More Speed

Craig Strong said:

Hi all,
Can somebody help me with some advice on how to most cost effectively upgrade my road bike to get more speed on the flat.
I have an entry level bike, Giant OCR3 that is about 18 months old now, and like most cannot afford to purchase a new bike.
I have had enough of busting my [censored] pushing heavy gears whilst the deep pocketed guys are feathering along with their light gears on flash bikes. I know my ability is ok because I always get them back in the hills.

Improving Aerodynamics is your answer. The vast majority of that can be improved by riding position alone.

You could dump a lot of money into wheels, but that is only like 10% of the aerodynamics equation.

Craig Strong said:

Hi all,
Can somebody help me with some advice on how to most cost effectively upgrade my road bike to get more speed on the flat.
I have an entry level bike, Giant OCR3 that is about 18 months old now, and like most cannot afford to purchase a new bike.
I have had enough of busting my [censored] pushing heavy gears whilst the deep pocketed guys are feathering along with their light gears on flash bikes. I know my ability is ok because I always get them back in the hills.

Wheels. Buy some light, aerodynamic wheels with flat spokes. Apart from streamlining your body, the simplest and most effective way of achieving higher speed.

and tire pressure will kill you if it isn't right.

I'm using a chart which is located in a book called "Swim,Bike,Run" by Wes Hobson, Clark Campbell and Mike Vickers which shows how much time can be saved by adding certain components (listed from most time saved in relation to cost to least):

Aerobars 3.5 minutes
Aerobar end shifters 1.5 minutes
Aero drinking system .5 minutes
Aero helmet 1 minute
18mm tubulars @ 150psi .5 minutes
Deep rim front wheel 1 minute
Disc wheel 1.5 minutes
Aero frame .5 minutes

I'm not really sure what the distance covered has to be to "save" that amount of time but it clearly shows that aerobars are the way to go. Just make sure you adjust your seat so you are not putting a lot of presure on your "sensitive" areas. Hope this helps.

Craig Strong said:

Hi all,
Can somebody help me with some advice on how to most cost effectively upgrade my road bike to get more speed on the flat.

Work on the motor.

I have trained on 8 MTB and 9 speed road bikes. I find the closer the gear ratios the better. Consider a 10 speed cassette, 12-23 and 10 speeed shifters/derailleur. giver the rest are equal, including tyres, that should help.

I like the table above on aero bar performance. My best times for home-pool, 40min 9 speed road bike, 42min MTB slicks/8 speed.

Footnote: I just sold the MTB to a Tri-lady at the pool. Next week I start training on the trekking bike, I expect to take around 50 min for the same journey, this bike makes you work. 🙄

boudreaux said:

Work on the motor.

I agree. Mashing big gears probably won't get you where you want to be. Work on increasing your cadence and putting more miles in. And do different intervals. It'll happen. You don't need a $5000 bike to go fast.

You dont pickup that much from a lighter bike,my friends consider me a relatively fast rider,keeping a pace now between 24-27 mph depending on wind and so on over 30-40 miles.I recently switched from an ultegra/al bike at 18.3 lbs to a dura ace/carbon bike at 15.4lbs and i picked up 2 mph. Most of that was picked up from the more aero wheels and learning how to position myself on the bike.I still get dusted by some of the older guys i ride with that have bikes in the 20lb range. Exp plays a big part in it ,strength is only going to get you so far. Try watching alot of the others you ride with that are faster and see what gear they are in and watch how they pedal and posistion themselves on the bike.Best of luck.

ganderctr said:

I agree. Mashing big gears probably won't get you where you want to be. Work on increasing your cadence and putting more miles in. And do different intervals. It'll happen. You don't need a $5000 bike to go fast.

Thanks guys for all the advice,

What sort of distance and interval training do you guys do?

Currently I get about 150km a week, riding to and from work and getting out on a weekend ride, and I go to the gym 3 times a week.
My cadence is usually around 75 - 85 rpm.

I was toying with the idea of looking at my gearing, however, I think I will now look at my riding position and check out what I can do in the way of my wheels.

gclark8 said:

I have trained on 8 MTB and 9 speed road bikes. I find the closer the gear ratios the better. Consider a 10 speed cassette, 12-23 and 10 speeed shifters/derailleur. giver the rest are equal, including tyres, that should help.

I like the table above on aero bar performance. My best times for home-pool, 40min 9 speed road bike, 42min MTB slicks/8 speed.

Footnote: I just sold the MTB to a Tri-lady at the pool. Next week I start training on the trekking bike, I expect to take around 50 min for the same journey, this bike makes you work. 🙄

Thanks,
I am currently set up with a 12 - 26 8 spd cassette, and 30x42x52 crank set.
It has Shimano Sora STI 24spd deraileur shifters

Craig Strong said:

What sort of distance and interval training do you guys do?

If you want to improve your power you got to push yourself harder for a shorter period of time. More miles won't won't help you if you have a power problem.

Endurance vs power is the classic tradeoff. You can train for both up to a point.

I suggest an equipment plan, over time, as things wear out or need service.

Position first, seat, bars, aero bars...

Tyres, 23mm low rolling resistance, lots to choose from..

Drive train, 10 speed close ratios (12-23), double or triple, crank length, this is the time to decice, Ultegra will get cheaper, 105 may be out in 3x10 next year. However this is major money.

I believe once the position is better, cadence will come up, 80-90 is better, with a close ratio cassette, you will be able to keep it tighter, around 90 most of the time. Endurance will follow. The triple chain ring should still giive you the climbing ability on hills. Shimano do a 12-21 8 speed cassette, this could give you a taste of close ratios for now.

Craig Strong said:

Hi all,
Can somebody help me with some advice on how to most cost effectively upgrade my road bike to get more speed on the flat.
I have an entry level bike, Giant OCR3 that is about 18 months old now, and like most cannot afford to purchase a new bike.
I have had enough of busting my [censored] pushing heavy gears whilst the deep pocketed guys are feathering along with their light gears on flash bikes. I know my ability is ok because I always get them back in the hills.

Agree with gclark8 here. Consider upgrades when stuff needs replacement, but not until that time. Key is to ride your bike enough to wear things out...that's what will make you a stronger rider. Good low-rolling resistance tires may help a bit, depending on what tires you've got on the bike now.

Besides, if you can get your buddies back on the hills, weight of the bike or wheels isn't the problem anyway. (Weight is only significant on hills). My guess is you just need more miles to improve your aerobic efficiency. If you want to ride with guys who've put in many thousands of miles over several years of cycling, you'll have to pay your dues like they already have. I don't know of any shortcuts.

Also, suggest you stop "pushing heavy gears", and try to keep the cadence up to 85-90 when you're cruising. It may tax your heart and breathing a little more, but it will improve your endurance towards the end of the ride, and pay in the long run.

I always find myself falling of the pack on long flats. But I know that is a Cadence issue coupled with my slight fear of getting interlocked wheels. I am working on both and things are improving. My bike is only a Trek 1200 but is still much lighter and newer than most of the other guys so equipment isn't the be all to this issue. I just bought a cadence computer for my bike and was amazed at how much my cadence flies all over the place.

The biggest item on the bike where weight can be shaved is the rider. A couple of grams on a part here and there is nothing compared to 5 pounds on the rider. Train hard and increase the motor, bling parts don't make you go any faster.