Why am I so slow at cycling?

It's awesome that you are cycling! If you learned only 1.5 months ago and are already doing 20 mile rides you are doing great. Your body probably needs to adapt to the movement a bit, so I wouldn't worry too much about speed just yet.
- Thanks! I'll just keep doing what I'm doing then. I love cycling, it allows me to explore - used to walk around 10-13 miles a day a few times a week, but now I can explore more of the city in half the time!

City riding is slow.
Pump up your tyres.
Go at whatever speed you like.
- Will I get a dented rim or a popped tire if I go down stairs at 50-55PSI? The tire is rated to 65.
  
  You learned how to ride a bike a month and a half ago and you're already talking about going down stairs? I'm not gonna tell you you're wrong, but I will say that's pretty damn adventurous!
  I'd suggest getting some more experience so you develop some feel for how different tire pressures work (and more importantly, how shifting your weight forwards and backwards works and other bike-control stuff like that) before trying that. But then again, I've been riding since I was a kid and I still shy away from stairs so what do I know?
  
  No. Those issues will more likely be caused by smashing the wheels into a curb or stairs going up them and not using your weight over the bike to help the wheels up. A hard impact like that can cause a pinch flat if you are running tubes of possibly damage the rims too depending on the severity of the hit.
  Tyre pressures really do depend on what type of riding you will be doing and your terrain.
  50-55 is good for trying to stop pinch flats if you are running tubes and for running around on pavements and the like keeping your speed up by trying to have less deformation in the tyre to make your rolling resistance marginally less.
  Conversely if you are riding off road then you want less pressure as that helps the tyre deform more, increasing the amount of tyre that is in contact with the ground at once and there by increasing your grip levels.
  Damage like that is more dependant on the way you ride your bike and tackle obstacles as no amount of pressure is going to protect your rims in your just plough through objects. If I'm riding on tarmac with my MTB then I'll usually add a bit more pressure but only up to about 30psi (this is tubeless though bear in mind) and stair sets are not an issue.
  
  As long as you deweight the back wheel as you go down the stairs you’ll be fine.

Don't worry about speed. Speed is a practically worthless metric, especially when you're starting out.
Your focus should be on developing a sustainable cadence: the frequency of your pedal strokes, and the pressure you exert on the pedals. It's a balancing act. For a given output, the faster you pedal, the less pressure you need to put on the pedals. Speed up or slow down from your ideal cadence, and you just wear yourself out without improving your speed.
I looked to maintain about 65-75 strokes per minute, and not pushing so hard that my thighs would start to burn. Some people prefer slower and harder; some prefer faster and lighter.
The purpose of shifting is to maintain consistent stroke rate and pedal pressure. Speed is incidental: if your cadence is good, whatever speed you get will also be good. That might be 7mph; it might be 17mph. It might be barely above a walking speed while you climb a steep hill in low gear, or 40+mph downhill.
Ignore your speed. Stick with your sustainable cadence. Downshift (and let the bike slow down) if the pedals are too hard. Upshift (and let the bike speed up) if they are too soft.

Cities do lower average speed significantly, but 30k in 3 hours is indeed very slow.
Hard to diagnose from afar, but I'd say take a look at shifting technique and pedaling cadence. It's actually not so easy at first to know when to shift and which gear is right (until it becomes second nature and you never think about it again.)
Pedaling speed should be viewed as somewhat of a constant (try to aim for 60rpm at first, maybe?), and your job is to pick the gear that feels comfortable for that cadence in a given situation.
- I'll try to focus more on my shifting! Thanks for the advice :)
  One question - for hills, for example, which derailleur has more of an effect? For example, on a big hill, am I better off being in 1st gear on the chainring and 3rd out of 8 gears on the cassette, or 2nd gear on the chainring and 1st gear on the cassette? Which do people usually use?
  
  In terms of pedaling, it doesn't matter. The same ratio between teeth in the front divided by teeth in the back will feel exactly the same. The only rule here is that you are aiming to keep the chain in a somewhat straight line. Supposing you have two chainrings in the front: Never go small-small or large-large, as that would put strain on the components. For a 2x11, for example, usually all gears are safe except for 1-11 or 2-1, if that makes sense.
  
