Fifty Plus (50+) - slower bike--new chain?

I haven't been riding much this winter, but working out in a gym instead--so I am in shape.
But, according to my bike odometer--I am biking a little slower this spring.
I have about 2,500 miles on my bike. Could my chain be getting loose causing me to be a little slower?
Any other possible reasons?

:rolleyes:

:rolleyes:

:roflmao2:

Blame the bike if you want, but every single time I have the problem, it's the motor.

All kidding aside, if you haven't checked for chain stretch for 2,500 miles, you should.

Think you have it bad? Every winter my rides pick up so many extra molecules they get heavy. It takes weeks of riding to shake them back into shape.

Well someone has to give you a snark-free answer around here.

No. It's not a chain issue.

You might have a chain issue if your bike shifts poorly, or shifts when you don't want it to.

You might also have a silent chain issue where it needs to be replaced and it is grinding down the cassette and maybe chainring.

You could spend $35 or so and get a Park chainwear indicator and replace the chain when it measures 0.75.

Or you could get a $0.75 ruler and measure it out but I forgot how to do that because I spent $35 on the chainwear indicator.

The reason you are eliciting chuckles is that, with the possible exception of the hard-core roadies around here, most of us notice our bikes are going slower in the Spring than they did in the Fall.

Usually the chain is not the issue.

I'd say definitely the chain coupled with the Bottom Bracket and the wheel bearings. A winters lay off and the grease has gone solid and it will have to be loosened up by riding- Should take a couple of Century rides or 5 minutes at a cadence of 150.---NO--- make that 15 minutes- 5 Minutes won't even get the HR up.

Well someone has to give you a snark-free answer around here.

No. It's not a chain issue.

You might have a chain issue if your bike shifts poorly, or shifts when you don't want it to.

You might also have a silent chain issue where it needs to be replaced and it is grinding down the cassette and maybe chainring.

You could spend $35 or so and get a Park chainwear indicator and replace the chain when it measures 0.75.

Or you could get a $0.75 ruler and measure it out but I forgot how to do that because I spent $35 on the chainwear indicator.

The reason you are eliciting chuckles is that, with the possible exception of the hard-core roadies around here, most of us notice our bikes are going slower in the Spring than they did in the Fall.

Usually the chain is not the issue.

I got a little chain gauge that measures chain wear. It measures stretch at .75% (getting bad but still some life) and 1% (time to dump it). It costs under $10. It is very easy to use and has no moving parts. It is a great little maintenance tool.

That thing is that a stretched chain will not affect your performance unless it is so bad that you are missing gear shifts and getting chain skipping. Both of those problems are pretty obvious.

Another thing, if you run a worn chain, it will wear your rear cluster. Since rear clusters cost about 4X the chain, it is best to change the chain to save your cluster. If you do that, you will greatly extend the life of your rear cluster. Also chain life can be extended by cleaning your drive train and chain regularly. It is the dirt acting as an abrasive that wears your chain.

Yeah,i use the old chain excuse all the time.:innocent:

I haven't been riding much this winter, but working out in a gym instead--so I am in shape.
But, according to my bike odometer--I am biking a little slower this spring.
I have about 2,500 miles on my bike. Could my chain be getting loose causing me to be a little slower?
Any other possible reasons?

All kidding aside, your gym work may have you in good general shape, but that won't immediately translate to matching your previous speed on the bike until you get some time in the saddle. You will most likely get there quicker than if you had been inactive, but you will still need to get in bike shape, not just in shape.

Not to say it is impossible that there are mechanical problems with your bike contributing to your lost speed, but your chain would be in the same condition it was when you stopped riding last fall.

As Weak Link (and others) have implied, it's common to find yourself going a little slower in early spring than you remember going last summer/fall. If you read articles/threads on training with power, you'll see that athletes may increase power output 10% or more as they get into their cycling season. This is an improvement in strength and stamina that may only last a few weeks (the peak) and then decline or plateau.

The science I don't know well enough to explain, but the upshot seems to be this: when you ride less, your speed will drop; ride more and your speed will increase. Don't worry too much -- just go out and enjoy being on the bike.

And yes, 2500 miles is a good time to check your chain. :D

I like a good clean chain, but if you have been working out this winter your body is getting used to a change in working out. As soon as the body gets used to pedaling instead of pushing weights, I'm betting you will see steady improvement. Check the tire pressure as well. That's always my reason for a slow ride, dang tubes are leaking!

If this didn't happen you probably don't belong in this forum.

I'm gonna be 57 in a few days and if I don't ride for a week I get slower. Heck I could ride all week and get slower.

But then again you might need a new battery in your computer.

Here's a suggestion. If you set your computer to kilometers you'll go almost 40% faster. Think about it. You can do a century in about 62 miles!

It's not your chain! No sir. The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind...

It's happening to all of us! Blame it on Global Warming!

Think about it. The higher one goes above sea level, the thinner the air gets. So the closer you are to sea level the denser the air gets. With the sea levels rising , so too the denser air is rising. We are all struggling to maintain our previous performance against a thicker mass of air, and it just gets worse every year!

Woe is me, we're all doomed.

It's not your chain! No sir. The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind...

It's happening to all of us! Blame it on Global Warming!

Think about it. The higher one goes above sea level, the thinner the air gets. So the closer you are to sea level the denser the air gets. With the sea levels rising , so too the denser air is rising. We are all struggling to maintain our previous performance against a thicker mass of air, and it just gets worse every year!

Woe is me, we're all doomed.

Lenny,

Not sure I follow that logic. Since teh sea level is rising the air mass has to cover a larger volume since the diameter of the diameter of the earth has increased where mean 0 sea level is. Therefore the same amount of air is spanning a larger volume thus making it less dense. In addition, since global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels which consumes oxygen in the air converting it to water vapor which condenses to water as well as CO2 and other gasses the atmosphere is actually getting thinner. I think the real issue here is that the rider must get use to the thinner air each spring much like an athlete would as he ties to go from low elevation to high elevation. I do agree that we are all doomed though.