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 ๐ )
- 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!
Sorry man, unless you live in a place where bikers are allowed to ride on sidewalks (which I doubt even exists), you're absolutely in the wrong here.
Sidewalks are for the pedestrians. Period. You are the guest there, and it is you who have to respect their sanctified right not to be bothered by a 80kg bullet rushing through them.
I'm a biker too, and I sometimes use sidewalks if I don't feel it's safe to use the roads, so I do understand your sentiment. But yuu are still just wrong. They are on their turf and it's your bloody responsibility not to disturb them.
But you always to have to yield to pedestrians, so my point stills stands
Unless you can give me an example of a country where it is not the case
Looked up the laws, yes, you are correct. I'm going to delete that part of my post because I am a bit of an asshole for posting it, but I'll leave this comment chain so that I can be ashamed.
That's my man! I appreciate that ๐
It's hard to admit when you're wrong but it's a necessary character trait.