I have a stupid question. Totally new to road bikes. This weekend my husband and I bought some used road bikes. Both are fugis. My bike is really small looking. The frame is a 44cm and the tires are what makes it look so small. There like 650x23c. My husbands bike has noticable bigger wheels. Im not really sure what size they are though. We have always ridden together on our mountain bikes and Ive always been able to keep up with him pretty well. Well hes blowing me away bad now! Could it be because of my small wheels? To me it sounds logical but I know absolutely nothing about bikes. The bike does fit me nice and everything but if hes blowing me away simply because of the wheels I'll be looking for a different bike with bigger wheels. Any thoughts? Please be nice. ( I know I probably need to get into better shape but I hate being blown away)

If the bike fits, it's not the wheels. It MIGHT be the gearing, or it might be the "engine". Maybe hubby is pushing you a bit harder now.

Low Tire PSI ?
Brakes Dragging ?
Air up your tires before each ride.
What PSI are the tires rated at?
Have any Pics of the bikes?

The tires' pressure, section width, construction, and tread design matter. The bike's gearing is important, as is its weight. The tire diameter is of little significance by comparison.

seals and bad bearings could cause it. post pics of the bikes. if you're a tiny person then a tiny bike makes sense.

post pics of the both of you riding.

if they're old, replace the chain. lube your rear derailleur. if you can, repack the the bottom bracket.

First, I'd compare friction...with an old bike (or a mistreated newer one) its easily possible something on yours is sticking that isn't on his.

Then, I'd count gear-teeth on both bikes, and input the tire sizes and gear ratios on to a calculator (I think sheldonbrown.com has one or a link to one)
Its possible that along with the tire size there's some gear ratio differences that keep your bike from being ridden as fast.

Posture?

If you look up 650 size wheels on the world wide web, you'll find that you have bought a youth bike. NO, JUST KIDDING! Some folks, not just smaller men or women, like bikes built around that size wheel. A lot of tri bikes have 650's. I doubt the wheel size is a primary factor for your feeling slow.

Fill his tyres with water before your next ride.

I have read of several people who put these flat-resistant tires on their bikes and then complained about how much it slowed them down. Check your tire brand and type.

A friend of mine and his wife both had mountain bikes and were similar sized. I don't know that they had a difference in riding speeds, but one of the could coast noticeably faster or farther than the other when riding together, and they never did figure out what that was.

You can get the bearings too tight on wheels and bottom bearings (at least on some of them). That can cause some extra friction, but usually has a sort of gravelly feel in the bearing as well.

Well it kind of sounds like maybe hes just pushing me harder. (showing off)LOL. So I guess its not the wheel size and Id probably better just give up on that excuse and start riding harder. I probably need to make a trip to LBS to have them check it all over. I love both bikes but its so much more fun to ride faster on the pavement. Mountain bike just didnt roll well. We have noticed about 3-4 mph average faster than on the mountain bikes and its alot easier with the road bikes. Bought the bikes on Friday night and Saturday rode 34 miles, Sunday 15 miles. Thanks for everyones info.

Maybe he is positioned more efficiently on his bike than you are on yours. Saddle height makes a huge difference, and on a road bike, it would usually be higher than what you were using on a mountain bike.

We need pics of the bike. If possible, pics of you riding the bike (to analyze riding position). Also some data from your cycle computer, speeds, distances, averages. Are you riding daily? How long are your rides?

But one thing is sure, train more... it never fails.

I just bought the cateye for my bike yesterday so I dont have much info yet. We are casual riders. I ride by myself 2 sometimes 3 times during the week for about 15 miles round trip. On the weekend when hubbys home on Saturday we ride a 33 mile loop. This week we did 33 miles on Sat and 15 on Sunday. We dont always ride because we also hike and kayak quite a bit. My first ride w/bike computer had us 52 minutes for the 15 miles we went. We are no way at all fast but it does feel much faster than when we were riding the mountain bikes on the road. This is the only picture I have of my bike. My hubby has a fugi finest thats about 4-5 years old.

^

Well, in my limited experience of mountain biking, it is very different than road biking. You have brief periods of steep ascents (which are often anaerobic). But much of the time, you are soft pedalling because you are going slowly to keep from running into something and falling.

Road cycling really emphasizes sustained aerobic power. This might be why your husband is outdoing you. On mountain bikes, your technical riding skill and climbing ability is on par with his.

nice bike!!!

Just ride without him for a 30+ mile ride one morning per week (get up early and go). Within two months you will be leading the way.

Or ride one steep-***** hill for 15 miles, once a week, without him.

Either way, if you train harder and more frequently than him, you'll pass him.

Do check your tires though. If you've got 650x28c treaded tires, and he has 700x23c slicks, he's at an advantage. Not because of the 650 vs 700, but because of the tread differences, and width/pressure.

Wheel diameter makes a difference. You should both have the same wheel size. There is no question.

Nice bike.

I did ride it the other night to LBS and the air pressure on the front was way off and not to bad in the rear. It does seem to roll better but I still think that there maybe something wrong with it cuz it makes a lot of noise. Anyways ive been putting quite a lot of miles in on it. For me anyways. Ive had it since Saturday and Ive gone a total of 110 miles with it. Last night I did 30 miles by myself. I kind of like riding by myself cuz I get way to competitive when someone blows me away. I need to learn how to just lay back and enjoy the ride so to speak. Thanks for all your ideas. I think I need to take it in and have LBS look it over.

Especially if he is a lot heavier - that would slow him down on hills but not on flat land.



I'm not sure it makes much difference. Mountain bike wheels are usually slower than road bike wheels, but that is because the tires are usually wide and/or knobby, not because of the the wheel diameter.