Originally Posted by
Sixty Fiver
My folder usually hits the road at 35-40 pounds when I add the daily gear and when I was commuting 30 miles (one way) my rolling time was usually under 2 hours... this was the same speed I would see on my touring bike and touring worthy hybrid over shorter trips. Both curbed out at around the same weight and have similar aerodynamics.
The same trip on my road bikes is a little quicker by virtue of even better aerodynamics and and taller gearing to exploit that... this is what you need to take you past that 30kmh / 18 mph wall.
Most fit riders can manage 17 - 18mph on any decent bike, getting past that requires a lot more dedication and being able to ride 25 miles in an hour puts one in rarer company... the energy required to go from a speed of 17 to 25 mph requires almost twice the energy to overcome wind resistance.
I was just looking at your green '54 Raleigh. Boy does that bring back some fond memories. Did you change that to a single speed by any chance because I didn't notice a shifter on board? I'm almost positive that it would have come stock with a 3-speed SA hub. You have it looking mighty nice.
Sorry that this is off topic guys.
Edit: I did find your shifter. I had to look a little closer as you have mounted it below the rear (right) brake lever. Or are you using the right lever for the front beak -- hard to tell from the photo.