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How much effort did this cost me?
I joined a group ride yesterday. It was about 20 miles and was one of the slower weekly rides; supposed to be 10-13 mph. Because of that, I decided to bring my hybrid bike and stretch its legs.
Average speed of the ride wound up being 12.6 mph, as reported by my Strava app. It was a windy day and I felt like I was DYING just to gradually fall behind a couple riders who are not any stronger than me. Everyone else was on a road bike with 32 mm or narrower tires. I was on 700x45 mm tires. Bike has rack & fenders and a flat bar. What do you think made the majority of the difference? (please vote in the poll above) |
What about the poll option, “I’m too fat for this sport.”
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Option is what I used to tell my students was always the answer, but in writing your essay you have to come down to one main determinant. Of course it's a combination, but which factor is the most decisive? Take away Option 4 and make people choose!
(I choose Option 1, but I know the answer is probably something aero, as the videos always tell us.) |
Other: You mentally psyched yourself into being slower by thinking about all those things.
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Originally Posted by urbanknight
(Post 22960400)
Other: You mentally psyched yourself into being slower by thinking about all those things.
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If you're built like an NFL linebacker, getting aero will be tough.
I can get more aero on my flatbar 29er but I will only go a few minutes to cut through some headwinds. Otherwise, I just accept I'm on the wrong bike for speed. |
Originally Posted by Smaug1
(Post 22960259)
I joined a group ride yesterday. It was about 20 miles and was one of the slower weekly rides; supposed to be 10-13 mph. Because of that, I decided to bring my hybrid bike and stretch its legs.
Average speed of the ride wound up being 12.6 mph, as reported by my Strava app. It was a windy day and I felt like I was DYING just to gradually fall behind a couple riders who are not any stronger than me. Everyone else was on a road bike with 32 mm or narrower tires. I was on 700x45 mm tires. Bike has rack & fenders and a flat bar. What do you think made the majority of the difference? (please vote in the poll above) Anyway, both your tyres and aero are not helping here. |
Originally Posted by PeteHski
(Post 22960509)
How do you know those riders are not any stronger than you? ...
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Originally Posted by Mojo31
(Post 22960346)
What about the poll option, “I’m too fat for this sport.”
Originally Posted by urbanknight
(Post 22960400)
Other: You mentally psyched yourself into being slower by thinking about all those things.
Originally Posted by CAT7RDR
(Post 22960451)
If you're built like an NFL linebacker, getting aero will be tough.
I can get more aero on my flatbar 29er but I will only go a few minutes to cut through some headwinds. Otherwise, I just accept I'm on the wrong bike for speed. I was certainly on the wrong bike for speed, but I didn't think a 700x45-tired aluminum-framed hybrid wasn't THAT bad. It felt like a huge difference yesterday though. I'm thinking now it was a combination. The bike is heavy, with the fenders, rack, tail bag, handlebar doodads. It's 29 lbs. without the rack fenders and doodads. The bike is non-aero, with the fenders, rack, tail bag, flat bar, upright posture The tires are widish, but I think the knobby edges are the bigger penalty than the width or pressure. I'm not taking that bike on any more club rides, even the slow ones. It's gonna be my gravel bike or bike to ride with my slow wife from now on. |
Gearing
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Originally Posted by Smaug1
(Post 22960534)
Nope, I can assure you it was not on my mind at the time. I was giving 100%, spinning up those hills and still falling behind.
I was certainly on the wrong bike for speed, but I didn't think a 700x45-tired aluminum-framed hybrid wasn't THAT bad. It felt like a huge difference yesterday though. |
Originally Posted by Troul
(Post 22960542)
Gearing
The dude seriously needs a racing bike, not an all terrain commuter. In that way he can boost the average to 13 and maybe 14. |
Originally Posted by Troul
(Post 22960542)
Gearing
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It was your shirt flapping around in the wind. Lose the shirt.
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Originally Posted by znomit
(Post 22960641)
It was your shirt flapping around in the wind. Lose the shirt.
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Originally Posted by Smaug1
(Post 22960534)
Well, I do need to lose some weight. I'm 5'8, 180 lbs. I should lose about 30 more, but that's not what we're talking about here.
Nope, I can assure you it was not on my mind at the time. I was giving 100%, spinning up those hills and still falling behind. Yeah, I'm overweight, but not THAT big. (see above) I was certainly on the wrong bike for speed, but I didn't think a 700x45-tired aluminum-framed hybrid wasn't THAT bad. It felt like a huge difference yesterday though. I'm thinking now it was a combination. The bike is heavy, with the fenders, rack, tail bag, handlebar doodads. It's 29 lbs. without the rack fenders and doodads. The bike is non-aero, with the fenders, rack, tail bag, flat bar, upright posture The tires are widish, but I think the knobby edges are the bigger penalty than the width or pressure. I'm not taking that bike on any more club rides, even the slow ones. It's gonna be my gravel bike or bike to ride with my slow wife from now on. |
does aero come in to play at 13 mph? I thought fenders helped with aero...according to the guy who owns rene hersey wider tires and knobs really have no effect.maybe you were running too much psi?
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At that speed, aero is not much of a factor unless there is a 10+mph tail wind.
At the 20+mph speed then your aero body profile is a consideration. Cross winds are another consideration. |
Flat vs clipless pedals anyone?
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Originally Posted by jadmt
(Post 22960693)
does aero come in to play at 13 mph? I thought fenders helped with aero...according to the guy who owns rene hersey wider tires and knobs really have no effect.maybe you were running too much psi?
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I can feel the difference, riding into headwinds, between being up on the hoods and going aero hoods, so, yeah - aero can be big at normal human speeds. Position and ancillary bits catching the wind. Also, some of the easiest passes I make on the road are gravel bikes running 35mm+ knobby tires. There's just more resistance.
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My group used to have a guy who'd come out and ride with us on his MTB, a couple fast centuries, too. His position was all that much worse than being on a road bike, but those tires! Of course he did it because it was harder and he was really too strong to get a decent workout riding at our measly pace, We were probably averaging about 17 on these hilly rides, he probably could average 20, just looking at him.
Which isn't the question the OP was asking, but it's the answer. Maybe you don't normally work hard enough to get any better. Take that bike out every group ride. Use your road bike for solo. What you experienced is just right. That's how it's done. |
Seat tube angle on that bike is a little slacker than a road bike and even many hybrids or fitness bikes. So that puts you at a power disadvantage where for the times you might have to go hard, you are doing more work than others with their body weight more above their legs.
If you are in good shape then the Verve still might have been a very relaxing 12.6 mph average. But if you've had a rough season like I have and haven't ridden as much as you should, then you'll struggle on any bike. However my choice would be No one thing; it was a combination of those things AND Other Even more other things than what I wrote here. Though I'd seriously recommend getting rid of the knobbies if most of your riding is on pavement. Fit your bike out for the majority of the riding you do with it. Not the things you might do just a few times a year. |
I think your tires were probably the major factor. As you were only going 12 to 13 MPH, the aero disadvantage would be just starting to come into play. At 16 MPH it would start to take over, and anything 18 or higher, it would be the greatest factor.
I’ve wondered about this kind of thing myself, when riding a heavy 3-speed bike with tough but inefficient tires and upright position. I am considerably slower on it vs. my road bike, over a given route. I’m sure several factors all add up to the total, but aerodynamics are minimal at low speeds and definitely the biggest one at high speed. |
How much effort did this cost me?Enough that you noticed, evidently. |
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