bfromcolo

Sigh, set a new PR today on the ride in. 16 miles in about 85 minutes. I am slow going up hill because I am old and a clyde, they I am slow downhill because I have anxiety issues about crashing, and I am really slow on loose gravel and sand for the same reason. I got passed by a lady towing a burly trailer this morning, she did look pretty freaking fit through.

Pathetic in CO....

littlewaywelt

I'll offer the same advice I often give to my kids...not everything is a race/contest.
Enjoy your commute

gholt

Don't worry about everyone else. There is always someone that is faster and in better shape. Enjoy the commute / ride and forget about everyone else.

nightc1

Get better brakes and learn to enjoy gravity on the downhills.

To set a personal record no matter how that compares to others is always nice.

bfromcolo

I am not worried about beating anyone else in. But it would be nice to get faster just to decrease time required. At this point I see three areas I can improve, climbing, riding/cornering on loose surfaces, and decending. Seems like two of the three are more related to my comfort level, anxiety level and riding skill. Versus how fast the motor can push. I am also starting to think that buying these Crossroads tires was a mistake, 1/2 my commute is on gravel/sand and I have very little confidence in them. Then again they seem quicker, and quieter on the paved 1/2 of my ride. No way to win.

JohnBrooking

It's okay with us, if it's okay with you. However, try to avoid loose gravel and sand anyway. You may get more comfortable with the downhills over time.

[Edit: I originally posted this before seeing your post above. So I guess half your commute is on a path? Maybe there is a road where the traffic is not too bad but will allow you to go faster? Going too fast on a path is not a good idea anyway, due to potential conflicts with other users as well as, sometimes, surface issues.]

bfromcolo

Yes half the route is a path, gravel, hard pack and sand. As summer has dried things out it is getting increasingly loose, with 2" of sand in some stretches. I am trying to learn to let the bike roll through it, just not into that sliding feeling. Hopefully we will get some rain and that tends to firm things up.

Eggplant Jeff

If you decide to change tires again, I'd suggest wide slicks. You didn't say what size tires you have now, but the wider the easier they'll go through loose stuff, and if they're slicks they'll still roll pretty well on the pavement.

And don't feel that slow... it takes me right around an hour to go 11 miles home on my commute. That's almost the exact same average speed.

bfromcolo

Hmmm I thought I needed more knobs, not less. I can see a fatter tire not sinking, but if I have traction issues with a 1.95 Crosstrails I would think I need more tread. This is an easy enough experiment, take the tires off my mountain bike and see how my commuter behaves.

https://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

Kotts

I'd bet that you'd knock a aton of time off if you stuck to paved surfaces. It isn't just the loose stuff, it's the energy you're expending dealing with the loose stuff taking the wind out of your sails on the paved part.

acroy

dude that's slow!
sorry, but c/mon, passed by a trailer?
At least you live in wonderful CO and have lots of gorgeous trails & roads to go get fit on. Now quit yer whining & go chase down the lady with the trailer!
no offense intended , just friendly heckling I've been there myself - except worse: young and slow and clyde & out of shape.
cheers

MikeR

That's about 12 mph average. In my hilly area that's about all I average. I'm an old clyde but I go fast down hills. Hey enjoy the ride. If you're in my area maybe we could ride together some time.

Cyclaholic

So what? was there a big cash prize at the end of the 16 miles? The payoff is not in the speed its in the enjoyment. Don't see it as a 16 mile ride, see it as a nice way to spend 85 minutes.

Some of the best rides I've had have been while towing my kids on the trail-a-bike + kiddicarrier 'road train' style, and at your speed you would have left us in your dust, but so what? we still enjoy the ride.

And for what its worth I have infinitely more respect for you getting out there and riding than for the 95% of the population that sat on their fat rear ends and did no exercise whatsoever.

thdave

That's not that slow. ENJOY the ride.

I got passed by a woman a month or two ago going up a hill. I was humbled. I'm slow, too, but I enjoy it anyhow. The key is to get your excersize and feel the freedom of a great bike ride. 85 minutes on a bike going 12 mph is good excersize, expecially with a few hills tossed in.

