Originally Posted by
TrekCommuter
Thank you all for the very thoughtful responses. I got a deal this summer on some 700x28 Continental Ultra Sport IIIs and they have made a huge difference over the stock tires. I'll save the money for maintenance and touring trips next spring. I think I've got the comfort fairly well dialed in. I'll keep after training during the winter months, as well.
Regarding the comments on reducing wind resistance, how much do you focus on clothing wind resistance when touring or randonneuring? My clothing choices are admittedly not terribly aero, usually athletic fit t-shirts.
PS: Those dynamo-hub wheels are awesome! As are the pictures of the Volpes fully loaded for touring!
If really looking into getting more miles in per day for the same output, clothing that doesn't flap like crazy, riding position and pannier wind sail area really do add up here and there....but certainly more noticeable if you are riding at 25/30 kph. Certainly my average touring speeds are slower, but when I ride my faster bike, similar to a volpe, small panniers and non flappy clothes are clearly noticeable when riding faster.
But let's be realistic, you want a jersey to be comfortable and how you are wearing tighter stuff is personal, I'm a skinny guy so it's fine, others not. How fast do you and your wife really ride comfortably?
For me, a quality comfy tire that rolls well but also has good flat protection is better than heavy super tough tires, also better than super light super thin racing tires that can get flats much easier. How careful are you of watching for road debris for example? I know riders who ride right through piles of glass shards and don't even notice them.
Reducing your credit card weight and volume to me is the big improvement, less weight and volume (air resistance) is always going to be a bit easier with each small and not so small climb, and with every headwind .
All these details add up, it's really up to you two to decide what is worth doing.
And yes, the more kilometers you put into your legs is a huge factor here, there's no magic solution, you gotta put in the hours in the seat to get stronger.