Any way to speed up on a hybrid?
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Triguy98 posted 1 year ago.
Hybrids aren't really meant for racing/ fast riding. Theyre more down the lines of beach cruisers with multiple gears. That said, there's a couple things you could do.
Pick up a bike computer with a cadence function. This will help you a little bit. Then practice your pedaling technique. Spin ups and single leg pedaling help a ton. Single leg drills are pretty difficult without clipless, but you'll learn a lot about pedaling.
Lower your seat. My money says your seat is pretty high. The base line seat height test- take off your shoes and sit in the saddle. With a pedal at 6 o clock and heel down, your leg should be straight. Then drop your seat a couple millimeters.
I cant say i would recommend joining group rides on a hybrid. Even the slower paced rides I know around here tend to go faster than 15 mph, and hybrids arent exactly known or tehir capabilities at speed.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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kylie posted 1 year ago.
For group rides just talk to the people putting them on. Perhaps they have a group that goes at about your pace. Many are faster, but I know a number of shop group rides that are your pace or slower :)
And 15mph isn't *that* slow... ;)
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rebekahliz posted 1 year ago.
Thanks, guys. Alas, my dream bike is many months from my reach, so my trusty old hand-me-down and I will just grin and bare the slower rides for the rest of the summer, and I'll be satisfied with holding my place in the swim and run :).
I appreciate your help.
Di mana ada kemauan, di situ ada jalan (Where there is desire, there is a road). – Indonesian proverb
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Slimpee posted 1 year ago.
A couple of things:
1. I just finished my first try and there were a lot of hybrids out there. Granted, they weren't going as fast but unless you're planning on placing (which is sounds like you're not) you can still have a good race.
2. All of my training was done on a mtn. bike w/ full-on mtn. bike tires. I didn't do any rides longer than 20-22 miles but I feel that trying to maintain decent speeds with the heavier bike made me stronger than had I been using a lighter bike. I think it benefited me in my race as I was able to maintain a 18.4 mile/hr pace with a heavier steel road bike my roommate uses to commute. I passed more than one person on lighter road/tri bikes. Train as hard as you can w/ the hybrid and you'll be golden when you step up to a race bike!
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mdd posted 1 year ago.
rebekahliz;73170 wrote:
This is my first tri season, and I am entering all races on a Trek hybrid with road tires. I realize there is no way to compete with the outstanding road and tri bikes I see out there (and that's really not my goal--not until I've invested in comparable equipment), but is there any way to gain an extra few minutes on such a bike? I am really, really slow. Like 15 miles/hour slow. Here's the thing:I'm new to cycling, so I don't know much about shifting gears and cadencing on a bike. I suspect I've been tooting along at a cadence that's too low (which is also costing me time on my run due to burning quads), and I tend to use the big gears a lot (the courses I've chosen are fairly hilly).
Any advice is really appreciated.
Also, is it alright to join local group rides on a hybrid?
What a person rides is less important that a person's bike fitness level. We have several Cat 1 riders who can show up on a 1970 10 Speed and destroy most other riders. The key is to just enjoy what you are doing and keep working hard. As far as joining a group ride, just make sure you know what their average speed is going to be and as long as you are comfortable with that then join in the fun!
Good luck!
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azstinger11 posted 1 year ago.
I think PoC hit the nail on the head its the engine not the frame. One thing you may want to look at is going to garage sales and picking up a older road bike, I picked up a fixed gear bike I ride to school for $25 and its a great training aide, but I'm sure you could find a older 10 speed down tube shifting bike for less then $50
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rebekahliz posted 1 year ago.
Cool! Thanks, that's all very encouraging. My uni has a major bike auction in August. In fact--this might be a good place to look for other newbies as well. Many universities and police departments feature bike auctions, sometimes several times per year. I didn't pick up anything last year because I got there a bit too late and it was slim pickings, but perhaps this year I'll land a temporary stand-in.
Thanks to all for your responses.
Di mana ada kemauan, di situ ada jalan (Where there is desire, there is a road). – Indonesian proverb
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TriFatBoy posted 1 year ago.
azstinger11;73313 wrote:
I think PoC hit the nail on the head its the engine not the frame. One thing you may want to look at is going to garage sales and picking up a older road bike, I picked up a fixed gear bike I ride to school for $25 and its a great training aide, but I'm sure you could find a older 10 speed down tube shifting bike for less then $50
Agreed, engine > frame. I show up to group rides on my hybrid with clip-on aero's, and manage to hold my own, and have even made a few folks eat some of their words.
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~fatBoy
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This is my first tri season, and I am entering all races on a Trek hybrid with road tires. I realize there is no way to compete with the outstanding road and tri bikes I see out there (and that's really not my goal--not until I've invested in comparable equipment), but is there any way to gain an extra few minutes on such a bike? I am really, really slow. Like 15 miles/hour slow. Here's the thing:
I'm new to cycling, so I don't know much about shifting gears and cadencing on a bike. I suspect I've been tooting along at a cadence that's too low (which is also costing me time on my run due to burning quads), and I tend to use the big gears a lot (the courses I've chosen are fairly hilly).
Any advice is really appreciated.
Also, is it alright to join local group rides on a hybrid?
Di mana ada kemauan, di situ ada jalan (Where there is desire, there is a road). – Indonesian proverb