kandyredcoi

ok im also going to throw in my other .02

everyones route and terrain is different, personally i try to average 15mph on my 36lb hybrid/hardtail w/ 26x2.135" tires...but when i hit a 6%+ ascent then im dropping my average considerably...over a course of 17 miles, recently my avrage has been 13mph...realistic average from my cyclo comp, accounting for time/distance/speed

on the flats im bombing at like 17-20mph...when i hit the climbs im back down to 8ish mph hahahahahaha

fairymuff

Did that include the 10 minute lie down at the top of de muur, Sjefke?

AdelaaR

In fact ... it didn't ... you got me there
I did however climb de muur at about 16 km/h (10mph) for the whole climb, which I was very pleased with!
My cyclometer has a simple start/stop function, so when I lie down for 10 minutes it simply does not count that
The average does include 2 red lights and a closed railway though, apparently one can't get lucky every time.
I lowered my handlebar by 2 spacers and pumped my tyres to 8,5 bar ... so I'm now hitting speeds of 35 to 40 km/h on the flat

xoxoxoxoLive

I can not match the numbers posted by my most people. Put new batteries in the cycle
meter so everything cleared. Averaged 13.1 MPH over a 6.5 mile ride.. Now I ride a 31
pound budget Hybrid, and with all the extra weight from tool kit, rack, Topeak Trunk Bag,
and gear inside, adds about another 30 pounds at least. Was not tired, could have
maintained that speed for another 30 minutes. Found out with my bikes gearing, 21 MPH
max speed for me on the flats...38c wide tires, ( and still feel they are to small for all
the off rode riding I do. ) I do not have a performance Hybrid.....or just am out of
shape. Richard

Talldog

You da' man. I couldn't dream of maintaining such a pace on a hybrid, even when I was your age .... or even younger still. Quite impressive to say the least. To hell with shaved legs, aero helmuts, and those $10,000 TT bikes. Kudos to you.

AdelaaR

Thanks
But it isn't THAT impressive though.
Trained guys with TT bikes and aerohelmets reach speeds of 60km/h on the flats and average 50km/h over 50 kilometers.
So if I average 30km/h over 30 kilometers ... that's pretty good I guess but not out of this world at all.

five0fan

This is my second posting with average speed. Previous post was 6.7 mph average. I did much better last sunday during a organized bike ride.
10 miles of total flat roads, 8.6 mph average.. There was several thousand riders and I came in in the front half of them. (There was quite a few kids riding with their parents.)

AdelaaR

fiveOfan, I think you just experienced two things:
1) you're allways faster if someone's riding in front of you, simply because you subconsiously want to stay with him
2) you're allways faster if someone's riding in front of you, because you ride in his draft.

AdelaaR

My aunt had a barbecue last weekend and so I decided to bike over to her house in Brussels.
I took a bit of a detour and averaged 30 km/h over almost exactly 42 kilometers ... so apparently I can keep my average high on longer rides now too
Still getting into good shape though, I had "mononucleosis infectiosa" (no idea what that's called in English) this spring and so I still don't feel entirely physically able yet ...

Talldog

I beg to disagree. IMHO, your average speed over 30 km is very, very good ... exceptional I would say. When you mention 50kph over 50 km you are talking about elite racers like Fabian Cancellara. These guys are not from the same planet as you and me ... not by a long shot, ie., not even close. He, and elite competitors like him, have been trained from a fairly young age and brought along by the best coaches/managers in the cycling world. And his physical attributes that allow him to achieve those results verge on the superhuman as compared to the average cyclist. Plus, his equipment, including $15,000 TT bikes, etc., is far beyond the average hybrid talked about here. And elite cyclists not quite to his level (but still TDF stage contenders) average much less than that, say 45kph or even less on similar equipment, etc. So, for you to average 30kph (solo with no paceline) over a 30 km distance, with a relatively inexpensive hybrid with upright geometry, and with no aerodynamic aids, is no small achievement in my opinion. I know what 30kph feels like ... the wind resistance at that speed on a solo ride on flat ground is quite severe, at least for me. I can only achieve that speed either wind assisted or on an extended decline. I have never encountered true flats for any extended distance, and to maintain that speed over any great distance without the benefit of drafting would be all but impossible for me. So that is why I say "hats off" to you, as, from my perspective, that is indeed an impressive feat. Maybe it is no big deal to some, but to me it is an enviable accomplishment, and most probably unattainable for the majority of everyday hybrid cycling enthusiasts.

AdelaaR

Wow thanks
I've got one aerodynamic aid though being a fairly basic aluminum aerobar "profile design jammer gt".
It is however mounted on my flatbar, which is mounted quite high because I have a bad back.
The aerobar is at about the same height as my saddle, so in comparison to actual TT bikes that is very high.
I don't really use it to have better aerodynamics but use it because it takes weight of my back and on my elbows.
Maybe my speed and my aerobic power output has something to do with my lung capacity being huge compared to the average ... I remember back in highschool we had to blow into some lung-capacity-measurement-device in biology class and the teacher wouldn't believe my numbers so I had to do it over in front of the whole class to prove I wasn't bull****ting him and I came out even higher
I haven't measured ever since so I'm not sure how much it could be now ... but back then at the age of 13 most kids had something like 3 or 4 liters and I came out at 5 if I remember correctly.
It might also be genetical as one of my grand-uncles (do you say that in english?) was world champion veterans marathon and 10.000 meter for several years.

