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?
I run Michelin Country Rock as a hybrid tire. Anything that’s not knobbly is going to be a huge upgrade on pavement.
You also don’t need to run the same tires on both wheels. Having a slicker tire in the back can make sense as you put more weight on it, and slipping with the back wheel is a nuisance, while slipping with the front is often a disaster. So you could start off just swapping the rear. That way if it doesn’t work out, you also spent only half the money :)
Lastly I’d want to share that I really disliked those wheels that are only knobbly along the edges. Leaning over when taking a curve at speed, and suddenly transitioning from smooth to vibrating was very unsettling to me.
Besides the vibration issue, did you notice anything else like poor wet road performance, stuff like that?
I don’t really bike much when it’s wet, and never in mud, but the main downside of a slicker (but not slick) tire I’ve noticed is on steep gravel trails. I have a knobbly in front, so descending is ok, but ascending is definitely harder.
Mind that tread isn’t everything, tire size, air pressure, rubber hardness etc. all play a part. A wider softer tire might not struggle as much even without tread. (Speaking of which, I should try letting out some air next time.)