nycbusi

Sorry if this is misposted, I was going to put in mechanics, but figured this is more of a general question


So I am using a 3 x 7 setup, shimano and I tend to ride on the hardest gear for about 70% of my trips. I do about 2-4 hours depending how my thighs hold up. I would say my trips are about 90% flatish with some horrible hills thrown in. [ well horrible for me at least ]


so the question is, how can I go faster? Should I get a larger front ring? should I increase my tire size? [ im using a trek 7000 and 26" touring wheels which I'd like to not mess with ] or would a cassette with more speeds be the answer? I assume that a smaller back ring and a larger front would do it, but Ive never messed with my drive train before so looking for some advice.


many thanks

Miele Man

I wonder just how many threads like this are on these forums.

You haven't provide any info that'd help. ;<(

We need to know type of bike, i.e. drpbar, comfort, mtb etcetera. Tire size and inflation pressure you're using, teeth count of front chainrings and rear cogs, rpm you're pedaling at. Regarding rpms, 60 rpm (revolutions per minute can be figure without a cadence meter. Count 100o, 1001, 1002 which is about 1 second each and also count how many times your left or right leg (not both) go around.

Most likely you're pushing a too high gear (big chainring and small cog) at low rpm which tires you out very quickly compare to spinning a smaller gear at higher rpm.

Cheers

jefnvk

What kind of riding are you actually doing? You say 26" touring wheels, what specifically do you mean? If you have knobby MTB tires, for example, you can pick up speed and comfort simply by changing out the tires to something smooth.

BagoFun

My first thought was cadence, as well as what you're riding. I try to hit approx. 90, though everyone is different and a lower/higher pedal speed might feel better for you. As far as physical fitness, intervals and functional threshold power (FTP) work are great ways to get stronger and faster on the flats. Core work always helps too, allows you to maintain a solid base and transfer power to the pedal in greater amounts. Ever feel like you're swaying from side to side with your shoulders or hips while pedaling?

I much prefer to go up things, so I tend to neglect this very important side of my training and just ride up and around the front range in Colorado. Global Cycling Network (GCN) has some great videos on how to increase your fitness and speed/power on the bike. I've included 2 links to the video's I've found helpful. They focus on road biking/racing, but I think these work outs would work well on any type of bike for general fitness.


Increasing your FTP - 10 Ways to Improve Fitness -

NYMXer

I think the OP might be asking us how he can get higher mph from his bike. He rides 80% of the time in the tallest gears.
Well OP, the easiest way might be to change your gearing or maybe bike. There are many other ways too, go to your local bike store and talk about your options.

Homebrew01

Easier gear, faster pedaling. Probably not the equipment, unless your bike has ridiculously low gearing.
If you're always in your hardest gear, you're probably bogged down and would benefit from learning to spin.

TimothyH

OP needs to understand how to train properly, develop a training plan and then implement that plan.

You can only buy so much speed. At the end of the day it all comes down to the rider.

CliffordK

I agree, there is a lot left out of this.

Number of teeth on each ring of the crankset.
Numer of teeth on the small and large sprockets of the rear cluster.

Is it a freewheel on the rear or a cassette?

How fast is fast? How slow is slow? Goals?

Knobbies or slicks? Tire width?

Rider age, height, and weight?

Type of terrain being ridden on?

A strong rider can ride an MTB quickly, but they can ride a lightweight road bike much faster, of course depending on the terrain.

I mash... I just choose the gear that feels right and cruise in it. I don't know if I would personally go faster if I would spin more, but spinning does take a lot of energy, and perhaps only with marginal gains under 200W or 20 MPH or so.

Assuming a 7 speed freewheel, then one potential upgrade would be the DNP Epoch 11x28, 11x30, or 11x32 freewheel. Whether it would make an actual speed difference would depend on the rider.

Miles & training will always help.

BobbyG

The two most inexpensive changes would be to switch to smooth road tires if you have knobbies. (they can be the same size as your current tires) And putting on some "drop bar" bar ends or an aero bar (or both) to allow you to ride lower thus more aerodynamically. For better suggestions, more info is needed as stated above.

nycbusi

sorry guys. Thanks for the replies, will fill in some blanks. I think this is the first time I have ever thought about going faster so not used to this train of thought/info needed




Number of teeth on each ring of the crankset.
Numer of teeth on the small and large sprockets of the rear cluster.
Is it a freewheel on the rear or a cassette?



Freewheel 13-30, 7speed hyperglide


How fast is fast? How slow is slow? Goals?

Good question. Faster than I am going now which is about 12.5 - 13mph for about 50miles. I am on strava: sbusiello


I basically want to go faster with less effort if possible. Or the same speed with less effort

Knobbies or slicks? Tire width?

slick-ish, 1.95 and I need this for touring in India so it has to stay this width.

Rider age, height, and weight?

