Originally Posted by
Hamzee
I have a Cannondale F2 MTB from 2020. I had ridden it for two years, mainly on paved trails. Got off the bike with (kids, wife, life). Now getting back into riding. I shoot for 80-100 miles a week. I can Avg about 14MPH, but it takes a lot of effort (more than I remember). Before, I would meander off the paved trail and onto more rugged terrain. Now, I rarely (if ever) leave the pavement.
Is there any advantage in switching to slick tires, or at least thinner hybrid tires? Should I look into a new bike? it is my main form of exercise as I can't run without getting excruciating back and hip pain.
There's a big difference between mtb tyres and slick tyres. Slicker tyres have much more less rolling resistance. Converting the existing bike is the cheapest way, but with different bike with different geometry gives the best advantage on paved trails. You don't need to have drop bar on your bike. Narrower gravel or cyclocross tyres give a chance to drive also on gravel roads without bigger risk of falling on tight turns. Even cheaper is to pump up the existing tyres to max pressure, that gives better rolling.You lose a bit of the grip, but that doesn't matter, if you're mainly driving on asphalt or hard packed gravel. If you have suspension fork with lock option, you can also use it.