danielhaden

Thanks for the chart! I do appreciate that.

A chart from the world of sports cannot be valid when used for a defective bicycle.

I am aware of this research. It is highly reliant on stereotyped application, still leaving enough varieties of road conditions so that every tire on the chart could be optimum at some time.
THIS WAS NOT THE POINT! Good grief! Apologies--exasperated.

The point began with a certain road bike that didn't want to climb up into the 20 MPH range without great effort.


That thing is defective, or it is too small.


The point is that this can usually be compensated or diagnosed with a tire that has a better response to the problems of the bike.


The particular super-slow road bike in question, is either suffering from "hammering" or its speedometer is unreliable. I should have asked about the speedometer first. My apologies! One should now assume that the derailer isn't friction-prone and that the brakes aren't dragging. . .but maybe I should ask!

For a bike suffering from hammering, re-sizing or replacement is the appropriate course of action in competitive sport. It is rare for this to happen in combination with professional sports, because pro bikes are sized correctly by a team. Bikes that "hammer" are usually aluminum weekend warriors, although I have seen one of the popular steel Surly frames hammer even though the frame flexed enough to keep it a secret until it was tested.

Now that we may be on the same page. . .

Diagnosing a hammering condition is made easy by putting an extremely supple tire on the front (Pasela). If there is an instant and very surprising boost of speed, then re-sizing or replacement is indicated. However, the weekend warrior may choose to leave the supple tire in place and gladly accept the speed boost.

Dannihilator

Get a road bike.

danielhaden

I have some.

Which one, in particular, do you recommend?

I'm curious.


Although the point of this thread is all about getting a very different sensation and very different feature set while still going fast. Admittedly, not quite as fast, except for that one guy. . .and maybe he's incredibly strong. I'll need to duplicate the equipment and ride it to find out.

On every conversation of speed, the recommendations are all road bikes even though fast recombents and the speediest version of the Dutch bike both have a good chance at winning the endurance race. Maybe they're all out riding while we're here talking about it? I wonder about that. Where are those guys? Or it could be that the road bike is just the easiest way to get speedy.

I'm familar with the easy way. I'm not promoting any method above it.

But, I am looking for some fun variety.

Now it is time for some engineering fun.

willtsmith_nwi

Friend, I think you're trying to fundamentally misapply mountain biking. Mountain biking is NOT about riding on pavement (unless it is paved with irregularly shaped rocks). Mountain Biking is all about getting out in nature and overcoming poorly surfaced pathways (dirt, logs, choppy armoring, roots, etc...). Smooth pavement (even poorly done smooth pavement), kinda defeats the whole point.

If you want to ride hard on roads, I suggest a road bike, touring bike, or a recumbant. And BTW, a recumbant cyclist will whoop up on an upright road bike in an endurace event simply due to decreased wind resistance. That being said, most motorcycles would defeat a recumbant but you're comparing apples to oranges as many people just consider recumbant cycling lame just like they consider motorcycle endurance races lame. If the point is to be as fast as possible, everyone would be racing Indy cars on oval race tracks or rocket cars on dry lake beds.

Many MTB racers will put on slicks and ride their mountain bikes on road to put in "base miles" while retaining the MTB feel. This is simply a training exercise just like lifting weights. If the activity was for pure enjoyment, they'd be on their road bikes where pure speed (seated upright) is the name of the game.

There are probably millions of hours dedicated to making bicycles faster. They haven't yet come up with the "fat tires" are faster argument on pavement. I doubt you will either. Unless your local roads are paved with cobblestones, I really think you're barking up the wrong tree.

Chino Nacino

I donno, man. . . I think the purpose of MTB is to take bikes off-road, yes, but I don't see that taking a MTB on the road is in anyway "misapplying" a MTB. . . it is being ridden, right? It seems to me that the person who started this thread just wants to go fast on his MTB on the road. . . cool. . . esp if the bike is full suspension. . . you'd soak up ALL the feel of the road. . . that, in itself, is the complete opposite of some roadies who enjoy/need the feel of the road. . . anyway, maybe you should lace up some raod rims to MTB compatable hubs. . . or even better, 650 rims, MTN Hubs, and super skinny triathlon tubulars. . . that would be AWESOME b/c then you would have very very little rlling resistance (small diameter+skinny rubber+lower weight+high pressure)

nitroRoo

I only read about 1/2 of the posts here, but I have bontrager road warriors (1.5") on my commuter and regularly ride at 20+ mph. (I average 15-17mph on the way to work including stops)... I usually cruise at around 19mph. They are light and they are sticky, so you don't get as much of that inertia feeling, but they can accelerate and corner very nicely, which is what is important to me on my gauntlet of a commute.

Breitling

I've got Kenda Breakers on my 2003 Jamis Exile XC. I use them for commuting to class, and they are not only fast but they can take dirt/grass too. I've gotten up to 35 mph on them and usually cruise around 17 mph.

LowCel 

I have never seen a tire that could easily travel at a speed of 20 mph. I have seen riders that could but never a tire.