What are some ways to gain better mph? I have no cycling experience besides casual riding and recently bought my first tri bike. I’ve gone from just over 15mph on my road bike to just over 17mph on my tri bike. From looking at prior course times it looks like 19-22mph seems to be the average. How do I get to 20mph? Better conditioning, more aggressive position, changing cleat position? Just looking for some things to try to get faster.
Fairly simple - ride more and ride harder.
Or get an aero helmet and a set of Zipps…
Fairly simple - ride more and ride harder.
Or get an aero helmet and a set of Zipps…
Snap! 
Pedal.
well losing weight is the best way to get faster overall in triathlon.
put 150mi+ for bunch of weeks and youll get faster.
if youre looking for easy speed then, get aero then buy aero.
Money:
Aero equipment
Fit
or
Time.
Spinervals DVD’s have helped me this year. If I just watch tv, I tend to lose focus and fart around. It’s also been mentioned to go harder on your hard days and easier on your easy days.
Some simple things can make significant differences…tires and tubes, for example…or, making sure you don’t have a bunch of stuff/clothes flapping in the breeze…
Eddie Merckx was asked this question and his answer was:
Ride lots.
From your current tri bike setup, assuming that you have already been properly fitted, all of the fanciest equipment in the world isn’t going to get you from 17 mph to 20 mph. What will? One of the other posters nailed it on the head … ride lots more and ride harder (i.e., tempo and speed work).
Very few of those guys who are going 19-22 mph got there overnight. Sure, there are some freakish athletes out there who can get on the bike for the first time and go at that pace but most of us normal humans have to put in our dues on the saddle.
I admittedly don’t know what I’m doing. But, the bike is my weak point right now. For the last 3 weeks I’ve averaged 210 miles per week and I have already noticed a fitness increase. There’s one particular road that I used to get dropped on no matter what, each and every time. This past weekend I was not only able to stay with the group but did so with all while in zone 2 heart rate.
less slowtwitch, more fasttwitch.
Eddie Merckx was asked this question and his answer was:
Ride lots.
Are you talking about that guy who used to constantly fiddle with his equipment?
Besides, Eddy’s a freak…
Fairly simple - ride more and ride harder.
AND get an aero helmet and a set of Zipps…
Fixed. Why does it always seem here that training and dork gear are mutually exclusive? As long as you can afford it, there’s no rule against doing both.
Train.
Hard AND SMART.
Stay in aero as much as possible. If aero is not comfortable get re-fit. For me anything but aero feels uncomfortable. Always peddle never coast unless you are spinning out. Bike more. What a shocker? In the years I bike the most I have my best race speeds. This year I am biking more often, but at shorter distances so we will see what sort of effect that has. Challenge yourself. With a garmin set on 10 mile autolap I try to keep each autolap less than 30 minutes(20mph) no matter what the conditions. I also try to PR my standard route and if not evaluate my time based on a perceived “good ride” time. I ride solo so I am competing against myself. Don’t ride with people slower than you. Small group rides can be frustrating if the other person is not at the same fitness or effort level. Soft-peddalng and riding sub-aerobic is not doing you any good. Now if you enjoy these rides you must realize that these are outside your training plan and you still have to add “normal” hard effort rides.
You do know he had a leg length discrepancy, right?
IIRC, Pruitt talks about this in his book, as he fit Axel, and Axel had the same problem.
But completely agree on him being a freak. A freak with no day job, and a great train system.
Challenge yourself. With a garmin set on 10 mile autolap I try to keep each autolap less than 30 minutes(20mph) no matter what the conditions. I also try to PR my standard route and if not evaluate my time based on a perceived “good ride” time. I ride solo so I am competing against myself.
Identify your weaknesses then challenge yorself to make them your strengths. I too use my Garmin to do that. For time-trialling bike courses, I use the “training partner” mode and plug in a time for distance that is PR. Courses I use it on are 10,20, and 40 miles. My cycling has improved. In two races that I have done, no one has ridden through me from behind like in previous years. And my swim is close to second pack so obviously my overall performance has increased.
The Garmin is also good for running to challenge yourself. Did a 12 mile run Sunday where I set the Garmin at 200 meters in auto-lap. A realtively easy aerobic run but the idea is to rythmically pick it up every other 200 then back it down. And so on. The last 2 miles at 7:45 pace though. Makes the time go by much quicker and gives one a decent overall time.
But to the OP. If you are relatively new at this game, all your emphasis should be on building the aerobic base. Eating right and getting lean. Only once that is accomplished is it time to do some hammering.
Pedal like you mean it. 
Don’t be afraid to go both above and below your current comfort zone…do it enough and that zone will expand.
Ride mindfully. No unfocused tootling allowed. Make every pedal stroke productive. A few sessions with a qualified bike coach can go a long way.
Get your head around training to race better, not training to train better.
Ride aero whenever possible.
Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Work on overcoming the weaknesses and taking full advantage of the strengths.
Learn to love the bike!
G
Ride a lot. Join group rides. 150+ miles a week
Monday easy/off
Tuesday hard
Wednesday hard
Thursday easy/off
Friday easy
Saturday long ride
Sunday easy
If you have a road bike, try to race on the weekends. You’ll get demolished, it will be frustrating, but you’ll get stronger from it.
Eat healthy after rides to help with recovery and muscle growth.