Suburban Grind

Weighing in late to the average speed party.
Just an age 47 newbie, been riding all my life, never competitively, nothing like AdelaaR pacing Andy Schleck's Specialized racer in anger. Just installed a Cat Eye wired cadence computer.

Two trips - there and back, 11:30 - 15:00, spent an hour and a half visiting then returned.

16.6 mi [26.7 km] each way, 33.2 mi [53.4 km] total;

1:08:10 to reach destination, 1:09:56 to return;

Average Speed 14.4 mph [23.2 km/h];

Max Speed 26.3 mph [42.3 km/h].

Very smooth city roads & boulevards, not many stops, quite flat, biggest elevation change was ~50 feet [15 m] for downtown bridge over river.

Ever so slight tailwind going there, mild headwind coming back. Bright sun, hot and somewhat humid, 88 deg F [31 deg C] to start, 93 deg F [34 deg C] on return.

Went through about 1.5 liter of ice water on arrival there, and about .75 liter of Gatorade on way back.

Bike is 1995 Cannondale hardtail mtb, no suspension, Continental 26 x 1.50 [iso 559 x 38] Comfort Contacts that are more like 34mm wide, Sugino XD-600 crank, Truvativ Husselfelt platform pedals, with some other performance-degrading accessories/ maintenance replacements.

AdelaaR

Haha. for about 30 meters ... maybe.
I wanted to get exactly that computer and orderer it, but they sent me the normal cateye vectra instead, so i chose to keep that-one and have a partial refund instead of having to send it back. So i ended up counting cadence in my head
I'm able to keep a speed of about 45 km/h on the flat with no headwind for about 1 km, but that's it though, after that my anaerobic motor gives up.
For the pro's to average 50km/h, i guess they need to maintain 55-65km/h on the flats to get that average, since you always lose speed on turns and hills ... and us normal people even lose speed on traffic lights or intersections.

Went to the swimming pool this morning and averaged 35km/h on 10km ... although I have to admit the way to the swimming pool is more downhill than up
Passed a group of about 15 roadies doing something like 25km/h... they never knew what hit 'em

acidrock23

I passed a few roadies and groups of roadies today too! I managed to avg 16.4 mph for a shade> 37 miles. Fun ride, beautiful day. I think I may have been a shade slower than I was last weekend b/c I wore a longsleeved shirt rather than a close-fitting singlet? The longsleever is still pretty close fitting but did get a bit billowy in the headwinds! It was windier last weekend and I was hunching down over the flat bars and liked it a lot, both for feeling like I could get through the wind more smoothly and also engaging slightly different groups of muscles? I think an aerobar may be the next goody to look into...

AdelaaR

Heh ... I still haven't looked into specific cycling gear yet myself.
I'm still riding with a normal T-shirt and skateshorts, like when I was a kid.
It probably won't make that much of a difference in speed I think, but I might upgrade to some specialized clothing in the future, mainly for comfort reasons.

acidrock23

I also experimented w/ twisting my body when the wind was off my bow, so my chest was angled @ a 45 degree angle to 'spill' some of the sind resistance off to the side. I didn't exactly slice through the air but it was fun to play around with?

xoxoxoxoLive

I am up to 14 MPH , on the road..: ) Richard

common man

i ride hilly areas and my avg speed is 10 mph.

kandyredcoi

https://maps.google.com/?q=https://sha...00912-2003.kml

xoxoxoxoLive

That 14 MPH is on very small hills and for 6.5 miles.

alexaschwanden

my average speed for flat roads is about 15-17mph,
for hills 10-20% grade is about 10mph,
and for the downhills is at least 20mph

my maximum speed on flat ground was 30.4 mph!

xoxoxoxoLive

my maximum speed on flat ground was 30.4 mph! WOW !!! Thats fast, I spin out at 30 MPH going
down hill..LOL..but my max speed going down hill was 53.4 I believe, since I had to change the battery
in the computer, I have not broken 40 MPH..but on the flats, 21 to 23 MPH for short burst is all I can manage.

Dbl E GT

17 mile fitness loop..... takes me exactly 1 hour to complete, so 17 mph average......riding my new Giant Rapid 1 "fitness" hybrid !!

jmX

Just wanted to point out, many times when we're passing roadies, it may be because they're on their low heartrate ride for the week.

Of course they could also simply be slow. The physique of the people you're passing will give you a clue as to which is which.

acidrock23

LOL, that's true too. I always ride as fast as I can. I have an HR monitor. I read about going @ 60% to burn more fat but don't seem to have enough self control to do that?