Originally Posted by
PersephoneDown
I bought my first "adult" bicycle two months ago - it's the 2018 Liv Thrive 3. It's a beautiful bike and a joy to ride! I've done about 7 20+ mile rides on it and felt like I could go for another 20! The reason I picked this bike was because I wanted a bit more comfort than the stiffness of a road bike, but I also wanted a bike that could keep up with my husband, who rides a road bike. My LBS said the Thrive 3 would meet my criteria.
The problem is...it doesn't keep up with my husband. He's 6'4 and I'm 5'1. It's very hard to maintain the speed he wants to go for a long duration. I'm generally riding between 10-14mph, according to my Fitbit. He's going about 18mph on average. I'm curious what I can do to modify this bike to make it easier to ride with him. First, I'm replacing the pedals with pedals with toe clips, because a friend gave me them for free. I figure my upward motion will no longer go to waste and that'll help me keep moving. But I'm not convinced that will solve the problem. My other ideas were to try clipless pedals (even though I'm scared of them) or to buy an e-bike conversion kit for a little electric assist.
Is there anything else you'd suggest to make riding my hybrid more compatible with a tall road bike companion?
When I ride with the wife, I pedal really really slow. It sometimes feels crazy slow but I value our time together. Ask your husband to slow down. Good riding buddies stay together.
I also regularly ride MTBs with my road friends. On a normal pace I keep up just fine. I don't hold them back but they're not trying too hard to drop me. On starts, climbs, and anything technical I pull ahead. On flats and descents, I have to spin 120rpm just to keep up.