Depends - during the winter after a freezing rain when the bike paths are a mess - safety requires that even with studded tires, the commute can be a crawl across frozen slush that can often hide foot-deep water.
During the spring before the bike paths get crowded, I can usually average about 35km/h on a 15km commute. During the summer the paths are crowded and I don't bother pushing things. Average drops to about 23km/h.
But when I feel the 'need for speed' -there's always the winding roads that go over the Mount Royal summit downtown (elevation 750ft more or less). Freshly paved this year - ideal for road or mtbs with slicks. Early in the morning before there's any traffic on the road - its a breeze to hit 90 going downhill.
But I'm thinking that compared to this guy I'm just a kittycat: http://www.flixxy.com/mountain-bike-...eed-record.htm

But you're pretty quick! I regularly check the computers on the bikes that come into the shop and almost all fall below 20km/h - even the super fancy CF road burners :lol: :beer:

11 mph average. 6 mile commute each way, relatively flat, 10 traffic lights and 5 all-way stop signs, takes me 33-35 minutes depending on wind direction and velocity. I ride a hybrid with full panniers (clothing, lunch, towel, tools, etc). My times are getting better as I lose weight and get in better shape, though.

8 miles each way. I average around 14 to work and about 15-16 on the way home.

My average speed is only limited by my imagination.

IMHO no data collection, measurement or analysis happens on my commute. But I have been wondering lately if I could do it with my eyes closed?

I recently removed my bicycle computer, but when I used it, it gave a rolling average of about 15-17 mph on mild to moderate terrain/traffic. My real average, though, once you factor in bigger hills, traffic lights, riding in the door zone, etc., is almost always about 10 mph. It's like Hubble's Constant or the speed of light: no matter how fast or slowly I ride, over any longer distance in an urban environment, the average is 10 mph. It's not exactly a rocket ride on the MUP at 6:00 AM, but at least it makes trip planning pretty easy...

I was wondering if I was the only one that experienced this.

There are days when I feel like I'm kicking butt - haulin' *** - riding hard....get to the halfway point and check the stopwatch....45 min.

Then there are other days when it feel like I'm pedaling through molasses. Fighting a headwind. Being passed by two year olds on big wheels. Get to the halfway point.....45 min.

Weird.

13 - 15 mph on a 20-30 mile urban commute. My computer does rolling speed. A 15 mph day means I was really smokin. I budget 10mph in real time for starts, stops, bathroom, water, just watching the river flow etc. I also am slower in the winter and really hot days.

IIf you put dual purpose or slick tires on an MTB you'd be surprised just how much faster and easier it gets. It does take some off the offroad potential away, but for commuting its an ideal modification. I got 28km/h average on yesterdays 150km ride. 95% of that is of course on road.

I'm about 17mph average. Road bike with rack and a pannier. Loaded down on Mondays and Fridays for all the toiletries I ride in. I'm on a MUP, crazy wind almost all the time. One spot however on the way home I push it 25+ for about a mile.

what type of tires are you running? and what size?

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Those tires on either of the the two bikes above. The commuter is heavier but has 48-12 as the largest ratio making a little faster at lower cadences. Its also much more useful for carrying kids and cargo. The other is much lighter but has 44-12 and its a little slower on top speed but much more nimble and an all round better bike for going anywhere. I ride either depending on where I'm going and what I need to do.

My computer says I average about 15mph. I figure it's about 12mph due to traffic.

My Garmin edge 205 stops adding up time on the stops, just like a bike computer, but my avg ride speed to work with 32.6 miles is 18.6 mph. With a ride time of 96 minutes or so. Now if you added in the stop times thats a 110 minutes total time. So with stop times added in my avg sepeed is 17.78 mph.

I have a bike computer which tracks average speed. It's typically about 14.8 to 15 mph. A typical cruising speeds is anything between 16 and 18 mph depending on grade and wind. If wind is unfavorable, that will drop to the 12 to 14 range. The distance is 6.9 miles which typically takes about 28 to 30 minutes with lights and whatnot.

My best average speed was over 16, rarely is it below 14.

Bike is a Breezer Uptown with NuVinci drive, dynamo powered lights on, 1.75 in tires pumped to about 60 psi with liners and a big fat saddle bag on the back.

@cehowardGS - Congrats on your high end speeds, it sounds like you're really burning it up out there. For me to see >30MPH I need to be going downhill with the wind at my back, mostly due to all the extra 'cargo' that I carry on my engine. ;)

I average speeds of 15.58 moving, 14.32 overall (Counting time spent at lights). I'm more interested in my average moving speed as it better reflects my effort than the overall. On a good day I'll average mid to high 16's. It all evens out as I tend to ride slower in the morning and then light it up on my way home in the afternoon.

Man I'm lucky to go 12 mph MOVING average. I don't see how some of y'all average 15-16 mph.

It really depends in the bike and fitness. Conversion of a knobby-tired MTB to slicks seems to result in a roughly 20% increase in speed (12 to 14mph OR 14 to 17mph moving average.) Gearing and wheel size is a also a huge difference. I got a slight bit of time on a German trekking bike this weekend (think wide 700x40 tires and 48T up front) and it makes a world of difference.

I was able to click off 30km much easier than 30km on my MTB. (I think the Moving average was 28km/h or so, compared to 22km/h, with much less effort).

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Not sure if gearing would make much difference for me. I seem to spend most of my time in the middle chain ring and middle rear sprocket range. I usually only use the large chain ring for flat or downhill sections, and NOTHING in my area is flat.

Seems to me that's the issue.

I'm approaching an elapsed time from door to door that has me averaging 14 MPH. As I said earlier, I have no idea how fast I'm actually going when I'm riding.

However, I do know that my commute is over flat ground. If I lived in hilly terrain, there's no way on Earth that I'd even approach that 14 MPH average speed.

~14mph on fixie or geared tourer, ~16-18mph on roadie

when I post my average, its from the computer. I know it doesn't show the speeds I usually see on the speedo - which are normally higher - but it does a good job of being a consistent measuring tool - rather than me guessing or averaging in my head what I see as I'm riding. congrats on that max though ... well done!

be careful out there especially passing on the left

My average speed had been a solid 12.0 mph for the last year. Just got up to 12.1.

13.6 mph http://app.strava.com/rides/12297081

Any faster than that and I get uncomfortably sweaty.

11 miles each way at 12-15 mph depending on weather

nice job! seriously!