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Average commuting speed?

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Old 05-09-12 | 06:37 AM
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Average commuting speed?

I'm one of 'those' people, who use the commute for a good workout twice a day. The distance is short, less than 8 miles and I usually make the ride in less than a half hour. I have access to a shower/change of clothes at work, so I really work out! So I have been checking my average speed and distance on the commute and loading it into Bike Journal. Since I began riding my bike to work in January, my average speed for the trip has gone up to around 16.5-17 mph most days. That includes a fast three mile trip along the highway in the bike lane, and then residential streets, crossing the main drag in town, three intersections controlled by traffic lights and another half dozen stop signs that I normally roll through if the way is clear (in residential areas). So, how fast do you commute on average????

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL
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Old 05-09-12 | 07:00 AM
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17 miles in 1 and a half hours, so I guess my average is 11mph
Plenty of lights and hills, on the bright side Google map says it should
take an hour and 45 minutes - so I'm kinda glad I make it in less time

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=We...&z=12&lci=bike
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Old 05-09-12 | 07:06 AM
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my 10 1/4 mile trip can take 33 minutes to 45 minutes depending on conditions.
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Old 05-09-12 | 07:14 AM
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24 lights and 9 street crossing. Intervals are fun! Average around 12 mph, 9 miles in 45 minutes.
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Old 05-09-12 | 07:20 AM
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My little bike computer says around 15 mph. But it doesn't record time spent waiting at lights. I suspect about 12 mph when you include the total time.
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Old 05-09-12 | 07:27 AM
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From: Alpharetta, GA

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My commute is 9.3 miles, with only two stoplights and 8 miles of MUP. Going home from work takes 30-32 minutes moving time, so 17.5 to 18.5 mph. Going to work is 34-35 minutes, about 16-17 mph.
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Old 05-09-12 | 07:29 AM
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12.5 mph.

I used to clock 17-20 mph in Phoenix, but I was much younger and the course profile was much flatter and traffic signal per mile was much lower.

Last edited by LesterOfPuppets; 05-09-12 at 07:33 AM.
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Old 05-09-12 | 07:29 AM
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25km in about 70 minutes. But actual rolling time is about 55 minutes, so my rolling average is usually about 26-27km/h.
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Old 05-09-12 | 07:34 AM
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My commute is 20 miles one way, with lots of lights - several of which cross major thoroughfares so if I hit get caught at them it can add to my time significantly. So for fun I track both my moving and total time averages. That said I average 15-16 MPH moving and about 13-14 MPH if you count the time I spend standing at lights.

BTW I've spent a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes standing at lights so far this season.

Last edited by Surrealdeal; 05-09-12 at 07:37 AM.
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Old 05-09-12 | 07:35 AM
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My 3 mile short commute to the Ymca takes about 15 minutes, so I guess I am going about 12mph with traffic lights. It's all flat but nice.
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Old 05-09-12 | 08:09 AM
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My bike computer say a little over 14MPH. That averages in both legs of the 30 mile commute though. The ride in to work is almost a half hour quicker than the ride home, due to the hills and head wind on the way home. So my actual speeds varies greatly.
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Old 05-09-12 | 08:47 AM
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Over 5 years of bike commuting, I have averaged 15.14 mph. However, my daily average ranges from 14-17 mph depending on the wind, temperatures, how tired my legs are, and how many red lights I catch. My commute route is very hilly, so the weight of my load and which bike I ride also makes a difference. Mondays are usually my slowest day because my legs are sore from long recreational rides over the weekends. Of all those factors, wind is probably the biggest influence on average speed, closely followed by how tired my legs are.
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Old 05-09-12 | 08:52 AM
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I'm consistently between 15.5 - 16.5 mph according to my rather ancient Cateye Vectra computer. Depends mostly on wind direction and speed. That's on a 12-15 mile ride w/very few lights. Several moderate hills - I'm usually faster in the mornings, I think because there's an overall elevation drop on the way in.

I only ride 2-3 times per week. I think having the recovery days helps me keep my speed up.

- John
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Old 05-09-12 | 08:57 AM
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My AVERAGE average is 16.8 MPH. It can go anywhere from 14 to 18 depending on conditions - a brutal headwind can take my normal 39 minute commute and make it as long as 50 minutes or more, a tailwind can get me there in as little as 34 minutes.
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Old 05-09-12 | 09:29 AM
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I usually do about 13-14 mph avg pulling the boy to preschool, then on the way home it's 16-17. 13 miles round trip 2 times a day 2 days a week. I need to do more rec riding in between to get this fat off me.
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Old 05-09-12 | 09:38 AM
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In traffic I usually average 20kmh / 12mph because of the stop and go and when I ride to the frame shop I can average 30kmh / 19mph but then I have 10km to get out of the city on nice routes and then have 40 km of open road where there are no stops save for my coffee break in the middle.

The long commute usually takes 2 hours one way and I am usually carrying some gear as I often sleep over and ride back the next day.
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Old 05-09-12 | 10:03 AM
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Well my air speed is better than my ground speed, Northbound..

but I don't need so don't mount a computer. takes about :30
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Old 05-09-12 | 10:07 AM
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Between everything... it seems to average about 14-16mph.
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Old 05-09-12 | 10:09 AM
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I take it nice and easy. I just don't find bike racing fun. And I never run a red, though I will treat most stop signs as a yield. Usually about 14-15 on the way in, 12-13 on the way home.
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Old 05-09-12 | 10:23 AM
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About 10 miles per hour, door to door, over an urban-suburban route with many stops. I find that I match Google's results reliably.
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Old 05-09-12 | 10:29 AM
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day in day out avg 13-17mph
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Old 05-09-12 | 10:31 AM
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Mine is about 16 MPH, door-to-door. "Rolling with the cars" has inspired me to kick it up from my old door-to-door average of 14.5 MPH.
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Old 05-09-12 | 11:02 AM
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18 miles in 1:15 to 1:20, so yes I have an average speed, plus headwind.
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Old 05-09-12 | 11:03 AM
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My average speed is just 13mph, but my round trip commute has 3040 ft of climbing.
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Old 05-09-12 | 11:14 AM
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Mine is generally between 13 -14 mph (counting moving time only). Seven miles one way and mostly city streets with a lot of slowing down and speeding up. I am generally slower in the afternoon, too, because of the extra traffic. This is on my 30-30 bike (age and weight). On my good weather bike I am quicker, but I have not yet quantified it.

-G
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