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?
Well the good news is that if you ride this guy for a while, and then do decide it is overly limiting for you, getting on a road or gravel bike will be a big instant speed boost.
Definitely get in good with a local bike shop now, and have them do maintenance on this bike. They might end up giving you a good deal on a trade if you do decide you want something else, but they will usually only do that for established customers.