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2008-06-04 2:47 PM

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Subject: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
I am a really slow bicyclist, meaning I ride at an average speed of 8 MPH. Do you know how I can get my bicycling speed into the double digits? I just got a new bike a year ago (even though it is still a mountain bike) so do not want to buy a new bike or spend a ton of money. Do you know if there is any way I could increase my bicycling speed very cheaply or for free? There is a triathlon coming up in 3 weeks that I really want to do- but am not so sure if I can because I am not sure if I can make the bike cutoff (which is about 2.5 hours for an olympic distance)

Would there be anything I can do that would allow me to improve my speed in about 3.5 weeks (that is when my triathlon is)? Does it take a lot of time to improve your speed on the bike? Should I put off the longer distance triahlon I want to do, and instead do the shorther distance triathlon that is offered ?(whose cutoff I am positive I can make)

Thanks!


2008-06-04 2:50 PM
in reply to: #1445302

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
Lots of people do olympic distance events on mountain bikes, but most have ditched the knobby tires for slicks. Unfortunately thats going to cost you a bit of money, but its a worthwhile investment for the time it will save you.

good luck,

FishHog
2008-06-04 2:55 PM
in reply to: #1445311

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
x2 on the slicks. Go to your LBS and buy a cheap pair. This will improve your MPH big time.
2008-06-04 3:01 PM
in reply to: #1445302

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow

There are several bike workouts to increase speed.  Look up some of them and try to incorporate them into your workout.  The easiest way to increase your speed is to increase your mileage.  With having a higher mileage base your speed will pick up.  Also bike more often.

2008-06-04 3:02 PM
in reply to: #1445302

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
The one thing I can think of that you can do now(or in three weeks) is mentioned above. take off the nobbies and put some slicks on. In three weeks, one could expect only small gains in fitness.

Now - how do you get faster over time?

do you log all your work-outs? If you do, 8hrs for the year just isn't enought time to see improvement. Try flipping the 118 hrs that you swam to the bike and the 8 hrs that you have biked to the swim. You'll see much more improvement on the bike.


ps. I just looked at your PRs on the swim. 3:00mins for a 200/8mins for a 500 is really good. A saying goes in tris, "train your weakness, race your strengths."

2008-06-04 3:03 PM
in reply to: #1445302

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow

Slicks are the biggest improvement you can make.  Next up is to strip everything that is not necessary to the race off of the bike for the race.  Is the course hilly or flat?  When flat or descending, tuck down to the bar as much as you can.  It's a huge difference between sitting bolt upright and laying down on the bars when descending, it's free, learn to do it.

That's about all you can do in 3 weeks.  It's not enough time to improve your fitness much, but the other thing is time in the saddle.  Put more miles in the saddle, and those miles should be spent working.  Climbs are your friend.  About twice a week, you should be riding with a specific goal in mind.  These are your quality workouts.  Either working on endurance, strength or speed.  The other rides are recovery and you can take it easy on. 



2008-06-04 3:05 PM
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2008-06-04 3:50 PM
in reply to: #1445378

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
surfwallace - 2008-06-04 3:05 PM

3 weeks? Borrow someone else's bike!



X2

At 8mph, if that's accurate, you're not going to make it in 2.5hrs with your current setup. As others have metioned you could invest in slicks, borrow a roadie, or rent a roadie. An oly with a nobbie-equipped MTB sounds like prolonged torture to me.
2008-06-04 3:54 PM
in reply to: #1445512

Cycling Guru
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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow

But 3 weeks may not be enough time to get acclimated to someone else's bike.  For a shorter race, not a big deal, you can probably get away with it.  But for a longer race I'd rather see some more time in whatever other bike you would ride.

The commuter slicks will make a huge difference.  If you go that route just make sure you get a few good rides on them to not only get used to them but also to wear off the waxy stuff that comes on new tires.

2008-06-04 4:07 PM
in reply to: #1445302

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
This may sound really stupid, but what exactly is a "slick" and how much do they cost?
2008-06-04 4:15 PM
in reply to: #1445302

Expert
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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
Slick tires are tires that fit a mountain bike but are smooth instead of bumpy or knobby, i.e. they have tread similar to a road bike. As for cost, I'm not sure.  I would think you could get a pair for less than $50, but I bought mine years ago and it was when I got the bike so they were at a discount.


2008-06-04 4:16 PM
in reply to: #1445556

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow

amyro1234 - 2008-06-04 4:07 PM This may sound really stupid, but what exactly is a "slick" and how much do they cost?

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=15304&subcategory_ID=5430

2008-06-04 4:17 PM
in reply to: #1445556

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
amyro1234 - 2008-06-04 5:07 PM

This may sound really stupid, but what exactly is a "slick" and how much do they cost?


a tire that has a smooth tread pattern as opposed to a "knobby" tread pattern that comes on most MTBs. Cost would be ~$20(and more)/tire

ps - I sent you a PM.
2008-06-04 5:10 PM
in reply to: #1445302

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
This is my mtn bike with slicks. (Incidently I did buy the pic).

Edited by johnu 2008-06-04 5:12 PM




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2008-06-04 6:13 PM
in reply to: #1445302


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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow

I assume you've looked at the engine for efficiency as well?  For example, do you know what cadence you ride?  Strange as it seems, riding at 90rpms  makes it easier to ride faster than riding at 60 rpms - but I've seen many slower cyclists riding those slower cadences.

