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
00:56and easily using either a digital pressure gauge or just by using your track pump.
01:01Riding at the right pressure will mean you'll find the right balance between comfort, grip
01:06and the lowest possible amount of rolling resistance.
01:14Some tyres are mega money, others not so much.
01:18If 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
01:28that will still unlock some decent benefits.
01:32In fact, we actually made a video testing some of the most popular better value tyres which
01:37I'll leave a link to over in the corner of the screen so be sure to check that out.
01:42Do also bear in mind that you can often find tyre combo deals from various retailers or you
01:48can just find them heavily discounted.
01:50Since we are talking about increasing speed here, opt for the widest tyres your bike can
01:56accept.
01:56Being 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.
02:21Most road bikes from the manufacturer come with handlebars which are generally either 40
02:26or 42 centimetres wide.
02:29We know from doing our own testing in the wind tunnel that narrower bars are faster and it's
02:34not by a small amount, there'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.
02:44It'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 going
02:54narrower.
02:54If 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.
03:04Of course, there are a lot of very expensive handlebars out there, but equally, you can
03:10find some great value options that'll 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.
03:38There's plenty of methods out there, but one simple way can be achieved with Silker's
03:43hot wax 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.
03:55That's pretty much it.
03:56Chain waxing claims to offer a smoother drivetrain, less chance of oily marks on your legs and socks,
04:02fewer applications needed compared to generic lube, and an overall cleaner looking drivetrain.
04:08Certainly one to consider.
04:15It's a well-known fact that the rider is accountable for the vast majority of the aerodynamic drag
04:22compared to the bike, which makes up a smaller minority.
04:25It's for this reason why narrower bars offer such a good way to increase speed because they
04:31allow you to get into a more aerodynamic position.
04:34While narrow handlebars 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.
04:52Depending 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,
05:06but instead 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 socks.
05:28These do of course count as operating within our £50 limit.
05:32However, a pair of socks costing more than £15, in my opinion, is quite an extravagant purchase.
05:38However, for the sake of speed, I'll do it.
05:41You 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.
05:50They have a soft cotton lower sock for the foot and then a textured collar with silicone grippers.
05:56The idea is that when your legs are moving and creating a lot of turbulent air,
06:02the aero socks 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.
06:10But if the theory is good 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 bike,
06:32and instead found in the kitchen.
06:35Grab yourself a decent cookbook like this one from Alan Murchison,
06:40a Michelin-starred chef turned pro cycling nutritionist.
06:43Putting the best food into your body is going to play a crucial role
06:48to ensuring you are fuelled correctly for your upcoming rides
06:52and of course will give you some great recipes for on-the-bike snacks too.
06:56The structured meal plans and advice around what to eat ahead of certain types of sessions are invaluable.
07:02So for the sake of £15 or £20, following this advice will likely get you closer to your speed and
07:08fitness goals
07:09than anything else on this list.
07:17A once famous coach said,
07:19You can't overtrain, but you can under rest.
07:23This speed gain is completely free, but potentially one of the most important.
07:28Training 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
07:36the time to absorb 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,
07:45with every last week 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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