Advice needed - new wheels or new bike?

[benb]

Don't rush out to get a soft saddle, get your position sorted first. Most longer distance cyclists prefer hard saddles or minimal gel types. You need to make sure that your saddle height and fore aft position on the rails is correct. Then work on the tilt, whether you need it flat or tilted up/down at the front. Until that's right you really won't know what sort of saddle will work for you.

OK, I'll do that, thanks. I'll go to the cycle shop at the weekend to see what they can do for me with regards to new wheels. I'll let you know how I get on.

BTW, I have an ace app on my phone called MyTracks that records your GPS track and will then automatically upload it to Google Maps (you need a Google account obviously). It's really handy for analysing your route.

 

[Rob3rt]

Wouldnt spring for new wheels, just slap the slicks on your current rims.

If your arse hurts, wear padded shorts, its a cheaper option and they can be washed regularly, squishy seat covers(at least the ones ive seen) are pretty grim when wet, and the one on my dads old mountain bike used to slither around a lot.

 

[Norm]

I see what you mean, but I'd rather it took a little longer but was more pleasant. The A217 is horrible, even using the cycle path.

Definitely a good reason not to use it.

In regards to the saddle, softer can prove more uncomfortable as the bum-bones sink into the padding and find the frame-work anyway.

I'm not sure why you are looking at new wheels. Tyres can be changed, with practice, in 5-10 minutes. I'd recommend (again) the Schwalbe City Jets but stick them on the wheels you have already.

 

[nigelb]

Regards saddles, I found a very hard saddle hugely painful to start with.

Altering the position and angle helps for sure, but it still left me bruised.

When I moved to a mountain bike, the saddle was much softer, which helped, and I then got a gel cover, which made it bliss (and the cover I got stayed put fine).

As above, get new slick tyres (and poss replace the inner tubes at the same time?), jiggle seat height/angles etc, and grin and bear it for a couple of weeks - I only stopped using my mountain bike because some git stole it!
Relaxing riding position, mudguards and rear rack meant it wasn't the best bike to race on, but with the front suspension I could handle rougher stuff at more speed, so spent less time slowing down to cope with appalling road, cycle path etc surfaces.

Nige

 

[snailracer]

I'd only go to the max pressure stated on the tyre wall, things that will slow you down on the road:-

knobblier tyres
pressure too low
weight of bike
saddle too low
suspension - this actually takes away some of your energy and uses it for bobbing up and down

Putting slicker tyres, pumped to max, on a MTB should see you able to do 6 miles in 30 minutes or less.

The other common error is too low a cadence. Pick a gear so that you are never pushing hard on the pedals.

 

[benb]

Thanks again everyone. I just thought it would be easier to get wheels with slicks already on, and swap the wheels when needed, but having read the comments above, I think I'll get new tyres instead. If I get to the point where I'm swapping the tyres regularly, it will definitely be time for a second bike.

The other common error is too low a cadence. Pick a gear so that you are never pushing hard on the pedals.

Can you explain in a bit more detail? For uphill sections I would need to be in quite a low gear to not be pushing hard on the peddles - and then my legs go round to quickly which feels worse in some ways.

 

[nigelb]

When I started I found just that problem. With time, you can peddle faster, but I've also learnt sometimes to just back off a bit, let the legs spin, and accept that I've slowed down a bit. Cadence does seem to be a personal thing for slow commuters like me, I see some people spinning the pedals crazily fast, and others go the other way. Find rates that feel comfortable, and let you keep working - no point in going really hard for a minute, to the extent you end up getting off and pushing whilst your legs recover!

My first goal was to get home without walking, from there I've gently increased the pace at certain places, gradually improving the speed and reducing the time, without killing myself.

So, be wary of taking what works for someone else as right for you - personally I struggle to get up to much past 60, and certainly can't sustain it and put useful effort into propelling myself up the hill too.
(doesn't mean I don't try higher cadence from time to time, btw, as I grow fitter, open to change and different ideas)

Nige

 

[vickster]

I cycle a very similar route albeit much shorter - from West Sutton to Epsom (Church Street so just round the corner from you, or do you cycle from Epsom?) - it is 4-4.2 miles. Better from Carshalton to Epsom, hill wise!

My average time going or returning is around 21 minutes (I can do it in 19 as best) - happy to share my route - basically, up St Dunstans Hill (from Gander Green junction), cut along Lumley Road, down Malden into Cheam village, right before the lights (not sure what road is called, goes into park), down cycle path by Nonsuch Park/A232 (this is where I had my crash beware muppet pedestrians in the bike lane ) Straight through the park, avoiding dogs, left out of the park where the path bends, along the ridge and down castle hill (woohoo) onto the A24 and straight into Epsom On the way back, I hve just started taking the A232 rather than having to push the bike up Castle Hill and avoid the dogs and people in the park!

