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Poll: what is your average commute speed

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Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.
View Poll Results: What is your average commute speed
less than 8 mph
0
0%
8-10 mph
4.88%
11-12 mph
13.72%
13-14 mph
29.27%
15-16 mph
25.91%
17-18 mph
17.68%
19-20 mph
6.10%
21-24 mph
1.52%
25 or greater mph
0.61%
faster than JoeyBike
0.30%
Voters: 328. You may not vote on this poll

Poll: what is your average commute speed

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Old 06-02-09 | 10:54 PM
  #51  
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From: Halle, Germany

Bikes: Surly Troll

Yesterday was my bike commute #100 year to date. My total commute miles have been 2800, so my average commute for this year has been 28 miles round trip. My average commute time has been 2 hours round trip. Some pretty easy math tells me my average speed per commute is 14 mph. I ride in rolling hilly terrain in suburban Orange County, CA and on average hit a red stop light about once every 2 or 3 miles, so I manage to get some long stretches of uninterrupted pedaling within our megalopolis.
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Old 06-02-09 | 11:01 PM
  #52  
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From: NYC

Bikes: Citizen Tokyo (Silver), Schwinn Collegiate (1980's)

My average takes into account all the darn lights I have to stop at every 10 seconds on the roads. I hate being a law abiding citizen sometimes...
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Old 06-02-09 | 11:33 PM
  #53  
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From: Vancouver, BC
I couldn't make it through the first day. I voted. (21-24 mph)

(I ride a '97 Cannondale)

Last edited by closetbiker; 06-05-09 at 10:22 AM.
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Old 06-02-09 | 11:49 PM
  #54  
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From: YEG

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Originally Posted by Pig_Chaser
My average for the year thus far: 26.56kph (16.5mph). This includes winter cycling which is significantly slower.
Having ridden with you (and we should hook up for a ride here) I have to say you are a pretty fast rider.

As I ride fixed a great deal I tend to gear my bikes so that my normal cadence (95 rpm) gives me a cruising speed of 30-35 kmh.

It does not seem to matter what I ride as even on my old roadster I maintain a pretty decent cruising speed and it is rare that anyone passes me.

On my road bikes (fixed and geared) I can maintain speeds closer to 40 kmh as they are geared higher and are significantly lighter than my usual commuters.
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Old 06-05-09 | 10:11 AM
  #55  
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From: Houston,TX

Bikes: 14 Ridely Noah RS, 09 Trek 2.1, 10 Trek 7.1 FX

13-14 mph over 9 mile commute on Trek 2.1 . This includes lights, stop signs, and other traffic related slow downs. There is a section that goes through a speed controlled neighborhood that has a radar gun with speed display. I have been able to get reach 28 mph before I pass the sign. The bike will go faster than commute conditions allow.
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Old 06-05-09 | 10:42 AM
  #56  
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From: Alexandria, VA

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Originally Posted by ollyisk
13-14. I ride a 2001 Univega rode bike.

2/3 of my computer is spent climbing hills of varying grades/lengths.

My commute IN to work is a little easier (about 40% downhill, 60% uphill), but I can't find a nice route for my ride home (I don't think I could handle come of the climbs I descend on), so my afternoon average is usually around 11-12.

I wish it was flat here.
Wait... there are hills in Norfolk?!?!?!
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Old 06-09-09 | 08:15 AM
  #57  
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From: Ottawa, ON Canada

Bikes: GT ZR5000, GT Timberline, Chariot Chauffeur

My average is 26 kph which translates to around 16 mph. My commute is a 11km (~ 7 mile) ride on a relatively flat road.

82 Bianchi limited.
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Old 06-09-09 | 08:20 AM
  #58  
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From: Vancouver, BC

Bikes: Asama "Luddite" and Kuwahara MTB from the 90s

I'm lazy (super close to work right now) so around 17 km/h, when I bike somewhere further away, I go faster.
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Old 06-09-09 | 09:18 AM
  #59  
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From: Maine

Bikes: Kona fire mountain/xtracycle,Univega landrover fs,Nishiki custom sport Ross professional super gran tour Schwinn Mesa (future Xtracycle donor bike)

If my cycle analyst is to be believed, I run about 10.8/mph as my average speed. It only counts time when it is rolling.
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Old 06-09-09 | 10:21 AM
  #60  
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From: 25 miles northwest of Boston

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

I thought mine went down when I switched to the heavy Varsity but I just checked this thread and I see mine went up from 15.5 on the LeTour to 15.7 on the Varsity ... go figure ...

I'll be keeping my eye on this thread.
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Old 06-09-09 | 10:39 AM
  #61  
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From: Seattle, WA
I'm up to 15.1 mph average. I have a couple big hills, and i'm not in good shape at all. But, the average seems to be improving each time I do the ride.
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Old 06-09-09 | 11:48 AM
  #62  
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From: NYC & Mid Hudson Valley, NY

Bikes: Fuji Del Rey, Bacchetta Giro 20, RANS Stratus XP XL, RANS Stratus XP XXL, RANS Stratus LE XL

I'm lucky to average even 10 mph. But then, with the load I usually schlep, my whole set up weighs over 100#. And including my weight.... well, let's not go there. And there is nothing but hills on my commute and they all go up.
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Old 06-09-09 | 11:54 AM
  #63  
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From: Catania, Italy

Bikes: legnanoo

my bike speedo reads 15-17 90% of the time... However.. I passed my supervisor today on base (just to be a smartass ) and he said he was traveling at 26 when I passed him, however my speedo read somewhere around 24.... so take it for what it is.. He told me he would laugh alot of the MAs gave me a ticket for speeding

