Modifications for my Raleigh Venture 3.0...any ideas?
 

Hi all!

This is probably going to seem like a strange topic--might even aggravate some of you ;)

I recently purchased a Raleigh Venture 3.0. I intend to commute with the bike (~4 miles RT) and take it out on joyrides around the neighborhood and on the many local greenways. I outfitted it with fenders and a rack and have been riding the heck out of it.

At first, I absolutely loved it--the upright geometry is very comfortable, especially when carrying a backpack (which I chose over a messenger bag, as backpacks are so much more comfortable while walking around). I also love the cushiness of the seat. The ride is super-smooth and the bike seems to be VERY stable (which is a plus for me while riding in traffic).

What I am noticing, however, is that the bike seems to be VERY slow. I know the bike is not intended to be a speed demon but I didn't realize that it would be so much slower than every other bike I have ever had (even slower than my last cruiser). Until I am going downhill, I feel like I am wearing lead in my backpack. I am not in the greatest of shape and am working on my endurance, but I really feel as though it might be the fact that the bike is so heavy. What can I do in the way of modifications that can help make the bike a bit faster. Obviously, I am totally stuck with the 26" wheels (which I tend to prefer anyway b/c I am pretty darn short)--is there anything I can do with the handlebar positioning or some other part of the bike or even the way that I am riding it? It just seems as though there would be something I could do, considering the fact that the frame is totally an aluminum mtb frame.

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

1) Higher pressure (80 psi) slick tires
2) Lock out your front suspension
3) Lock out/Remove seatpost suspension
4) Flip your riser bars to get a more aggressive position but then you might as well ride a road bike.

Get a bungee net, and use it to hold your backpack on the rack. It may not *seem* like it, but it takes a fair bit of core strength to handle a backpack on a bike. Moving the weight to a rack makes it easier to pedal and maintain a good body position. I will need to start in a lowish gear if the bike is loaded, or my knees get mad at me. But once I'm going, I can really *see* the difference, since I can spin a higher gear if the load is on my rack. If it's on my back, I'll struggle along a good 2-3 gears lower in the back.

If I'm feeling slow, I check my tire pressure. Odds are, it's not me being slow, it's that my tires need air. (hrm, that reminds me, need to air my tires today)

Also, on a longer ride, I'll start getting slow if I'm bonking. My body needs food, and if it doesn't get it, it lets me *know*. So I make sure to eat. Since I always have water on my bike, I usually don't forget to drink. On the rare times where I've forgotten water, not drinking has made me very slow too.

Usually, the problem isn't my bike, it's the engine.

That said, smooth tires are faster than knobby ones. Suspension makes hill climbing more annoying than I could have imagined. It may be possible to swap some parts out for lighter ones, tho it's probably best to wear some stuff out before doing swaps *g*.

Torrilin, I hear you on the wait-until-your-stuff-wears-out-before-replacing philosophy--I hold that as my own--that is one reason that I am not running out to buy a more, road-savvy bike (not to mention huge budget restraints--ahhh, the joy of graduate school).

Thanks, both of you, for your advice. I have been looking into slick tires. I am FAR from mechanically inclined, however, and know that I would want to switch them out to ride the greenways, which toggle between paved and unpaved stretches--I would have to find someone willing to teach me (in a hands-on fashion--I hate reading directions and then trying to do anything mechanical like that for some reason) how to change tires. But I guess I need to learn that anyway :p In any case, I need to do some experimentation to determine my ideal psi. I think my current tires will be okay if I find the perfect pressure (it will probably be close to the max, which I think is 60psi).

As far as the weight and awkwardness of the backpack, I will look into that for sure. I have a Kettler rear basket that I use to do light shopping and carry my laptop from home to the coffee house, that would do nicely for my backpack--I also have a cargo net that would do the trick.

Any other advice is welcome. Thanks again!

Do you know how to fix a flat? Cause changing a tire is the exact same thing, except you switch out the tire instead of the tube.

And if you don't know how to fix a flat, you're in trouble...

Try raising your seat and like somebody else said double check your tire pressure. A low seat and low tire pressure can make you work a lot harder than you need to.