How Much Faster Will I Go?
CleeRider
Posts: 304
A quick poll type question...
On my 15kg mtn bike with road tyres, I generally do an average speed of 15mph on rides with some climbs...
How fast will I go if...
1. I swap my flat pedals for SPD pedals and shoes?
2. I buy a £300 Triban 3 road bike with SPD?
3. I spend £750 on a road bike with SPD?
Perhaps over simplistic but I'd like to see some figures based on your past experiences.
On my 15kg mtn bike with road tyres, I generally do an average speed of 15mph on rides with some climbs...
How fast will I go if...
1. I swap my flat pedals for SPD pedals and shoes?
2. I buy a £300 Triban 3 road bike with SPD?
3. I spend £750 on a road bike with SPD?
Perhaps over simplistic but I'd like to see some figures based on your past experiences.
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Comments
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The answer is a piece of string0
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Precisely 0.003472mph for every pound you spend. It's a scientific fact. proved by proper science blokes like.0
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I think it's less about SPD's than weight. The lighter the bike and the skinnier the tyre (lower rolling resistance) the faster your gonna go, weather the bikes got SPD's or not. My mountain bike used to weigh 15kg, now it weighs 10kg and i average 4/5mph faster on it, even though it's still got flat pedals. I doubt leaving it as it was but slapping SPD's on it would of made the slightest bit of difference.0
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Very, very little difference between them. The smallest difference is between the road bikes.
Firstly, weight is pretty much irrelevant until you reach a very, very high level of cycling; at which you are so good that your performances are consistent enough time after time that the 2 minutes that you might gain by having a £5000 bike rather than a £500 bike actually matter.
Secondly, SPD pedals will not make you faster. Being linked to the pedals, whether that's with clips and straps or clipless pedals, will stop your foot slipping around, thereby allowing you to pedal at faster cadence with confidence. It's difficult to pedal efficiently if you are having to reposition your foot throughout the stroke. They also allow you to pull up. But both of those things have to be learned; SPD pedals and clips and straps are merely tools.
If you want my 'past experience', the fastest time I recorded (I don't obsess about keeping records) on the bike I'll post a pic of below was 18 miles in 43 minutes; average speed over 25mph.
I started my road cycling on this bike: it's my steel Raleigh leisure bike from the '80s; a bargain 21st birthday gift intended to get me to work. It's made from 'heavy' low-end plain gauge tubing, it has very cheap old steel-rimmed wheels (the rear one doesn't even run true) with very worn (original!) 35mm tyres, flat handlebars, and a rack. It even came with a kick-stand.
The important difference is between perceived speed and actual speed. Many beginners seem to become convinced that they are going much faster or exerting less effort because they are riding a bike that feels flightier; this is a common trap. In reality, the difference is very small. If you think about it it's pretty stupid to expect that riding a bicycle that's lighter than another by the amount of body weight (at least!) that a person might lose by cycling or might naturally occur between people, could make them go 5-10mph faster, isn't it?0 -
Ouija wrote:I think it's less about SPD's than weight.
It's really quite the reverse. You stand to gain far, far more from the faster cadences, pull up and efficient pedalling techniques that clips and straps or clipless pedals facilitate than any small difference in weight. Eddy Merckx's bikes back in his heyday were very 'heavy' by today's standards, but who wins out of the average member of this forum on their fancy carbon fibre machine, and young Eddy on 531?
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Stop spoiling the party everyone ............ spend the money it makes a world of difference. You'll love it, carbon this, shimano mega fast brakes .... it's all important to the head and soul. It's like my other private obsession ......... fishing ........ those expensive Hardy rods make all the difference, they must do!
Although seriously, clipped pedals do make a difference for a lot of reasons, comfort stability and being able to pull up on climbs.0 -
Is there a prize for the closest answer?
1. 16.5 mph
2. 17.8 mph
3. 18.4 mph0 -
Hmmm, from what I've gathered:CleeRider wrote:A quick poll type question...