Edit: I only covered maybe 20 feet passing him, so it was a pretty quick move around
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Old 06-09-09 | 11:58 AM
  #64  
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From: Greenwood Indiana

Bikes: Surly Crosscheck

might check and make sure your tire size is correct
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Old 06-09-09 | 12:03 PM
  #65  
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From: Edgewater, CO

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Can I change my vote? I voted 11-12mph, but it appears thanks to my cycle computer, I'm averaging 15.5mph.
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Old 06-09-09 | 12:04 PM
  #66  
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Yeah, I bumped it up a mph in the last week. Need to revote: Faster than JB with no traffic laws knowingly broken.
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Old 06-09-09 | 12:38 PM
  #67  
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From: Framingham, MA

Bikes: IRO fixed

Having just moved the other week, I've bumped my commute up to 22-24 miles depending on route. Currently on the steel fixed gear till I finish the road racer, the computer has rated me pretty consistently at 19mph door to door including stops/slowdowns, accelerations and catching my breath before going inside. There are a bunch of decent hills on the route and each way there are several miles where traffic is backed up for lights that I've gotta carefully thread the needle between the dirt shoulder/woods and car mirrors (most of this route only has a few inches from the white line to curb or dirt, going to suck in winter). Whenever I can safely check my speedo it tends to be around 22-25mph with max speeds at 30+ while spinning out.

Driving has taken nearly the same time, greatly increases the chance of me beating myself senseless on the steering wheel in bumper to bumper traffic, burns nearly 2 gallons of gas and costs ~4 bucks in tolls a day for the privilege.
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Old 06-09-09 | 01:31 PM
  #68  
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From: Catania, Italy

Bikes: legnanoo

says 23 all over the tire, in the pretty much same spots the rim size would be for a car. Im pretty sure it is..
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Old 06-11-09 | 01:17 PM
  #69  
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From: Hoddesdon, UK

Bikes: Handsome Dog Titanium (Work) Santa Cruz Superlight (Play) Kona Stinky (Real Play)

My average from my computer is 15-16mph summer time and 14mph in winter. This is running Schwalbe Marathon 26x1.5 in summer and Schwalbe Snow Stud 26x1.9 during winter. I had Schwalbe Marathon Racers before and my summer time average was 17-18mph.

I'm looking to get a 29" tyred commuter with discs, racks and mudguards. Hopefully bigger wheels will roll faster too.

Choccy...
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Old 06-12-09 | 07:29 AM
  #70  
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I used to average 12.5 mph for my trips, back when my cyclecomputer worked.
Since it stopped, I suspect to battery failure, I can only tell my cadence and soon I'll remove that. I used to track all my miles and my times, which was fun for awhile, but I never did anything with it and I hit a plateau that I couldn't get over. Now I prefer the simple life of riding just to get to work or home.

I always wanted but never followed through on plans to complete the tracking of times by counting calories, measuring heart rate peaks, and keeping track of my record rides, which I tracked for awhile but it was so tied to the wind that I couldn't really tell what was my best rides.

In the end, I thought that if I didn't correspondingly track my calorie intake by measuring my serving sizes of food, then it didn't come full circle. Maybe one day I will do this.

Better parameters for my rides now are my number of trips/week, the burning in my thighs, and a consistent effort on the hills. If so, I'm doing well.

The other thing I want to add is that this is personal. You can't compare your situation with another unless you get a heck of a lot of detail. I've got a "comfort bike" that I burden down pretty good with gear--that's different than a road, cross, or mountain bike. I vary my routes and if I'm on the road more, I'm faster than I am on the MUP. Due to issues like these, I don't think you can learn a lot from speed data.
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Old 06-12-09 | 08:46 AM
  #71  
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From: Atlanta, Georgia; Lewisburg Pennsyvania

Bikes: Jamis Satellite, Motobecane Fantom Cross UNO, Fuji Team singlespeed

Originally Posted by tjspiel
Since commutes vary so much between BF members any comparison of average speed is meaningless.

...

Besides, I'm afraid mine might be slower than somebody else's.
I dont know why this would be the case. I would argue that it is extremely meaningful. Look at the distribution of the speeds, almost a bell curve. THis would suggest that we have a pretty random smattering of fitness levels going on here
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Old 06-12-09 | 09:36 AM
  #72  
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Originally Posted by YungBurke
I dont know why this would be the case. I would argue that it is extremely meaningful. Look at the distribution of the speeds, almost a bell curve. THis would suggest that we have a pretty random smattering of fitness levels going on here
Doubt it's as much as you think.

Someone on a Road bike going 17 mph on a flat commute that's 4 miles long is not working nearly as hard as a guy going 12 mph on a 10 mile hilly commute that's on a mountain bike with 15 pounds of gear on it.
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Old 09-21-09 | 09:09 PM
  #73  
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From: Lima, Ohio

Bikes: Specialized

I average roughly 15-16 on my specialized rockhopper with 1.2 slicks on a 10 mile commute to and from work. I just turned my 2.5 inch riser bar upside down and flipped it end for end, I want to see if this gives me more aerodynamics....I was bored tonight....lol
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Old 09-21-09 | 09:31 PM
  #74  
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From: Burbank, CA

Bikes: Allez, SuperSix Evo

I have 15 speed bumps on my commute. Are we counting those?
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Old 09-21-09 | 09:35 PM
  #75  
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Originally Posted by YungBurke
I dont know why this would be the case. I would argue that it is extremely meaningful. Look at the distribution of the speeds, almost a bell curve. THis would suggest that we have a pretty random smattering of fitness levels going on here
A Normal distribution does not imply this is caused by a single factor.
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