Seems you're in great cardio shape, and you can't change strength or those variables in 3 weeks, but cadence is one thing you can work on.

 

P.S.  I have the same problem, but for swimming!!  Plenty of aerobic conditioning, plenty of muscle strenght - I'm just slow!  So I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong in form or efficiency there.



Edited by Wolfgate 2008-06-04 6:16 PM
2008-06-04 6:30 PM
in reply to: #1445775

Champion
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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
Wolfgate - 2008-06-04 4:13 PM

I assume you've looked at the engine for efficiency as well? For example, do you know what cadence you ride? Strange as it seems, riding at 90rpms makes it easier to ride faster than riding at 60 rpms - but I've seen many slower cyclists riding those slower cadences.

Seems you're in great cardio shape, and you can't change strength or those variables in 3 weeks, but cadence is one thing you can work on.

 

P.S. I have the same problem, but for swimming!! Plenty of aerobic conditioning, plenty of muscle strenght - I'm just slow! So I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong in form or efficiency there.

That was my first thought as well.  I did my first year of triathlons on a mountain bike with knobby tires.  I wasn't fast, but I was as fast as I could be.  Before the race, I got a cheap Cateye bike computer that gave me my speed and cadence info, and worked on keeping my RPMs in the ~90 range.  I think my avg race speed was around 13.5 mph.  I wonder how much faster I would have been with slicks? 



2008-06-04 6:32 PM
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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
the bear - 2008-06-04 5:16 PM

amyro1234 - 2008-06-04 4:07 PM This may sound really stupid, but what exactly is a "slick" and how much do they cost?

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=15304&subcategory_ID=5430

Great price!

I was at my local bike shop when someone called with the same situation. The bike shop owner told her he was so confident it would make a big difference as to improving her pace that he would take them back and refund her money if they didn't work. He quoted her they would cost about $50.  

2008-06-04 6:49 PM
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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
To the OP: are you training logs accurate?  Is the 2.5 hr cutoff for just the bike or the bike and the swim?  If your logs are accurate then you've only biked half of the distance for the Olympic bike leg in the month of May, which makes it hard for you to know if you can sustain your current pace for that long.  Even with no time limit, at 8 MPH you would be looking at over 3 hrs for a 40K, about 2.5 with a 10 MPH (not sure if slicks would give you that much of a boost).  If you haven't ridden on a bike for that long, your saddle, neck, and other parts of your body might not respond well to the shock.  If I were in your shoes I would get the slicks (which you can use for all your races), do the sprint, and gear up to do an Olympic later on in the season (but the choice is yours).
2008-06-05 8:04 AM
in reply to: #1445302

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
Thanks for all the advice! I will definatly try to ride my bike more often and look into improving my cadence and getting the slicks! The link to the store that sold the slicks was very helpful, by the way
Just one question though. How do you keep your wrists from hurting when you are on the bike for a long time?
2008-06-05 8:31 AM
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2008-06-05 8:34 AM
in reply to: #1445378

Iron Donkey
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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow

surfwallace - 2008-06-04 3:05 PM 3 weeks? Borrow someone else's bike!

Thank you for mentioning that!  I'm glad I have the patience to read through these and wait to respond.

And the bike to borrow would be a road bike, not another mountain bike.  Just saying.



2008-06-05 9:42 AM
in reply to: #1446658

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow

amyro1234 - 2008-06-05 6:04 AM  Just one question though. How do you keep your wrists from hurting when you are on the bike for a long time?

Those curly bars on road bikes aren't just for good looks!  They give plenty of positions to move your hands around.  For mountain bikes, you have less options.  The pain will lessen as you get more time on the bike and your body adapts.   

2008-06-05 10:34 AM
in reply to: #1445302

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
I find that running the slicks on my mtn bike gives me around 2/3mph increase in my average speed. Typically I can average about 18/19mph with the slicks.
2008-06-05 4:56 PM
in reply to: #1446658

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
amyro1234 - 2008-06-05 7:04 AM

...
Just one question though. How do you keep your wrists from hurting when you are on the bike for a long time?


A proper bike fitting is the best way. However, that may be outside your budget and it's questionable whether you want to put that much time, money, and effort into making your mountain bike into a better road bike.

When I started out, I used a mountain bike too. I played around on my own with my fit to ease the strain on my hands and wrists. The idea is that you are supported at three points: handle bars; pedals; and the seat. To take some weight off of your hands you have to shift more of it to your seat or pedals. I moved my seat back a bit, to shift my weight back, and replaced the stem that the handlebars are mounted on with a slightly shorter one. Be careful changing the stem as that affects the handling too, but it worked all right in my case. Also make sure your seat is not tipped down at the front too much as that can throw your weight forward. You want to take the weight on your 'sit bones'. Pedaling harder would help to take more of the weight there but I'm still working on that part.

If you're going to try adjusting your own fit, I recommend that you take notes on what you change, and when, so you can figure out how to put it back if it doesn't feel right.


Edited by Micawber 2008-06-05 4:59 PM
2008-06-06 10:50 AM
in reply to: #1445302

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Subject: RE: Getting faster on the bike for someone very slow
Thanks again for all the advice! I will also check the fit of my bike. Just one more question (sorry, I don't know much about bicycling) How much faster will I get by training frequently? This summer I am planning on doing two 45 minute bike rides during the week and one longer one on the weekend to help with my bicycling.
Thanks!
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