  Cadence is also a personal preference, lower cadence is more based on muscle power (50-70 rpm) higher (90 rpm+) put more load on your cardiovascular system. In time you'll drift towards what feels natural for you Going up hill try experimenting with the cadence. You'll quickly discover what cadence you feel is efficient for you
  In regards to your gearing question, it is hard to tell, it's about ratios between the number of teeth on the cassette and chainring. Find an rpm you like, adjust gear until you find that rpm
  
  Since you don't want to shift the front gear while under pressure I try to shift it first before a big hill. But planning ahead is the only reason to pick one or the other of your overlapping combinations.
  Here's a tool to visualize gear ratios that I found interesting https://mike-sherman.github.io/shift/
  
  I wouldn't think of it that way. Just try to avoid twisting the chain too much. If your chain is all the way to the left in the front, keep it on the left half in the back. If you feel like moving the rear to the right half, just shift the front gear to the middle instead. Beyond that, just do whatever feels right.
  I usually set the front to the ballpark I expect to be in for the foreseeable future, and fine tune in the rear as I go. It's usually harder to shift the front while pedaling hard uphill in my experience.

I see two big things that others have touched on. One, you wll not believe how much of a difference a real road bike makes in your speed once you have a chance to try one, and the average speeds you're seeing are almost definitely on road bikes. I don't think you need to go out and get one now or anything, get comfortable with what you have first, but also know that if/when you try one your average speed will probably jump at least 5km/h.
Second, cycling takes a lot of time to get used to. Anecdotally, when I first started I was a competitive distance runner and would occasionally win smaller races, and I started riding with a bunch of older relatively out of shape guys who had been cycling for decades. On about one sprint or hill a ride I could beat them, but they would kick my butt on the rest of the ride for more than a year before my conditioning caught up and I started to be able to keep up consistently.
- I see two big things that others have touched on. One, you wll not believe how much of a difference a real road bike makes in your speed once you have a chance to try one, and the average speeds you're seeing are almost definitely on road bikes.
  I'd say it's less the bike and more the tires. My "city bike" is a rigid mountain bike from the '90s (edit: which is also extra-heavy because of basket/rack/panniers/fenders), but because I put smooth-ish (but still wide) tires on it, I cruise at maybe 15-20 mph on flat ground. Sure, the handlebars/riding position and (in OP's case) power losses from the front suspension make some difference, but not nearly as much as the tires until you get going really fast.
- Hills absolutely destroy me even in the lowest gear, I feel like spinning the pedals that fast just wrecks my cardio for some reason.
  
  This is my second season cycling. I live in an extremely hilly area and last season I got to where I could climb the steep hills without getting out and pushing about halfway through the season, but long and gradual hills absolutely murdered me. This season I started tackling some long gradual hills
  Honestly you have to play with the gearing to find what works well for you on hills. Higher gears spin harder but put down more power, lower gears spin easier but put down less power. Best is to be in the highest gear you can sustain. Personally I never touch the lower half of my gears because there's just too much leg spin and I tire myself for nothing.
  Eventually you'll get to where you can stand on the pedals while at a low cadence for extra power (useful on hills or with a trailer. When I have my kids behind me by butt basically never touches the saddle) but ultimately it's something that takes building muscle and practice to get comfortable
  
  Sounds like you were pretty out of shape. That won't change in just six weeks. You should start seeing progress, though. If not, see a doctor and get checked out

The more you ride, the faster you get, generally speaking.
Mountain bikes are not primarily made for speed, for what it's worth. You'll find the fastest speed in road bikes (actually time trial bikes, but these are not made for general riding).
- I like my XC simply because I got it new for cheap (around 220$USD) with great reviews from a local brand, and I feel more confident on it than I would on a rigid road bike that could break at any moment if I hit a pothole wrong

It's already been stated plenty, but less than 2 months and you are going 20 miles? Absolutely wild. You do you bro, you've certainly got yourself figured out better than we do. Mad respect.
- Thank you! I guess a slow 20 miles is better than a fast 5 miles being my max :)
  
  Another thing to think about, inline with the last few comments, is that if you have 45 days worth of muscle memory you might just be doing too much too soon. 20 miles where I live in the southern US, this time of year can be taxing with the heat even if you are a career commuter. That said until your body gets used to restoring itself in between rides you're going to drag. And when you get worn down your body wants to just diesel in a lower gear.
  Its just my two cents, but I'd recommend shorter distances, pushing a little harder over those shorter distances but in intervals. In time I bet you'll find that you are getting there quicker with seemingly less effort.

