Originally Posted by
Osama_momen
Thank you all for the recommendations. The issue I have is that I try to ride with one of the Strava clubs and almost everyone has a road bike and I'm having trouble keeping up. When I posted the thread I had imagined I would get recommendations to increase/modify the gearing but it sounds like it is more my fitness level more than anything. According to the Strava app I averaged 11.43 mph and I got left behind. It seems that others were averaging 15 mph + cruising speed, although admittedly a good portion of the ride was up wind.
So my next questions are:
1- Where would I be able to get a drop bar that won't get in the way of me folding the bike? Any suggested brand?
2- What are flipped-over riser bar? are these better/more comfortable than the drop bars?
3- On cars, one would find the suggested tire pressure stamped on the driver door. Where would I find the suggested air pressure on my bike? what if I change the tires at some point? is there a rule of thumb?
4- I bought a cloud 9 comfort saddle. Would this get in the way of me picking up speed? I have not installed it yet.
5- And one last one: With the factory setup, would I be able to get up to 20 mph speed on my vigor without maxing out the gears and wiouth vigorously peddling?
Finally, thank you all. This is a great community and very happy to find people like you taking to guide beginners like me. The tips and the tone is very constructive. Great mentorship. You guys are awesome!!
Have a great day
~12 mph is in the 50 gear inch range for me. My 88 gi top gear (someone mentioned yours is ~90 gi?) can cruise comfortably in the 23-24mph range, but I don't have the power to drive that except downhill. I don't think gearing is your problem.
For quick fixes, get toe clips or MKS pedals/clipless system and use stiff cycling shoes for improved efficiency and cadence. Wind force is proportional to the square of speed (eg, doubling your pace requires 4x the power to overcome air resistance) and is going to be, by far, your greatest impediment as you get into the teens mph. Lower your bars to rock bottom and position your hands together tight in near the stem (fists only an inch or two apart - no brakes though), keep elbows/knees in, and make a bullet of your upper body. Wear skin tight Lycra. Draft stronger riders in the group.
In the end, however, power is power and as many alluded to, you simply need to train get your legs/lungs in shape... unfortunately, no easy way around this one - it's a slow and tough process.... and frankly, never ending. For example, even if the clipless and aero suggestions can immediately bump you from 11.4 to 13 avg, you will still need to DOUBLE your power output get to an 18.33 mph avg (wind force square rule).