Commuting - How to ride faster?

Hi, I ride around on a hybrid bike, which I got free at a "neighborhood bikeworks" program (just to show I'm not the kind to pay much for my bikes)... I think it was the only one that was tall enough for me. I'm wondering if it is seriously inhibiting me from going fast. I do inflate the tires to the maximum (75psi) but I doubt I can ever go faster than 20mph on the flat. Not that I've measured it, but it just seems that way to me. I saw a poster here say something about those lame-os who think 25mph is fast on the flat. That got me wondering! How fast do you normal road-bikers go on the flat, what am I missing out on here? Do I need a whole new bike or are there some major bottlenecks I can break through by replacing some parts on my hybrid or something? I mean sure I could go faster if I pedaled harder I guess, but I'm supposing they meant like it was a speed that they could do without trading oxygen in.

My hybrid came with 700c X 38 touring tires and the effect was like dragging a brick behind the bike. Once I switched to 700c X 25 with slick tread there was a noticeable improvement in the speed department. Losing weight (off your body, not necessarily your bike) seemed to make a large difference for speed improvement also. I've also placed drop style bar ends on mine which seemed to boost my speed just a tad. But, my hybrid is still slower than my road bike. I like to think of it as a touring bike instead.

My hybrid went through a similar evolution to what Bikes-n-Drums describes. It makes a very good, sturdy commuter/tourer, definitely faster than it was with the wider tires etc. Clipless pedals, or at least clips and straps, allow you to develop a more efficient pedal stroke.

Going faster has two aspects - the bike, which is definitely a limited area of opportunity, and your conditioning, which is a wide open area, limited only by your desire. Conditioning is too vast an area to even get into here. If you are serious, I recommend getting a book on training. I recently got Fred Matheny's "Complete Book of Road Bike Training". It is excellent. It is the first book I have found that has training recommendations/programs for everyone from fitness riders, fast recreational riders, and competitive riders. Most training books seem to assume you are already a racer. The Matheny book is only available from roadbikerider.com.

I had a hyrid, too. Then I moved to a Trek 520 -- a touring bike with drop handlebars. I did that largely because of wind resistance. At 20+ MPH, wind resistance is key.

Though my hybrid and my current 520 are much the same in terms of weight and tires, I'm able to go substantially faster on the 520.

I just got back on my hybrid bike for a ride yesterday (wheel problems on my road bike). I've been riding my road bike for the past few months. The things I noticed that were slowing me down:

1. Bike weight - felt like I was pulling another bike behind me. :)

2. Handlebars - couldn't do much to get into a more aero position.

3. Regular pedals - kept slipping my feet off trying to pull up! :confused:

4. Tires - wider semi-knobby tires felt a lot more sluggish, even at 75psi.

I averaged 16.1 mph for the moderately hilly ride. With the same amount of effort, I would have done about 19 mph on my road bike. On the flats, I do about about 18mph on the hybrid and 21+ on the road bike. Hope that gives you an idea of the difference. :D (BTW, I'm not a racer and I'm not in great shape (yet!), so I'm sure others go lots faster than me.)

Changing/upgrading any of the 4 things I mentioned will probably make a noticeable difference on your hybrid.

Tim

Hm, well not much I can do about bike weight. Actually, the heavier it is, it seems the faster I go on the flats (with momentum and all). I do have toe clips already. Sounds like the major thing is to replace the tires? I have a spare tire here which is ~27 inches, same as my "700" hybrid tire right? But it is a lot thinner. Will that 1.25 inch tire fit on the same wheel as the standard hybrid tire? Or will any thickness of tire work on this wheel? What about the inner tube? Will that work in this tire? You can tell I'm not a total bike geek yet.

