Originally Posted by
RMoudatir
I just rode about 45 miles this morning with a 48 16 single speed, T shirt, regular shorts, and regular shoes. Will clipless pedals, clipless shoes, cycling shorts, jersey and multi gearing make a difference in terms of speed. I did about 15 mph avg for the ride, how much difference would having all that equipment make? Will my speed go up with the same effort or will it stay the same? I found climbing up hills very tough, at 8% grade I was pedaling at 25 cadence.
Your speed is average and normal for a newbie riding a SS...Your cadence will never be the same on a SS bike as on a multi geared bike. It's perfectly normal for cadence to be very slow when climbing hills on a SS...Hill climbing on SS or FG has a lot to do with a technique, the more your practice the better you become.
Foot retention such as clipless or toeclips with straps will make climbing a little easier and make pedalling more efficient. Padded shorts makes your ride more comfortable. Just enjoy your ride and stop obsessing too much about speed.