royalflash

I gave up trying to get my existing friends on two wheels so I decided it was time to find some new ones and went on a group ride with an MTB club. I really prefer road biking but I know that many of the members road bike as well and I like to keep an open mind anyway.

It was a real blast. If anyone knows Munich we went out on the trails that lead from the centre of Munich along the Isar-river to Schäftlarn. Its a really beautiful ride - through the trees with views across the valley with the river at the bottom.

I really need to get faster however. I am not so bad on the flats (just a bit slower) but going up steep hills I really suck. They were way faster than me. Maybe I am just to old (39)- maybe they get in more practice than I do- maybe I am just naturally unfit (like on the opposite end of the cycling scale to Lance)-maybe too heavy (95 kg)- maybe it is partly the bikes fault? (I didnt really build the bike to compete with immensely fast MTBrs).

I also snapped a chain for the first time. Luckily I had an SRAM power link with me so I just put that on and kept going.

Anyway I took the bike down to the LBS the next day and got them to swap the fork. The old Suntour boat anchor went into the parts bin and on went a Rock Shox Pilot. I also got some more aggressively treaded tyres fitted. There´s not much else I can do with the bike now without changing the frame.

Thats the easy bit. What do I need to do to keep up with these guys?- more miles?-more climbing?- how much and how often to make a difference?

At the moment I commute 22 km (edit thats total distance there and back) per weekday (35 mins each way) and cycle about 80 km on Sunday (average 25 km/hr).

Cornish_Rdr_UK

Are you commuting on the road bike or the mountain bike? It seems like your pretty well trained, it looks like you do enough hours on the bike..

Maybe the group was just Extremely fast, maybe your not used to mountainbike gears rather than road bike, there is a fair bit of difference.

royalflash

yeah that worried me a little- obviously when I commute I don´t hammer it like on a group ride but I was thinking how much time do I have to put in on the saddle before I can keep up with these guys. Surely they can´t be doing more than me.

Cornish_Rdr_UK

Well for me, riding to and fro school, and to and fro work, which is about 25 miles a week doesnt seem to get me any fitter, any faster or any stronger... mainly because i dont go flatout all the way, which i usually do on an xc ride or a freeride thing or something along those lines, also, if youve been riding a road bike, im not sure but you dont really mash the pedals do you? You spin higher cadences with less power in the stroke..

If this is right, this may be making a difference ( i think im completely wrong) because yo uare spinning higher, it makes your legs fitter so to speak, so lactic acid doesnt built up ass much and you will probably have more endurance, whereas most mtbers are mashing at some point on a ride, which bulks up the muscles in the legs, but doesnt make you quite as fit, but will probably make you faster..

royalflash

yes- now I think about it I probably avoid pedal mashing and try and go for a more sustainable higher cadence on the road bike.

Cornish_Rdr_UK

Oh right, well others will be able to tell you more, im not sure if what i said is totally right.

But you will need to get out on some tough climbs, high gears and general riding on the moutnain bike, and you'll find your fitness from road biking and strength from mountain biking will make you much faster

rt_hat

What I do to up my performance is commute to and from school. Once I get home, I switch bikes and ride for an hour or so, going all out uphill.

I find it really has helped a lot - now I can bike to school with little effort.

royalflash

hmmm I weighed the other members of the bike club and the fattest is 85 kg. Since I am 95 kg I think I am beginning to see where the problem lies....My bike is clearly way too heavy. In fact i need a bike that weighs lighter than air. Time to get some more carbon fibre I think.

dirtbikedude

Actually weight is not your problem (maybe mentally). I ride with a guy who uses a Giant BigHit and he is just as fast as the guys riding 25lb bikes (about 11kg) even on steep sustained climbs. He does however ride 5hrs daily. I would say you just need to get used to the mtb gears.

As for the other riders not riding more then you you should ask 'em. Some of them may ride two or three times more then you (at least on a mtb). Just keep at it and you will catch them.

Here is a thought, once in a while commute on your mtb and on the way home hit up a trail or two with some good climbs.

Slainte

royalflash

thanks for the encouragement- I think you are right- I have found a new route home that takes me along some nice trails along the side of the Isar river and through the Perlacher forest. It is about 30 km (rather than 11 km by the more direct route on the roads) and has a bit of climbing. I will try and do this on the way home as often as possible on my MTB.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. No cars just beautiful scenery and me and the bike.

