Hello y’all! I’m new to this world of bike commuting and I’ve been enjoying it so far, but it annoys me a little bit that I’m terribly slow. I bought a cheap mountain bike because I needed a bike to commute to school, and I’ve been doing ir for the past month. My bike has gears and I mostly ride through flat roads (I live in Berlin, which is mostly a flat city)
I’ve been using Strava to track my stats and I’m still around 8-9mph in speed. My bike is quite heavy (and so am I, I’m about 250 lbs) and My commute is a short distance but it still takes me around (14-15min) to get there while Google Maps predicts that it should take me 9 minutes.
Is there a way to do anything on the bike to make it easier to ride? I’m going to a gym as well to get fit and get rid of some weight too but I just would like for my commute to be a big fast. Any tips are welcome, thanks in advance!
by pianogirl282
13 Comments
tires with a less aggressive tred might help. unless you’re doing some offroading, those knobbly tires are going to slow you down quite a bit. something like the schwallbe big apple. get it in a size like 26×2.0 might make it a bit easier.
it’s also worth mentioning google maps tends to calculate bike time based on the average cyclist, not a newbie. you’re still building up the leg muscles. take it at yer own pace and you’ll find the muscles will build themselves up. i’ve been teaching my friend to ride a bike and he made the observation “i hurt in parts of my leg i didn’t even realise i had” which is fairly accurate because you’re using a lot more of your legs than if you were just walking.
good luck.
Put some slick tyres on it. Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Thick, slow wearing and decent puncture protection.
1.7 miles really ain’t far.
Take it easy. Don’t want to arrive as a sweaty lump.
I recommend tire change like marathon from Schwalbe
Use your gears to adjust resistance/speed. It should feel like the resistance of slightly faster walking as you get more used to it your cadence (how fast you pedal) will probably stay the same but your resistance will increase.
Get a single-speed road bike.
Pump up the pressure in tires. You’ll improve rolling resistance for free. Your commute is too short (garage where I store my bike is only 600m closer than your whole commute) to really feel any significant differences, besides, its a commute, not a race, ride at a comfortable for you pace.
Less agressive tire pattern would be better, as many already suggested you, but you will not feel real difference over such short distances, so I’d keep the money for something else.
I also commute/work on a rigid mtb, I couldn’t feel any diffirences with road semi-slicks (Maxxis overdrive 1.65) compared to mtb 2.25 tires over 10 km distances.
at the gym dont neglect strength training (dont just do cardio to lose weight. strength training will actually make it easier to move regardless of your weight)
make sure the bike is running well: keep the chain lubed, check that the hubs and bottom bracket spin well without any grittyness, check your tyre pressure every ride (tyres will usually have the max written on the side. dont pump to the max, a bit under should work well)
you could get some slick tyres, they will roll better and be a bit lighter ie they will hold speed better and accelerate better.
Slick tires, degrease entire drivetrain (especially if it looks kind of gunked up) and then reoil the chain, take the bike to a shop for a check /tune up (things like the bottom bracket could need replacing/rebuild)
Slick tires, just as every one else has said. Knobies are useless on pavement
Besides that , is the bike the right size for you? Like at all? If your riding position is weird, you may never be able to get any real speed out of it
Bike is probably heavy, tyres need to be a big slicker as others say.
If this is your commute, why bother getting something faster? It’s literally 12 minutes.
Smooth road tires definitely make a significant difference! As far as bike weight, I wouldn’t worry about trying to shave pounds or ounces off the bike, as I don’t think this will make a huge improvement. Aside from the smooth tires I’d recommend ensuring your bike is set to fit you. You can lose a lot of efficiency if your seat is too low or mounted at a poor angle.
I put hybrid tires on my MTB and it’s a fantastic commuter now.