Reading the thread and your responses, I thought it might be useful for you to try some other bike types, like a trekking bike and a racing bike. Because you are pretty new to biking in general, this might expand your context window efficiently and effectively. I love the feel of 'fast' bikes because your muscle power gets you so much, giving me a little bit of that same feeling when windsurfing or sailing. I also like the versatility and confidence a mountain bike gives you, but it's like it eats your speed when you're not using it for rougher terrain. Had the same experience when pushing my grandma through the forest in an offroad wheelchair, getting back on the tarmac was actually _ worse_
1.5 months is also basically just starting out, no matter if you are fit or talented, it takes some km/hours to 'attune' or adapt or 'get the feel'. Same with saddle discomfort/monkey butt. Your butt and the saddle take a lot of time to get used to each other, and more time will increase comfort. Your speed will improve with just time, I'm sure. Can we have a pick of your bike?? Have fun pedaling!
- The MTB gives me more confidence that I won't break something if I go down a curb too hard or somehow make a wrong move and go into a pothole.
  My butt does hurt a bit, mostly because my underwear rides up uncomfortably as I ride, I occasionally have to stop and fix it 😅
  Here's a pic of my bike :)
  
  See if you can turn the knob at the top of the front shock to lock it out, so that you don't lose power from it compressing.
  
  That's just always going to be a slow bike in the road. A big shock in the front is heavy, and very parasitic to your pedaling stroke. It will also lack the lower "speed" gears. It's fine if it gives you more confidence but if you are going to commute seriously then I'd suggest getting a gravel bike, or at least a hybrid commuter at some point. Not now, but when you feel held back by that bike eventually.
  
  You can go fast in that bike but it's not really built for it. If you desire speed there are usually good deals on older street bikes. My 40 yr old miyata 910 weighs half of your MTB and that makes a big difference in acceleration and speed. I commuted with this bike for almost 20 years and got my average up to 50 kph. Would pass traffic between lights, it felt great being faster than cars.

training, conditioning (more than a month) routes, gear (you'd be surprised an how much you gain from new wheels, for example)...oh....and age?
Basically be comfortable where you are right now, you just started. Set yourself up for incremental and sustainable gains, the when you are able to try and hit the higher speeds.
- I'm 28, a tiny bit overweight but working on it. My bike is new, but it's not top end by any means, but also not a department store bike.
  I guess I am comfortable, I'm just worried that I'm kind of sucking at cycling.
  
  Nah man, you're at the beginning
  Get an app to keep tabs on your progress (in the beginning just worry about distance, not time). Try to be consistent (I used to 'commute' to work....started with 20 min, ended up 1.25h 5x per week).
  The fun part is starting to figure out what gear you need, then try and not go broke... Bike Nash are has some really good deals, and also go to the same bike shop for all your repairs and once they see you for awhile they'll know not to upsell you recreation gear.
  Keep it up and one day, you'll wake up with a flat stomach and eat whatever the fuck you want.

I think considering you started biking 1.5 months ago you are off to a great start! I think many people in your position would be unable to complete a 33KM trip, especially considering your practice is overwhelmingly city biking.
I of course am unaware of your previous physical shape, but assuming your body has not been trained to bike it will take you a while to get into shape.
My average is around 20-25km/h not including traffic stopping etc. It took me over three years to get here by biking to work daily, which is half uphill and half downhill (so I always have to bike uphill somewhat) and whenever I started feeling comfortable with my speed, pushing harder until uncomfortable again.
Some tips I learned in this experience and some I got from others:
Your muscles will get good and more efficient the more you use them. To avoid becoming complacent in your speed in the city for instance, consider every opportunity to push yourself.
Never going to make that green light anyway? Not today, try to make it as if your life depends on it. If you don't and have to break hard (you won't at first) remember you did it to be able to do it in a year if bot today.
Similarly racing plublic transport (where safe) can be fun as well as good training.
Isn't it nice biking in the wind shadow of this e-bike? Fuck e-bikes(cheaters(JK)), try to always pass them (great interval training) (the slow ones anyway, in my city some are capped at 20kmh and go more like 15)
Nutrition: I noticed after a year or so that certain breakfast items made it easier or harder to push myself biking
I don't know if you are EU or NA, but if EU or similar consider biking places that are relatively nearby, but you usually drive. This way you get new experience and slightly longer trips than you are used too which always 'stretches' you a bit more, then you 'snap back into place' a bit better that where you started.
- Thanks for the advice! I'm in Europe :)
  What I'm afraid of is pushing myself so hard that I have to go home early :( I like biking long distances which makes me afraid to push myself too hard, which would (possibly?) severely cut my distance capabilities.
  Unfortunately, I have no car :(. Most ebikes on the road by me are ridden by couriers and they're just speeding along the road way going 2-3x the speed of me - they're quite popular here.
  A lot of the times I push myself to pick up speed so I can coast for a while after, though this is probably counterintuitive in a way.
  
