City Cycling - Optimising for Speed, Part 1 (Drivetrain)

picture via mwaters

City cycling may be outside of the everlasting quest for speed that racing cyclists undertake for the duration of their lives, but it's no secret that every cyclist wishes they could go just a little bit faster, cut down that journey time a little, or just enjoy the feeling of velocity.

And the good news? You don't have to be a racer to go fast, and you don't need to tire yourself out to get up the momentum you'd really like. With these few simple tips, you'll easily be going 20% faster without really expending any extra effort. This isn't a workaround in place of stamina and strength, but it'll go a long way to giving you that boost you need.

Main causes of slowness and their remedies

Cyclists typically make a number of very specific mistakes when taking to a bicycle which, when resolved, will add speed to the journey. There are about ten main issues that I have in mind to deal with, and over time these will all be added to the site, probably interspersed with a number of other articles about other topics! For now, though, I will look at some categories of problem, how to identify them and how to correct them.

Drivetrain friction

Drivetrain friction concerns, in this context, pedals, the bottom bracket, wheels, sprockets and the chain. The best way to check if you have drivetrain friction is carefully to stand your bike up-side down and, first of all, check the pedals and bottom bracket in turn. Rotate the individual pedals slowly, listening and feeling for tightness or graveliness. Do the same with the pedal crank; make sure you are rotating it so that it doesn't turn the rear wheel, or you may have trouble distinguishing which part is the problem. If you sense resistance or gritty movement, apply some bike oil to any place you can see two parts moving together. The joints, hinges and sockets will usually take much more oil than you might expect, so be prepared to be liberal.

If you are finding that your chain is jumping or skipping at all, or just a bit resistant, consider getting your hands dirty and checking each link of the chain for freedom of movement; this is often well worth doing. Oil anything that doesn't move freely; and keep the chain well-lubricated in any case. Then, finally, check the front and rear wheels. At this stage, spinning the wheel  might only reveal brake-related issues, so turn the wheel by hand from the tyre, maintaining contact at all times, hand over hand. This contact not only controls the wheel enough to show any potential issues, but allows you to feel any lumps or bumps in the turn of the wheel. Again, if there is any graveliness or the sound of crunching or grinding, or if it's stiff, lean the bike back a little and pour oil into the hub of the wheel where you can again see two parts moving against each other. Keep pouring until it won't take any more, and have a roll of kitchen towel on hand.

Oil is probably the big deal here. Don’t go to town on it, but make sure there’s enough to go round. An oiled bike is a happy bike is a contented cyclist.

Buy some bike oil.

Happy cycling :)