New to bicycling
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mdd posted 1 year ago.
At this point you probably just need to ride more. Also make sure you are properly fit on your bike and that is something your local bike shop can help you with. It might seem silly to have someone "fit" you to a bike but you will be surprised how much faster you can ride if you are fit correctly on the bike.
Otherwise just keep riding as much as possible and I am sure you average speed will improve! :)
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kylie posted 1 year ago.
What kind of bike are you riding? That will play a part in your speed. I'm not asking to tell you to go by a new bike, but instead so that we can help you make what you have faster, and let you know not to worry too much :)
And I agree with mdd -- just get on and pedal to get a base built so that you get more comfortable on the bike and have more of a feeling for it. Once you have some miles in your legs, then you can look at drills (and yes, intervals).
Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV
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PJT posted 1 year ago.
Like mdd says, to actually get faster you have to bike more. Intervals may help, but at this point just focusing on regular riding will be a big help.
I'm guessing if you went 8.5MPH that you're on a mountain bike or a hybrid with wide knobby tires. Narrower, smooth tires will make you faster immediately, and you won't have to buy a new bike.
But again, biking more is the key.
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RV posted 1 year ago.
Same advice here - just ride more and look to put smooth/skinny tires on your bike.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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amyro1234 posted 1 year ago.
I am riding a Schwinn that does have pretty fat tires. How much speed would I gain if I switched to thinner tires and would it make up for having less control of the bike? I will definatly try to bike more often and make sure my bike fits right. How much does it cost for a bike fitting? Thanks for the advice!
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PJT posted 1 year ago.
Slightly less control, but really this is not an issue on the roads. Depending on how wide and knobby the tires are now, and how narrow a tire you can put on your wheel, a set of slicks could be good for up to 3MPH.
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RV posted 1 year ago.
A bike fit could be $100+.
Might be best to hold off on that initially - put on the tires - and put on more miles - build up slowly - if comfortable then you are fine - if issues arise - i.e. numbness anywhere, back pain etc - then look to get a fit done.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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TriOnLife posted 1 year ago.
More time on the bike = faster. At this point you should just spend more time riding. When you get faster you can think about changing the bike and the fit, etc. Try doing 3 1 hour rides/week if you can manage it. Do 1 easy, 1 with a few intervals (push hard for 2 minutes then go easy for 5 and repeat... when you get stronger increase the number of minutes of hard), and 1 where you warm up for 20 minutes, ride 20 minutes semi-hard and warm down for 20 minutes.
That will take you a long way toward riding in double digit mph. Once you get there you can start looking at other things like bike fit, working in a trainer, HR training, etc.
- A 21st Century Mom who is tri-ing to get better instead of just getting older
www.breakingthetape.com/21stcenturymom
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TriOnLife posted 1 year ago.
Addendum - I would put some slicks on the bike. You don't need all that resistance from the tires making your workouts harder.
- A 21st Century Mom who is tri-ing to get better instead of just getting older
www.breakingthetape.com/21stcenturymom
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amyro1234 posted 51 weeks ago.
I will definatly be bicycling more often now and will also do many of the other tips broughgt up. I never thought about thinner tires before, or a bike fit, or the three one hour rides. Thanks for the help!
Hi! I'm pretty new to triathlons and to bicycling! I did a triathlon a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it, however, because of my very slow bicycling, I ended up in last place out of over 200 people! My bicycling speed was 8.5 miles an hour for a 12 mile event. Not 18.5 .....8.5! Does anybody know how to get faster on the bike? Schould I just try to practice more or should I do something different like intervials? I'm not yet ready to buy a new bike, I will wait untill I get more serious about triathlon but any help would be appriciated. Thanks!!!!