58
Why am I so slow at cycling? (discuss.online)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/bicycles@lemmy.ca
117 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Today I did my first 20 mile (33km) ride on my hardtail XC bike. I learned how to ride a bike about 1.5 months ago, but I've been riding pretty consistently since I learned. I ride exclusively in the city, it's a very walkable city, but the paths aren't always the best. I did 33km in 2 hours 53 minutes, not including breaks for water or to eat.

I see people saying that 10MP/H (16KM/H) average is a good average to shoot for, but i can't even get my average above 7.1MPH (11.5KM/H), even on shorter rides. What am I doing wrong here? How are people going so freaking fast on bikes in cities?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I wouldn't think of it that way. Just try to avoid twisting the chain too much. If your chain is all the way to the left in the front, keep it on the left half in the back. If you feel like moving the rear to the right half, just shift the front gear to the middle instead. Beyond that, just do whatever feels right.

I usually set the front to the ballpark I expect to be in for the foreseeable future, and fine tune in the rear as I go. It's usually harder to shift the front while pedaling hard uphill in my experience.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    I usually just ride the bike as if it was a 1x, never shifting off the second chainring, too much to think about using both, unless it would make climbing easier.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    That is a big hint to why you feel you're going slow. On flat or downhill ground I would usually be on the very hardest gear in order to be able to keep up with the wheels. If you're constantly in a medium gear you'll not reach very high speeds on easy terrain.

    But maybe you shouldn't worry about that right now. You're pretty new to this, so you don't need to optimize for speed. Just go at a pace comfortable for you, while you get used to this new way of moving. Perhaps it's even a good thing to be going slower right now, that way there's more time to react, and less injury if you have an accident.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent