Racing to work on Mountain Bike(31km in 57mins 29sec)

BossArky

Hello,

Myself and a colleague have competition going between us. We both time trail 31km to work each morning and keep records of our times. This morning I did the 31km in 57minutes 29 seconds which is the new record (taking a shorter road than normal).

This was all done my myself on a mountain bike (Rockrider 5.2 Decathalon).

My competitor has a LiteSpeed Tuscany racing bike(worth 3,500 Euro!), which obviously means that he can probably go faster.

My question: What is the fastest average speed you think is possible for me on a mountain bike over the 31km? Today I was travelling at an average of 32.3km per hour according to my speedometer. I'm sure I can go faster eventually when fitter...but just wondering if any of you out there are speed demons on mountain bikes. Please let me know.

Thanks for any info.

uberwolf

I, when I was 16, worked in town and lived in Leixlip. Once did the 14 miles (24km) in 27 minutes. That was on a MTB. And in favourable wind conditions

Good fun though having that incentive to bring you in in the morning. Keep it up!

Trojan

I'd say you could manage 35-38 km/h if you set yourself up properly - get some slicks like these if you don't already. I stuck a set of aerobars on too, that helps a lot. You in France? I love Decathlon! That's where I got my aerobar for 28 euro

BossArky

!!

Are you serious? Thats over53km per hour!

tunney

I have an old MTB and a €2000 racing bike. When I race to work I always make it faster on the MTB. Plain and simple of it is that the racing bike is meant for open roads MTB is more suitable for navigating traffic and the like.

Once you starting averaging 23mph (ish) (37kph) is when you have to start worring about aerodynamics so you should easily get up to 23mph but could struggle after that.

Trojan

Wow, just did the maths.

BossArky

Trojan, do you have a link to those aerobars? Slicks are a good idea, currently on semi-slicks...although the rain here in France at the moment may keep me off the slicks until next March..

Trojan

No, I just found them in the Decathlon in Tours accidentally. I also looked in Chartres and Orleans but never saw them there so it was a lucky find. They had no name on them, but were made somewhere in Asia (can't even remember that!).

That's a myth - slicks are no more dangerous in rain than semi slicks - bikes cannot aquaplane like cars do.

http://yarchive.net/bike/slicks.html
http://www.fremontfreewheelers.org/RaceTeam/Useful/RacingInRain.html

Pherekydes

Am going to Cherbourg on a wine buying trip at the end of October, and as there's a Decathlon there, I was thinking of having a look.

What cycle accessories do you experts recommend I bring back?

I am bringing a seven seater, without five of the seats, so space won't be an issue.

All input welcome, and thanks in advance.

Trojan

That's like asking what you should get for Christmas, we can't answer. I recommend bringing a couple of (hundred) euros and spending 2 hours walking around Decathlon. More if you're a sports addict. You'll see plenty to spend on

uberwolf

I've mulling this over for the last few days and here are some thoughts/points for discussion.

I don't think aero bars, etc would be a good idea. Your position on the bike is a very important thing and messing around with it is a tricky business on a standard bike and has been the topic of many scientific papers. Slapping on aero bars is putting the horse before the cart IMO, you might find your saddle position is completely off or someother problem exists.

The optimum pedal cadence is 90 a minute. Over an hour you should be repeating the motion 5400 times. If your position is wrong you've massive scope for injury and your back is a very sensitive part of your body and typically very prone in cyclists because we neglect it. Aero bars put a massive strain on your back, its a very unnatural position to be in.

So if I were you I'd look into position, tyres, hydration, gearing along time before aero bars.

Criticism or reputation points welcome

Pherekydes

Thanks Uberwolf and Trojan.

I kinda realised that I'd asked an unanswerable question soon after I posted it. In relation to the tri-bars thing, I find that my arm joints, particularly my elbows and wrists, ache horribly after a two hour spin, so I was wondering if tri-bars would help. I also find that my neck aches, too (maybe I need a rest for my chin! ). After thinking about it, and browsing their site, I agree with trojan about the money.

