Condition or Bike?

[Scoffin]

I've been riding (seriously) for close to a year now and thought I have been riding at a pretty good pace. I can average a good 18-19mph on the flats and still have something left if needed. I went on a group ride the other night and got hooked up with the group called Med-Fast. Well, I got blown away. I ride a Felt S-91. In looking at the other riders they didn't seem to be in any better shape than me. I'm thinking some of it was they drafted well, but the rest could of been the bike.

Can a bike make up 2-3 mph that I was lacking on this ride? How much more would I need to spend if that is the case? I've been looking at the Felt Tri bikes, but they are about 3 times more in cost than I paid for this one.

Please feed my ego and tell me it is my bike and not me.

Thanks..

 

[kmavm]

Please feed my ego and tell me it is my bike and not me.

Scoffin, this may sound harsh, but I say it in a spirit of assistance. It's almost certainly not your bike. It's you.

Super-nice wheels, high-pressure tubulars, and other race equipment might gain you a few percent, depending on conditions, blah blah blah. Training, on the other hand, will net you 10s of percentages in improvment. The sooner you fully accept that the way forward is to improve your engine, rather than your chassis, the sooner you can mentally commit to the hard work required to get better.

Also, looking at people on bikes can't tell you how good a shape they're in; if they're dropping you, they're in better shape than you, no matter who looks better in spandex.

 

[Lonnie Utah]

kmavm,

In this case, it just might be the bike. The s91 is a flatbar road bike. Most likely it's a combination...

L

 

[RapDaddyo]

I've been riding (seriously) for close to a year now and thought I have been riding at a pretty good pace. I can average a good 18-19mph on the flats and still have something left if needed. I went on a group ride the other night and got hooked up with the group called Med-Fast. Well, I got blown away. I ride a Felt S-91. In looking at the other riders they didn't seem to be in any better shape than me. I'm thinking some of it was they drafted well, but the rest could of been the bike.

Can a bike make up 2-3 mph that I was lacking on this ride? How much more would I need to spend if that is the case? I've been looking at the Felt Tri bikes, but they are about 3 times more in cost than I paid for this one.

Please feed my ego and tell me it is my bike and not me.

Thanks..

The reality is that 18mph doesn't require much power. Depending on your size (frontal area) a little more than 100 watts will produce 18mph on the flat, no wind. In all likelihood, the group you were riding with was doing 200+ watts at the front. In my group rides, when I go to the front I regularly pull 250w-300w. You can stay with them at ~150w if you stay in close, but if you drop back a little bit you're going to have to pull 200+w to keep up. That's training, not bike.

 

[zaskar]

I agree with the others, work on your engine. i see and ride with guys who have a coach, SRM, an $8k bike and still get dropped.the problem is, is they pose.they don't ride enough and do the workouts perscribed, and when the training hurts drop off the back or cut the workout short.get some legs then a bike don't be a poser.

 

[frenchyge]

Please feed my ego and tell me it is my bike and not me.

Regardless of whether bike or conditioning is currently your bigger problem, greater conditioning will net you the greatest improvement in the future.

Also, don't discount the effects of experience. If the other riders are more used to riding pacelines, are riding a more familiar course, and are used to riding with each other, then that will have an effect as well. Just knowing who are the stronger riders, where they like to really push the pace and where they ease off, where they re-group, etc. can mean the difference between hanging on and dropping off the back. Also, the weaker riders in the group probably know to take very short pulls during the fast portions of the route.

If you keep riding with them, I think you'll find that you can hang on longer each time. You'll be surprised how quickly you pick up those 2-3mph by riding with a fast group -- much quicker than you could gain 2-3mph riding by yourself.

 

[Scoffin]

Thanks for the feedback. I would like to set the record straight, I'm definitely not a poser. I ride in a plain grey wrapper. No riding kit for me. Although I would like to have a Cubs jersey if somebody would make one.

I know I'm getting stronger at riding. I'm taking on hills with authority now that I couldn't get up without hitting the granny ring a few months ago. I know it will come with time. As long as I'm always pushing, I know I'll get there. Just shocked they did it so easily. I'd gather they have been riding that route together for a long time.

I do plan on getting another bike though and I will be looking for more quality and higher end components. I just bought this one to see if I'd stick with it. I'm gonna. I feel better at 36 than I did at 21.

 

[AmpedCycle]

I know how you feel. I've also ridden for a year, joined a club, and been dropped out the back. Don't worry about it... you're just going to have to work harder and get better before you start keeping up. It's not hard... go check out a training plan like Carmicahael writes about in the ultimate ride, or something else like that. Some basic anatomy and physiology concepts I've learned about apply to this, too... there are 3 types of muscle fibers... if you've been riding for a year, I'm geussing you've only conditioned one of them (and maybe not long enough with only 1 year). You probably need to work on sprints, which involve a different type of muscle fiber.