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?
The more you ride, the faster you get, generally speaking.
Mountain bikes are not primarily made for speed, for what it’s worth. You’ll find the fastest speed in road bikes (actually time trial bikes, but these are not made for general riding).
I like my XC simply because I got it new for cheap (around 220$USD) with great reviews from a local brand, and I feel more confident on it than I would on a rigid road bike that could break at any moment if I hit a pothole wrong