this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2025
60 points (100.0% liked)
Bicycles
4133 readers
87 users here now
Welcome to [email protected]
A place to share our love of all things with two wheels and pedals. This is an inclusive, non-judgemental community. All types of cyclists are accepted here; whether you're a commuter, a roadie, a MTB enthusiast, a fixie freak, a crusty xbiking hoarder, in the middle of an epic across-the-world bicycle tour, or any other type of cyclist!
Community Rules
-
No bigotry - including racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, or xenophobia.
-
Be respectful. Everyone should feel welcome here.
-
No porn.
-
No ads / spamming.
-
Ride bikes
Other cycling-related communities
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
This might be part of your answer. Modern mountain bikes aren't nearly as good on the road as vintage ones were.
However, don't replace your bike before you check your technique. Did you get a professional fit when you got your bike? If not, did you talk with anyone experienced about setting up a bike for a comfortable riding position? Bikes do NOT come out of the box or out of the aisle set up well for most people, and it's not always intuitive what the best position for you might be without experience.
Average speed is going to be highest when you can maintain pace. Straight, flat paths with few stops. Are you able to find a stretch of, say, 2 miles that has few to no deviations or stops? Including curves - if you have to slow down and then accelerate again, that's inefficient and will tire you out.
How's your tire pressure? Rolling resistance is greatly affected by tire pressure.
Gears? Are you able to pedal at your most comfortable speed of pedal rotation at a maintainable pace?
I'm by no means a pro - I'm also old and overweight, but 10 mph average over a long ride comes very easily when I compensate for those factors.