Your performance on the road and how far your bike goes will depend on how fit, strong, and light you are. But when it comes to speed, there are things that you can do to make your performance faster on a bike.
But how to make bikes faster? You can do certain things to make it faster, particularly on the cleaning and maintenance side of the bike. This article will list different ways to make your bike faster quickly and help improve your bike performance.
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Maintenance and Cleaning
Doing proper maintenance and cleaning your bike regularly can also make the bike faster. But cleaning and maintenance are two general terms that mean specific parts in your bike to target to make it run faster. Please see below.
Prioritize Cleaning the Drivetrain
Did you know that the dirt or gunk that accumulates in the chain, chainring, cassette, and drop wheels of your bike can make it run slower? These dirty parts of the bike will add a significant amount of friction to the drivetrain, making it harder to pedal and eventually affecting the bike’s speed.
The key is to clean the drivetrain thoroughly and not just make it look clean and shiny. Using the right drivetrain cleaner can remove all the gunks that have already accumulated on the surface. I also advise using a chain cleaning device to properly lean the chain and remove all the dirt, even in the most challenging part of the chain.
Having the Right Tire Pressure
A part of the maintenance stuff you want to do to have a smoother ride is to have the proper tire pressure on the bike. However, it is also a simple way to make your bike runs faster on the road. The appropriate tire pressure is also the cheapest and quickest way to make the bike runs faster.
Rolling resistance can also add to your bike’s speed aside from the direction coming in the drivetrain. This information makes the tire pressure important in relation to the bike’s speed.
To improve the rolling resistance of your bike, you will need to have the right amount of tire pressure. If it is too soft, you will increase the rolling resistance. If it is too hard, the same thing will happen.
But what is the right amount of tire pressure should you run? Experts say that in the lab where the measurement is accurate, the right amount of pressure is 110 PSI is very roughly the lowest rolling resistance pressure.
But on an open road, a softer tire will have a higher rolling resistance because it absorbs all the imperfection on the road surface, which means that your body and bike will bounce around less and allow you to travel faster.
The right amount of tire pressure will also depend on your body weight. So, putting the right amount of pressure will follow the base formula below:
70 KG Rider + 25C Tire = 95 PSI
But, if you are riding on a super smooth road, you can increase the PSI slightly. But if you are riding on a rough road, you can also decrease the PSI a little bit. But in terms of weight, you will be adding the amount of pressure by 3 PSI. If you are lighter, you can decrease the pressure by the same amount.
For bikes that are using thinner tires, you can increase the tire pressure by 3 to 4 PSI. For wider tires, it’s the other way around. You can reduce the PSI and have the luxury of running with a softer tire. But, if you are using a tubular tire, you can reduce the rolling resistance by glueing them on.
Having a Correctly Aligned Brakes and Indexed Gears
When your drivetrain is squeaking, or the fully-adjusted gear is clicking, it only means that something is wrong with these parts that can affect the bike’s running efficiency. So, it is essential to make sure that your gears are indexed perfectly.
When the gears are rightfully indexed, it will help you shift faster and eventually help the bike run faster. Meanwhile, the quality of the brake is also essential. Slowing your bike is the opposite of going more quickly.
However, braking is also a negative acceleration which is also essential as acceleration. So, you will need to have the brake in excellent condition. The cables must be perfect, and the brake pads must be clean consistently and correctly adjusted to hit the rim squarely.
Bearings
When learning how to make your bike go faster, you will also need to look at the bearings of your bike. Most bikers do not care about the bearings but will only notice when it stops working entirely and slows you down.
But you can actually help make your bike runs faster by keeping the bearing in good condition. To do that, you can remove the factor grease inside and clean everything using an ultrasonic cleaner.
Then, you can refill the cartridge with a super low-freezing grease. But, here is the thing, you will only need to fill up the grease for 25% of the cartridge. When you fill it with grease completely, the ball bearings stop rolling and start sliding instead, which increases the friction and eventually slows down your bike.
Proper Lubrication
After your bike is cleaned and properly adjusted, you will also need to lubricate your drivetrain before going outdoor properly. This step will help in making the bike more efficient and running faster.
Lubrication can help in speeding up or slowing your bike. There are certain chain links that increase the friction of your drivetrain. And using more expensive chains does not necessarily mean faster, which means using faster lubricants is very important.
In lube applications, more lubes do not mean it’s better. You will need to have full coverage but not too much when lubing your chain. You can lubricate the rollers of the chain but not outside of it. After that, wipe off any excess lubricants.
How to Make Your Bike Lighter
A lighter bike can also make the biker comfortable and help make the bike faster. But how do you make the bike lighter? These are some modifications that you can do to get the job done. Please see below.
Going Tubeless
Going tubeless with your tire is an excellent way to reduce your bike’s significant amount of weight. It will reduce the rotational mass and make you have a lesser chance of getting a puncture.
Using Foam Grips
Using foam grips is the most practical way to cut off a few grams of your bike. It will also help in taking care of your hands.
Going Carbon Fiber
If you want to reduce a considerable amount of weight, upgrading your bike to carbon materials is the best way. Yes, it can be expensive, but it greatly reduces the weight of your bike, especially with the primary parts such as forks, wheels, bars, and stems.
Going Titanium
A bike with titanium materials is one of the lightest you can use on the road. But this upgrade is also one of the most expensive that you can do to your bike. Having a titanium pedal, titanium saddle, and titanium bolds will work wonders in reducing the weight of your bike.
Conclusion
If you want to make bikes faster, you have to learn to do the proper maintenance and cleaning of the bike. It helps when your drivetrain, chain, brakes, tires, and other essential parts are properly maintained and cleaned because it helps make the bike faster.