Do you commute at a relaxed pace or go for speed?
 

I try to go faster than the day before every day of my commute. That's my goal. Sometimes traffic or lights mess it up, but on the stretches in between I'm pushing myself pretty hard. I enjoy my ride a lot more if I'm moving fast. How about you?

I'm hoping to shave 15min off of my 1 hour 15min commute.

Depends on my mood that day. Some days i go for it... Some days i need to stop and flirt with the cute 7-11 girl.

Haha, that's a valid reason if I ever heard one :D

Not having a shower that I can use at work I have to make a effort not to exert myself too much. So easy does it for me. Plus I wear pants when I ride to work. I get a great deal of joy while riding at a comfortable. The longer it takes the better.

80% of the time I'm going at a pretty fast-ish pace, maintaining 20-22 mph. Days like today (Mondays), I go slower between 14-16 mph. My work does have a shower fortunately.

Often times when there's no bike lane I'll hit sprints to maintain pace with city traffic around 25-30 mph between lights so the angry drivers here don't freak out that a bike is holding them up.

Around here I could be going 10 over the speed limit and I'd still piss off drivers. There is a residential road I ride every day that is 30mph with stop signs every block, so I can outpace a car going the speed limit. Never fails, someone floors it to pass me only for me to catch up to them at the next stop sign and give them a friendly wave.

these posts explain a lot about the commuters i encounter on my daily rides. :lol:

my bike has one speed

Scenic speed when commuting.

I'm pretty relaxed, using side streets at 13 or so mph.

I am faster then Lance, and I don't even dope, I am all natural.

Lance who?

I have to say it, I am on a slow bike and I poke along. My daily average, based on my GPS for overall trip is about 10mph.

Relaxed. Otherwise, I might as well drive to work.

I am in no hurry to get to work.

I'm pretty slow going to work, to stay cool. Then I ride fast going home, for fun. Also, it's net downhill going home.

My speed tends to depend on my attention span. If I start daydreaming, then I slow down. ;) I'm also not that fast on leisure rides, and am not even equipped with a fast bike these days.

Not sure how you guys can maintain 25mph. You must be doing something right. I ride comfortably hard. Sometimes that's 30km/h; sometimes it's 22km/h. Depends on the bike, time of year, road conditions, wind, mood, the day I've had, etc.

*like* #15 #16 .

I average between 10 and 16 MPH, if I am on the higher end of that I'm riding pretty hard for me. That is my average over my 8 mile commute so my max speeds are up to 25. My slow times are usually coming home, I can take it easy then. I'm not a strong enough rider to average 20 MPH, that's fast for an average with lights etc.

I'm pretty relaxed in the mornings, and also on the way home this time of year. It takes me half the commute just to warm up. When the weather thaws I'll pick up the pace.

All out. If I am not out of breath the first 10 minutes of my 30 minute commute I crank it up. I try to trash my legs by the time I get to work, then trash them on the way home. My goal is to catch up and stay with those scooters that max out at 25mph. How you single riders maintain 25 to 30 is beyond me... I can do about 21/22...but man its hard.

With the laptop, clothes,etc on my back its pretty tough, but I love it. Its always a race to me, I don't know why. I tried going slow and just made me crazy. I have a ton of energy and this is my outlet so I don't fight with the wife to blow off some steam :D

If I see a roadie on the road or bike trail, I have to pass them with the crap on my back just to push them. I am hoping they pass me to push me. I have been bested a few times, but I thank them for the push before I turn off. I love it!

There is nothing like hitting 25/26 mph on a single speed with your legs just SCREAMING "MERCY"!!! I guess one day I need to slow down, but not yet, I'm in my mid 40's and I still have what my daughter calls "crazy brain".

+1

Being winter - I am usually between 12 and 15 mph. Maybe it will get faster in the spring but I usually end up day dreaming and forgetting about how fast I am going. The only way I can make sure I am going fast is to change to a hard gear - then I will push myself but if I shift to an easy gear - I might not ever get to work.

I usually ride at what I consider a moderate pace, about 15 mph. I learned pretty quickly that I got burned out from commuting if I tried to ride hard every day. However, you (the OP) are probably a lot younger than me, and your commute might be shorter. I'm 61, and my commute distance is 31 miles round trip. Sometimes I'll push the pace and ride a lot faster, but that usually means my legs will be tired the next commute.

Yes.


With roughly 240 work-days a year, there are days to race (I have KOMs on commutes with a Chrome bag with commuter stuff) and there are days to relax and enjoy the view. It helps that I have 6 bikes to choose from; pick the bike that fits the mood of the day.