I might try the bars, but I think that the clothing, especially the protective gear, might be much cheaper over there.

Thanks again.

uberwolf

Slow coach wrote:

Thanks Uberwolf and Trojan.

I kinda realised that I'd asked an unanswerable question soon after I posted it. In relation to the tri-bars thing, I find that my arm joints, particularly my elbows and wrists, ache horribly after a two hour spin, so I was wondering if tri-bars would help. I also find that my neck aches, too (maybe I need a rest for my chin! ).

Very vague advice here, but maybe you bike position is too far forward. This could be a) handlebars too low b) handlebars too far out c) saddle too high d) pedals/leg length too short. e) absolutely none of the above

That is to say the pressure is on the wrong place (probably) is causing these problems. And even with perfect position you may have pains, I used to get stiff neck(or very upper back) after 4/5 hr spins and it was down to not varying my hand position because I was riding so steadily and not putting my hands on the drops every once in a while. So maybe bear that in mind as well.
E

BossArky

Hi all, thanks for your input.

An update on the cycling to work at speed on a mountain bike:

Last weekend I got a loan of two new wheels and slick tires from a colleague. Each wheel is 1kg lighter than my originals...giving me 2kg less wieght to carry around, bringing total bike weight down to 13kg.

Also, I got a set of Aerobars thanks to Trojans suggestion and they are cool! Brought my average speed up a lot...now my fastest time is 51minutes 02 seconds for the 31km....averaging 37kmph! I was impressed with myself

I also put a bit of grease on the chain, plus got some tight cycling shorts (that are not too cool to walk into work in the morning with...but they do the job on the bike).

So Trojan, you were correct, slicks and aerobar did the job. Now I'm going to try and work up towards a 40kmph average over the next weeks if the weather holds.

Thanks again.

Interceptor

BossArky, you are some man to be doing a run like that every morning! How long before you stop sweating at your desk?? Do you find you run out of gears or have you fitted a higher ratio block? I was going to suggest a shorter (70mm) stem and shorter, flat handlebars as this doesn't upset your saddle position as much as aero bars might. Do you use SPD pedals? These help to reduce fatigue, and take off any unnecessary weight. I have a Spinergy front wheel and slicks on my MTB and find it very comfortable for long distances - I took off the front shocks and bottle cage too.

Keep 'em spinning!!

'c

uberwolf

interceptor wrote:

I took off the front shocks and bottle cage too.

what do you drink?

BossArky

Interceptor, I take a shower after arriving in work...so I'm fresh by the time I get to my desk.

My rival was hit by a car, well...a Twingo, yesterday...rushing across a junction without paying attention. I told him cycling with headphones was dangerous... Luckily his bike frame was Titanium, only the wheels were in bits...he said he was up last night until 2am bending them back into shape with the help of the manhole cover outside his front door..! He was ok...and still 4 and a half minutes slower than me :cool:

Pherekydes

BossArky wrote:

My rival was hit by a car, well...he said he was up last night until 2am bending them back into shape with the help of the manhole cover outside his front door

I was bitten by a dog this summer and couldn't cycle for 2 weeks. I guess if your friend was bitten he'd probably just continue on with the mutt attached to his calf! (He'd probably bite it back!)

Brings new meaning to the term 'ironman'.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Trojan

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

lol, tell another one! Actually, while I wait for your post I'll go browse bikeforums, cyclingnews, velonews, rugby365, scrum.com, BBC Sport and pricepoint.com...

uberwolf

Slow coach wrote:

I was bitten by a dog this summer and couldn't cycle for 2 weeks. I guess if your friend was bitten he'd probably just continue on with the mutt attached to his calf! (He'd probably bite it back!)

An old ploy used to be to swing your pump at the dog (back in the day when full length pumps were de rigeur) anyhows they have a latch on them to lock the pump to the valve so you can swing out of them and get the final few pounds of pressure. A mate tells a tale of swinging a pump at a dog that was chasing him, only to have the latch swing out and enter the dogs eye
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Trojan

That's one dog that didn't chase cyclists again!

daveirl

This post has been deleted.