riding 25 mph is a herculean feat that requires a bike fit, spin class, power meter, training schedule, and booties that match your kit.

I was passed recently by someone who did very well at CMWC. They blew by me on the Hawthorne ramp and then did a 2 foot bunny hop to reinforce my humiliation. Loved it.

Speed never plays a role in my commute unless I find myself riding home with friends that work and commute in the same area; things can get a little "racy" with them. I choose to ride a heavy, bomb proof bike that'll get me to my destination without worry, and it's always loaded with clothes and things. At 48 miles round trip, if I tried to go out and kill it on every ride, my legs would be shot, and I'd get sick of the grind really quick. Because of the distance I ride, I'm good for 2 days at a minimum, with a goal of 3 days per week. I sprinkle in mountain biking on my non-commute days to keep things exciting, and those are the days that I go out and bust a lung. I also make an honest attempt to be car light, so on my days off, I also grocery shop and run errands on my longtail. A speedy commute pace could potentially derail my entire week of enjoyable cycling. All that said, being buzzed by fellow cyclists while commuting can get my juices flowing....lol, but that's a whole different thread that's been done.....

For me it's always a race against time
In 2014 my avg. speed was 15 mph. That includes waiting-time at red lights and other slow downs. I'm a lot slower in the morning, because I'm sleepy and almost always got headwind to work.

Yes, both, all of the above. After 15+ years it really isn't a thing I think about or plan or track. It just depends on the day, which bike, the weather, how I feel, how much other riding I've been doing, and whatever else I've got going on before or after work. Sometimes I feel like or need to burn it up, other times I just want to cruise and recover and enjoy the ride.

Mostly it's my average pace, pretty quick, not super fast. I have to decide to ride slow or fast and mostly I just ride. There is that sweet spot which is about 75% effort that I can maintain all day long that's it, my natural pace for that day.

I generally go pretty at a fast pace (for my abilities at least ). Not balls to the wall, but I try and keep up pretty fast. However I just started building up my beater/bar bike and I've been riding that. I find I'm more likely to take it a bit easier than on my fast CX commuter, and it barely takes any longer on my 3 mile commute. So, I'll have to remember to just keep it in a lower gear and spin easily more often and enjoy the sights.

I'm sitting upright on a 30-something pound city bike. I just want to get where I'm going and enjoy the ride. I accomplish both. Probably average about 12 mph I'd guess. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Well, almost anything.

Occasionally I'll throw on some kit and hop on a road bike and then I'm pushing it which for me these days is lower 20's for an hour or so.

Not really. When I was racing a 25 mile individual time trial on the road of over an hour was rather poor. Most came in under an hour. It certainly wasn't herculean. And this was before bike fits, spin classes, power meters (or cell phones), training schedules, or matching booties. The masters guys I ride with occasionally will do 50 mile training rides in well under 2 hours (not a no-drop ride, I get dropped).

UNPOSSIBLE!!!

PS: i thought that the booties comment and the rolling eyes would make it clear i was being sarcastic. (on the commuting forums 25 mph is a speed only cancellara could maintain)

Depends. Living room to desk is 9 minutes if I poke along and 8 minutes if I push as hard as I can, plus or minus a minute based on the traffic light. So, if I leave before 7:50, I poke along, and if I leave after 7:52 I rush. It only really matters if I have an 8am meeting, but it's more the principle.

Riding to work, I go at a walking-level effort so that I do not get sweaty.

Riding home it depends on my mood. I might take it easy or push it. Pushing it is either constant higher effort or some intervals.

While there are a few stretches where I can push it; normally I have traffic to deal with and I don't ride any faster than I feel confident I can stop, swerve or do what it takes to avoid the unexpected threat from an inattentive, foolish or aggressive driver. Maybe I'm getting old, maybe I've had too many close calls, but the quest for speed, and placing your attention on speed, rather than safe commuting is dangerous whether on a bike, or in a car.

I try to do a leisurely ride but often find myself riding harder. Mostly I try to beat the time from the day before.

average speeds are tricky. On a road or unladen cx bike, when I'm feeling frisky but not quite racey my average cruising speed on a commute might be 20mph. But if I have mapmyride running for that ride, my "average speed" is often way down to 13 or less, because of stops. On my beater, where I rarely push it and often cruise down at 15mph, my average is probably 11mph, though I rarely use GPS tracking on those rides

My commute usually starts like this:

As I leave my apartment complex, I tell myself: "dude just take it easy today, no need to race or go fast, just enjoy the weather and the ride."
As I leave my apartment complex, less than 3/4 of a mile, there is a small climb followed by a downhill onto the MUP that is a straight shot.
As I turn onto the MUP, "seriously, just take it easy, don't get all sweaty, just ride your bike like a normal person"
As I start down the hill, it might as well be.....



I blame my bike. It wants to go fast. I am not just saying that either, it really does. I have a hard time riding it slow.

My route is 8 miles of hills on majorly trafficked streets., so I climb up them slowly and coast down. The one exception is the last hill before I get to work. It's a couple hundred feet drop along a twisty turning quiet road with some 17% downhill sections where i can go as fast as the cars. How can I resist the need for speed?

My speed for bike commuting depends on the day and which bike I am using. I use my commuter mountain bike for relaxed paced commuting while I use the road bike for speed intervals. I have improved my fitness since I have been commuting for 1 year. When I first started commuting to work it would take my approximately 35 minutes to get there compared to only 15 mins as of this year.

Inconceivable!!! I totally missed the sarcasm!!! :-)

I'd love to see someone post evidence of a commute anywhere close to 25mph for a ~1 hr commute.

Most of these inflated figures come from someone glancing at their speedo while riding with a tailwind as a dump truck passes them.

Ha... You and me both brother. There are certain sections that just scream to be mashed and I can't help myself. I actually threw 35c gravel tires on my bike to try and get myself to tone it back, and it helped a little speed wise, but power output is even more now lol... I alternate between bikes also and still have this problem.

You certainly don't need a tailwind and nice draft to hit 25mph. Most fit cyclist can do this on a flat with ease. Put my big ass on a slight decline and I can hit that with a relaxed cadence. Maintaining a 25mph pace on a commute is a different story as the reality is that we all need to deal with lights, traffic, and whatever we are carrying to work. Even on a straight commute with no lights, that pace would be impressive.

Most fit cyclists would have trouble maintaining 25mph for 20min particularly with a backpack, fenders and whatever else is necessary for a commute. They certainly wouldn't be riding at that speed with ease.

Kinda like me. Comfortable pace - not fast, nor slow.

Sometimes I get a catchy tune in my head and I just sprint till the tune plays itself out.

Yes, I agree on maintaining it for 20 minutes. I was simply referencing your comment about glancing down at your computer and seeing that you hit 25mph. You don't need to have a tailwind or draft to HIT that speed enough top see it on your computer. Maintaining it for more then a minute or two certainly requires much more effort.

A lot of you have to remember, not all of us are commuting on heavy commuter bikes with full racks and panniers that are geared and fit for a slower ride. I personally ride a fixed gear track bike that weighs a tad over 17 lbs and absolutely flies. My commute is about 8.5 miles in the warmer months, 7.7 miles in the winter on my fat bike. If I time my ride right, I can get most of the green lights and have minimal stop signs. It is not uncommon for me to pass cars or at least ride right with them on the stretch of road that is 3 lanes wide and the speed limit is 25 mph.