That said, a good way to improve is to focus on your times up a hill. Don't worry about the flats. If you can shave time going up a hill, it will carry over.

thdave

I agree wholeheartedly, but I'd peg that at 97% of the population around here.

overed

Don't worry about the time. Enjoy the ride.
With enough practice the time will improve, along with your fitness and a decrease in your clyde status.

I have/had some of the same issues.
Route - Cincinnati, OH. 17 miles average. Up and down hills.
Started riding around neighborhood, major achievement was 3 miles.
Commuting for 5 weeks (after alot of working up to it) and now complete my ride in about 65 minutes and I average from 13.7-15 miles/hr.
Doc took me off of my blood pressure medicine.
Keep up the work. You will get there. With practice will come confidence.
I hate to drive in, when I still have to because of work or other commitments.

tsl

Oh baloney! Going fast *is* fun. It's *how* I enjoy my ride.

You're all are entitled to your opinions, but I'm liking it as I get faster. I like the way my bike feels under me as we go faster. It evens out and feels much more stable as speed increases. I'm not racing anyone, and the clock or speedo are just for keeping score to track my own progress.

That said, I don't worry about speed at all on Tuesday through Friday. But on Saturday, I crank to work and again back home. This past Saturday I too set a personal best, 17.2 mph avg on the 12.3 mile route. (And I'm well aware that there are many in this forum for whom that rate is slow.)

I remember how last year 12.5 on this same route felt fast. I also remember when I had to stop and rest once or twice on this route too. So beyond the joy I feel at speed, and the way my bike stabilizes at speed, I get personal satisfaction at measuring the improvement in my fitness.

The measurement I choose to use is speed.

I say, let the OP celebrate his PB too. I'm here to cheer him on. And I'll so the same for his next one too.

Eggplant Jeff

Happened to me too. The REALLY humbling thing is that she was jogging...

jeff-o

It sounds like you need to get yourself a trike! You'll probably climb hills at about the same speed, but you'll be rock-steady going back down the other side. Loose gravel and sand have virtually no effect on a trike, either.

fat biker

When I was doing the 28 mile/day commute I was "reasonably fit" for a 50 something guy with a personal spare tire.

I got passed all the time; guys younger and fitter than me, guys older and fitter than me, gals younger than me.

One time, riding home in the PM, clocking along at about 17 miles/hour on my old road bike. Here's a guy ahead of me on an old mountain bike leaving me in his dust. That hurt for a while. Week or so later, caught up to him at the far end of the ride. He's got a MOTOR on the front wheel. Made me feel much better.

As others have said, enjoy the ride. Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's mostly all small stuff.

Jeff, still fat

Jeffbeerman2

thats 12.8MPH average

I go about the same speed when commuting. there are days when I just feel like going all out, but 13 is a decent pace for such a long commute.

I imagine the people on here who commonly claim average speeds of close to 20 and top speeds over 30 are in a slim minority.

I'm only 34, weigh about 200, and am in OK shape. I know I'm faster and in better shape than most of my peers at work who don't get regular exercise. I don't feel slow when going 13MPH

FlatFender

thats not too bad, I only average 13.6 mph on my commute
The only thing that helps you to get more comfortable on the bike is, time on the bike.
I go about 6'3" and 270lbs.

Dr_Robert

Best. Advice. Ever.

cerewa

You're averaging almost 13mph over a long ride, and just for reference, I (as a skinny young guy) used to average 12mph on an all-paved ride to my school, and it was only 5 miles.

I think there are some great tires for mixed gravel-trail/pavement riding. Michelin Country Rock is one example. Kenda Kwick is another.

bfromcolo

Thanks for the support everybody. I do enjoy the ride and don't care all *that* much about being one of the slower objects on the trail. I calculate my average speed at 11.3 mph, I could easily improve that just by not riding the brake so much on hills and loose stuff.

Between the bike, clothes, laptop, tube/tools, raingear, lunch, water bottles and me I think I am pushing close to 285 lbs total on this ride. Maybe there is something in here I don't need to lug around. Also I have some of this stuff in a handle bar bag, would moving as much weight to the rear as possible make the bike act better on loose surfaces? Something else to experiment with.

Have a great day.