View Poll Results: Can you get faster?
No, but now I'm having more fun.
6
9.23%
No, but I can go longer without the bonk effect.
10
15.38%
Yes, I'm always thinking I can be faster.
37
56.92%
Maybe, but why bother, I'm half dead, already.
11
16.92%
Yes, I can buy carbon/Ti/aero, pant, pant, pant.
1
1.54%
Voters: 65. You may not vote on this poll
Can you get faster?
11-22-14, 02:06 PM
#26
Senior Member
I sure hope I can get faster. Never been much for racing, I prefer a touring pace most of the time. Improving endurance would be my modest goal for next year.
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My bikes: '81 Trek 957, '83 Trek 720, '85 Trek 500, '85 Trek 770,'81 Merckx, '85 Centurion Cinelli, '85 Raleigh Portage, '92 RB-2, '09 Bianchi
My bikes: '81 Trek 957, '83 Trek 720, '85 Trek 500, '85 Trek 770,
11-22-14, 02:55 PM
#27
working on my sandal tan
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I'm still young-ish (34) and only a couple years into road biking, so yeah, I figure I could get a little faster. The trick is in going faster for respectable distances. 
11-22-14, 03:07 PM
#28
If I own it, I ride it
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Faster than what?
11-22-14, 03:10 PM
#29
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I often try to go faster, but the real goal is to always enjoy the ride. My wife, a very strong rider and my best riding partner for the last 18 years who also does lots of different non-cycling workouts, tends to ride the same speed, which is just about always perfect for each of us. There are the occasional days when one of us feels stronger, and that period last spring when statin drugs were affecting my hill climbing (stopped the med, which wasn't really necessary, not the hill climbing).
11-22-14, 03:27 PM
#30
Senior Member
I could probably (definitely) get faster than I am now if I committed a bunch of time and effort to it. But, I have too much stress in other areas of my life to stress about getting faster on the bike. Being a good father to my two kids that are under age two, being a junior in engineering school, trying to be a good husband, and making financial ends meet all have priority over me getting faster on a bicycle at this point in my life.
Last edited by turky lurkey; 11-22-14 at 10:19 PM.
11-22-14, 03:38 PM
#31
Senior Member
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I got faster the more I rode, then it hit a plateau and now I just feel stronger. I was using my commute time as a metric but now I think I hit the ceiling of what is possible given the constraints of the route. So now it doesn't hurt so much and when I see a slight hill, I get up and attack. That didn't use to happen! No special training or diet but I lost 22 lbs this year due to commuting about 1300 miles for the year.
And when I commute, the bike with the bag is close to 50 lbs. When I get on the Pin or 'Nago, I can't keep up with the bike.
And when I commute, the bike with the bag is close to 50 lbs. When I get on the Pin or 'Nago, I can't keep up with the bike.
11-22-14, 03:42 PM
#32
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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I'm re-reading the title question: Can you get faster? You mean me or that other guy I'd call "you"?
It's all about priorities, is'n'it? And distance.
I can certainly go further now at a similar speed. Or maybe for a short distance I can go faster. I'm not sure it matters.
It's all about priorities, is'n'it? And distance.
I can certainly go further now at a similar speed. Or maybe for a short distance I can go faster. I'm not sure it matters.
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Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
11-22-14, 04:14 PM
#33
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When I ride, I'm usually going faster than when I'm not riding (except when I'm driving).
11-22-14, 04:27 PM
#35
Senior Member
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Greg LeMond really put it best.
Check it out in my signature below...
Check it out in my signature below...
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It never gets easier, you just go faster. ~ Greg LeMond
11-22-14, 04:51 PM
#36
All Campy All The Time
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Can I get faster? Sonny boy, do you have any idea how old I am? At least 25 years older than this old bike I'm riding.
A week ago I finally (after 45 years of riding toe clips) had my first "failure to unclip" accident. Unclipped left foot as I rolled to a stop, put left foot down, fell to the right and right onto the pavement. Had a witness, who promptly jumped out of his car to help the old guy. Very sobering. No lasting damage to man or machine.
A week ago I finally (after 45 years of riding toe clips) had my first "failure to unclip" accident. Unclipped left foot as I rolled to a stop, put left foot down, fell to the right and right onto the pavement. Had a witness, who promptly jumped out of his car to help the old guy. Very sobering. No lasting damage to man or machine.