C Law

I would try and ride with that group more often. As long as you do not get discouraged, you are going to push yourself harder when you ride, and that will force you to get faster.


You are about 40 years away from being too old.

stapfam

Hills are difficult, even for an experienced biker. They will not get any easier, but eventually they take less time to climb. In the group I ride with we have two rules- one of which is the first one to the top of the hill, gets cold waiting for the rest. Hills are where everyone takes their pace. some like to charge up them, others crawl up them. Take heart though in that the ones who charge, Can't do long distance riding. They are normally finished by 40 miles. Those more mature riders take it a bit easier, and some are older than your 39, can keep going for a lot longer. If you are not fit now- see how much you improve over the next 6 months and watch the weight come off as the body gets leaner.

Couple of tips though,(From one of the long distance riders) Tyre type and pressures will affect speed. I Use a tyre with a rounded profile and higher pressures than most of my group. This gives less drag, so improves rolling speed. I use a 1.8 in summer and 1.5 in winter. At your weight I would suggest a 1.95 and as summers coming on- not too aggressive a tread. The other is to keep hydrated on the ride. Newcomers do not realise that a slightly dehydrated body will tire quicker. Drink at least a bottle per hour and if possible more. Try an isotonic supplement in the drink aswell.

Other than keep going out riding with this group, if you still feel as though you need more speed, get out for a quick 15 miler midweek, or get down the gym to build the cardio vascular side of the body. All you need is practice- the fitness and speed will come.

Edit-- added reference cadence. Spinning or mashing does not make any difference on speed or eventual strength. Whatever cadence you now have is probably wrong. Most newcomers to mountain bikes do not spin fast enough- this means that knees and thighs will suffer. Straining these muscles can cause you problems. Plus the fact that offroad uphill does require a higher cadence than most people think. Power up a hill at a low cadence and hit that extra steep bit- Can't change gear or you don't have any more and the pressure on your quad muscles is tremendous. They will blow. Higher cadence, less pressure on the leg muscles easier on the legs, but you will breath harder. Get the cardio vascular training in, and you will be able to spin faster, and still breath, and that is when the hills get shorter.

royalflash

update- I went for a 40 km ride in the Alps again with the group yesterday- we went from a height of 679m to about 1300 m in 2.5 hours. It was a beautiful ride with amazing scenery.

It is definitely the weight that is the problem. On the flat I am as fast if not faster than many of the group. And my endurance on the flat is as good as the rest of the group. But on the hills I am just left for dead.

You just can't argue with the laws of physics and hauling 95 kg body weight up a mountain is just too much.

a2psyklnut

It very well may be your technique. Ask one of the faster, more knowledgable riders to watch you climb and give you suggestions on your body positioning and technique.

When climbing, are you seated or standing?

I live in Florida which doesn't have hardly any sustained climbing. Luckily I get to travel. I went riding with a friend in North Carolina and he smoked me up the climbs. Jokingly I said, "what do expect from a flatlander". He watched me climb, made a couple of slight changes and the next day I was able to keep up with him. Alright, keep him in sight at least. He loved to climb!

Stay seated. Move to the tip of your saddle. Bend forward at your hips, not your middle/lower back (keep your back almost straight). This will drop your shoulders toward the handlebar. Keep your elbows tucked back, not off to the side. As you climb imagine pulling the handlebars straight back toward your hips.

Another tip, when climbing, don't look too far up the hill. Focus closer to 5' in front of you. Just enough to pick your line. This limited field of vision will be an illusion to yourself and will make the climb not as steep. If you look up the hill, you'll psyche yourself out.

C Law

You are correct. At 210lbs. , it is tough to climb well. Unless, of course, you 210 with 5% bodyfat. And even then, you are still hauling those extra pounds up the hill. (See Miguel Indurain)

royalflash

thanks for the tips a2psyklnut- I'll try them out next time

serious

dirtbikedude: I ride with a guy who uses a Giant BigHit and he is just as fast as the guys riding 25lb bikes (about 11kg) even on steep sustained climbs.

Then the guys who ride 25lbs bikes suck!

As for royalflash, I do believe that 95kg is "the problem". Biking, like distance running, is mostly an aerobic activity which penalize big guys, even those in amazing shape. Don't worry about it, you're probably in better shape and most!

mrisis

a2psyklnut, (Don't mean to hijack the thread), I just noticed you are in Sarasota, I'm right down the road from you,(Bradenton), where do you hit the trails at?.