this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2025
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Bicycles

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submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

Today I went back out to try another 20 miler on my XC mountain bike after using the tips y'all gave me. I was around 2.3 km short of a 20 miler, so a little more than a mile, but that doesn't matter too much.

Tips I tried:

  • Aired up my tires by 10-15 PSI (Now at 50 in the front, 55 in the back.
  • Fixed my handlebar sweep (I had installed them backwards before...what can I say, it was my first time building a bicycle ๐Ÿ˜…)
  • Focused more on cadence than easier peddling - I.E instead of going to a low gear up a large hill and tiring my legs out by spinning, I kept it in a higher gear, pushing my cadence down a bit, but both getting me up the hill faster, and keeping my HR down.
  • rode on the road more as opposed to the sidewalks to avoid potholes and obstacles.

Things to consider:

  • I paused my smartwatch on stop lights, water breaks, pedestrian stop lights, and while I ate a snack.
  • There were three rather large hills on this route I took and one pretty steady climb upwards. The last two of these hills would have been impossible for me to climb, as they were almost a kilometer long and just too steep, so I put my smart watch on pause for these hills as well.

Things I'm planning to do in the near future:

  • going to buy myself some semi-slick tires: specifically, the Kenda K908. They seem to be a decent budget option, but if y'all have any other suggestions, I'd be open to hearing them!

Anyway, now for my results.

I don't know if these stats are more in line with what everyone else is getting, considering I paused on stop lights and 2 hills, but I would say I'm perfectly happy with a result like this.

Thank you so much to everyone who gave advice and help!

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[โ€“] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago

You'll get faster the more you improve your fitness. Years ago I decided to bike to work, which was about 10 miles at the time (16km). When I first started, it would take me well over an hour. After a few months of doing it nearly every day and trying to go faster, I was consistently under an hour, and then I was consistently about 40-45 min, with an occasional day under 30 min if wind conditions were right.

I think you're doing well. Keep up the consistency, try to push yourself every so often and you'll get faster. As they say, "it doesn't get easier, you just go faster." You got this!