Slower on my new bike - why ?

teulk

Ive gone from a Carrera crossfire 1 to a Boardman Team HT and ive noticed that im averaging about 3mph slower than on my carrera. Why is this when the boardman is at least 5lbs lighter ? Is it to do with the wheel and tyre size ? The carrera has 700x38c wheels/ tyres and the Boardman has Continental Speed Kings 26x2.1. I know that the two bikes have different riding positions so couild this make a difference to ?
Another thing ive noticed is if im on a flat road on my carrera i could quite happily spin along but on the boardman i cant seem to find a gear that allows me to do the same.

ratty2k

Daft question, you have reset the wheel size on the computer?

toasty

If he'd not he should have had the opposite effect, the bigger wheels will have a lower rpm

The Boardman isn't a road bike, it's not got slick tyres, I'd expect that to be honest.

Raymondavalon

teulk wrote:

The carrera has 700x38c wheels/ tyres and the Boardman has Continental Speed Kings 26x2.1

The clue is in that sentence!
The Crossfire is a "town bike" with 700C wheels that are lighter and thinner, thus having less rolling resistance than traditional MTB tires

The Boardman Team HT's 26x2.1 rim/tire combos are quite bulky and also have chunky tread blocks on them too, so more weight, more rolling resistance = less top speed until you adapt to the new ride.

bails87

I guess the Boardman will have a smaller big ring too, its gears will be more focussed on getting up mountains instead of flying along on the tarmac. So you'll find your legs are spinning quicker for the same mph compared to the old bike.

MrChuck

You're basically asking why a mountain bike is slower on the road than one designed for the road! Gearing, slow tires, presumably some suspension to soak up some of your effort, more upright position... Save it for the dirt!

GHill

Bigger wheels also tend to be faster once you get them up to speed (which requires more effort). See all the 26 vs 29 discussions (700c with a fat tyre = 29).