00:00Here are 8 ways you can increase your speed on the bike with each one costing less than
00:05£50 or dollars.
00:15If your tyres have too much or not enough air inside them then you will undoubtedly be paying
00:20the price with a reduction in speed.
00:23A handy little digital pressure gauge like this one is a great tool to ensure your tyres
00:28are inflated to the right pressure for you.
00:31Now, you might be wondering, how do I find out what pressure is right for me?
00:35Well, you can jump onto SRAM's tyre pressure calculator to find out.
00:40Insert all your metrics, the style of riding you'll be doing and some information about
00:44the tyres you have fitted to your bike and it'll spit out an ideal figure for both your
00:49front and rear wheels.
00:52Once you know these numbers you can then check your wheels are inflated to those numbers quickly
00:57and easily using either a digital pressure gauge or just by using your track pump.
01:02Riding at the right pressure will mean you'll find the right balance between comfort, grip
01:06and the lowest possible amount of rolling resistance.
01:13Some tyres are mega money, others not so much.
01:19If you have a bike that costs around £2000 or less then it's likely that the tyres on
01:23your bike might be fairly entry level so it could be worth looking at some mid-tier options
01:29that will still unlock some decent benefits.
01:31In fact, we actually made a video testing some of the most popular better value tyres,
01:37which I'll leave a link to over in the corner of the screen, so be sure to check that out.
01:41Do also bear in mind that you can often find tyre combo deals from various retailers
01:47or you can just find them heavily discounted.
01:50Since we are talking about increasing speed here, opt for the widest tyres your bike can accept.
01:57Being more comfortable and experiencing less rider fatigue can result in more speed and
02:02having better grip may mean you brake less frequently.
02:06But also, thanks to some brilliant testing from our sister site, Cycling News, we know that
02:11wider tyres offer less rolling resistance when run at the correct pressure.
02:15Most road bikes from the manufacturer come with handlebars which are generally either 40 or
02:2642 centimetres wide.
02:29We know from doing our own testing in the wind tunnel that narrower bars are faster and
02:34it's not by a small amount.
02:36There's a decent number of watts to be saved.
02:38We also know that for most people, the handlebars that come on your bike as standard are likely
02:43too wide for you.
02:45It's not uncommon for bike fitters to drop you down a size.
02:48So if you're after more speed and you've got the flexibility for it, then consider
02:53going narrower.
02:55If you don't go down to some of the super narrow examples that we've seen hitting the
02:58market, then it will be unlikely that you'll see any drop in handling quality.
03:03Just instead, more speed.
03:05Of course there are a lot of very expensive handlebars out there, but equally you can find
03:10some great value options that will still do a great job.
03:14After all, 38 centimetres is the same measurement whether the bars are 1000 pounds or 30.
03:27Another way to unlock some speed, albeit a slightly more marginal form of it, is to make
03:32your drivetrain as smooth as possible.
03:35I am, of course, talking about waxing your chain.
03:39There's plenty of methods out there, but one simple way can be achieved with Silke's Hot
03:44Wax Chain Melt.
03:45You just clean your chain so that it's completely stripped back of any contaminants, drop the
03:50bag into some hot water so that the wax melts, and then drop your chain in.
03:54That's pretty much it.
03:57Chain waxing claims to offer a smoother drivetrain, less chance of oily marks on your legs and socks,
04:03fewer applications needed compared to generic lube, and an overall cleaner looking drivetrain.
04:09Certainly one to consider.
04:14It's a well-known fact that the rider is accountable for the vast majority of the aerodynamic
04:21drag compared to the bike, which makes up a smaller minority.
04:26It's for this reason why narrower bars offer such a good way to increase speed, because
04:31they allow you to get into a more aerodynamic position.
04:35While narrow handle bars are great for reducing drag, as already explained, it's worth remembering
04:40that baggy fitting clothing can act as a parachute when you're riding.
04:45So consider grabbing yourself a tighter fitting race fit jersey, which reduces this parachuting
04:51effect as much as possible.
04:53Depending on how loose your current riding gear is, the move to tighter fitting clothing
04:58could see you net a great improvement in speed.
05:01The jersey you go for doesn't need to be a super expensive jersey from a swanky brand, but
05:06instead something that fits well, is comfortable, and leaves minimal wrinkles will get you on the
05:12road to some cheap speed gains.
05:21Sticking with clothing for one more, but certainly more in the marginal gains category, are aero
05:27socks.
05:28These do of course count as operating within our £50 limit, however, a pair of socks costing
05:34more than £15, in my opinion, is quite an extravagant purchase.
05:38However, for the sake of speed, I'll do it.
05:42You can get these at quite a lot of different retailers.
05:45These ones are from Gobic and follow a similar recipe to most others on the market.
05:51They have a soft cotton lower sock for the foot, and then a textured collar with silicone
05:55grippers.
05:57The idea is that when your legs are moving and creating a lot of turbulent air, the aero
06:02socks should offer a golf ball effect and help reduce some of the resistance.
06:07It's going to be near impossible to measure without a wind tunnel, but if the theory is
06:12good for the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, then it's good enough for me.
06:26Sometimes we as cyclists can forget there are plenty of gains to be had away from the
06:32bike, and instead found in the kitchen.
06:35Grab yourself a decent cookbook, like this one from Alan Murchison, a Michelin-starred
06:41chef turned pro cycling nutritionist.
06:44Putting the best food into your body is going to play a crucial role to ensuring you are
06:49fuelled correctly for your upcoming rides, and of course, will give you some great recipes
06:54for on-the-bike snacks too.
06:56The structured meal plans and advice around what to eat ahead of certain types of sessions
07:01are invaluable, so for the sake of £15 or £20, following this advice will likely get
07:07you closer to your speed and fitness goals than anything else on this list.
07:13A once famous coach said, you can't overtrain, but you can under rest.
07:23This speed gain is completely free, but potentially one of the most important.
07:29Training and training and training will only get you so far.
07:32You'll eventually hit a plateau in your gains if you aren't allowing your body the time to
07:37absorb all of that training and rebuild the muscles to be stronger.
07:41An old coach of mine used to run my training blocks in four-week chunks, with every last
07:46week in the block being dedicated to resting and easy rides.
07:50It worked brilliantly well.
07:52So let us know, what are your cheap speed gains?
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