  Depends if you ride for commute (as in you need to get from point A to B) or for recreation (bike for couple of hours)
  If it's recreation it's fine to cut down on distance and tire yourself out. Treat it like gym training. If you aren't tired, it wasn't good training. Maybe plan a shorter trip but a more intense one.
  I found that after couple of months of daily commuting my speeds improved and I could finally go up that steep hill without stopping.
  Good luck and stay safe!

I've been thinking about your post as I was biking to work this morning. I see others have talked to you about tires in the meantime but for on road riding I can really recommend pretty slick tires even on a mountain bike they will make a huge difference in resistance, especially if you inflate them as hard as they can take(look on the side of te tire for something that says inflate to xx psi). Hard smooth tires run nearly as good as racing tubes.
Another thing I was thinking about is saddle height. Most new cyclists put their saddle way too low, which is understandable as you want to be able to put your foot on the ground when you lose balance. However that is not the best thing for transferring muscle power to your pedals. I found that for good force you want to have your saddle so high that when you sit on it and you put a foot on the pedal at it's lowest point, with your foot parallel to the ground, your leg is fully stretched.
This does mean that to put a foot on the ground you have to keep your other foot on the pedal and slide forward off the saddle. The posture of your leg for pedalling will be way better getting more power to the bike and reducing stress on the knees.
Make sure your foot rests on the pedal with the front part, like you can see bike racers do. That allows for more muscles to work on pushing than when the pedal is under the middle of the foot.
Beware that raising the saddle does change the front-back balance a bit as your weight sits higher.
I read you bike down stairs, if it is only one or two steps that is not going to change much but if it's a full flight of stairs that might be a problem.
Frankly I'm 52 years old and have been riding bikes since I was 3 and I have not ridden off more than a couple of steps at a time for the last four decades, it's just not something I wish to inflict on my bike, nor on myself. Hopping down half a meter while at speed is no problem, but really riding of flights of stairs? You are a braver man than me.
- I agree on the saddle height. It's important to have it high enough so you can push efficiently.
  About the tires, I don't agree 100%. Higher pressure might give you slightly better rolling resistance but will give you way more vibrations and shocks which makes you tired in the long run. I can poste a page of a book explaining this better if you like. In general it's important to have smooth tires (usually high thread cound and good quality rubber) for a low rolling resistance.
  
  Hmm I hadn't thought about the shocks on hard tires bbeing so tiring though that does make sense. It does make a serious difference in resistance though, main downside for me of hard tires is less grip, both because of a smaller contact area with the ground and because an uneven roard makes you bounce more. I suppose it's a matter of adapting to circumstances. I do lower pressure for soft or smippery roads a tiny bit sometimes.

Another thing to review is your riding position and bike fit.
You'll notice people on road bikes will have their bodies very horizontal which allows them to put more power in to the pedal strokes. At the other end of the spectrum you have a kind of Dutch riding position where the body is straight up. This will be inherently slower just because it's more relaxed.
On an XC bike in the city you are probably somewhere in the middle of those positions, i would guess.
Then it is good to make sure you have your saddle at the right height so you are able to use all your leverage. If it is too low then you'll be pushing more with your knees and you'll need to spend more effort to move the bike. You want your leg to be almost but not fully straight when you have the pedal at its lowest position.
I agree with the other comment that if you're already doing those kinds of distances, if you keep riding then your "bike fitness" will come together quickly.
- My position is generally 45° or even more bent over - I was considering getting a fork extension so my sitting position would be more comfortable, is this recommended or should I just keep riding the way it is?
  I set my saddle height using the following method - when pedaling with your heels, your knee should be pretty much locked out. Is this a decent method for finding the correct saddle height?
  The frame size is correct for my height.
  
