DnvrFox

I look at my average speed over a lifetime. I (hopefully) still seem to have a bit to go before I need to calculate it.

My average speed is - did I get there from here? If the answer is yes, I say "That was a good average."

BluesDawg

It's a tool. It tells you the average speed you were going while the bike was moving. What's the myth? What's the problem? It is what it is.

Sandwarrior

I agree with genec here. I only use "avg" speed to determine if I have improved over the same route.

I had a Trek Sensor for my DF bike and it was really sweet, in that when I had to stop, it stopped timing as well. Gave me a really good Idea of my avaerage speed. For my recumbent, I bought a Cateye Astral. I didn't realize that it DIDN'T stop timing when I stopped. It has an on/off switch that has to be turned off for every stop. So I get back from my first long distant ride and my average speed was 8.9. WTF over! The next day I road the same course and had pretty much the same results. I couldn't believe I was doing so poorly. Then I also noticed that it also measured the distances I rode whether it was on or not. I keep track of my rides and the distance just wasn't adding up. I figured it out one day while riding circles in our Cul-de-sac with my grandaughter. I felt like such a Dooofus

big john

I have not used a cylocomputer for 4 years now. I think this has been about 25k miles. I don't see any use to the info except when using a route sheet with mileages. I have recently done 8 and 9 hour rides and one ride of 11 hours. What matters to me is how I feel physically and how much fun I had.

Pat

Average speed is indeed affected by all sorts of things. I used to commute 11 miles one way or 22 miles per day. My lowest average speed was 7 mph which was into a monster head wind and I was shifting twice upwards on the uphills (the hills blocked the wind). A few days later, I had my big average speed day with a tail wind this time for an average of 27 mph.

Another thing that affects average is the route. Some routes with nearly obligatory stops will not permit average speeds that are much over 20 mph.

I have found that for high average speeds one needs to be in a) a fast group that does not slow down ever b) be on a route with long stretches of straight or nearly straight roads with no stops, and/or c) have a huge tail wind on a straight shot. None of these really has much to say about what kind of rider you are.

Now cruising speed is something else. The speed that one can sustain on a flat road in still air does indicate the strength of the rider. Of course, the operative word here is "sustain". Some people take that to mean an all out vomit inducing sprint and other people might use it only for long periods of time like an ultramarathoner I know who thinks "sustained" means something over a century.

will dehne

I used to complain about this also until I decided to understand how these computers work.
Average speed is simply the number of miles traveled divided by clock time.
That means that the clock keeps ticking as long as you do not shut it off for such things as slow downs or short stops. Slowing down has a great effect on your average speed and you need to go much over average speed to make up for losses. I believe that Cateye and similar computer update every few minutes.
Looking at your instantaneous speed will not give you a good feel for average unless you can hold it steady for long time like I do on a trainer. Not possible on a busy road.

SteveE

If you really want to increase your average speed (if it's all that important to you), hammer up to every stop sign or traffic signal and slam on the brakes. When the light changes, sprint as hard as you can until you're up to speed. Repeat until end of ride. Alternatively, just blow through all the stop signs and traffic signals. This helps tremendously in keeping up your average speed.

trmcgeehan

At age 68, I ride the same 15 mile route every other day, on rolling hills. If I can average 10-11 mph, I am doing great. Just a few years ago, I was averaging 15 mph on the same route. Getting old is a *****!

linux_author

- am i the only one here who doesn't track average speed?

- heck, i don't even track miles except on a monthly basis... most of the time i have my simple [brain dead] cyclocomputers set to display the clock as i don't wear a watch... (more important to me is that i get at least two hours saddle time a day)...

- but even though i don't track the average speed i know my average speed must be getting faster - 'cause i *feel* faster than i did last year at this time!

:-)

DnvrFox

+1

No you aren't. But all the "average speedsters" replied to this post. Apparently the non-average speedsters did not reply. It is a skewed sample.

I-Like-To-Bike

Nope. No computer either. IMO, keeping a log of statistics, and even worse, obsessing about results would be a negative distraction.

MikeR

Yep. I start mine at the top of a hill and stop it at the bottom. My average says that I should be in the TDF

BluesDawg

I don't track it. My computer does. Sometimes I'll look at it to see what I averaged. It is not something I worry about or set goals about.

centexwoody 

Since my favorite wife gave me a cyclocomputer for Christmas, she's forever asking me what our average speed is after a ride. My excuse is that I can't read the little numbers at the bottom of the screen OR that I forgot to look at it before we stopped back in our garage OR .... really I don't know how to make the computer tell me the average speed & even if I did, the d**n numbers are too small to read.

I know how long our rides are in time from the HRM & how far we've ridden because I've mapped every route for distance. So I just do a quick calculation & tell her, triumphantly, that we're going faster & averaging 12.67 mph!

ridezipp

Hi All,
New to the scene. Anyone know where I may find race listing for 50+ riders? Thanks all.

big john

Are you looking to race, or looking for results/coverage? You could PM Cleave, he hangs out on the road forum, sometimes the SoCal forum and is a great guy and racer.

SteveE

Go to www.usacycling.org. Go to Results and Rankings. It's organized by road vs. mountain, gender, state, discipline, category, and age group.

CrossChain

Once you've done a loop or out-and-back enough times, then avg speed has some meaning because you have all the other avg speeds with given conditions of wind, weather, traffic, etc. t use as benchmarks. As far as stoplights, flats, etc., well-- I use my finger tip to stop 'n' start the clock. I also use the above avg or below avg arrow on my Cateye as a motivator.

ridezipp

Thanks steveE and big john, I'll skope that out. I wanna race!

oilman_15106

Hills and steep ones are the great destroyer of average speed. You think your cranking like Lance and look at the speedo at 6mph up a long hard grind even with a 30+ mph downhill to make it up you spend so much more time on up side of the hill.

card

I'm so old and slow, if I looked at average speed, I would probably think I have a reverse on my bike.

Yen

I haven't acquired an interested in my average speed yet, but I do glance once in a while to see how fast we are going. Of course, as a newbie on a hybrid, that's not very fast.....

Bud Bent

+1 except mine is set for 4 mph. Anything under 5 mph, and I'll be wobbly on my bents.

stapfam

One more thing that I did on my holiday- I did a non stop 45 mile ride at an average that astounded me. I normally ride on UK roads that have a lot of intersections- Cars- Bits that go up and down and a road surface that is not that good.

I found a road that was pretty smooth- In fact I would say perfect. The only slopes on it were where you went over a slight hump that was only a bridge over a river and it followed the bed of the river. 45 miles on a perfect surface with no tail or headwind.

I normally average around 14mph on my home roads- but on this trip it was 19.1.

So average MPH is pointless unless it is on the same ride- for the same conditions and with the rider at the same fitness as he normally is at.

Compare your average for a ride and do not get disheartened if someone is doing a regular 5mph or more faster than you. Unless it is your riding partner and he has to keep waiting for you.

gfspencer

That's a great idea! I have mine set to pause when I stop. I think I will change it to 3 mph.