Myosmith

I ride with two different groups and the B rides have a good number of people in their 50s and 60s and a couple even older. While overall health can vary widely by our age, there is no standard that you must slow down at a given age. I'm turning 50 and I'm in substantially better cardiovascular condition than I was 20 years ago and I'm still seeing slow gains in average pace and endurance. I've had some health problems but so far they have just been motivators to get in even better shape. I'm just sad that I didn't figure this out in my teens or 20s (when I ate whatever I wanted and exercised when I felt like it) who knows how much better off I would have been.

amishboy51

I'm not sure I understand the question, but, no, I'm in Connecticut.

Erwin8r

And there is this. Definitely helps to ride with a group, and as Jsig points out, you may already be at 12-14 in a group setting. Aside from the benefits mentioned above, the mere motivation factor will keep you a few mph faster. I know I ride faster/feel better when I ride with a couple friends...

corwin1968

Sorry. Someone else responded in a manner that made me think they were the original poster and their location was listed as Oklahoma.

JackoDandy

OP - Same here. Ive been riding since 2010. Lost 25 lbs, ridden over 8,000 miles and I average 11-12mph. Im 50 this month and 290lbs. It is what it is. I have ridden back to back centuries (miles) over the last 4 years and can chip away all day at hills. I have a commuter bike, carbon road bike, and a mountain bike. Im just as slow on any of the three. The road bike gives me an extras 1mph or so but nothing miraculous.

Ive come to accept that Im just a slow rider and thats OK. At least Im still riding.

amishboy51

Sorry for the delay in responding. I'm riding a Schwinn GS comfort bike, from the LBS. I'm not sure what the tire and size are, but no upgrade to 32 or 35, for sure.

nkfrench 

OP, do you have a cycling computer? The posted speeds for group rides generally are moving averages so stops and breaks aren't included.
If you are just calculating from elapsed time, you are probably faster than you think.

If you have a lot of stops on your route, it can take pretty big improvements in speed to notice a difference in elapsed time.

amishboy51

No, I don't have a cycling computer; I just use the data from strava (or map my ride). Unfortunately, though, I don't really have any stops.

Myosmith

I looked up the GS online and it should serve you well. With 26" wheels and 1.9" (about 48mm) touring tires this isn't a "fast" bike but you should be able to get up to that 12-14 mph cruising speed you spoke of. Besides losing some weight and starting a training plan that includes some intervals, like I mentioned before, there are a couple of things that you might be able to do to make your bike a bit quicker. Make sure the bike is fit to you well. Being you got it at an LBS I'm sure you got some degree of a fitting at the shop. Pay particular attention to seat height and position. A seat too low or too far back might feel a bit more comfortable when cruising but will sap power. If the fork has a lock out, lock it rigid, suspension wastes energy on relatively flat smooth surfaces where it isn't needed. Suspension seat posts can also waste some of the energy of your pedal stroke. If you were to change tires, you could consider something a bit lighter and narrower, say in the 1.25 - 1.5" range (32-38mm) which will still be comfortable without being as plush. None of these changes to your bike will make a huge difference, but little differences add up.

Strava does a good job of keeping track of total and rolling time, so you're doing fine there. It's nice to have continuous feedback during a ride, so if you don't have a handlebar mount for your smart phone, even a basic cycling computer will show current speed, trip distance, and elapsed time. Not absolutely necessary but that feedback can help keep you from slacking off during a training session.

As I said before, don't let the training take over, remember to have fun. Not every ride needs to be a workout.

amishboy51

Wow, you guys are amazing; thanks for all the info and suggestions!

Once we get through this winter, I'm looking forward to trying a lot of new things.

WonderMonkey

One way I improved my "numbers" was to increase distance then speed. I did this as I learned more especially by listening to people here in this forum and trying things out.

Pretend I could do 10 mph for 1 hour and that's it. I would do the 1 hour ride until I felt it wouldn't kill me then I'd head 6 miles out in one direction so I would have to do 6 miles to get back. Ta-da suddenly I'm doing 12 miles! That was my new "long ride" but I'd also do shorter rides of 8 miles but I'd do intervals. Ride comfortably for 2-3 minutes and hard for 1 minute, then comfortably for 2-3, etc. Magically my 12 miler would get easier and my speed would start to pick up. Then I'd head out one day for 7-8 miles in one direction so I'd have to come back that same distance which would then give me a new distance of 14-16 miles and on and on.

Incrementally I would increase all the numbers I cared about. Intervals and forced distance did it for me. This last year I did a very painful 100 miler but I did it. This year I'm a bit smarter so I'll be able to get back to that same point earlier in the year.

Rollinrock

Very well said JackoDandy