tulip

My commute is anywhere from 1h10 mins to 1h28. It's closer to the 1h28 during the winter months.

I would suggest taking your computer off and just enjoy your ride. When you put it back on, you might find that you are alot faster because you're not stressing over it.

HiYoSilver

No go velogirl. It's my motivator and helps me ride vs drive.

I'm thinking of the data now as collecting a new baseline. The one problem with my tracking rides for 25 ride quarters is I don't get a clean month to month comparison. Time to revise that spreadsheet, AGAIN. At least I'm near the end of a quarter so restructure is easier to architecture.

pricklycommute

i have found that I am a little slower on 'chilly' mornings. These are days when a jacket is a little too hot and normal commuting speed, but it is still to cold if I take it off. My best days are when it is 65-70 degrees, 5% humidity, and no wind. Oh, and I haven't ridden in 5 or 6 days. On that first day back I can fly!

As far as the wind resistance, a jacket does make a very noticeable difference over just a jersey.

GreyGoat

it's the air density as a previous poster mentioned.. it's all explained in percentages on www.icebike.com somwhere.. I just couldn'd find it.. it's in there somewhere..
EDIT: found it!... https://www.icebike.com/Articles/SlowerWinter.htm

d2create

-1
There is no way I can breath in as much volume of air at the same rate I do in the summer. The cold air just hurts.
So again, less oxygen at my disposal in the winter.

Scientifically you are correct, but it's not what i meant.
But of course i was just guessing. Maybe the denser air is offsetting the slower air intake making it all a wash. Personally i don't notice much of a slowdown in winter other than from a mental perspective of not enjoying it as much.

babaluey

I'm well into my third year of year-round commuting and I've definitely noticed a pattern of being slower in winter, especially mornings when it's colder, by about the same amount (~1 mph). I can only attribute it to the cold as everything else is the same (same bike, tires, just a bit more clothing in winter but I don't think it would be enough to make much diff).

ken cummings

EUREKA!!! The cold chills the battery in the computer so it can't be as responsive as in summer

Joke of course, most of them work off of a digital input from the wheel magnet. My computer just shut off when it got too cold.

ItsJustMe

How cold was that? My Planet Bike Protege 9 has worked fine down to -10*F so far. The display gets faint and slow at those temps but the numbers its displaying are still accurate.

tokolosh

with cars, doesn't tire pressure also increase as you drive and the air inside them picks up friction heat from the rubber and expands? i seem to remember warnings not to pump your tires to the recommended pressure until they're warmed up. don't know if that would apply to bikes too, but i've wondered sometimes if the pressure is lower on colder days.

silver, you said your speed was down, but not what it was down since. if you get me.

huhenio

Nitpicky all youse ... aren't we happy about not having to drive?

Hiyo - wait till the summer to see how much slower. Same tract, same conditions.

HiYoSilver

Oh, I will. Like I said earlier, I need to revise my sheets so I'm comparing months this year vs months last year. When I started I didn't factor in the extra slowness in winter and so was just comparing with "quarter" by quarter. I only started tracking last may, so I don't have a full year's of data yet. Not less to speak of 2 years.

Today's slowness was a no brainer. A zippy 9 mph but with 21 to 30 mph headwinds, that's ok. It was just a training day. Practice riding longer in the drops and observe pedaling technique.

DataJunkie

The wind reversed direction this am.
I discovered that the muscle groups I am using are resulting in an inefficient ride. If I focus on pushing more with the quadriceps my speed increases quite a bit. I'm attributing this problem to my use of a hybrid bike.

Sawtooth

I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who seems slower/weaker this winter. In the summer, I have no problem clipping along at 20-23 mph in the mornings but lately I really struggle to maintain 20 and my legs feel like lead. Admittedly, I have changed from a TCR0 (18 lbs) to a 1982 puegot (a tank); but I doubt it is all the bike. I just can't seem to breathe out there when it is below freezing. Silver, I bet your times go up when it warms up.

pinkrobe

An alternate suggestion - you've plateaued [is that even a word?]. This happens all the time in training. You get to a certain point and just can't get any faster/stronger, and in some cases you may even slip back a little. Arguably, the best way to bust out of that rut is to go over the top [that's right, just like Stallone in that stupid arm-wrasslin' movie], and push yourself way harder than you ought to.

For example, if you're used to spinning at 90, spin at 100 in the same gear for as long as possible. Ride in a higher gear. Get some EPO. Interval training can help quite a bit. Two weeks of hill sprints could erase your deficit and maybe give you even more speed. Just a theory...

bjorn

you could do a graph using priority averaging (or whatever its called) where the plot on a given day is the average of the prior n days. Then on the same graph you could plot temperature and wind vector and you might get a pretty good idea of how your speed is being affected by temp/wind change.

noisebeam

Similar thing happened to me over my 8.5 ea. way commute. See the attached graph - I peaked in Apr/May last year. It was curious to me for a while, not only why I slowed down, but also why I had such a sudden jump in improvement earlier, but now I don't care. For what its worth I felt incredible metally and physically on and off the bike during the period I improved and peaked.

Al

Artkansas 

Could it be differences in traffic flow?

GreyGoat

again, the sensation is all explained here https://www.icebike.com/Articles/SlowerWinter.htm

Lecterman

I have had the same trouble this week, except I am down 2 MPH!

I figure the cold and wind this week, in addition to more layers because of them are contributing to it because my rides home have rocked.

Hang in there, it will be spring before you know it.

Fred

tulip

I prounounce thee a Geek.

huhenio

I actually enjoy the winter slowness

greenstork

I like the EPO suggestion, that's classic.

TRaffic Jammer

Isn't the air more dense at colder temps requiring more effort for the same performance? Therefore the same performance will yield lesser results? Like jogging and then jogging in a pool?

Opps didn't see the IceBiker link above.
Colour me stupid