  OK great, that sounds pretty good for your saddle height then! Easiest way to change your riding position from there is with your stem and handlebars, I wouldn't mess with the fork itself.
  If you want to be more upright you can try a stem that's shorter and has some rise to it, to bring the bars higher and closer to you. There's all kinds of different handlebars that have rise to raise your riding position as well. Bike shop can advise on that if it's something you aren't comfortable doing yourself.
  But to be honest 45° is a fine angle, so unless you're finding it really uncomfortable or it's hurting your hands or wrists, I'd say your bike fit is probably OK!

hardtail XC bike
This might be part of your answer. Modern mountain bikes aren't nearly as good on the road as vintage ones were.
However, don't replace your bike before you check your technique. Did you get a professional fit when you got your bike? If not, did you talk with anyone experienced about setting up a bike for a comfortable riding position? Bikes do NOT come out of the box or out of the aisle set up well for most people, and it's not always intuitive what the best position for you might be without experience.
Average speed is going to be highest when you can maintain pace. Straight, flat paths with few stops. Are you able to find a stretch of, say, 2 miles that has few to no deviations or stops? Including curves - if you have to slow down and then accelerate again, that's inefficient and will tire you out.
How's your tire pressure? Rolling resistance is greatly affected by tire pressure.
Gears? Are you able to pedal at your most comfortable speed of pedal rotation at a maintainable pace?
I'm by no means a pro - I'm also old and overweight, but 10 mph average over a long ride comes very easily when I compensate for those factors.

Who cares. Are you having fun? Because that's all that matters.
- Fair enough. Maybe I'm just too competitive for my own good. But to be honest, it takes up a lot of time, and I'd like to get that sort of distance done in less time :D
  
  Well, what kind of bikes are the people you're comparing yourself to riding? Because a cross-country hardtail - while versatile - is still fundamentally a mountain bike, and it’s never going to reach the same average speeds as a fixie or a gravel bike, for example.

It got a lot to do with leg strength and endurance. You mentioned that you started to do it 1.5 month, that's like still very early into that skill so 11.5kmph is really normal, like REALLY normal, and nothing to stress about it.
Another thing affecting your speed is you still getting a hang of it on when to apply power and when not to. Cycling is a whole new thing you need to get your muscle memory used to. Even if you jog regularly before, the difference in muscle use and timing would impact your cycling speed. Keep riding and have your leg tuned to it, there's no technique or theory to read for this one, you just have to keep riding and you will eventually get it.
Also sometimes city riding isn't always the fastest, it depend on your route. Turn will slow you down, junction will slow you down, pot hole or uneven road will slow you down, headwind will slow you down, ascent will slow you down.
Keep it up! I think you did good for 1.5 month of cycling, riding 33km takes a lot of endurance. I did a sightseeing tour at a neighbouring town recently for 26km and my average speed is 13.7kmph. So i'd say ride in your own pace, it's not a competition.
- Thank you! I'll just keep doing what I'm doing then - our sidewalks vary from fantastic to potholes everywhere and stupid people standing in the middle of the street with a few massive hills thrown in there for good measure.
  My leg strength is good as I go to the gym and I'm a former runner who did a few half marathons, so I'm no stranger to endurance sports, but I gained some weight since the last time I did a half marathon.
  
  I will also say that biking does use muscles in a different way than running, I personally can ride 100km somewhat easily but can’t do a 5k run without having to walk for at least a little bit. But being in good health does mean that you should build up those biking muscles pretty quick

With all advice given: don't worry about speed.. everyone goes their own speed and it's all the right speed. We're all different and I'd focus on what is comfortable and fun for you. The more hou enjoy it, the more you'll do it.

Besides purpose built bikes for speed and distance, swapping out tires for a different tread can make a large difference. If you aren't doingactualy technical trails and just like road or flat gravel you can get a tire that has some nubs on the outer sides but a smooth patch down the center for way less resistance when riding. When I switch to my winter tires the bikes is so much slower
- Could you possibly recommend what sort of tires these would be? I occasionally go down gravel trails but no jumps or logs or anything like that, just like dirt trails. Would those still be okay on these tires?
  
  If most of your riding is on paved surfaces, you want "city bike tires." For your bike, they'll be roughly 26x1.5"-2.0" and they'll be relatively smooth instead of knobby. Better ones will have features like extra puncture resistance and retroreflective sidewalls.
  Random example from an image search:
  The "some nubs on the outer sides but a smooth patch down the center" type of tire the commenter above recommended would look something like this...
  ...but honestly, I'd probably go for a full-blown city tire instead unless you're regularly riding on loose surfaces, not just "occasionally."
  
