on 4/26/10 9:10 AM, Darin G. at [email protected] wrote: > Alright, this will probably sound un-Rivish,...please don't pick my > bones over. I'm new to this type of bicycle. > > I need my commuter/tourer Sam to go faster, if possible. I have a > slate of century rides and a 200 km brevet lined up for the summer and > I'm being dropped by my riding companions who are significantly less > fit and heavier than I am, but are riding zippy road bikes (including > my old Roubaix). I'm about 1.5 to 3 mph slower over the same course > than I was on "road bike." I've never been a racer but I really don't > want my centuries to take 7 hours and I don't think I can make up the > difference with pure horsepower. I'm planning on a second bike to > take on this duty, but that will be at least a year away. > > So, where would this group look to speed up my Sam? Wheels? Tires? > I'm riding 36 spoke wheels with Jack Brown Blues. And if it just > can't be done, tell me so and I'll practice smelling the flowers until > I can come up with the appropriate tool for the described job.
Pedaling faster has always sped me up... ;^) Actually, that may be a place to look. If you came back from a "typical" road gearing setup, it may just be that you are in lower gears than what your body remembers. The muscle memory in your legs, which may have been cultivated by a few years at "X" cadence in gear "Y" - is now all skewed. Your legs want to chunk along at what they are used to, but that won't move you along at the same speed. I've noticed that even though both bikes feel "good", it sometimes takes a ride or two before I feel quick on the Hilsen or Quickbeam. There's just this moment of "yeah!" when the micro adjustment of position and cadence makes everything feel locked in. You might play around a little with saddle setback, bar height. I'd be careful, not do it before a big, big ride and take copious notes so you can get back where you started. One of the things I'll try periodically for a day is to stay in one or two gears lower (larger sprocket on the cog) than what feels "right". I then try to keep the same speed at the resulting higher cadence. That tends to reawaken the low pressure, high cadence approach for me. I call these my "Spinny" rides. What kind of terrain are you riding? Where are you being dropped? And, your sure your riding buddies just didn't dial down your rear brake so it's rubbing on the rim? If you are going to swap gear, I'd try tires before wheels. - Jim -- Jim Edgar [email protected] Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes Gallery updates now appear here - http://cyclofiend.blogspot.com "Nigel did some work for some of the other riders at Allied, onces who still rode metal. He hadn't liked it when Chevette had gone for a paper frame." -- William Gibson, "Virtual Light" -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
