Let’s talk about what we feel when we ride a bicycle. The truth is what we feel isn’t necessarily what we’re experiencing. And if that sounds odd, let me start by giving you an example from outside the bike world.
Have you ever been in a new car, a nice one, and you’re on the highway and you don’t notice at first, but suddenly you’re going 90mph. The car is so smooth on the road that you’re just not getting the usual sensory feedback that signals high speed. Or conversely, you’re in an older car, like an 80s VW, and you’re motoring along at 60mph, but it feels like you’re doing 100.
Now think of a bicycle. You get on a bike, and it just feels fast. I’m thinking of some of the first aluminum or carbon fiber bikes that were surpassingly stiff. When you pedaled them, it felt like you were really flying. You got a lot of road feedback.
But actually you weren’t really, or only very marginally, faster. You felt fast, but the numbers wouldn’t necessarily bear out that feeling.
Vibration, as it turns out, tells your brain that you’re going fast. Wind resistance will also give you that sense. You might just be getting more of the feedback from the road or trail than you’re used to. And, if you’re feeling extra stuff in your body, there’s a good chance your body is fatiguing in ways that aren’t obvious to you, that cumulative, and that will show up later.
Generally speaking, I think most fitters hold to the view that comfort is speed. Sure, there are aerodynamic positions that aren’t very comfortable in which you can be faster, in absolute terms, but on your everyday bike, doing your everyday rides, you will be fastest when you are your most comfortable.
And that’s why you have to be really careful with how you interpret the feedback you get from a potential new bike. There is a lot going between the ground, the bike and your body. Your brain will interpret that feedback in possibly misleading ways, BUT the one thing you can trust yourself on is comfort. You know when you are, and you know when you aren’t.
All of this is to say that you should be skeptical even of your own perceptions about speed on any bike, unless they’re borne out with a power meter or a speed test. Conversely, if you just want to FEEL fast, by all means get yourself an extra stiff bike, but maybe adjust your expectations about how good that’s going to feel in hours two and three of your ride.
My personal advice, as always, is to see a bike fitter to make riding as comfortable as it can possibly be, because, as it turns out, that is usually the fastest configuration you’ll find.
