More exciting ride wanted

[mig]

if the bike fits you well then the first thing i would do is change the tyres something like as you suggest then remove any weight you don't need. an un-used rack seems to fit that category.

maybe increase the size of the front chainring by a few teeth to give you some bigger gears at the top end and be able to use more of the cassette at the rear.

small, relatively cheap changes may provide what you are looking for instead of chasing it initially with a purchase you may not need nor like.

[roubaixtuesday]

Hi

Thank you you for all the responses.

Variously - completely accept the wheel recommendation. I did the Spa wheel upgrade as I wrecked the 36h wheels that came with the bike. Would do that again.

I ride in East Anglia, its actually Colchester so the local countryside rolls a bit. I'm looking at 22kmh on such a ride. In think for a 61yo I have quite a high power output, but obviously let down by the ratio.

I'm running marathon pluses, and there is a bit of me that is tempted to remove the rack, stand put marathon supremes on and see what happens.

The unused gears are 1-11 on a 24 gear bike. I have only ever used the small chainring by accident.

Any marathon tyres are slow and heavy compared to fast road tyres. If you're going to change, go for something decent

I ride Vittoria corsa; other nice tyres are also available. You'll never go back.

(I run marathons on the commuter and tandem; they have their place)

[Nearholmer]

Yep, if you want to go a bit quicker fairly easily, change the tyres.

I’m running on Marathon Plus again at the moment, and for all of their other virtues, notably puncture resistance, they have to be the slowest tyre known to humanity. Their weight causes high rotational inertia, which makes acceleration very ponderous, and their rolling resistance is pretty high too.

[Jupestar]

Not sure what you mean my ‘exciting’. But marathon plus/supremes cannot be it.

Change them to something fast and responsive. Gp5000’s for example will transform your ride.

And you’ll get the added excitement of worrying about puncture’s …

[PH]

I'm running marathon pluses, and there is a bit of me that is tempted to remove the rack, stand put marathon supremes on and see what happens.

I wouldn't run Marathon + on any bike unless it was absolutely critical that I never get a puncture. Changing those will make more difference than anything else you can do to the bike.

[PH]

Not sure what you mean my ‘exciting’. But marathon plus/supremes cannot be it.

It's all comparative, but there's a huge difference between Marathon Plus and Supreme.
I like the later, sure they're not the fastest available, they're still a touring tyre, but for me they're the right compromise between speed, feel, grip and puncture protection. I'd suggest there's more of a difference between those two Marathons than there is between the Supreme and a Gp5000.

[pwa]

I'm the same age and similar weight, are your cycling buddies?
My experience is that the feel of bikes can be radically different, but the performance varies little. Also some of those exciting bikes are simply not designed for people of our size, what may be of advantage to someone 70kg becomes a disadvantage with another 20kg.
I have a steel touring bike (Hewitt Cheviot, though it could be one of many) stripped of all the practical stuff and with large smooth tyres, it's a better option for me than any of the faster Sportive or Audax bikes I've owned. You could try this for yourself with your current bike.
That's not to discourage another bike, just to be realistic about what it'll achieve. My nomination for your shortlist would be a Spa Elan, I've never ridden one, though it strikes me as a bike that might suit what you're looking for.

Very slightly over-budget, but I'd be looking at the titanium framed (carbon fork) version of the Spa Elan
https://spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s223p4584/S ... -triple%29
and ask them to spec it with the fastest tyres they can think of. That will give you some extra speed. But it won't be due to the bike being lighter. When you weigh 106kg your all-up weight (you plus the bike) will not be reduced by all that much by having a lighter bike. Spa's current titanium frames make very handsome bikes, and the Elan can be had in a configuration that won't force you to bend too low for comfort. Trying to force yourself into too racy a position, as will happen with many road bikes, won't make you faster if you find it uncomfortable.

Once you have this fabulous bike, make yourself faster by occasionally upping the pace for a few minutes in the middle of your rides, before easing off again. Working on the engine is the most effective way to get faster.

[pwa]

I'm running marathon pluses, and there is a bit of me that is tempted to remove the rack, stand put marathon supremes on and see what happens.

I wouldn't run Marathon + on any bike unless it was absolutely critical that I never get a puncture. Changing those will make more difference than anything else you can do to the bike.

Supremes will make a difference you can feel.

[De Sisti]

From the thread title I assumed the OP wanted more interesting and challenging bike rides
to tackle.

[mattheus]

From the thread title I assumed the OP wanted more interesting and challenging bike rides
to tackle.

In Nor'n Ireland (and probably elsewhere) there is a 3rd meaning.

[foxyrider]

...........
Your buddies are right! 16kg is a hulk.............

As a proportion of an all-up weight of 132kg, what would you notice if the bike was 4kg lighter?
Previous thread(s?) from the OP references fast rides / East Anglia.
eg.viewtopic.php?p=1694361#p1694361

maybe the weight isn't the important bit but something that moves when you press on the pedals would certainly make a big difference. And why only lose 4 of those 16kg? It wouldn't be too difficult to pretty much halve that and 8kg is a big lump of weight!

[531colin]

Yup,you will really notice 8kg less on an all-up weight of 122kg on the mountainous roads around Colchester. Much more important than changing from flats to drops, its never windy that side of the country.

[roubaixtuesday]

Yup,you will really notice 8kg less on an all-up weight of 122kg

Agree.

[mattheus]

If I got chatting to someone, and they pinched 8kg of stuff from my panniers, I would definitely notice the difference as I accelerated away.

There might be more important things. But a cyclist can have more than one priority, more than one aspect that warrants attention ... etc ...

[PH]

It wouldn't be too difficult to pretty much halve that and 8kg is a big lump of weight!

Weren't you in the bike trade? Would you really put a 106kg rider on an 8kg bike?