chingon77

So i've been traversing the streets on my new kona dew. Its my first bike purchase ever and bought the thing based on my budget. So far i've enjoyed commuting around doing daily errands around the hood. I pedal about 14 miles per trip as i make sure to take the extra long routes to the corner liquor store. There was something i was noticing the other day. While i was struggling through a 4 mile stretch. i kept getting smoked by gray haired roadies in tights. I noticed they were barely pedaling to pass me. After the 5th roady smoked me i was a little annoyed because i new i'm pretty slow but damn they didn't have to rub it in. I plan on riding every were as much as possible and straying from driving my car. I've been riding for about 2 weeks and lately i've been wondering if i should have picked up a road/touring bike instead because i see the roadies getting around town quicker. As much as i like cruising I wouldn't mind getting from point A to point B a lot quicker like these guys do. I'm sort of getting buyers remorse but i know its mainly because i'm not conditioned and don't really have the pedal power to haul ass like everyone else because I've only been riding for 2 weeks.
So my question is......My Kona came with tires that are sort of knobby. Would it make much of a different if i threw some slicks on it with the hopes of having less tire resistance which may increase my speed a little?

tjspiel

Do your current tires have a flat portion that runs down the center? If so then slicks may not make that much difference although if they're lighter that'll help some. A narrower tire will help as well.

14 miles for somebody who's just started riding is a pretty good distance, we're you just tired when the roadies came by? Were you going uphill or into a headwind? The bike probably make some difference but it could be that they're just really strong riders, - gray haired or not.

Here's something I discovered. I'm not a speed demon by any means but I got faster by... riding faster.

Ok, maybe that seems obvious but what I mean is that I go all out for some distance, - probably not 14 miles. Maybe take some shorter trips once in awhile and just go really hard or split your 14 mile ride into portions so that you take it easy for parts of the way and ride hard on other parts. Even if you don't go all out but just concentrate on going faster than you normally would, over time you'll find it easier to maintain that pace.

Going longer distances at a slow pace just trains your body to be able to go long distances at a slow pace. Nothing wrong with that, but if you want to go faster, you've got to practice riding faster.

That being said, any roadie worth their salt is going to smoke me if I'm riding my knobby equipped mountain bike. Some bikes are geared more toward speed than others. Regardless, before worrying about whether you got the wrong bike or not, just keep riding for awhile and you'll figure out what's most important to you.

Good luck.

relyt

Thin slick tires will make a big difference. So will practice. You will get faster.

jzamor

It does depend on the tires you have, but I wouldn't expect a drastic increase in your average speed just by swapping tires. That said though, never underestimate the value of a good set of tires

Also, if you haven't already, I'd recommend checking out Sheldon Brown's site:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/

Specifically check out his advice on proper seat positioning. A low saddle is often to blame for not having enough power.

Good luck.

chingon77

tjspiel
My tires sort of have a flat portion down the center with the knobbyness towards the outside.
Yes i was tired when the roadies came by, also my sitbones were in pain as i'm trying to dial in my saddle so i was riding so slow i probably could have got off and walked faster. lol.. I was riding against a headwind and going up a very slight incline. But even when i'm not tired i still find myself getting smoked.
Riding faster.......man why didn't i think of that. lol. I will start doing that and build up my endurance and speed. Maybe sprint my butt off on the 1-3mile commutes.

jzamor
I did go on sheldon's site and checked out the saddle page. After that i raised my seat about 3-4 inches and it made a big difference. My legs didn't burn like crazy and was able to gain a few mph's.

thanks people.

elfich

If you have just picked up biking again and said grey hairs have been at it for years, of course they are going to be faster. they have experience, endurance and strength on their side. The only way to 'compete' with that is to bike more.

chephy

Good for you! Glad you're enjoying your conversion to a bike commuter.

They're not rubbing anything in; just going their own pace. It never bothers me when it happens to me, especially if I'm on my "city" bike running errands. That bike is no match for their speed machines, and I'm not out for a race anyway, I ride to get places and have fun while doing so.

The type of bike does make some difference, but it's primarily the engine. Don't get discourage, keep riding, you'll get faster. And yes, you can make the bike itself faster too.