  I run Michelin Country Rock as a hybrid tire. Anything that's not knobbly is going to be a huge upgrade on pavement.
  You also don't need to run the same tires on both wheels. Having a slicker tire in the back can make sense as you put more weight on it, and slipping with the back wheel is a nuisance, while slipping with the front is often a disaster. So you could start off just swapping the rear. That way if it doesn't work out, you also spent only half the money :)
  Lastly I'd want to share that I really disliked those wheels that are only knobbly along the edges. Leaning over when taking a curve at speed, and suddenly transitioning from smooth to vibrating was very unsettling to me.
  
  It really depends on the type of dirt, and how wet. Most of my summer the ground is hardpack or maintained crushed gravel. So I swap to a hybrid city tire, I don't need lots of tread. That's why I have the winter set with nubs and carbide studs for other weather. Is there a bike shop or two in the local area of the trails you ride? They can recommend a good tire.
  But don't worry about speed/time, just go have fun :)

Are traffic lights added to your average? On my commute I lose up to a third of time on red traffic lights.
- A lot of the time, it's pedestrian red lights while I'm waiting for the cross walk to open up

How long are your breaks? How much time do you spend waiting for traffic lights or letting other vehicles pass? What's your standard speed?
Maybe you could go faster if you did shorter distances. 3 hours is kind of a long time for doing a sport you only picked up 6 weeks ago.
- My breaks are maybe 3-6 minutes, depending on if I'm eating or not.
  I generally don't ride on roads as I'm still a bit nervous to do that, so I'm generally riding on paths.
  My speed on shorter rides is the same for some reason, which is weird.

As an (ex currently post child..) mountain biker my threshold for having good endurance or not was being able to ride at pace for hours without sitting down. It takes a lot of fitness to do, but I found when you train like that it comes fairly quickly.
I say that because riding standing I found let's you put more power down and also makes using minimum suspension comfortable as you use your knees instead. You need to find what works re bars and stem though as you can fuck your back up in the wrong position. To ride xc or full sus bikes off the trails I had a second set of wheels with smooth road tyres. Anything but road tyres will dramatically increase your rolling resistance on tarmac.

Are you riding on pavement or trails? Mountainbike tires are generally a lot slower on tarmac, due to the tire pattern, and width, compared to a road tire. Also on tarmac you should increase the pressure in your tire quite a bit.
Don't listen to which speeds people tell you to aim for. Look for improvements in your own rides.
Road surface, hills, wind, tires, style of bike, your height, position on the bike, traffic and many more things have an impact on your speed. Compare yourself with yourself
- I'm riding mostly on sidewalks.
  I'll try raising the pressure in my tires - would that affect going up/down curbs and stairs at all? I have my tire pressure in the middle of what it says on the tires (they're pumped to around 50PSI, should I add more?).
  Also, how do I adjust my front fork suspension to be ideal for roads but still allow me to go down stairs and curbs? Should it be stiffer or more absorbent?
  
  On my bike, the tire has the pressure range it can handle safely printed on the side. I tend to inflate mine close to maximum for city biking.
  
  Try playing around with the pressure. Find what you like. Suspension is a real speed killer, on even surfaces. With every pedal stroke you compress the suspension, and that power doesn't make it to the rear wheel. If you don't have a lock out, adjust to as little suspension you feel works for you.
  There are a lot of rules of thumbs, but in the end it needs to work for you. Stiff suspension and hard tires will give you speed, soft suspension and soft tires give comfort

Gearing, tires, and geometry make all the difference in the world.
My Transition Sentinel is only geared for mountain biking. It's a terrible city bike. Tons of shock, high torque gears for steep hills, cannot go very fast. But it's insane when you need to climb or descend mountains. It has knobby, 2.4in tires.
My city bike is an ebike, and even though it's a single speed, it's pretty comfortable going between 10-30mph on that gear alone. The battery allows me to haul lots of groceries or baggage (and climb steep hills), and it's tires are wide enough to not get stuck in tram rails or gaps in the concrete road. I have knobby tires to avoid popping tires, but smoother, thinner tires will be more efficient.
Edit: if you have a shock, try locking it out if it has lockout.
I'd also recommend checking out city bikes, such as road, gravel, and upright bikes. There's an incredible amount of diversity, and a downhill mountain bike is about as far from a road bike as one can get. One can roll over a rock the size of a watermelon, the other can coast for meters off of a pedal stroke. Ebikes also are phenomenal as car replacements (or even just as car offsets), but generally cost $1,500+ with tariffs.