How can I get faster (on a bike)?
For the everyday cyclist chasing more speed, the big question is: “How can I get faster without breaking the bank?”
TL;DR:
The most effective way to upgrade your bike is by reducing its rolling resistance. The order of the most cost-effective ways to reduce rolling resistance are:
Replace butyl tubes with TPU tubes for lighter, more efficient rolling.
Upgrade tires to models with lower rolling resistance.
Upgrade from TPU tubes to a tubeless setup (if compatible) to maintain rolling‑resistance efficiency while adding puncture protection and reliability.
Upgrade wheels from alloy to carbon rims, lowering weight and improving efficiency.
After riding a bike for several dozen miles, many riders start feeling competitive. One can begin to look into their individual fitness, but that’s not as fun as a shiny new gear. With the cost of a new bike these days, purchasing one can quickly feel impractical. Upgrading components on the existing bike, however, can bring performance close to that of a newly specced machine.
The most significant performance gains from physical bike upgrades come from reducing rolling resistance. Reducing rolling resistance means the bike requires less effort to maintain a given speed. With less energy lost to friction between the tires and the road, more of the rider’s power is preserved for acceleration, sustained higher speeds, or longer endurance. In practice, this translates to faster riding with the same output, or the ability to go further without additional fatigue.
This is why even moderate savings can feel dramatic. For example, reducing about 220 grams from each wheel may seem modest on paper, but it has an outsized effect on efficiency. In real-world riding, the improvement can feel like gaining up to ~20 watts of “free power,” making it easier to accelerate, hold speed, and respond to terrain. Saving 20 watts of effort can feel like turning a 15 mph cruise into 16.5 mph without pedaling harder, or shaving nearly a minute off every mile of a steady 5% climb.
What makes this particularly appealing is the affordability: upgrading to efficient tires and TPU tubes unlocks much of this performance at a fraction of the cost of a full wheel upgrade.
| Setup | Total Weight | Difference vs. Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Stock (Butyl + High RR Tire) | 3827g | — |
| Initial Upgrade (TPU + Low RR Tire) | 3387g | −440g |
| Carbon Wheelset Upgrade | 3060g | −327g |
However, as the system becomes more optimized, the benefits naturally shift. The largest gains come from removing heavy, inefficient rotating mass—like stock tires and butyl tubes—because this weight contributes the most to rotational inertia. Later upgrades, such as switching from alloy to carbon rims, still improve performance but do so more through aerodynamics and reduced rolling resistance than through weight alone. In other words, the first round of upgrades delivers the biggest impact per gram, while subsequent refinements build on those improvements with smaller but more specialized gains.
My Setup: Ride Tested
While the principles above are grounded in established physics, the insights in this article also come from my own long-term testing. Over the past several years, I’ve made each of these upgrades on my personal bike and recorded the results across thousands of miles riding the same routes, in similar conditions, while tracking power, speed, distance, and elevation.
Each configuration was tested repeatedly to observe not just how the bike felt, but how the numbers changed. The patterns that emerged from this real-world data helped separate what actually made me faster from what only sounded fast on paper.
This mix of objective physics and firsthand measurement is what shapes the recommendations in this guide. My goal isn’t simply to theorize about performance but to share what has proven effective on the road, based on upgrades I’ve personally ridden, compared, and analyzed.
RideNow TPU Tubes with Metal Stems — These are my go‑to choice for reducing rotational weight. They’re light, durable, and easy to install. [Link] Tubolito’s are another brand to look at.
Continental GP5000 S TR Tires — I run these as my everyday tires. At around $150 for a pair, they’re one of the most affordable low‑rolling‑resistance options available. For deeper comparisons and rolling resistance data, I recommend checking Bicycle Rolling Resistance. [Link]
Silca Tubeless Sealant + Dynaplug — With my current wheelset, I’ve moved to tubeless. This combo keeps rolling resistance low while giving me peace of mind against flats. Dynaplug in particular has saved me from roadside headaches more than once.
FFWD Ryot55 Wheelset — This was my biggest investment. They’re fast, stiff, and aerodynamic, but knowing what I know now, I’d probably hold off on this purchase. The gains from tubes and tires delivered the biggest impact per gram, while the wheels added refinement at a much higher cost. [Link]
The more expensive upgrades, like deep‑section wheels, can add refinement, but they don’t always deliver the same return on investment. By focusing on rolling resistance and reliability first, I’ve found a setup that feels faster, smoother, and more enjoyable every time I get on the bike. If you’re looking to improve your own ride, I’d encourage you to think about where the numbers meet your experience — and invest in the changes that make both the physics and the feeling work in your favor.