[Dcmkx2000]

First season on a road bike, entry level Felt, have put 785 miles on it since april. Furthest I ridden was 80 miles on a rail trail which is pretty flat, averaged 15.2 mph.

Rode it again yesterday, and went an extra 20 around the town to make it an even 100 and averaged 16.2 mph. I was averaging 16.9 mph when I was done with the rail trail, but the around town jaunt slowed me down.

I'm pumped, now have to try and map out a different century with some mild climbing built in.


Question.... I have a friend I ride with whom has an entry level Giant, he is seriously looking at upgrading to carbon and much better components. How much of a factor will that have with performance and numbers? Or, is it mainly the rider/motor?

 

[PJ352]

First season on a road bike, entry level Felt, have put 785 miles on it since april. Furthest I ridden was 80 miles on a rail trail which is pretty flat, averaged 15.2 mph.

Rode it again yesterday, and went an extra 20 around the town to make it an even 100 and averaged 16.2 mph. I was averaging 16.9 mph when I was done with the rail trail, but the around town jaunt slowed me down.

I'm pumped, now have to try and map out a different century with some mild climbing built in.


Question.... I have a friend I ride with whom has an entry level Giant, he is seriously looking at upgrading to carbon and much better components. How much of a factor will that have with performance and numbers? Or, is it mainly the rider/motor?

First off, kudo's to you on completing your first century! :thumbsup:

To answer your question, I vote rider/ motor. Making some assumptions, if your friend drops a couple of lbs. between his current bike and the upgrade, any increase in average speed will be minimal, and mostly 'seen' when climbing. That given, if this is your friends primary motivation, I'd suggest saving the money and continuing to work on improving fitness.

As a reward for his efforts, there's always that lighter wheelset or 'next/ better' bike in his future.

 

[skyliner1004]

i did my first 75 mile ride last week also. It was killer. There was hill after hill after winding hill in upstate NY/Mass/Ct.

here is the climbing/distance for the ride i did:
http://www.bikenewyork.org/rides/chart.html

Ride //// Date //// Distance //// Elev Gain /// Avg Gain per Mile
Harlem Valley Rail Ride //// 7/25/10 //// 75 //// 5,620 /// 75

i rode with my cousin, who is a stronger rider than me. But he's also never attempted a century. we arrived at the start knowing there will be some hills, but more worried about he distance.
About 20 miles in, he was feeling it on the uphills. It was due to his gearing, he rode it with a 11-23 cassette with a 53/39 crank (2010 Tarmac w/ ultegra)
I struggled up the hills slowing to a crawl of 5mph, but my gearing allowed me to do it decently.
I had a 12-26 cassette with 50/34 crank (2010 566 w/ rival)

What do you guys think of that elevation gain and avg gain per mile? Can you guys tell me specifically what they mean? (i want to know what i've accomplished!

 

[Jay Strongbow]

Question.... I have a friend I ride with whom has an entry level Giant, he is seriously looking at upgrading to carbon and much better components. How much of a factor will that have with performance and numbers? Or, is it mainly the rider/motor?

It's the rider and the fit of the bike. How good/bad his current bike fits is what'll tell you if there's much room for improvement by going to a better bike. But if he gets the same fit with a new bike there won't be much improvement. Tell him he should strive for improvements to fit and comfort and the performance gains will take care of themself. Just getting "better" bike for the sake of getting a "better" bike won't make him much if any faster. If it helps fit and increases comfort (thus more stamina) it will but I can't put a number on it.

 

[Mr. Versatile]

As others have said, it's the motor If you're going to do a moderate or more of climbing then a lighter bike will help you. If it's flat, not so much..