On my 15kg mtn bike with road tyres, I generally do an average speed of 15mph on rides with some climbs...
How fast will I go if...
1. I swap my flat pedals for SPD pedals and shoes?
2. I buy a £300 Triban 3 road bike with SPD?
3. I spend £750 on a road bike with SPD?
Perhaps over simplistic but I'd like to see some figures based on your past experiences.
1. A small bit faster, maybe 0.5mph
2. You'll probably see +2mph
3. You'll probably see +2mph
Assuming gearing is similar, etc. etc.0 -
when i first got my road bike i managed a comfortable cruise at about 16-17 mph, on the old MTB with fat slicks I'd cruise comfortably at about 13-14 mph. I can't recall speeds when I didnt have cleats, it was too long ago but I was young and fit in those days.0
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Any piece of string is twice the distance from the middle to the endT.M.H.N.E.T wrote:The answer is a piece of string0 -
my average went up around 2mph when I switched from a hybrid to a road bike. Was hoping for more to be honest but one thing I can say is that I ache from my rides less (if at all) and its basically easier to go the same speed on a road bike as on your hybrid.
And it looks cooler :P
EDIT: Forgot to mention, my average speeds are a lot more consistent with the road bike from day to day - wind really affects you on a sit up and beg hybrid. Wind still makes things hard work on a road bike but less so...and so you'll go faster (though might not feel it ) 0 -
1) not much difference
Between 2 and 3, not much difference but between 1 and 2/3, lots of difference.
The triban vs a 750 bike - the biggest difference will be your wallet. For Triban money, get a used £750 bike.0 -
CleeRider wrote:A quick poll type question...
On my 15kg mtn bike with road tyres, I generally do an average speed of 15mph on rides with some climbs...
How fast will I go if...
1. I swap my flat pedals for SPD pedals and shoes?
2. I buy a £300 Triban 3 road bike with SPD?
3. I spend £750 on a road bike with SPD?
Perhaps over simplistic but I'd like to see some figures based on your past experiences.
Probably not much- see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2999990/
Mark0 -
mwalters wrote:
That doesn't take into account the more aerodynamic position on a road bike compared with a mtn bike though. Surely that'll make a noticeable difference.0 -
I have to dispute that report, one guy on 2 bikes over a year. All these factors are at work to benefit a road bike:mwalters wrote:Probably not much- see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2999990/
Mark
1) Lighter weight
2) less rolling resistance with 100psi skinny road tyres
3) more streamlined riding position
4) gearing advantage for faster cruising - higher top speed
5) stiffer frame (for my 2 bikes anyway...)
I noticed a huge difference in my little 7 mile road circuit between mtb with road slicks at 60psi and my road bike.
Theres a section of the ride which is about 2 miles long and is flat or just slightly downhill. Cruising along this section without much effort is at least 5mph faster on the road bike. I can put some effort in and maintain above 25 mph on this section on the road bike, whereas for same effort the MTB was doing 19 - 20mph.0 -
You'll go a bit faster but it wont be like 10mph faster, maybe one or two mph faster.
It still comes down to the engine supplying the power, be it on a mtb or a road bike.0 -
1. Not much.
2. A bit.
3. A bit.
And don't listen to the people who say you should pull up with your back foot, they need to do some reading. http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutri ... dal-stroke0 -
Sprool wrote:
I have to dispute that report, one guy on 2 bikes over a year. All these factors are at work to benefit a road bike:mwalters wrote:Probably not much- see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2999990/
Mark
1) Lighter weight
2) less rolling resistance with 100psi skinny road tyres
3) more streamlined riding position
4) gearing advantage for faster cruising - higher top speed
5) stiffer frame (for my 2 bikes anyway...)
I noticed a huge difference in my little 7 mile road circuit between mtb with road slicks at 60psi and my road bike.