Joel,
Sorry, they are not the same even though they look awfully close. A 27" rim is 630 mm in diameter, a 700c is 622 mm. Can you find the actual designation/size on the rim anywhere? Something like 622x22 maybe? It might be on the rim label. Let us know what that is, and maybe we can advise on narrower tires for you. Of course, you will need smaller tubes, too.
Regards,
Raymond

as is mentioned above, aerodynamics become key as speeds increase. that means bars that drop you into a more aerodynamic position. road bars are ideal because you can ride on the brake hoods for comfort and on the drops for speed.

also, look for road tires that are rated for 100 psi or greater. these will also help.

you might also want to rethink slightly your philosophy of not spending money. i'm not a big spender either, but like most things in life, the good stuff generally can't be had at bargain basement prices.

Yes, you were right about the sizes. Unfortunately my rims say only "700c" but no width requirement. The tires currently in use are 44mm wide, and the 630mm spare tire I have (which you say is too large?) is 32mm wide. Too bad I can't use that. I guess I'll have to give it away. So now how would I find out what kind of tires I need? And what would be a good price for a tire?

On the flat (with a road bike), I cruise at about 19 - 22 mph. Sprinting I can get up to almost 30. On a slight downhill or the wind at my back, I can cruise above 25 mph.

Road bars help a lot with not only the aerodynamics, but also with control, though it may be hard to put road drop bars on a hybrid.

700c and 27 inch are two separate standards for bike tires, one cannot be used in place of the other. If your wheels say 700c, then your replacement tire must also be 700c. For your hybrid, if you can switch to 700c X 25-28 size tires with a psi rating of 90 to 100 psi, you may go a bit faster. The best thing you can do is to get slicks. On the road, there is no disadvantage traction wise (they are actually a bit better than knobbies). There is a large impact efficiency wise.

Hi joelr. I see you are from Philly. If you are trying to stay on the cheap side you need to check around at the flea markets or goodwill/thrift stores in the area. I picked up an old ross just the other day for 10.00. I put the drop bars and the old style brake levers on a MTB that I use to commute with. Had to file the ends down so the cable would work though. If your handy theres no telling what you can do. The commuter MTB is a cheapo I picked up for almost nothing. I see them all the time at yard sales and such. Just measure what you have now and then check them out when you see them. I might have some that might fit but I will have to check in my storage unit. Check back later and Ill let you know if I have anything.
Andrew:)

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1085&brand=&sku=7329&storetype=&estoreid=

I saw a poster here say something about those lame-os who think 25mph is fast on the flat.

There are very few people that can hold 25mph solo for an hour or more. In a group, on flat smooth roads it is easy. Most people would be happy to hold 22mph/35kph for an hour, so don't beat yourself up over what one person claimed to be lame.

You have to question when someone claims a certain speed, was it in a group, was there a stiff tailwind, was it flat, was it downhill, how long did they hold that speed? etc.

For most people 25mph is easily attainable for short bursts.

CHEERS.

Mark

You are complaining that you can't go over 20 mph on the flats. Do you mean top speed as indicated by your spedometer, or average speed?

I'm not a fast rider and I always tend to carry the kitchen sink. Still, riding at 28-30 km/h (18-20 mph) is fairly easy... if I consider the reading I get on the cyclometer. However, even while riding at such a speed, my real average speed is somewhat closer to 20 km/h (12 mph); in other words, in 1 hour (real time), I travel approximately 20 km, considering traffic slowdowns, red lights, etc. And that's on mostly flat territory.

Regards,

Road bikes make it SIGNIFICANTLY easier to go 20+ compared to a hybrid, which is still yet faster than a mtn bike. The difference is not trivial - I can hold 24mph for an hour solo on FLAT course on a road bike, yet on a mtn bike, I'd be only 20-21mph solo (which is maxxing out the gearing on my mtn bike, anyway.)

If you want max road speeds, you will need a road bike. Even the strongest guys in our road racing club fall to the back and drop off the line when they bring mtn bikes to a road bike ride.

Being able to do 25 miles in an hour is a mark many cyclists work to attain and it takes dedicated training, the right bike, and lots of hours in the saddle.

