My bike is slow and heavy

So you feel like it’s a chore to get from A to B, and you’re always sweating and panting when you arrive.

Maybe you’re thinking of buying a whole new bike, and ditching your old one for good.

But hold on a minute. Your bike might just feel slow and heavy, and unless you have to lift it up a few flights of stairs each day, that’s what really matters. Here are a couple of things you can try that might make it a pleasure to ride.

First up, when was the last time you pumped your tyres?

If your answer is anything longer than “a week ago”, you should try pumping them to the correct inflation first. When your tyres aren’t pumped up correctly they will slow you down to a crawl.

Seriously, if your tyres aren’t pumped right now, take it for a test ride and see how it feels. Then pump them up and take it for a test ride after. It’s a world of difference.

You can usually find the correct PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) written somewhere on the sidewall of your tyre, as shown below:

A skinny tyre will usually have a higher PSI, and a fat tyre (such as on a mountain bike) will have a lower PSI.

If you have a pump, then great.

If you don’t, or if you just want us to do it, swing by our shop any time during opening hours and we’ll pump your tyres for free.

If you’ve tried this and your bike still feels slow and heavy, here are a few other things it could be:

Your brakes

They’re rubbing on something, slowing you down at all times even when you’re not applying them.

Check out our FAQ section on brakes for some idea of what this means.

Your wheel bearings

Your wheel bearings need work. This is something that’s best left to a mechanic, unless you’ve got an interest in bikes and a few spare hours handy.

Your bike is actually just really heavy

Look, at the end of the day, you might actually just have a bike that feels too heavy for you.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a lighter bike, and if you want to find something more whippy we can help: we can build you a custom bike, or just help you find the right bike on Facebook Marketplace or from one of our competitors.

If you want our help with this, just flick us an email at info@bikesplease.com.

If you think your bike might just need a few of the issues above sorted, book in a service and we’ll do our best to make it feel light as a feather.