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Why am I so slow at cycling? (discuss.online)

submitted 3 days 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 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If most of your riding is on paved surfaces, you want "city bike tires." For your bike, they'll be roughly 26x1.5"-2.0" and they'll be relatively smooth instead of knobby. Better ones will have features like extra puncture resistance and retroreflective sidewalls.

Random example from an image search:

The "some nubs on the outer sides but a smooth patch down the center" type of tire the commenter above recommended would look something like this...

...but honestly, I'd probably go for a full-blown city tire instead unless you're regularly riding on loose surfaces, not just "occasionally."

[–] ThePiedPooper@discuss.online 1 points 2 days ago

So we call them half-slicks here apparently. I decided to go with a pair of those. My performance night suffer a bit, but I prefer peace of mind to pure performance. As soon as I get paid, I plan on ordering a pair of them!

Thank you for the advice!