The biggest obstacle to going faster on a more upright hybrid is wind resistance and that is a square of your speed... the difference in energy required to go from 20 to 25 is immense so this is why you can find lots of folks who can gold speeds in the 18-20 mph range but very few who can hold a speed of 24 mph.

You don't need an immense gear to go faster if you learn how to spin faster which requires increased aerobic ability... a back injury prevents me from really hammering or standing on the pedals so to go fast I have to spin faster than I used to which was already pretty fast.

I can maintain speeds pretty close to 40 kmh for good distances on my touring bike when it is unloaded but it is very aerodynamic and my aerobic capacity is excellent.

My hybrid is pretty aero but even when it had drop bars it wasn't capable of this.

Do I need a whole new bike or are there some major bottlenecks I can break through by replacing some parts on my hybrid or something?

As others have mentioned the bottleneck at higher speeds is wind resistance. Get into the most aerodynamic position possible. This will mean lowering the handlebars and maybe adding clip-on "aerobars" or switching to drop bars.

The next biggest drag would be if you have wide knobby tires.

Getting the rest of the way there is going to involve upgrades to the motor (you). Going from 20 mph to 25 mph when riding solo, is a huge leap. You are unlikely to get that 5 mph increase from going from a hybrid to a road bike. Maybe if you were hitting 20 mph on a heavy mountain bike with knobby tires...

It ain't so much the bike, as it is the engine.

You can go out and buy the lightest, slickest-geared racing bike there is, but at the end, it's still the same old you pedaling it. Your fitness and experience is what really makes you go faster.

Er, I doubt if the OP is listening, guys. He asked the question eight years ago and hasn't posted here for six.

it's the motor, not the bike.

Being more aero will help, but just a small amount.
Being lighter will help but just a small amount.

At 20 mph, and raising that to 25 takes about 50% more effort.
Thats why most can cruise at 18-20 but not at 25.

Improve your body, improve your pedal stroke,
improve your heart and lungs.

Then you will get quicker, not fast but you will improve at a slow rate.

Er, I doubt if the OP is listening, guys. He asked the question eight years ago and hasn't posted here for six.

I'm sure he's been lurking and waiting for somebody to post a website like the spammer did. Now the post is gone and the OP might have to wait another 6 years.

Tragic.

65er .. +1,
If you move to a planet with no atmosphere, you could go really fast.
above a modest speed most of the work being done is overcoming air resistance.

aerodynamic streamlined HPVs are trying for 85mph this year..

Being able to do 25 miles in an hour is a mark many cyclists work to attain and it takes dedicated training, the right bike, and lots of hours in the saddle.

The biggest obstacle to going faster on a more upright hybrid is wind resistance and that is a square of your speed... the difference in energy required to go from 20 to 25 is immense so this is why you can find lots of folks who can gold speeds in the 18-20 mph range but very few who can hold a speed of 24 mph.


It's worse than that: the *force* of wind resistance is the square of speed, but the amount of *energy* needed per second is the *cube*. Sustaining 25mph for an hour is an adequate performance amateur time trials rider in good conditions on a TT specific bike - not an everyday speed even, but a race day one.

You can start with this zero-cost step:

http://www.midnightcentury.com/supercruise.jpg

I hold the official and unofficial course records for our local Midnight Century (about 60/40 pavement/gravel), and set all of them on this bike:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff237/mechBgon/Stumpy.jpg

Sustained cruise at 22-23mph? Yes, with the supercruise position. It really helps with the aerodynamics on flat-bar bikes. One of the guys drafting me finally asked when I was going to pull off and hand over the lead, and I was like, "uhhhh... maybe in an hour?"

You guys are in really great shape. I can't even imagine doing 25 mph on my hybrid except going down hill. Bear in mind that I am not a hardcore cyclist and I need to lose 30-40 pounds so I am a heavy 200# cyclist.

I average 16 mph during my 16 mile commute. It takes about an hour. Sometimes a little more: sometimes a little less. This includes waiting at a number of traffic lights.

