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

submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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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[-] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

Got it! I put the rear tire to 55PSI and the front tire to 50PSI. Would making the suspension softer in the front further prevent possible damage?

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Not really. Going down stairs you shouldn't have much weight over the front and the suspension won't be doing that much work until you get to the bottom where it will compress as you hit the flat. If anything if you went too soft you could hit the bottom of the stair set and bottom out the forks which opens up another can of worms.

If the suspension is working fine for you right now I'd leave it as it is.

this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2025

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