Bike is hard to pedal

chippie_chappie

I have recently started riding my winter bike again it's a 2017 Felt VR3. I have just has a pair of Pirelli Cinturato velo tubeless tyres fitted with orange seal sealant. From the very first ride I could tell the bike was very sluggish to ride and was taking a lot more effort to get up the hills than it did on the couple of occasions that I rode it in the summer. The Cinturato have a rolling resistance of 15.4 watts compared to the 12 watts of the Swhwalbe ones I was riding before. The bike was serviced in May and has only been ridden 5 times since then. Would the extra 3.5 watts rolling resistance of the Cinturato make that much difference? I am 52 and I ride on average 185 miles a week some weeks over 200 miles 13 centuries this year so I'm relatively fit, any advice/help would be appreciated.

brundonbianchi

Different tyres and wheels can make a bigger difference than some would credit. I use Schwalbe Durano plus, and Tannus tyres on my winter bikes. They feel like I’m riding through glue, in comparison to the more summer oriented tyres.

chippie_chappie

Yes that exactly how these Pirelli Cinturato feel. I've given up running my selfie into the ground with them now. The funny thing is my Giant Defy advanced pro O has gone exactly the same and that bike has got Conti gp4000s2 tyres on it. It was fine all summer long. I was looking at it the other day and when you pedal backwards in the small cog and small ring the chain is skipping near the cassette but the chain is spotless no rush, I don't know what it is.

First.Aspect

I personally ride latex tubes glued directly to the rim in the summer, and I totally notice the difference between those and the log slices I use over the winter.

webboo

chippie_chappie said:

Yes that exactly how these Pirelli Cinturato feel. I've given up running my selfie into the ground with them now. The funny thing is my Giant Defy advanced pro O has gone exactly the same and that bike has got Conti gp4000s2 tyres on it. It was fine all summer long. I was looking at it the other day and when you pedal backwards in the small cog and small ring the chain is skipping near the cassette but the chain is spotless no rush, I don't know what it is.

You are not supposed to run small to small.
It’s got colder, you are wearing more clothes, the winds are stronger and the roads are covered in crap. That’s part of why it feels harder.

shirley_basso

Perhaps it was just one of those days, I certainly have days where everything is a brutal struggle!

I would be surprised if it was the tyres alone making such a difference. I've not ridden tubulars but going from Vittoria Corsa CX on my summer bike with carbon wheels to my winter bike with cheap wheels and Schwalbe Duranos, I still was not much slower and setting times close to my PRs on many rides.

Nice tyres certainly feel smoother, more supple and inspire confidence on sunny days, but I don't think it's quite to the extent you seem to be describing.

First.Aspect

shirley_basso said:

Perhaps it was just one of those days, I certainly have days where everything is a brutal struggle!

I would be surprised if it was the tyres alone making such a difference. I've not ridden tubulars but going from Vittoria Corsa CX on my summer bike with carbon wheels to my winter bike with cheap wheels and Schwalbe Duranos, I still was not much slower and setting times close to my PRs on many rides.

Nice tyres certainly feel smoother, more supple and inspire confidence on sunny days, but I don't think it's quite to the extent you seem to be describing.

I dunno man, it was more than 425 femtowatts. That is measurable (at liquid helium temperatures using a quantum interference device).

pinno

First.Aspect said:

shirley_basso said:

Perhaps it was just one of those days, I certainly have days where everything is a brutal struggle!

I would be surprised if it was the tyres alone making such a difference. I've not ridden tubulars but going from Vittoria Corsa CX on my summer bike with carbon wheels to my winter bike with cheap wheels and Schwalbe Duranos, I still was not much slower and setting times close to my PRs on many rides.

Nice tyres certainly feel smoother, more supple and inspire confidence on sunny days, but I don't think it's quite to the extent you seem to be describing.

I dunno man, it was more than 425 femtowatts. That is measurable (at liquid helium temperatures using a quantum interference device).

Shuddup with that nonsense will ya.
What's this glueing the latex tube on and with what and why? With clinchers?
I ride latex tubes, so i'm curious.

First.Aspect

pinno said:

First.Aspect said:

shirley_basso said:

Perhaps it was just one of those days, I certainly have days where everything is a brutal struggle!

I would be surprised if it was the tyres alone making such a difference. I've not ridden tubulars but going from Vittoria Corsa CX on my summer bike with carbon wheels to my winter bike with cheap wheels and Schwalbe Duranos, I still was not much slower and setting times close to my PRs on many rides.

Nice tyres certainly feel smoother, more supple and inspire confidence on sunny days, but I don't think it's quite to the extent you seem to be describing.

I dunno man, it was more than 425 femtowatts. That is measurable (at liquid helium temperatures using a quantum interference device).

Shuddup with that nonsense will ya.
What's this glueing the latex tube on and with what and why? With clinchers?
I ride latex tubes, so i'm curious.

