Any time you save by pushing that hard will be lost when you have to change clothes and shower. Just wear your work clothes and ride easy. Same overall time without the hassle of extra clothes and sweat.

20mph for 10 miles on an open course with traffic, signals, etc. Not likely. At least, not often. If you catch every break, draft a bus or UPS truck for a break, have a tailwind all at the same time...you might make it. Not going to happen every day.

My "nickname" is 20+mph commuter (see my avatar). The route that made that name famous was 4 miles of relatively straight road, bad surface, tight traffic, and one stop light that if red, I must stop due to crossing traffic. 5 lights total. It was a rare day when I got home in less than 12 minutes, even though I am rocking 22-25 mph steady. One stop and you can kiss twenty AVERAGE bye-bye. My 20+ claim is made based on how fast I ride when I am actually rolling. I calculate my average time by the clock. If I got home one second less than 12 minutes that was good for some extra ice cream after supper. I don't think I managed it five times in five years. There is always that one thing, even four miles, that will kill your average time.

Sounds like fun trying tho. If you can average 20 mph for 10 miles - regularly - you might consider racing. Or a career as a stunt double for Tom Cruise 'cause you gonna be taking a lot of risks.

If you're goal setting and trying to hit a number, don't forget some type of warm up. One thought is to warm up for a couple of miles, hit reset and push hard. This way you will have a happier number on your dash and you won't penalize yourself for warming up. Your legs will thank you!

Makes more semse to just go for personal best
 

A commute is a two direction trip anyway and its impossible that traffic, wind direction and slope are going to be identical in both directions.

I have 12km stretch that I ocassionally do a couple times a week. Going out its always against a headwind and I`m lucky to average 12kph. On the way back, on the other hand - I can often manage 25kph.

And every day is different. Some days are so muggy you really don`t want to push that hard. So maybe keep a log and track both directions on a daily basis and chart the results. As long as the curve is slowly going up overall you`re doing good!

John Schlitter just rode 492.4 miles in 24 hours on a Bacchetta recumbent at the Sebring 24 race. That's an average of 20.5 mph.

The OP could just get an electric bike, that should easily do 20 mph over 10 miles.

20 mph average for a commute is difficult to achieve. My highest average for a 16 mile one-way commute on my road bike with no extra gear was 19.4 on MUPs and roads without lights. That meant cruising at 22-24 mph for close to an hour with slowdowns only for turning, bad sections, road crossings, transitions from MUP to road, and the like.

I'm just happy to be rolling along at whatever speed feels good. I don't have a cyclo-computer, not do I have a watch. My commute is timeless.... :)

I've averaged 20 mph on my 10.5 mile (flat) commute, one time. I had to really push myself to make that. Normally I average between 15 and 16, from door to door. This includes the many turns and stop signs/lights (I'd say ~20 stop lights/signs).

It's weird though, because I normally have a head wind each direction. Typically, it's a 10 to 15 mph headwind which dramatically slows me down. With an unusually strong headwind, I have averaged as slow as 11 mph. I live and work in a valley, so that probably has something to do with the wind.

Of course, the one 20 mph average day I had I didn't have a head wind.

I monitored my average and max speeds for years.... until I took the computer off my bike as part of some repairs and never put it back on. Now I measure my pace by how it feels. Sometimes it's a leisurely pace and sometimes I'm dropping roadies like bad habits, but one thing's for sure - every ride is that much more enjoyable at the right pace rather than the fastest pace.

On my best days I can average 32 kmph, (19.88 mph) over 12 km (7.5 miles). I have mostly open roads with huge empty intersections where I dont have to stop for red lights.

My ride is flat, and there is rarely any wind here.

My last couple of km are sort of dense urban riding, but I can still keep the speed up, though I might drop from an average of 33 kmph to 31 durning that.

z

I've personally averaged around 14mph through traffic over about 8 miles, through some areas of busy traffic but without a lot of traffic lights. I ride a mountain bike and although I'm a lot fitter than I was 12 months back I've still got scope to lose some surplus around my middle. Those 8 miles were also mostly pretty flat. Throw in red traffic lights and a hill or two and the average would drop, trade the bike for a more streamlined alternative and put slick tyres on it and you'll gain some speed.

My LBS reckons on adding around 30% to average speeds on a racing-type bike compared to a mountain bike so that would put my average speed somewhere near 20mph but still subject to being compromised by traffic lights. If you come to a complete or virtual stop you've got to work so much harder to keep the average speeds up.

But ultimately the only way to find out is to try it.

20 mph on a commute depends on where you are. Straight, traffic and traffic light free road, yeah maybe. Any city riding, no way. I tend to cruise and push it a bit on the way home, but at every major intersection I have the same riders that I pass come up next to me as I wait for the light. It really doesn't matter how fast you go if you have traffic lights.

I never push it on the way into the office as that'll add about a half hour to cool down.

I track my time and average speed on all of my commutes, and my personal best is 17.25 mph over 22 miles round trip. I doubt if I could improve much on that on my commutes due to red lights, traffic, wind. Red lights will destroy your average speeds, even if your computer is set to stop timing during stops. A stiff head or cross wind will do the same. My route is very hilly, so my legs have to be well rested to post good times, and my typical average speed commuting is about 15 mph.

I enjoy tracking my times and shooting for personal bests. However, don't risk your safety by trying to set new speed records. Running red lights and blowing stop signs are sure ways to get run over or cause an accident. However, charging the hills and improving your climbing times will really help your average speed.

