MrCjolsen

Not your "average speed" you get from your cyclocomputer. Not racing or out to prove something. either. Not your top speed either. The speed you go at once you get going, assuming flat terrain and calm air (I understand that in some areas these conditions are seldom achieved). This is the speed you normally hold for long distances. This is your "average speed" only if you reset your computer once you start going and ride 15 or 20 miles until stopping.

Get the picture?

MrCjolsen

Just to get an idea. The average speed on my computer usually reads in the 18-19 mph range when I get back from a long ride - with traffic stops, hills, wind etc.

But if conditions are good, I can hold about 19-19.5 for most of the ride. But conditions are seldom that good.

racingpain

I actually cruise right now at about 10-15 mph but the closest option was 15-16 mph, However when I go into sprints I hit between 22-27.5 mph, I am still working at increasing my performance. I am coming back from a bad car/bike accident last year. I got three minor scratches to my face but it destroyed the steel Trek 500 series road bike I was riding. I was off the bike for six months and when I returned my strength was gone so I had to start from the begining but I am getting better each day.

RacingPain

Turbonium

if i don't feel like shiat. i ride well over 31kph, i push myself always. the days that i feel great i go 38 - 40 kph.

hmai18

I'm usually cruising at about 30kph. And Turbonium, it's a pleasure to meet another Ottawa rider.

Medpilot

Yesterday was my first ride after taking 10 years off from biking so I don’t have a long time average to give. My ave. speed yesterday into the wind was 14-15mph and away from the wind was 27-28mph. So I’d say without wind it would have been somewhere between 19-21mph. I guess that’s not too bad for my first time out.

Wurm

If I can get good terrain and not a lot of wind, I like to sit in 52-15 and with a decent, comfortable cadence I hover around 20 mph.

khuon

I'm also in the 20-21 MPH range if the road is flat and I'm not facing a headwind. I'm usually spinning in the 53x17 at that point.

Denis (Brazil)

I got the picture. This "avg speed" is the kind of rythm I would feel comfortable with and would maintain even with my eyes closed and no cycle computer guidance. Not less, not more. In my case, it is the range of 26~30 Km/h (17~18mph). If I go slower than this, then I know something's wrong. If I go faster than that, then I know I have a particular goal in mind. If I stay within that limit, then I feel like going on forever (ars will tell me to stop after 6 hours of non-stop riding anyway)

CdCf

Flat road with no wind, my cruising speed is around 30 km/h (19 mph). Average speed over 1-2 hours, with mixed wind conditions and minor hills usually ends up around 23-25 km/h (14-15 mph). "Voted" for 15-16 mph in the poll.

But I'm certainly no "roadie"...

caloso

Flat, no wind, and fresh legs means 20.5 or 21mph for me. I'll be in 53 x 16 or 42 x 12, depending on if I'm on the race bike (double) or the daily bike (triple).

(Does that sound right? I guess I could check Sheldon Brown's gear calculator.)

forum*rider

My cruising speed, flat and no wind, is about 22-24mph.

But this is assuming I'm riding on flats. Lately I have gotten stronger on flats, but my climbing has suffered.

my58vw

My average cruising speed, i.e. very comfortable, just spinning along with very little concentration is a realistic 18 - 20 MPH, but more to 19 - 20 MPH. Now I can hold 21 - 23 MPH easily but that requires more attention. Now if the road is truly flat (which is near impossible to do) I can actually feel comfortable at faster but 19 MPH is a good estimate.

Machka 

My cruising speed isn't even on your list. Not everyone in the world is a speed demon out there on their bicycles. If you really want this to be a somewhat accurate poll, expand the list.

jarhead#42

22 mph on the flats no wind

Doctor Morbius

Yeah, but you're doing extemely long rides. I don't think he's being inclusive of the ultra distance stuff.

Black Shuck

I'm a newbie, and a heavy one too. I cruise at about 26kph, or 16mph. 125kg, getting less for every mile hopefully. I could go harder but I don't want to overdo it and lose interest.

Doctor Morbius

Yesterday I did a 2 hour ride over a semi-hilly course with no stops at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis. Had to slow down a couple of times for cars that didn't know where they were going but didn't stop. My average speed was 16 MPH for the duration and my average HR was just under 77% of my known max or 147 BPM. I weigh 245 so I know my power to weight ratio sucks ass on the hills. I'd have to guess that if the ride was over flat terrain, given the same conditions I would average 17 MPH, possibly more.

Edit: I could have done 50 miles at that pace pretty easily but my bum was hurting as I'd just swapped saddles and am trying to get used the new one. Can't seem to find one I really like with the exception of the '04 Selle Italia TransAm ProLink that I have on one of my other bikes.

Machka 

Yeah, but even when I'm not doing extremely long rides ... like when I'm commuting, or doing shorter training rides ... I don't "cruise" that fast!! I'd love to be able to cruise at 15 mph (25 km/h) but I've never, in the whole 15 years I've been cycling, been able to fly along that briskly unless I'm really pushing it, or I've got a good tailwind.

For example, I have done a couple 6 hour centuries, but the route was flat, there was virtually no wind, and I was pounding the whole way ... definitely NOT a "cruise". And I've raced at higher speeds, but again, those weren't cruises, I was giving it all I had out there.

That's why I'm amazed at all those who can apparently "cruise" at speeds of 20+ mph.

Snuffleupagus

21ish

Faster drafting or really abusing myself. Slower in the heat/poor roads etc.

Snuffleupagus

Not trying to be a jerk or anything, but a 20mph cruising speed is far from unheard of. On local club rides I'd say at least a quarter of the people in attendance are capable of doing so. No super-studs either, just somewhat fit people spinnin' away.

Doctor Morbius

Me too! I would like to eventually do a solo 50 miler at 20. My current best is 17. Lots of work to do. Lots!

Machka 

So here's my question then. If it is true that somewhat fit people can casually spin away, without much effort at 20 mph (32 km/h) . . . why can't I come anywhere close to that unless I'm really working?

When I raced TTs my speed was about 20 mph (32 km/h). I just checked the MCA website for TT results for this year and their top placing female racers are coming in between 20 mph (32 km/h) and 21 mph (34 km/h). Even the men are only doing at most 22 mph (35 km/h) . . . and those results are for a Time Trial where everyone is really working . . . not just a casual cruise.

That's why I have some difficulty believing that so many people can cruise at 20 mph or so. If that were true, then when these people raced, there should be more results in the 30 mph range.

Sometimes I wonder if people aren't mixing up kilometers and miles. It's easy to cruise at 20 km/h ... not so easy to cruise at 20 mph.

khuon

The road racers typically cruise at 25MPH... probably even higher. It's really not hard to cruise at 20MPH on a flat stretch of road without headwinds. Once you get momentum built up, you're not expending a whole lot of energy maintaining speed. I think I actually spend more energy trying to maintain a 15MPH cruise than I do above 18MPH.

forum*rider

no my computer is in mph.

But my cruising speed in this thread is based on the authors example of prime conditions. No wind, flat, fresh legs. 22-24mph is only for about 30-35mi. Anything longer than that and my cruising speed drops substantially.

On a hilly route, with a headwind, my cruising speed drops to about 16-17mph.