Can I make my bike "faster"?
04-13-21, 08:09 AM
#51
Constant tinkerer
As was mentioned above, your bars are quite a bit higher than the saddle. Lowering them as much as you can while keeping the riding position comfortable will likely increase your speed.
Just so you know for next time, the Rene Herse tires will be another order of magnitude more comfortable and faster than your new Marathons. Yes, really. There are other tires that are as light and probably as fast as a Rene Herse standard casing, but Marathons aren't one of them.
As for the rolling resistance steel drum "testing" linked above that I assume you're referring to, be aware that it's pure, useless, utter garbage. Complete non-sense. Testing tires on a steel drum has no relation to how tires work on a bike with a rider on a real road. Any similarities are simply coincidence (the proof of this is that drum tests will always show high pressures to be faster, something we know is not true on the road.) https://www.renehersecycles.com/how-we-test-tires/
Just want to belatedly follow up and say thanks for all the suggestions here. I checked out the Rene Herse tires, but ultimately (based on previous good experiences with Schwalbe tires and the low rolling resistance specs mentioned above) went with the Schwalbe Marathon Almotion HS603. These make a noticeable difference, improving not only rolling resistance but also comfort compared to my previous tires (even though the Almotion is narrower).
As for the rolling resistance steel drum "testing" linked above that I assume you're referring to, be aware that it's pure, useless, utter garbage. Complete non-sense. Testing tires on a steel drum has no relation to how tires work on a bike with a rider on a real road. Any similarities are simply coincidence (the proof of this is that drum tests will always show high pressures to be faster, something we know is not true on the road.) https://www.renehersecycles.com/how-we-test-tires/
04-13-21, 08:26 AM
#52
Senior Member
As was mentioned above, your bars are quite a bit higher than the saddle. Lowering them as much as you can while keeping the riding position comfortable will likely increase your speed.
Just so you know for next time, the Rene Herse tires will be another order of magnitude more comfortable and faster than your new Marathons. Yes, really. There are other tires that are as light and probably as fast as a Rene Herse standard casing, but Marathons aren't one of them.
As for the rolling resistance steel drum "testing" linked above that I assume you're referring to, be aware that it's pure, useless, utter garbage. Complete non-sense. Testing tires on a steel drum has no relation to how tires work on a bike with a rider on a real road. Any similarities are simply coincidence (the proof of this is that drum tests will always show high pressures to be faster, something we know is not true on the road.) https://www.renehersecycles.com/how-we-test-tires/
Just so you know for next time, the Rene Herse tires will be another order of magnitude more comfortable and faster than your new Marathons. Yes, really. There are other tires that are as light and probably as fast as a Rene Herse standard casing, but Marathons aren't one of them.
As for the rolling resistance steel drum "testing" linked above that I assume you're referring to, be aware that it's pure, useless, utter garbage. Complete non-sense. Testing tires on a steel drum has no relation to how tires work on a bike with a rider on a real road. Any similarities are simply coincidence (the proof of this is that drum tests will always show high pressures to be faster, something we know is not true on the road.) https://www.renehersecycles.com/how-we-test-tires/
but hey, this is just internet blah blah, I'm sure he'll be happy with the tires he got. Anyway, he got them already.
agree also on the whole steel drum testing thing, my Supremes have convinced me of how a nicer tire is faster in real life over real life bumps and surfaces and a joy to ride on, but even Supremes are on a different level of cost/performance/longevity compared to Herse tires (my assumption, based on user descriptions of longevity of various Herse tires, wonderful as they must be to ride on)