I do this on one of my two hybrids (Trek 7.3 or Specialized Crosstrail - latter might be a good choice for you if you do go for a new bike and decent on road and over the rougher stuff)

 

[hotmetal]

Slick tyres (eg Schwalbe CityJets or Specialized Armadillos) will run faster and be easier to pedal, and will probably take higher pressures. HOWEVER, you did say your ride involved going across some grass/dirt track. You'll be OK in the dry, but I can tell you from personal experience (and Norm can corroborate) that CityJets on a MTB on a muddy path will have you on your backside faster than you can say 'slicks'! He asked me how I get on with clipless pedals and twice I was forced to demonsrtate just how fast it can be done! You'll have to make a judgement about whether you'll ride when its muddy, or pick a route with less distance on mud. On balance, I suspect you'll prefer having road slicks with lots of air in for most of your journey but do watch out in mud!

As for saddles, without contradicting any of the good advice previously posted, I would say that whatever saddle you have (even a Nora Batty superwide sprung sofa) your bum will hurt for the first few rides until it gets used to it. Conversely, all my bikes have 'razorblade' saddles and they're fine. You'd be better off spending £15 on a pair of 'cycling' boxer shorts with a pad in. They sell them in Evans.

Like others have said, do experiment a bit with saddle height, as a saddle that is too low makes it a lot harder work on your legs. As long as you're confident on a bike, for road riding you should set the height of the saddle to give you the best pedalling feel, rather than being able to put both feet down. Obviously safety comes first though, and off-road it's different too.

 

[benb]

I cycle a very similar route albeit much shorter - from West Sutton to Epsom (Church Street so just round the corner from you, or do you cycle from Epsom?) - it is 4-4.2 miles. Better from Carshalton to Epsom, hill wise!

My average time going or returning is around 21 minutes (I can do it in 19 as best) - happy to share my route - basically, up St Dunstans Hill (from Gander Green junction), cut along Lumley Road, down Malden into Cheam village, right before the lights (not sure what road is called, goes into park), down cycle path by Nonsuch Park/A232 (this is where I had my crash beware muppet pedestrians in the bike lane ) Straight through the park, avoiding dogs, left out of the park where the path bends, along the ridge and down castle hill (woohoo) onto the A24 and straight into Epsom On the way back, I hve just started taking the A232 rather than having to push the bike up Castle Hill and avoid the dogs and people in the park!

I do this on one of my two hybrids (Trek 7.3 or Specialized Crosstrail - latter might be a good choice for you if you do go for a new bike and decent on road and over the rougher stuff)

I go from Epsom, so we probably pass opposite ways at some point!!

I'll probably try a few variations to get a route that works well.

Thanks again everyone for the advice, it's been invaluable.

 

[Norm]

.... I can tell you from personal experience (and Norm can corroborate) that CityJets on a MTB on a muddy path will have you on your backside faster than you can say 'slicks'! He asked me how I get on with clipless pedals and twice I was forced to demonsrtate just how fast it can be done!

Yeah... but it was very funny.

BTW, and totally OT, I was looking at cleats myself about an hour ago. Prepare for further "Tales from the Clipless Riverbank".

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I think I'll get new wheels with slicks for now and see how I get on over the next few months. I think I will get a new saddle as well, as the existing one is very hard, especially the pointy bit that digs into that bit between your balls and crack!!

That's called your Barse - the bit between your balls and your arse, Barse, it's not a medical term, but it should be, Barse!!

 

[snailracer]

...

The other common error is too low a cadence. Pick a gear so that you are never pushing hard on the pedals.

Can you explain in a bit more detail? For uphill sections I would need to be in quite a low gear to not be pushing hard on the peddles - and then my legs go round to quickly which feels worse in some ways.

Pick a gear so that your legs are going round at the same rpm and pedal force as you would apply on the flat. Clearly, this will result in you moving slower up the hill, compared to on the flat.

The theory is that muscles can maintain light effort for much longer than hard effort e.g. running a marathon at twice the speed does not mean you finish in half the time and can catch your breath in the spare time - you won't finish at all.

 

[benb]

Just thought I'd update you. I haven't yet got round to getting slicks yet, as I think I'm going to invest in a new bike just for commuting (via the cycle2work scheme), and keep the MTB as it is. If I do that, then there's not much point changing the tyres.

I've tweaked my route a bit, sacrificing pleasantness for speed, and this morning I did the 6.3mi journey in 40 mins. That's only 10 mins longer than the drive, so I'm happy with that, and it's before my fitness levels improve.

However, even small inclines feel like a mountain at the moment, but slowing down rather than trying to cane it up the hills has really helped.

I try to keep my legs going at a constant pace, and change gears to match, feeling for the gear that has light resistance.