Million dollar question, how to go faster?

[Irishrich]

I know this is probably a question open to different opinions but that's a good thing as I want to hear from experienced cyclists, racers and joe bloggs. I am fairly new to cycling having bought my first road bike last summer, a Specialized Secteur 2013. I have fallen in love with the sport/hobby but am starting to feel that I'm not getting any quicker. That wouldn't be a problem if I was just out for a gentle cycle every weekend but I expected improvement from a non cycler to a regular cyclist who goes out 3 times a week and does around 25-30 miles each time. I'm quite fit and play a couple of other sports so my base fitness is already there but I can't seem to shave much time off my regular routes. Maybe I'm just so fast that my first rides are the same as my current ones but I know that isn't the case. I've probably improved a bit but are there things I can do to go quicker, ie change parts on the bike, tyres, wheels, etc or will it just come with more experience? Is there a noticeable difference between a full carbon bike and an aluminium one? Thanks

 

[ColinJ]

How fast are you actually going?

If you are averaging (say) 15 mph for 30 miles then there is a lot of room for improvement. If you average 30 mph for 30 miles, then there isn't!

Improving your fitness will probably make a lot more difference than improving your bike!

 

[Irishrich]

I'm averaging around 18mph over the distance but can't get any higher. It's bloody hilly where I live so that includes a lot of climbs. Fitness is probably a factor but I'm in decent shape and have been playing sports competitively since I was in school and I'm 32 now. I'm worried I'll go out on a ride with a few colleagues who are big into cycling and be left behind because I can't keep up and they don't look any fitter than me . They have full carbon bikes with high spec wheels etc, will this make a huge difference if fitness levels are similar??

 

[ColinJ]

I reckon 18 mph over 30 'bloody hilly' miles is very good for somebody who has only been riding for about a year!

It sounds like the hills are slowing you down relative to your mates though and that is pretty much down to power-to-weight ratio. Are you carrying significant surplus body fat? If so, then losing some of that is the easiest way to improve your climbing.

Your bike probably weighs about 22 pounds and a very light, expensive bike might weigh 15 or 16 pounds. 6 or 7 pounds would make a difference but if you are 10 or 15 pounds overweight then it would be much cheaper to get it off you rather than the bike!

Best of all, lose it off you and the bike!

(Obviously, increasing your power is the other way to get faster but that takes more work.)

 

[Irishrich]

Cheers Colin, you are probably right about the power to weight ratio. I am about 14 lbs over my peak fitness weight but that hasn't changed in the last year as I've stayed the same weight since I got my bike. I already know that I need to cut the calories as I am cycling a lot but not losing weight so am eating and drinking too much. My concern was that I could possibly go faster and enjoy the cycling more if my bike was setup to go quicker by having better components. Are there any obvious changes to the bike I mentioned that would increase my performance?

 

[Globalti]

No, is the short answer. You've got a good bike and your averge speed is already excellent; I can manage 16.5 mph when I'm really trying in hilly terrain and usually average 14.4 mph when I'm pootling in hilly terrain. On a long very flat ride I can average 17 mph and I daresay I could hit 18 mph or more in a group.

The answer is to lose some weight; cut down on the sizes of those portions - cut your meal size in half, give up sweets, sugar and puddings, cut right down on beer and stop snacking. If you find it hard to avoid snacking after dinner, try flossing your teeth after the meal as an incentive. Think carefully about what you eat - instant gravy for example is almost entirely maltodextrin, which is a rich energy source so effectively you are pouring hot brown energy gel on your food.

If you do go out with other riders, forget those solo averages because you'll go much faster with the competitive element and the drafting.

 

[biggs682]

18 mph over 30 miles in hilly terrain is good , i wish i could do that

 

[Mo1959]

18 mph over 30 miles in hilly terrain is good , i wish i could do that

Likewise. Bust a gut the other day trying as hard as I could and just scraped 16.9mph

 

[redcard]

Turn the speedo off when going uphill.

Anyway, I call BS on your average speeds. Are you on Strava etc?

 

[HLaB]

Carbon is nice and makes the ride easier but I don't think its that much better than alu IME before it was potentially written off my Scandium (Au blend) Kinesis IMO was just as fast as my Carbon Bianchi and a young bloke in the club could destroy me on his alu carrera; and on a recent Sportive I had a bit of a bike disaster and borrowed my brothers Alu Cyclocross and was faster than last year. I think its more down to training, individual fitness, geometry, wheels, conditions, etc If you want to go faster just find a very steep descent

 

[Ningishzidda]

Get more powerful.

 

[Andrew_P]

If you have started out averaging 18mph on every ride then you have not left yourself that much room for improvement, other than finding a flatter route.

If you use any of the online sites to upload your rides then the real average speed is the last 30 days combined I would consider this the minimum to remove all variables of wind etc

 

[Irishrich]

Thanks for the comments. I agree that 18mph average on my rides is decent and nothing to complain about but I keep getting told of club riders averaging 20-21mph and I'm thinking how can I get to that level when I'm struggling to maintain 18mph over a journey. I'm on Strava and have been saving the data but like some have said it needs to be looked at over a long time as I keep getting hit by horrendous head winds at times where it feels like I'm cycling through treacle even on a flat road. I don't particularly enjoy cycling around my local area as there are no nice long flat routes and too many hills so I can't get a nice ride where I can enjoy a bit of speed. Maybe I need to move lol. I think my question has been answered as I need to get fitter and more experienced and the improvements will surely come.

 

[Collider]

Cheers Colin, you are probably right about the power to weight ratio. I am about 14 lbs over my peak fitness weight but that hasn't changed in the last year as I've stayed the same weight since I got my bike. I already know that I need to cut the calories as I am cycling a lot but not losing weight so am eating and drinking too much. My concern was that I could possibly go faster and enjoy the cycling more if my bike was setup to go quicker by having better components. Are there any obvious changes to the bike I mentioned that would increase my performance?

You have what most people would consider to be an "expensive" bike. If that isn't enough for you to enjoy cycling, better find a new hobby.

And the bike is not going to prevent you from going faster. As already mentioned, 18mph average is a perfectly respectable speed, so I wouldn't worry about it!

 

[Irishrich]

I love cycling and have entered a few charity rides for this summer, the longest being 85 miles so I won't be giving up, just wondered if there were any improvements I could make to go faster but as many have said I am already going at a good pace so I will accept my lot. Will probably buy better tyres though.