Is Your Bike Making You Slower? | MTB Problem Solving!

Having a slow & noisy bike is a sure way to ruin any Mountain Bike ride, so in this video, Rich Payne is at Windhill Bike Park to diagnose some of the pesky issues you might be facing and provide you with all the solutions to get your bike back in tip-top working condition ready for your next adventure out on the trails! 🚵‍♀️

⏱ Timestamps ⏱
0:00 - Intro
0:33 - Rubbing disc brakes
2:17 - Noisy wheel bearings
4:35 - Flat MTB tyres
6:07 - MTB suspension setup
8:42 - Bike drivetrain maintenance

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A Dream on Vinyl - Ealot.
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Groove Junction - Brendon Moeller.

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[JaggersLips]

Since removing the two lever things on the steering bars I’ve been way faster.

[daray]

No. I'm making my bike slower. I think it would be faster without me and my fears, lack of fitness and body coordination.

[andrewince]

My main ones to watch out for are;
Wrong brake pads. Use a compound that suits how you ride, no point using sintered high-heat pads if you never build up the heat. Different compounds work better at different temperatures.
Poor lubrication. If it moves, keep it lubed.
Poor tyre choice. If you're an XC rider a set of 2.6 beastly DH tyres will not suit you. Likewise, a pair of low-profile 2.1 XC tyres are going to slip on fast DH runs. Get that balance. Pressure is also important.
Geometry. If the bars are uncontrollably narrow/wide for you or the stem is too long/short then you'll ride slower because there's a psychology block due to reduced confidence.
Suspension tuning. You'll lack traction or waste energy if it's too firm or too soft. You'll also potentially lose confidence.
A lot of things impact the mind. This can cause lasting issues even when the bike is dialed. A bike that inspires confidence likewise inspires speed.

[nolove]

Having watched your vids over the last days I wonder: Does it always rain in GB? Thx for your great content. Cheers from sunny Germany.

[brendan]

One thing not mentioned in the video which has affected me before are my pedals that weren't rotating freely. Sticky pedals were a huge drag on pedalling performance. Once I took them apart and greased them up, it was like night and day. I felt like I was riding an e-bike even though I wasn't.

[rakewawrz]

Good to see you're still alive after that 24-hour ride.

[yokaiofwater]

This is crazy helpful. Thank you, Rich.

[NGabe]

8:53 ... and the Oscar goes to... Top presenter, top actor (in a leading role) :D

[futuretimes]

Good advice. Could also add incorrect, especially too low seat height. Since raising mine I have found I am not only climbing hills a little faster but also have more energy and therefore more speed for the next section of the trail.

[paulw]

I had the bearings in the derailleur jockey wheel slowly dying. It took me a couple of rides to figure out that was the problem. Once I figured it out, I bought a new pair of jockey wheels and replaced both the old ones. The bike ran like new again.

[FrankPapadakis]

I'm not slow, I'm just enjoying the scenery!

[acidhousetherapy]

Since removing the stabilisers I can corner much better now. I'm keeping the spokey dokeys though.

[Avitor]

For brakes, loosen the bolts, but a business card (or two) (or feeler gauge cleaned of any oils, or parts of cereal box or similar) between the pad and the rotor on both sides. Hold the brake handle so that they are gripping the rotor through the spacer. Tighten the bolts avoiding moving the caliper, do a little on each bolt back and forth until tight. The brakes will now have the proper spacing and alignment with the rotor. It will also improve braking performance as it will not flex the rotor under braking when aligned right. They sell a metal spacer that clips onto the rotor for aligning it... but it does the same as a scrap business card or two.

Some bearings are not as good as others, my son's polygon with very similar tires rolling down the road with me on my 18 year old trek on 18 year old shimano hubs, neither pedaling, starting at the same speed, I will always out roll him. I've inspected and repacked the bearings on the polygon... he is on 27.5 tubeless and I'm on 26 with tubes so the rotating mass should be similar. I would order better hubs but he has just about outgrown the bike.

[MPH]

I had this one last week for rubbing brakes (and no brakes and everything inbetween at make sure you tighten your through axles properly.
5:23 how is a punture more dangerous than a damaged wheel? Also puncture repair kits are a thing as are travel pumps. Everyone should be carrying both 24/7

[HUSHHUSH-]

Great tips to be checked regularly I would say .

[charlieine]

Doddy’s mate Finn sorted out my confusion about setting up rebound. Thanks!

[ramsesalonsorodrigue]

"Resistance is futile" I love that sentence for no reasons

[ThunderStruckMTB]

Man, that is one jacked up drivetrain.

[theleftbob]

Just a reminder to keep those fingers away from a spinning brake disc, they really do go through fingertips like freshly churned butter...

[sammyiwan]

I always lag behind my friends because my chain falls of about 5 times every trail. time to get a clutch :)