stryker007

Hi guys new here, go easy
At the ripe old age of 42 i thought i would get myself a mountain bike to get fit. Well before i even rode it my mate suggested entering a "mini" sprint triathlon. So being a competative soul i agreed. Well i have been out twice on the road, flat pedals and knobblies. I have done 7 miles at 12 mph pace on a hilly route. Now i'm thinking i should really get more of an advantage so bought some shimano SPDs and ordered some 195 slicks. I will no doubt get a road bike within a couple of weeks because i want to win!!
Any idea what advantage i will get with clipless and slicks over flat pedals and knobblies, and also if i progress to a road bike what sort of times equivilent to my current times? I know it's like how longs a piece of string but i have asked anyhow.
Cheers and i look forward to getting stuck into this forum......

Machka 

You might get a speed increase of maybe 1-2 km/h ... not much.

The best way to increase speed is to ride lots. Do long rides, do short rides. Do fast rides. Do intervals. And do slow recovery rides.

BarracksSi

A road bike is almost sure to be more comfortable over 70 miles (7 is just a warmup) simply due to weight distribution and the variety of hand positions.

Faster? You "want to win"? Forget it -- there's always someone faster than you.

stryker007

Oh how defeatist! They wont be as fast as me in the swim or the run. ;-)

CNY James

somebody has to win. with that in mind, there is not always somebody faster than you. granted, a new rider is unlikely to win...

stryker007

Its a mini sprint tri for novices. were all in the same boat. i will win my group class

elcruxio

by switching from the kona dr dew to a specialized crux comp my average speed rose by 6km/h from 23 to 29km/h. Probably has a lot to do with geometry, riding position (I feel stronger on the crux) and the lighter rims. Tyres i kept the same for now. We shall see how fast I will be when i switch from these 600 gram monstroys 37mm contis to some 200 gram race tyres.

But yeah, Keep on riding and do lots of it. I don't go with all this interval hifi recovery ride thing. I just ride as much as I can, as fast as I can and as far as I can. But then again at your age a proper training program might not be a bad idea. As you have certain goals and all that.

stryker007

Big day tomorrow. Got myself a road bike. Averaging 17mp on comfortable longish runs. Done a couple of TTs, 18.5 mph on a hilly 10 miler and 19.5 mph on a flat 10 miler. Tomorrow is 8 miles on a flat but winding course.

Looking to do 20mph average tomorrow.

I WILL win... :-)