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I'm using TRINX hybrid bike with stock 700cx35c tyres brand KENDA. Using Shimano SPD pedal with running shoe. stock groupset and wheelset. installed aero bars.

I always can't catch up in group riding. Even my friend with MTB with bigger tyre can ride with road bike. I've noticed I can't go more than 35km/h. Make me tired. Shift to higher gear or lower gear can't get my proper cadance.

Riding solo also feel like my bike very heavy to pedal. Only 18km/h. I can get 22km/h on aero bars. My average speed 23km/h. Being training 30km per ride flat road. No hill in my area so I cannot train for hills.

Got any advice to get faster? Change to hollow bottom bracket? Change tyre to 700cx25c? Thanks. And why MTB can go faster than me?

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  • It's possible you've got quite knobbly tyres even at 35mm - perhaps post a picture. What pressure do you use and how heavy are you? But to be honest it sounds most like training/practice. How long have you been riding? How often do you ride? What about your friends? – Chris H Mar 18 '17 at 12:04
  • Probably your tires -- too knobby and not enough pressure. Other possibilities: Suspension (not clear whether you have this or not) and poor bike fit. – Daniel R Hicks Mar 18 '17 at 12:14
  • Practice. SPD with running shoes are also a bad idea. – ojs Mar 18 '17 at 12:17
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    Do you have your brakes dragging or a tire rubbing or something? Are the wheels turning freely? – Batman Mar 18 '17 at 15:59
  • What do you weigh? Can you get your friend to swap bikes for a bit of a ride? See if its you or your bike ? If you're less fit or bigger than the others, reduce your time on the front of the bunch - only doing 1-2 minutes every second time might help, instead of 4-5 minutes every rotation. What city are you in/near ? – Criggie♦ Mar 18 '17 at 22:01
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I second @SteveLoughran's advice to try skinnier tires (tyres), but maybe you also need more training. Personally I'm either older, fatter, or both compared to the people in my weekly riding group, and I've always just been plain slow; I already have a road bike with skinny tires, so my only remedy is to put in the kilometers. If I read your post correctly you're riding distances of 30 km, which isn't all that far. If you do some longer training rides, of say 50 km, then 30 km will seem considerably easier.

Also consider interval training, which is a great way to get faster. The basic idea is to go flat-out for short intervals during a normal training ride, with easy effort intervals in between to recover. Perhaps three periods of maximum effort for three minutes each, with three-minute recovery intervals in between. Articles about interval training abound on the web. Intervals hurt, but they work.

Lastly, if you're lugging a few extra kilograms, it can't hurt to lose some.

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you can do narrower tyres, though it depends on the rim width what the minimum is. Try some 28 mm; I use Continental GP 4 season 28 mm tyres on a fairly wide rim; makes a big difference.

One lesson I've learned over decades with tyres is: buy one at time, fit and use before deciding whether to bother with a second. It may be the tyre sucks for some reason (can't fit on the rim, useless in the wet, punctures, ...), & you'll be out of pocket for twice as much if you buy a pair. Get one, stick it on the rear wheel for maximum stressing, and ride on it for a week or two before getting the second.

Hill training? Get into a really big gear an practise cycling at a cadence of ~50 RP

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  • +1 for the tip to buy one tire (tyre) at a time. I wish I'd thought of that! – rclocher3 Mar 19 '17 at 15:55

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