On the bike trail with no stops and a very flat surface, I usually cruise at 18-20 mph. When I am coming down the "home stretch" which is a 5 lane road with a sound wall that blocks the wind, I can maintain 21-22 mph for the 2 miles of that part of my trip.

What I did was:
1. removed the saddle bags -- less weight and wind resistance
2. replace my rear wheel -- it had a flat spot in it
3. replace my knobby 27 X 1 3/8" tires with smooth 27 X 1 1/4" tires
4. added an aero bar to the bike -- this made a 2-4 mph difference. In the upright position, I can cruise at 18 mph at best. Adding this bar allowed me to get to 20-22 mph.
5. removed all excess stuff so that I am only carry a multi-tool, spare inner tube, pump and small cresent wrench. All other items are dropped off on days that I drive to work including lunch, cloths, towl, de-odorant, etc.
6. I wear bicycling clothing -- this cuts down on wind resistance significantly. Flopping cloths slow you down.

This thread is 8 years old --

It's worse than that: the *force* of wind resistance is the square of speed, but the amount of *energy* needed per second is the *cube*. Sustaining 25mph for an hour is an adequate performance amateur time trials rider in good conditions on a TT specific bike - not an everyday speed even, but a race day one.

I have done 25 miles in an hour on a straight up road bike and on my vintage fixed gear... just like guys used to do back in the 50's.

Must have been the engine.

How to ride faster?

The little voice in my head that sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger sometimes tells me, "You ah slo'. Pedal fastah!"

Being able to do 25 miles in an hour is a mark many cyclists work to attain and it takes dedicated training, the right bike, and lots of hours in the saddle.

+1

If you can hold 20 for any length of time on your hybrid, good on ya. Commutes on my road bike(s) are usually 19-21mph on average. My high speed each day might be 25-27 as I try to either keep up with traffic, or make it to the next traffic signal before being overtaken ( I basically run all the red lights I can to ride in the "gaps" in traffic created by traffic signals ). If I catch the lights just right I can cover three or four miles on a busy street without being overtaken by a single motor vehicle.

Also, if you can maintain 20+mph, it becomes almost impossible for a motorist overtaking you to right-hook you.

If you get a road bike, and find that you can cruise at 25mph regularly, I will award you a "Bad- @$$" commuter badge myself. I wish I could do it.

Yes, it does start with the engine, but to really get the best speed out of the engine you have to put it in the fastest possible chassis....

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/cyclaholic_album/nocomside.jpg

... on my commuter lowracer 'bent with rack & trunk bag, loaded up in commuting mode, I dawdle along at 20mph and a bit of effort sees me cruise at 25 - 30mph. On a NoComm (pictured) I can do 35 - 40mph with the same effort. I'm not an especially strong rider either - I struggle to average 20mph on my roadie.

It's the engine, but it's not just the engine.... a formula one engine is useless in a cadillac but reaches its full potential in a formula one chassis.

This thread is 8 years old --

LOL relax man, everyone knows the OP posted this 8 years ago. The topic is still interesting to many of us

Yes, it does start with the engine, but to really get the best speed out of the engine you have to put it in the fastest possible chassis....

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/cyclaholic_album/nocomside.jpg

... on my commuter lowracer 'bent with rack & trunk bag, loaded up in commuting mode, I dawdle along at 20mph and a bit of effort sees me cruise at 25 - 30mph. On a NoComm (pictured) I can do 35 - 40mph with the same effort. I'm not an especially strong rider either - I struggle to average 20mph on my roadie.

It's the engine, but it's not just the engine.... a formula one engine is useless in a cadillac but reaches its full potential in a formula one chassis.

Just seems weird on that NoComm that they don't put some sort of fairing around the crank/pedals.

Getting correct leg extension is one way to speed things up if you are not doing that already. I am am always amazed at how I feel so much stronger and faster when I have gotten back into riding or on a different bike I haven't set up yet and move that saddle up higher.