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My C&V Bikes:
1972 Bottecchia Professional, 1972 Legnano Olympiade Record,
1982 Colnago Super, 1987 Bottecchia Team C-Record,
1988 Pinarello Montello, 1990 Masi Nuova Strada Super Record,
1995 Bianchi Campione d'Italia, 1995 DeBernardi Thron
My C&V Bikes:
1972 Bottecchia Professional, 1972 Legnano Olympiade Record,
1982 Colnago Super, 1987 Bottecchia Team C-Record,
1988 Pinarello Montello, 1990 Masi Nuova Strada Super Record,
1995 Bianchi Campione d'Italia, 1995 DeBernardi Thron
11-22-14, 05:19 PM
#37
multimodal commuter
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When I ride my fixie, my average speed goes up considerably. My usual 14 or 15 becomes more like 15 to 16. All because since I can't downshift I have to hammer up every hill, and because I can't coast I hammer down the other side as well. But the geared bike seems more efficient. If I could combine the best of both, I'd be reall moving. So yes, I could be faster. Likely? No, not really... but possible.
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www.rhmsaddles.com.
www.rhmsaddles.com.
11-22-14, 05:36 PM
#38
Senior Member
SP
OC, OR
11-22-14, 05:50 PM
#39
Senior Member
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Why do we want to go fast or faster? Will it change anything if we stay slow? Do we need to travel faster so we have more time to rest?
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We are what we reflect. We are the changes that we bring to this world. Ride often. -Geo.-
We are what we reflect. We are the changes that we bring to this world. Ride often. -Geo.-
11-22-14, 06:22 PM
#40
Senior Member
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The past 4 seasons my speed has increased measureably. How long this will continue, who knows. I'll be on the road early March and be in top condition about mid-May.
11-22-14, 06:39 PM
#42
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For the exact same reason why we want to go slow or slower.
Absolutely nothing.
Or we travel faster to cover more distance. Both options are available.
Absolutely nothing.
Or we travel faster to cover more distance. Both options are available.
11-22-14, 06:47 PM
#43
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When I ride my fixie, my average speed goes up considerably. My usual 14 or 15 becomes more like 15 to 16. All because since I can't downshift I have to hammer up every hill, and because I can't coast I hammer down the other side as well. But the geared bike seems more efficient. If I could combine the best of both, I'd be reall moving. So yes, I could be faster. Likely? No, not really... but possible.
11-22-14, 06:50 PM
#44
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Yes I could. but I don't feel the need to. It would take serious training to get any fitter or faster than I already am and serious training takes the fun out of it. I don't want to win races. I want to ride to work, go 200km over a weekend and tour when I have the chance.
Last edited by krobinson103; 11-22-14 at 09:15 PM.
11-22-14, 08:28 PM
#45
multimodal commuter
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11-22-14, 08:34 PM
#46
Senior Member
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Strava says I hit a personal best on one segment today, knocked about 6 seconds off, and moved from 21st to 16th on the leader board. Of course, on another segment, I was SLOW... It is mostly downhill, featuring 'snake hill' (an actual segment), my aged body and faith in my bike serve me well there, and it's probably why I'm pretty fast on that segment. On the uphill segments, well we won't talk about them, but you won't believe how fast I used to be.
It's a hilly ride, Strava says 17mph ave, max of 35. Strava tends to indicate the ride is longer than 'stopwatch time.'
One uphill segment has me in 56th place at 2:20, 13mph ave. The fast guy does it in 1:22, but I've probably 40 years on him!
It's a hilly ride, Strava says 17mph ave, max of 35. Strava tends to indicate the ride is longer than 'stopwatch time.'
One uphill segment has me in 56th place at 2:20, 13mph ave. The fast guy does it in 1:22, but I've probably 40 years on him!
11-22-14, 08:48 PM
#47
Cat 6
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11-22-14, 08:50 PM
#48
Senior Member
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I may have hit a plateau for how fast in MPH I can ride on flats without wind, unless Map My Ride makes a mistake which happened once and it was 105 mph average speed. I would have to do weight training to put out more watts. I am tall and lanky and it's a lot of effort for little gain in that area.
I CAN ride longer distances at my max average speed and feel good at the end. Some climbing work would be beneficial and a new bike,
I CAN ride longer distances at my max average speed and feel good at the end. Some climbing work would be beneficial and a new bike,
11-23-14, 06:40 AM
#49
OMC
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Oh, hell yeah, I can get faster...I am getting faster. I do it because I enjoy pushing myself hard on the bike, and the feeling that comes after it. I enjoy racing. I'll probably keep going until my body tells me to stop - I'll be 63 in three weeks.
And to connect to C&V...it's extra fun to be cruising in a 24+ mph paceline on my Miami Vice Ironman among the carbon bikes, even though I'm on a carbon bike myself most of the time.
And to connect to C&V...it's extra fun to be cruising in a 24+ mph paceline on my Miami Vice Ironman among the carbon bikes, even though I'm on a carbon bike myself most of the time.
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Regards,
Chuck
Demain, on roule!
Regards,
Chuck
Demain, on roule!
11-23-14, 08:14 AM
#50
Veteran, Pacifist
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