I'm lucky if I average 13mph along the course of my 17 mile ride home (usually take bus in to work). Lots of climbs, stoplights, and if it's winter I often have to make additional stops to adjust clothing. I'm in good physical shape but am not an ideal power plant for cycling, being a small guy on a fairly meaty commuter bike. Someone else could probably shave a bit of time off this.

I do about 17.5 in the summer. I go 10.8 miles and only go through two traffic lights. I think I'm slowed down a lot more by the hills at the other end of the commute.

So you live on top of a mountain and go to work in the town on the flood plain
of the valley at the bottom?


Other than that, ( not a bad situation , as the slow climb home
is not going to get you fired if yore late..)

On the other hand.. aerodynamics is going to be your problem, above JRA speeds,
the air resistance is where most of the work goes.

what you need is teamwork, a peloton to share the work at the front.

Or a fully faired recumbent streamlined velomobile

20MPH average is a sort of benchmark for racers doing solo training, a "minimum price of entry" to ride in "A group" training rides....... at least it was when I raced, so things may have changed.
The basic point is that a 20MPH average is a solid pace.
If you are a strong rider and are commuting on a fairly efficient bike, I'd say it is definitely achievable. If your average is in the 14-16 range now, I feel you would need to employ a "training" mindset and technique to your commute to get your pace up. Alternate sustained "pace" days with "intervals" days 1-2 days per week, and so forth. The road racing and training forums would be a god source for that kind of info.

As you've acknowledged, alot depends on the "motor". I (and others I know) could maintain a 21+ MPH average pace for a 40 mile, relatively steady (not many stops) route on mountain bikes with slicks. We were racers, though, and our solo training pace was 22-24 MPH (23-28 average in groups) , and we rode 13-15 hours per week on a very strict training routine.

Is it possible? Of course. Is it possible on a loaded commuter rig? Of course, given the nature of your route. The biggest factor is the engine. Time to start thinking of your commute as "training" if you want it to happen.
Good luck!!!!

Yes it is very possible. But to get 20mph ave. in area with light, turns and other traffic you will need to maintain a cruising speed 3-5mph over 20.

Yes it is possible. Think of it as a time trial. You just have to push your motor at 80-90% for 30 minutes. :)

Seriously. I have a 10 mile commute and can regularly do it in 30 minutes or less if I catch all the lights (or blow through them if I am the only one on the road at 6am) and have no wind (tail winds are nice too) and I am on my fast bike (which I commute on if I am doing a group ride after work).

On my commuter (CAAD8 R1000 with a beam rack, trunk bag and fenders) I am more likely to average 17-18mph on good days and 15 on those day I just don't feel like arriving at my destination drenched in sweat.

It may be possible, but I've sure never done it. There's always something to slow down for.

I can generally do that or pretty close to it on the way in to work during spring and summer. That is with a fresh set of legs, little traffic, and really going at it. On the way home I rarely can get around 20+ mph due to fatigue and traffic. Especially with commuting, where things are different every day, I think its hard for most to get a consistent workout every day they ride.

My take away from commuting is at the end of the day, I should be having fun doing it.

lol! So far this thread seems to comprise of 2 types of responses -
1. Of course it's possible!...but I don't do it.
2. I actually commute, and I never or almost never can do 20mph average, even though I'm in great shape, bike regularly, and really push it some days.

At least for replies that are talking about "average" speed is "the entire average speed from the time you leave to the time you arrive at work, including time spent sitting stopped at the stoplights, slowing down for obstacles, etc etc".

Well Paul... I didn't want to brag, but...
All I have to do is mount my GPS next to my wireless bike comp. The electronics go crazy and I can easily post speeds of 70 mph or more..:D

Seriously.. I'm in the #1 camp in your above post. I'm sure it can be done; just not by me. Besides, I'm not in a big hurry to get to work soaking wet anyway.

Yup. The OP said 10 mile commute in 30 minutes, so waiting time is factored in.

Any time my 8.5mi commute takes 25min or less it is a 20mph+ commute. Of that 25min total commute time the average total wait time at stops is ~2min, typically a full stop every 3/4mi or so, plus turns and slowing for other stuff.

I've done it, but this during a training ride (2x20' intervals) that happened to be on the way home from work. And a bunch of things have to go right. You have to have the right route, you have to hit the lights, you have to have a calm or tailwind day, and you have to have pretty good legs.

Don't we all?

I have recently changed jobs, homes and states, and am not bike commuting currently, though that will change once I get my bikes moved to where I am. Referring to my last setup, I had a very favorable route, i.e. with few impediments other than hills to slow me down.
If we are talking about pedalling time and not including before and after activities concerned with riding gear and luggage, here are my data.

• 1-way distance ~13mi.
• expected/typical morning elapsed time <45min
• expected/typical elapsed time afternoon <40min
• payload ~20lb. consisting of laptop+accessories, work clothes, bike repair supplies, and snacks/lunch
• number of days/week, up to 5. I generally didn't bike in weather that would make biking unpleasant; also, on numerous occasions, my destination was much closer than 13 miles due to off-site meetings and other work activities, so, while I biked, the distance was less than 13 miles, and I wasn't keeping track of the distance or elapsed time.

Unless you are fortunate enough to have a route that makes sense to time trial on, I think you'd be better off finding a good time trial route somewhere and testing yourself there once a week when you're not commuting. Trying to do your commute as fast as possible can lead to poor decision making in heavy traffic. If you are dealing with stoplights and traffic, it's also not a very good test of fitness, as there are too many other things that influence your time.

How did we get from the OP wanting to get his commute time down, to he must be trying to do an all out dangerous time trial?