Improving speed, especially on hills
Discussion
This is on a MTB fitted with 1.5" slicks (City Jets) I can manage 15mph on shorter rides, 14mph on 30miles+
Looking at my Garmin I seem to average 16-17mph on flats but drop off to 8-10mph on hills - so it makes sense to concentrate on improving my performance on hills - how am I best to improve this?
I have a nagging suspicion I never quite worked out gears properly and might have the wrong technique.
I have an 11-30 8-speed on the back and 48-38-28 on front, use 5-6 for flats and 3-4 on hills, all on second ring.. how is best to judge if you are in the most appropriate gear .. ?
Looking at my Garmin I seem to average 16-17mph on flats but drop off to 8-10mph on hills - so it makes sense to concentrate on improving my performance on hills - how am I best to improve this?
I have a nagging suspicion I never quite worked out gears properly and might have the wrong technique.
I have an 11-30 8-speed on the back and 48-38-28 on front, use 5-6 for flats and 3-4 on hills, all on second ring.. how is best to judge if you are in the most appropriate gear .. ?
The fastest way to improve your speed would be to get a road bike.
The speeds you quoted seem fairly good for a mountain bike, don't compare your speed with folks on road bikes. A road bike will be better geared for the road, have far less rolling resistance, be lighter and much more aerodynamic.
If you are looking to improve your fitness then intervals are the way to go.
Pick a hill which is a few minutes long at a decent pace, then ride it as hard as you can to the top, turn around go back to the start and repeat it again until you find that your performance is dropping off.
The speeds you quoted seem fairly good for a mountain bike, don't compare your speed with folks on road bikes. A road bike will be better geared for the road, have far less rolling resistance, be lighter and much more aerodynamic.
If you are looking to improve your fitness then intervals are the way to go.
Pick a hill which is a few minutes long at a decent pace, then ride it as hard as you can to the top, turn around go back to the start and repeat it again until you find that your performance is dropping off.
a) road bike 
As for figuring out the best gear, I guess the scientific way to do it would be to get a powerhub, try different gears / cadences on hills and see what gives you the best output in the time. Realistically thats expensive, so trial and error and a watch works well enough.
Concerns about whether or not anyone will laugh at you riding on the smaller cogs at the front are allowed, but so long as you get to the top first its all good
As for figuring out the best gear, I guess the scientific way to do it would be to get a powerhub, try different gears / cadences on hills and see what gives you the best output in the time. Realistically
thats expensive, so trial and error and a watch works well enough. Concerns about whether or not anyone will laugh at you riding on the smaller cogs at the front are allowed, but so long as you get to the top first its all good
There's no correct gear, it's just whatever feels right for you. I prefer to put it into a slightly harder gear than I can manage sitting down, stand up, keep the bike straight and go hell for leather.
Locking out your suspension forks will help, as will good fitness and a set of spuds.
Locking out your suspension forks will help, as will good fitness and a set of spuds.
Lycra is never going to happen.
SPDs though, have those. Didn't make much difference to me. Maybe it's my cheap Aldi shoes
Suspension .. that might be something. I have a crappy old sprung fork with no lockout, so I guess this will absorb a bit of effort ?
I do realise I'm trying to do road stuff on a bastardised MTB-hybrid and not just biting the bullet and buying a proper bike, but I'm enjoying myself so that's all that matters
SPDs though, have those. Didn't make much difference to me. Maybe it's my cheap Aldi shoes
Suspension .. that might be something. I have a crappy old sprung fork with no lockout, so I guess this will absorb a bit of effort ?
I do realise I'm trying to do road stuff on a bastardised MTB-hybrid and not just biting the bullet and buying a proper bike, but I'm enjoying myself so that's all that matters
john_p said:
I have a crappy old sprung fork with no lockout, so I guess this will absorb a bit of effort ?
NoMy advice to go faster on hills = pedal harder
Use a higher gear (just one cog to start with) than you would normally use for hills and just try and maintain a higher pace. When you can consistently go up that hill in the higher gear, shift to the next cog up. Also don't freewheel when you get to the top of the hill.
Assuming you don't want to buy a road bike...
- Pump your tyres up HARD.
- Make sure your hubs and drivetrain are running smoothly.
- Make sure your brakes aren't slightly catching and wasting energy.
- As you've got SPDs, have you modified your pedaling style to work on the upstroke as well as the downstroke? So pull up a bit on the cleats.
- The SPD shoes should have a rigid sole to transfer maximum power to the pedal, if they don't, consider replacing them with some more road-focused shoes.
- Ditch any weight you don't need to be carrying (swapping out the suspension forks would be good but probably expensive).
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