peak output may only last ~10 seconds but you don't decelerate to rest in 90 seconds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AO7DIbWLIE

gravity.

If you really want to know specifically how we ride with precise data, go look at this page. It will give you plenty of data about the commutes we do:

Bike Forums Commuters | Strava Club

this is it. get there on time , or look for another Job.

Anyone doubt this?

Most amatuer road races (licensed) tend to be in the mid 20's, but a pack moving at speed will easily go into the 30's. Personally I race track. My hour record is 24 miles in an hour (yes that is 24mph, and I'm not the fastest guy), our relay races average about 33mph for 10 miles, and sprints peak around 40mph. That is on a fixed gear bike (at well over 110rpm)

No reason why a strong rider can't sprint in the 30+ range at 110rpm on flat windless ground - especially if he can shift gears! :-)

Record speed for me is 29.8 MPH on my fixed gear commuter with 69 gear inches. I can do that for only about 8-10 seconds on flat as a pancake road with no wind...I am guessing my cadence must of been around 144 rpm's and I just spin out and need to slow down. This was done while wearing a backpack, carrying a heavy lock and being a little tired from working all day. My bike is not set up for sprinting, it has fenders , front rack and non-racing tires...

my experience exactly. I have 70 gear inches, but going over 140rpm on the flats is difficult for more than about 10 seconds.

This is way better than the top speed of your motorcycle thread on this other forum I visit

welcome to the commuting forum where riding 25 mph is a blood-doping TdF performance!

What ever speed you do, is a good speed. I'm serious. Enjoy the commute .

12-18mph, but it does get irritating with all the stopping that you just end up holding back

Compare race speeds

Bike Ride Profile | E3 near Folsom | Times and Records | Strava

With commute speeds

Bike Ride Profile | commute near Sacramento | Times and Records | Strava


YMMV

I’m a decades-long, year-round commuter and occasional centurian; much more a mileage junkie than a speed demon. I reconcile my average speed to my personal satisfaction with this approximate quote from a few years ago on a Bike Forum, ”My 15 miles per hour is to me, as your 23 mph is to you.”

... and the peloton is spread out across the continent!!!

It does depend a lot on the bike. A lot of commuters like panniers and wide tires with flat protection. A bike like that might have a typical 10-15mph average speed.

I get a 20% improvement switching to high performance skinny tires (i.e. 25mm gatorskins).

As for racing, I can add on another 20-30% improvement for riding in a pack (which reduces aero drag when drafting) and maybe a 50% improvement from the adrenaline used in an actual race.

But for commuting, I purposely go out of my way to slow down, ride through parks and green spaces, and just enjoy parts of the commute and being outside in the morning or evening.

Exactly. The fact that decent racers on dedicated time trial bikes wearing aero kit go about 25 mph shows just how preposterous your original claim really was. Glad you've learned how risible your claim was. This is what you posted:

It's also completely hilarious that "a few mins" has shrunken to "a few hundred meter sprint".

So, are you now saying that it takes you "a few mins" to complete "a few hundred meter sprint"? If so, that would also be completely hilarious given your initial exaggerated claims of sprinting prowess.

In what universe is "more than 10 seconds" anything equivalent to "a few mins"? Now all you're posting about is "hitting mid 30s". For a handful of seconds.

The way you're backpedaling from your initial absurd claim of "i can do 36ish for a few mins", you probably should run your chain in a figure 8, pedal backwards on your bike, and actually go "36ish for a few mins".

Glad to see in your case it wasn't your bike computer that needed recalibrating - it was YOU. Else you'd be a hypocrite to go along with being a preposterous braggart.

Straw man - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is what you claimed:

The fact that sprinting like that actually would be "a blood-doping TdF performance" is, well, completely hilarious.

oh, let it go...

12- 14 mph with head wind. 16-18 mph no wind or hills. Slower on the mt bike with studded tires. Hit 46 on a mt bike in a tuck. Giant paved downhill. Knobby tires were screaming. 41 with a loaded touring bike, big downhill.

+1

... or ...

A good speed is whatever speed you decide is a good speed. If you're not as fast as you want to be, work on it, and you will reach that speed. If you don't know how fast you want to be, decide. Or don't, and decide not to decide.

the only good speed is ludicrous speed

Getting in better shape is one piece of the puzzle. A bike that fits you properly is a huge piece. Technique is also large. I see so many strong, in shape riders grinding the wrong gears at the wrong times. Once you get all of that stuff accomplished then perhaps a pair of dedicated cycling shoes for better efficiency of your new-found fitness and technique. You don't really need to train like a racer, just ride a lot.

ALL of this is on flat land:
- On cross country bike tours with loaded panniers and wide open spaces I average 13mph. I am not in a rush when on vacation.
- On city streets I try to stay at or above 20mph as I find motorists treat me more like "one of them" if I can stay above 20. I have cut across town for 7 miles at 23mph average - by far my best time ever catching mostly green lights and running a red or two.
- Twice a year I do a 150 mile day ride. My average speed is 16 mph. So I assume this is a fair guess at how I would act if I were not keeping up with cars in the city grid. 16-18mph - depending on wind direction - is very comfy for me.

Here is a short video shot from a handlebar cam that illustrates my sprint from stop in traffic. If I just made claims in words somebody here would call B.S. and I would have to post the vid anyway.

My two mile commute takes anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes -- so 8 mph to 12 mph. Faster than walking, slower than my Vespa, and more enjoyable than either! - JP