Theres a section of the ride which is about 2 miles long and is flat or just slightly downhill. Cruising along this section without much effort is at least 5mph faster on the road bike. I can put some effort in and maintain above 25 mph on this section on the road bike, whereas for same effort the MTB was doing 19 - 20mph.
(3) is of course the most important among those.
But stiffness is also overrated. I'll leave the particulars to the physicists, but a spring does not lose energy when it is compressed. What stiffness is good for is sharp handling characteristics and an 'immediate' feel.0 -
good point but i do feel an immediate transfer of energy from foot to forwards propulsion when pedalling the road bike whereas the mtb seems to flex more and absorb more of the power. This is of course added to by the front fork suspension and the big squashy tyres.0
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Just buy a road bike whatever the price. God knows if you'll go faster but riding an MTB by comparison is crap!0
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1. I swap my flat pedals for SPD pedals and shoes? - not much
2. I buy a £300 Triban 3 road bike with SPD? - +1 mph Triban 3, they are red, so much faster of course
3. I spend £750 on a road bike with SPD? - Your wallet will be lighter, so maybe +1mph
Just less effort all round really going road bike... so easier to power the pedals faster and longer.0 -
CleeRider wrote:
Why is this? I quite like the mountain bike. What makes a road bike better if not faster?rodgers73 wrote:Just buy a road bike whatever the price. God knows if you'll go faster but riding an MTB by comparison is crap!
Road bikes are designed for the job. Mountain bikes (you may be surprised to learn) generally are not designed for riding at speed on tarmac for extended distances; in the saddle almost all of the time. Road bikes aren't faster as such. How can the car go faster than its engine allows? Road bikes allow the rider to go faster by facilitating aerodynamic position, power transfer and optimum interface with the road surface (i.e. traction and rolling resistance)
It really is as simple as that; pick the best tool for the job.
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Spd-sl pedals are 30% more effiant than flat pedals.
You will get a lot more speed on a £300 road bike over a mtb about 50-100% more speed but maily less effort and you can do more distance. A more expensive bike will be better quality and lighter and will give you a little more speed if you have the larger budget, then why not go for it0 -
Source?wellbeloved747 wrote:Spd-sl pedals are 30% more effiant than flat pedals.0 -
wellbeloved747 wrote:Spd-sl pedals are 30% more effiant than flat pedals.
Determined how?wellbeloved747 wrote:You will get a lot more speed on a £300 road bike over a mtb about 50-100% more speed
What, so if I can go at 25mph on any MTB, I should expect to be able to go at 37-50 for the same effort? Hmm... I'd certainly like it to be true! Are you sure that the MTB that you based that appraisal on wasn't towing a pallette of bricks at the time and/or the road bike had a motor in it!?wellbeloved747 wrote:A more expensive bike will be better quality and lighter and will give you a little more speed if you have the larger budget, then why not go for it
A bit of a sweeping generalisation! Not all expensive bikes are lighter, for a start, and some are designed to give a more upright position(or otherwise be more comfortable). 'More expensive = faster' is for people who have no idea whatsoever about bikes, and expecting weight savings of less than 1kg to produce appreciable speed gains at amateur level is for ignorant novices.
But I'll accept 'a little more speed', provided that it's 'minisculely more speed; enough so that you won't notice without a stopwatch and even then results will be inconclusive'. I'm sure that's what you meant. 0 -
Coming from a fairly heavy hybrid to an £800 road bike with straps on the pedals, I've gone from average 12-13mph max 15-16 to average 16-17 cruising and 25 when trying.0
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dween wrote:Coming from a fairly heavy hybrid to an £800 road bike with straps on the pedals, I've gone from average 12-13mph max 15-16 to average 16-17 cruising and 25 when trying.
yeah,yeahconstantly reavalueating the situation and altering the perceived parameters accordingly0 -
That's what my cycle computer said!0
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100m=4h :!: :?:constantly reavalueating the situation and altering the perceived parameters accordingly0