Yes, especially if they're narrow, light, high-pressure slicks. As far as bike mods go, this would probably be the biggest (not to mention most cost-effective) upgrade that increases your efficiency.

The saddle height is a HUGE factor. You'll never be fast if your saddle is in the wrong position. You've been riding 14 miles every day with a saddle too low?? God, that's must've been a royal pain! If you're tough enough to have persevered through THAT, you will get faster, not to worry!

envane

My knees hurt just thinking about that.

texasphil

1: Tire pressure (higher is better)
2: Tire width and surface (smoother is better, skinnier is better)
3: Use higher gears (I cannot stress this enough, I see people all the time pedaling there butts off going nowhere because they're in the wrong gear)

no1mad 

[
[/B]jzamor
I did go on sheldon's site and checked out the saddle page. After that i raised my seat about 3-4 inches and it made a big difference. My legs didn't burn like crazy and was able to gain a few mph's.

thanks people.
[/QUOTE]

Good God, man! The LBS actually let you hit the street w/o properly fitting the bike to you?? Methinks that you did good on the bike, but not-so-much on the LBS...

ECDkeys

I get smoked by grey-hairs on road bikes all the time, and I consider myself pretty fit. One guy who could have been my father whizzed past me, leaving me a glimpse of his chiseled rock solid calves, a physique I hope to have when I'm his age.

Getting smoked by roadies is no big deal. Enjoy your new bike, keep at it, and one day you'll be a grey-haired roadie making all the young 'uns envious.

chingon77

More riding is what i must do. Cant wait
yea the saddle height was a big problem until i wondered why the hell my legs were on fire. I think i'm going to pay a visit to the LBS and give them some hell about not fitting me properly. Which also gives me an excuse for some more riding.

chingon77

You folks got me thinking about the LBS not really checking out my Seat height. Now i'm wondering if they even sold me the right frame size. The sales person kind of just eyeballed me on it for a second and said its fine. I'm 6'1'' with a 31'' inseam and they sold me a 54 frame. Anybody have any idea if thats ok?

ok_commuter

It all depends on how Kona measures and what that measurement means... but in terms of "traditional" measurements, I'm 6'1 and I ride a 56 or 58 (depending on top tube length, but I have silly long arms), but I also have a slightly longer inseam than you. One size small might be fine (or even best) if the seat height and reach feel correct. I highly recommend getting a competent bike fitter to look at it...

EDIT: what I mean by "how Kona measures"... I just bought a Salsa and the frame I got was what they call "53", which translates to "traditional" 56...

DataJunkie

Cycling is a sport that one can keep hauling arse as you age.
Age means just about nothing.

chingon77

Ok. Well now i have to find a competent bike fitter in the pasadena,ca area

chingon77

Which was brought to my attention the other day.
The only arse i'm hauling right now is my out of shape arse.

m_yates

I'm 6'1" and have a 58cm frame, but I fitted myself....The most common mistake people make is setting the seat too low. You want the seat as high as possible without swiveling your hips while riding. If your seat has been set too low, raising it will make your bike feel like it weighs 10 pounds less, and you will be able to go faster easier.

chingon77

Yes i just learned how important seat height is the other day when i raised it 3-4 inches. I'm still trying to figure out how much higher i need to go though so i'm still tweaking.

Bill Kapaun

Get up some speed and then place your HEELS on the pedals and pedal.
You should be able to fully extend your legs, WITHOUT rocking the hips.
Since you use the ball of your foot for actual riding, that will get you extremely close.

Ngchen

All true, except that you actually go slower in a higher gear if it's too high. Thing to aim for is a decent cadence (something like 70-90 rpm). The way I see it, the gear is right if each stroke has just enough resistance in it (your energy IS mainly propelling the bike, rather than moving your legs up and down).

starla

The frame might be the right size. I'm 5'8" with a 31" inseam and I'm on a 54cm.

chingon77

I shot a email to kona and the person over there said the frame may be a bit small. He said i should be riding a 60cm

chingon77

oh yea, would my feet occasionally hitting the front tire when i turn be an indication of a small bike frame? I don't have massive feet, size 11.