Originally Posted by
Peacewiz
need help with road bike conversion from gravel bike.
I purchased a Cannondale Topstone Carbon Ultra RX 2 before pandemic and spent lot of time on local trails but not very pleasant ride transitioning from stumpjumper full suspension bike. I recently met up with a group of cyclers in church on a 30 mile ride with my gravel bike but i was having difficult time keeping pace with them. I'm new to road cycling and need some guidance to upgrading for better speed. the current crank is 46/30 with 11-34 cassette. I swapped out the tires to Pirelli Zero Velo 4s.
or should I just build a new setup for road?
Thanks in advance~
- Your bike's drivetrain is almost for sure not holding you back. 46/11 at 80 rpm is 26.7mph with 30mm tires. 80rpm is a good general cadence as it is faster than what a lot of beginners are use to, but it is hardly excessively fast.
- The Topstone can be fun on singletrack trails, but its a gravel bike and not a mountain bike. Ride it on gravel roads and it will be more fun.
- High quality fast rolling tires are the easiest way to increase speed. Something that is 30mm or so and is recognized as fast rolling will help a lot.
- Tighter fitting clothes will help reduce drag, but that can be expensive compared to just buying fast rolling tires.
- A new wheelset is hardly necessary, but go wild if you want.
- You are holding yourself back. It takes time to ride faster and keep that pace up for long distances over varied terrain. You are trying to run before you can walk if you are joining a group where 24mph is a common cruising speed.
- I have no idea what the Santa Ana trail is like, but if it is heavily trafficked by walkers and runners, 24mph is excessive and roads should be used.
Only saddle time will make you faster. That and some fast rolling tires(which are different from narrow cheaper tires, to be clear).