40, 5'8.5", 220 ... I am a weightlifter type

Type of terrain being ridden on?
right now roads and some ahrd packed dirt


Thanks again for the help and patience

General Geoff

You can't cheat the laws of physics. Reduce weight being carried, reduce rolling resistance, improve mechanical efficiency, or reduce aerodynamic drag. These are your options for reducing effort or gaining speed with the same effort.

Homebrew01

13 mph in your hardest gear means you are really bogging down . You will go faster, more easily if you learn to spin faster. Easier gear, higher leg speed.

jefnvk

Ill let you know when anyone figures that one out

But yeah, what Geoff said. If your tires are fixed and already slick, that is out. Probably not reducing drag, MTBs aren't known for inducing good aero poses. Your setup doesn't sound too far off what my mountain bike has, I push a bit faster than you, but not much. You probably would benefit from learning to spin faster in an easier gear, my top speeds are rarely on the little gear, that is reserved for powering downhill.

Whats your front crank?

practical

I remember when I had an 18-speed bike and I rode it pretty much the way you ride your bike. Old habits are hard to break. I learned to ride bike on my old single speed 40-pound bike from the 1960s. I rode all bikes the same way. Eventually I learned to spin. Spinning is easier and comes more naturally if you have clipless pedals (or toe clips, but you need the experience with clipless). So if you want to go faster (we all do), then spin more, mash less; do variety of rides with leg and lung burn sprints, hills and sustained rides; and upgrade your bike.

caloso

This.

NYMXer

I would think that anyone who calls themselves a "cyclist" can top this gearing from a stand still within a minute.... IDK, maybe it's just me but I am only a near beginner, riding for 11 months now

MRT2

Cadence, cadence, cadence. Shoot for 90 rpm. It should keep your legs fresh on longer rides.

CliffordK

Ok... 220 sounds heavy, but perhaps within the range of "weightlifters".

I'm not sure spinning faster is the solution for all weightlifters, although some track champions have very muscular legs. Just experiment and figure out what works for you.

Note: Freewheel and Hyperglide are not the same....

Assuming Hyperglide (cassette), there is some variability older freehubs that you must have a ring around the outer edge of the freehub to allow for a 11T (left below) cassette, otherwise you're limited to 12T (right below). Many Shimano freehubs can be upgraded if necessary. You will have to take off your cassette (assuming you have one) to verify.



13 MPH average for a long ride, solo, isn't bad. You may be able to improve on it slightly, but it can take a lot of time in the saddle, a nice bike, and a lot of work.

Look at the Cyclocross bicycles.

Wider 700c (or 650b) tires with drop bars.

Specialized Tricross
Trek Crossrip,
Specialized Crux
etc.

There is also a big long thread somewhere on dropbar MTB conversions.

Homebrew01

What does that mean ??

NYMXer

It means that most "cyclists" can place their bike it the tallest gear and hit 15 mph from a standstill within a minute, is that too hard to understand? I truly believe, as a beginner, if I can do it, most anyone can too.

Homebrew01

Umm....OK. Not sure what that has to do with the topic.
We're trying to help OP become a more efficient, faster rider over a few hours.

jefnvk

Are you talking acceleration? I can probably do that within 10-15 seconds, and I proudly boats about my slowness and relative newness. I agree on the lack of understanding the relevance of that. I COULD accelerate myself from nothing to approaching 30MPH in my high gear, but I can't sustain that any more than a couple hundred meters at a time.

Big difference between being able to hit a top speed in your high gear, and your ability to maintain that speed.

Maelochs

Unanswered question is still chainrings. Is he riding a 50-40-3- or 24-32-22 or 48-38-28 or what?

If his top ring is 42 teeth he doesn't need to spin much faster probably. 42-13 gearing .....

In general he seems to be doing okay for a heavy rider on a fat-tire bike. As with most other respondents (i guess) when I read that he rides most of the time in his top gear I imagine him jamming it into Big/small and leaving it there, mashing most of the time. if this is the case, higher cadence and shifting more frequently to maintain a higher cadence would be the first recommendation.

If he has Hyperglide he could get a new cassette but 12-28 or 11-34 aren't going to make a huge difference in top end, and he would have to buy the necessary tools to swap them .... too much hassle. Assuming he doesn't have a 42-tooth big ring (min 48) no need to mess with the bike at all.

If OP really wants to go faster he needs to consider a CX bike or a gravel grinder---lighter, more speed-oriented, but still with lugs for racks and clearance for tires ... I have heard about roads in India from some Indian friends, some of them would be called "trails" in the U.S. I'd guess. I.5 tires make sense.

So .... does OP want to upgrade the bike, or just the technique?

BagoFun

Was going to snoop through OP's rides to gain any insight into specific terrain, distances, frequency, etc. but cannot seem to find you on Strava under this name?

CliffordK

I assume this is the Strava account.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/15964039