Racer/Road bike v. Hydrid (cycling)

jsmoke · 30 May 2018 at 07:02

I was hyper fit at school but years ago. Haven't done much in last 10 to 15 years etc. Wasted away a lot.

A have an older Dawes hybrid kind of bike. I guess it's called a tourer or short commuter bike. I am no expert. It's a bit old maybe a bit heavy and not meant for racing/speed AFAIK. Tires pumped up well though.

So I am cycling along pretty decently yesterday, fair bit of speed I thought and some girl(maybe in her early 20s) comes whizzing past me in an old traditional racer(not a road bike but and old style racer) she's wearing basic clothing, looks like work clothes and is pretty small yet she's comes bombing past me she doesn't come across as a serious cyclist just coming home from work etc. This happens a lot and as I said I used to be ultra fit and competitive years ago so I know about pain barriers I have a perfect sporting physique and could be pretty competitive.

So will it likely come to to the bike your using, if I used say a proper road bike all properly setup etc will i see a huge difference or am I really just unfit as heck or am I delusional as to my own abilities etc.

Quite embarrassing still when women bomb past you like that especially when they look about 70.

What do you think, I may be able to have a go on a decent bike soon so will see.

Armageus · 30 May 2018 at 07:13

80% you 20% equipment imo.

Whilst the right bike will make you faster, being unfit or just out of practice will make a huge difference.

Give yourself a chance to build your leg muscles back up, and get your breathing and overall fitness back up.

randomshenans · 30 May 2018 at 07:40

Armageus said:
80% you 20% equipment imo

Not strictly true. I can power along at 40kph on the aeroad, but you'd have no chance keeping up on a standard hybrid bike

Armageus · 30 May 2018 at 08:02

randomshenans said:
Not strictly true. I can power along at 40kph on the aeroad, but you'd have no chance keeping up on a standard hybrid bike

If you were completely out of shape and unfit, I bet you could still have 70 year old women bomb past though

randomshenans · 30 May 2018 at 08:30

Totally, but my point being if you had two people average fitness, you'd get hammered.

Jonny ///M · 30 May 2018 at 09:47

A road bike will give you about 2mph more average speed compared to a hybrid I'd say. Road bike will feel better when climbing and be more suited to higher speeds.

The best thing to do is make sure you have your tyre pressure set properly, it will say a range on the sidewall of the tyre. You can fit a slicker/narrower tyre which can reduce the drag depending what tyre is on there at the moment.

Most people seem to grind a big gear at a low leg speed, try being in a lower gear and spin your legs a bit more. Alternating working your legs with a big gear on a flat bit and then spin your legs up any climbs.

Basically make sure the bike is running properly and keep riding!

jsmoke · 30 May 2018 at 10:08

What is the website where you can click/press on the map and it will set a marker so you can calculate the distance between two points. I used this about a week ago and thought it was Google maps however it doesn't seem to have this function. Any ideas the site I was probably on.

I know you can get directions on G maps however you I want a finger press marker instead of post codes etc.

Jonny ///M · 30 May 2018 at 11:07

I use Strava route builder and some people use map my ride?

Fusion · 30 May 2018 at 12:37

Mapometer.

Bear · 30 May 2018 at 15:39

jsmoke said:
What is the website where you can click/press on the map and it will set a marker so you can calculate the distance between two points. I used this about a week ago and thought it was Google maps however it doesn't seem to have this function. Any ideas the site I was probably on.

I know you can get directions on G maps however you I want a finger press marker instead of post codes etc.

You still can on Google maps. Right click and measure distance

SDK^ · 30 May 2018 at 21:01

randomshenans said:
Not strictly true. I can power along at 40kph on the aeroad, but you'd have no chance keeping up on a standard hybrid bike

Over short distances (30 miles) I could keep up

Last year both of my road bikes were out of action so I was riding my 13kg Specialized Sirrus Hybrid bike and up to 30 miles my speed was pretty close. It took more effort and riding in the TT position for large sections (very uncomfortable resting arms in the middle of a standard flat bar). My legs were destroyed after, so anything longer would be sloooooooow.

See here : https://www.strava.com/activities/895507682

randomshenans · 30 May 2018 at 21:52

You machine!!

Saytan · 3 Jun 2018 at 12:18

Belgian TV did a bit with Phillipe Gilbert racing a postman. Gilbert was on the postman's bike, the postman was on Gilbert's team bike (and a decent club rider too)

There wasn't much in it...

https://youtu.be/j7SGbHxJ9Y8