Am I maxed out

[Part time cyclist]

Hi guys I ride a basically standard aluminium framed with steel forks Specialized Sirrus with a few little mods on. I am running a hollow tech tiagra crank with 30,39,50 gear rings, standard wheels on etc. I am trying to get to an average of 20 mph. The best i can manage so far is 18 mph for 1 hr rides and 15 on a long ride. I have a few questions???
1) is this inreasonable?
2) is there any way off doing this with this bike
3) will I be able to achieve this with a drop bar bike

Thanks

 

[col]

Keep at it, you will get there

 

[MacB]

the improvements get smaller and harder to achieve, if you're doing 18mph for a 1 hour ride now and want to get to 20mph average then you need to be able to cover the 18 miles 6 minutes faster. Broken down that means upping your speed by 20 seconds per mile, or going from a 3min20second mile to a 3min mile...doesn't sound a lot but it's surprising.

 

[GlasgowGaryH]

Don't worry about averages,just enjoy your cycling.

 

[gavroche]

If you want to go really fast, get a motorbike! Really, just enjoy the ride otherwise where do you stop? 22mph next and so on?

 

[MacB]

don't listen to the naysayers just because they've reached a plateau of 'wisdom', go as fast as you want.

 

[Part time cyclist]

What I am really asking is there a justification in going for n+2..... As I own an Apollo hard tail, which is slow and clunky but good for throwing about in the mud, my Sirrus which is the best road bike I have ever ridden, but I just can't keep up with the drop bar roadies and the competitive streak in me tells me I neeeeed to . And to fulfil this urge is there any benefits to owning a road bike or maybe making mine lighter or us it just me needs to get my act together and turn the crank even quicker......

 

[MacB]

There's always a reason for N+1, take a couple of road bikes out for a spin and see what you think. To be fair the sirrus is a fairly sporty hybrid so I wouldn't expect a magical difference. A road bike could feel strange as well, especially if setup towards the speedier end. It will probably feel longer and lower like you're really stretching out but you get used to this, as long as it's within range of your own flexibility.

 

[Alun]

Reset your cycle computer for bigger wheels than you actually have!
This will give the impression of travelling faster, and is cheaper than a new bike.

 

[Part time cyclist]

Reset your cycle computer for bigger wheels than you actually have!
This will give the impression of travelling faster, and is cheaper than a new bike.

:0)

 

[fossyant]

It's quite hard to get a 20mph average on most runs due to traffic etc etc. In race conditions like in a TT, you'd look for at least 20 mph.

I can get 20 mph, just, on a 21 mile loop from home, but it needs ideal conditions and not too much traffic. I have a 60 mile loop I can do at 20 mph - but that has very few lights.

Normally I'll get 19 on the 21 mile loop. Just keep at it, and your speeds will increase. A road bike does help, but won't be a massive jump from a Sirrus

 

[fossyant]

Reset your cycle computer for bigger wheels than you actually have!
This will give the impression of travelling faster, and is cheaper than a new bike.

You can't say stuff like that on a bike forum. The answer is always N+1

 

[HLaB]

What I am really asking is there a justification in going for n+2..... As I own an Apollo hard tail, which is slow and clunky but good for throwing about in the mud, my Sirrus which is the best road bike I have ever ridden, but I just can't keep up with the drop bar roadies and the competitive streak in me tells me I neeeeed to . And to fulfil this urge is there any benefits to owning a road bike or maybe making mine lighter or us it just me needs to get my act together and turn the crank even quicker......

Its still n+1, not 2 2 being the number of bikes 'n' that you've already got and + 1 is the extra one you also need, when you have 3, n becomes = 3, ie you always want/need 1 more than 'n' the number of bikes you have. I've got a sirrus and its a great fast bike, if I really worked on a very flat solo ride I could take it towards 18mph overall and in a group we could do 18-19mph on a ER club route (a bit more hilly but still pretty flat). noticeably though I could become worn out particularly when it was windy or others were freewheeling (recovering) downhill an I had to pedal to keep up. I converted it to drops, put new wheels (aksiums) & rubber (GP 4 seasons) on too and with work on the same club routes I was getting to the 20mph mark but it still took a lot off work and I wasn't pleased with the braking (sti/v's are not a good combo). In between I'd bought a proper dropped bar road bike and although still hard work at that speed, 20+mph was achievable more often. In the meantime I've got a bit fitter but I doubt I would have seen much improvement with the sirrus. I guess from my experience to break the 20mph barrier you need to go to a dropped bar bike and lighten a bit but I would recommend a new bike unless you never plan on braking

 

[Part time cyclist]

Its still n+1, not 2 2 being the number of bikes 'n' that you've already got and + 1 is the extra one you also need, when you have 3, n becomes = 3, ie you always want/need 1 more than 'n' the number of bikes you have. I've got a sirrus and its a great fast bike, if I really worked on a very flat solo ride I could take it towards 18mph overall and in a group we could do 18-19mph on a ER club route (a bit more hilly but still pretty flat). noticeably though I could become worn out particularly when it was windy or others were freewheeling (recovering) downhill an I had to pedal to keep up. I converted it to drops, put new wheels (aksiums) & rubber (GP 4 seasons) on too and with work on the same club routes I was getting to the 20mph mark but it still took a lot off work and I wasn't pleased with the braking (sti/v's are not a good combo). In between I'd bought a proper dropped bar road bike and although still hard work at that speed, 20+mph was achievable more often. In the meantime I've got a bit fitter but I doubt I would have seen much improvement with the sirrus. I guess from my experience to break the 20mph barrier you need to go to a dropped bar bike and lighten a bit but I would recommend a new bike unless you never plan on braking

ok I consider myself told n+1 I now understand

 

[tyred]

Fit a second magnet to the front wheel and job done.