seat is at the right height
Crank length?
I’d consider checking the tires first. By a glance the blue bike seems to have tires better equipped for riding in the city. Rolling resistance is one of the biggest factors and a pair correct tires can make a world of difference. Don’t skimp on those, and if it’s mainly a city bike get city tires. I rock a pair of 25mm slicks with 7 bar pressure and they handle our local gravel roads just fine.
You didn’t tell us anything useful to where we could even start to narrow down what makes one faster than the other.. could be 100 different things, could be all 100 things at the same time. I’d have to ride it myself to even begin to narrow it down.
You’ve got two choices here, take the bike to a shop for a full tune up and hope that actually makes a notable improvement or watch a bunch of Park Tool videos and do the adjustments yourself… and hope it was worth the effort.
Do both bikes take the same size wheel where you could swap them and check for improvement? Maybe the wheels from your bike? Swap tires? I’d start with all the regularly spinning parts and make sure they are clean/lubed.. bottom bracket, wheel bearings, pedals. Make sure nothing is rubbing, make sure wheels are centered.
Rim brakes… brake run is the first thing to check.
After that, wheel bearings & bottom bracket as they could be gummy.
Also… strip, clean, check & re-grease the rear derailleur cogs.
The norco is steel and overall a much nicer bike. Almost everything about it in fact.
The difference will most likely be in the bearings, fork and tyres. Possibly the brakes as well.
While being newer, I’m not sure the Supercycle is the better choice. Does she go off-road much, else why such a heavy duty front suspension? While you’re doing proper maintenance on the Supercycle drive train, raise the seat on the lightweight Norco and let her continue riding that.