The tyres add rolling resistance. Durr.

pinno

First.Aspect said:

pinno said:

First.Aspect said:

shirley_basso said:

Perhaps it was just one of those days, I certainly have days where everything is a brutal struggle!

I would be surprised if it was the tyres alone making such a difference. I've not ridden tubulars but going from Vittoria Corsa CX on my summer bike with carbon wheels to my winter bike with cheap wheels and Schwalbe Duranos, I still was not much slower and setting times close to my PRs on many rides.

Nice tyres certainly feel smoother, more supple and inspire confidence on sunny days, but I don't think it's quite to the extent you seem to be describing.

I dunno man, it was more than 425 femtowatts. That is measurable (at liquid helium temperatures using a quantum interference device).

Shuddup with that nonsense will ya.
What's this glueing the latex tube on and with what and why? With clinchers?
I ride latex tubes, so i'm curious.

The tyres add rolling resistance. Durr.

You said "...I personally ride latex tubes glued directly to the rim in the summer...".
I've never heard of this practice and you are milemuncher and I claim my £5.

First.Aspect

pinno said:

First.Aspect said:

pinno said:

First.Aspect said:

shirley_basso said:

Perhaps it was just one of those days, I certainly have days where everything is a brutal struggle!

I would be surprised if it was the tyres alone making such a difference. I've not ridden tubulars but going from Vittoria Corsa CX on my summer bike with carbon wheels to my winter bike with cheap wheels and Schwalbe Duranos, I still was not much slower and setting times close to my PRs on many rides.

Nice tyres certainly feel smoother, more supple and inspire confidence on sunny days, but I don't think it's quite to the extent you seem to be describing.

I dunno man, it was more than 425 femtowatts. That is measurable (at liquid helium temperatures using a quantum interference device).

Shuddup with that nonsense will ya.
What's this glueing the latex tube on and with what and why? With clinchers?
I ride latex tubes, so i'm curious.

The tyres add rolling resistance. Durr.

You said "...I personally ride latex tubes glued directly to the rim in the summer...".
I've never heard of this practice and you are milemuncher and I claim my £5.

This is a pro mechanic tip. They use magic marker to disguise them as tyres.

shirley_basso

That's either the joke or he's talking about tubulars.

shirley_basso

And there are no £5s left as he spent it all on glue

First.Aspect

shirley_basso said:

And there are no £5s left as he spent it all on glue

I hadn't thought of that.

Grippy.

pinno

Back on topic, 47 secs in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghRL9thv7kU

webboo

Since changing to riding my winter bike over the last couple of weeks. I have noticed that over the same rides I was doing in March and April, that my average Heart rate is higher at the same average speeds. I looked back at training diary’s for previous years and it’s the same heart rate going up as I start using my winter bike. As I have ridden longer and harder rides from May to October you would expect to see lower heart rates. So as I said above wind, more clothes, sh@tty roads and a winter bike.

darkhairedlord

webboo said:

Since changing to riding my winter bike over the last couple of weeks. I have noticed that over the same rides I was doing in March and April, that my average Heart rate is higher at the same average speeds. I looked back at training diary’s for previous years and it’s the same heart rate going up as I start using my winter bike. As I have ridden longer and harder rides from May to October you would expect to see lower heart rates. So as I said above wind, more clothes, sh@tty roads and a winter bike.

If it's cold the tyres and road surfaces are harder, your joints will also be stiffer and its harder to stay warmed up. Those are my excuses and you are free to use them if you wish....

webboo

I don’t need any new excuses, however thanks for the offer. I was trying offer chippie reasons why pedalling felt so hard.

david37

pedalling is more difficult on your winter bike because you have covid.

And are going to die

What size frame does your bike have?

First.Aspect

Every winter I am slightly older than the preceding Summer. This explains everything.

webboo

david37 said:

pedalling is more difficult on your winter bike because you have covid.

And are going to die

What size frame does your bike have?

I have no idea what size it is. It’s a Bianchi Nirone, it’s Aluminium with carbon chain stays that currently seem to be going from black to grey. Also the paints flaked off at the top of the front forks so you can now see where the carbon joins the Aluminium. I think I bought it last century. Are you still interested as if I win the lottery tonight it’s yours.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I can certainly feel the "rising through treacle" effect of swapping from 28mm GP4000S IIs to 28mm GP 4 Seasons.

Combined with other seasonal factors, including more aero drag from winter clothes and how unbreathable they are compared to summer clothing, I'd never expect an all-out effort up a 5min+ hill in winter to by anywhere near a time made in the summer.

shirley_basso

Definitely felt this yesterday while on my summer bike so eased off a bit to take it easy.

Turns out I had blitzed it.

pinno

darkhairedlord said:

If it's cold the tyres and road surfaces are harder, your joints will also be stiffer and its harder to stay warmed up. Those are my excuses and you are free to use them if you wish....

I will, cheers.