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Why am I so slow at cycling? (discuss.online)
submitted 4 weeks ago by ThePiedPooper@discuss.online to c/bicycles@lemmy.ca
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Today I did my first 20 mile (33km) ride on my hardtail XC bike. I learned how to ride a bike about 1.5 months ago, but I've been riding pretty consistently since I learned. I ride exclusively in the city, it's a very walkable city, but the paths aren't always the best. I did 33km in 2 hours 53 minutes, not including breaks for water or to eat.

I see people saying that 10MP/H (16KM/H) average is a good average to shoot for, but i can't even get my average above 7.1MPH (11.5KM/H), even on shorter rides. What am I doing wrong here? How are people going so freaking fast on bikes in cities?

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[-] grue@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I see two big things that others have touched on. One, you wll not believe how much of a difference a real road bike makes in your speed once you have a chance to try one, and the average speeds you're seeing are almost definitely on road bikes.

I'd say it's less the bike and more the tires. My "city bike" is a rigid mountain bike from the '90s (edit: which is also extra-heavy because of basket/rack/panniers/fenders), but because I put smooth-ish (but still wide) tires on it, I cruise at maybe 15-20 mph on flat ground. Sure, the handlebars/riding position and (in OP's case) power losses from the front suspension make some difference, but not nearly as much as the tires until you get going really fast.

this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2025
59 points (96.8% liked)

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