GovernorSilver

Other reasons he should try going on introductory/beginner level rides with a cycling group/club:

- Meet other riders like himself. Really raises your confidence when you realize you share the same boat with others who are also trying to get better.
- It's fun. Helps you stop being down on yourself and just enjoy riding with other people at your level.
- Learn from the experienced riders who lead, sweep, and otherwise assist the leader on rides.

Solo riding is good too. But progress would be faster if you join a group.

martslc

Same story for me as well. Sold the hybrid in 3 months after buying it, bought a used downtuber got on it and it felt like home after being away for 40 years.

DBrown9383

I AM planning on buying a better bike!.. Isn't everyone?..

CliffordK

Nah,

Just need to go down to the basement and finish putting together the parts I've already bought.

MadKaw

Fast enough to get my heartrate up where I want it; slow enough that I feel good​ the next day.

GovernorSilver

I do want to get a road bike. I've been test-riding a bunch of them. There are two so far that tower over the rest (imo) as far as ride quality, even on rough streets being repaved, gravel, grass - the less than perfect, less forgiving, bits of my commute ride. And the manufacturer of one of those two throws in a nice weekend getaway in Ogden, UT as part of the deal.

If/when I get the road bike though, I wouldn't consider it "better" as much as a complement to my current bike. One would become the fair-weather commuter/group riding/general fun bike and the other would be the rainy-day commuter/gonna hang out where the bike is going to be locked outside/grocery fetcher bike.

sharpywarpy

Don't worry about it. I'm 60 and my average is 11.3. If you push yourself too much it won't be fun any more. Just maintain a cadence that's comfortable for you. I find a medium cadence satisfying and less tiring. At my age health and fun are more important than seeing how fast I can go although sometimes I like to hit 21 or 24 mph - for short distances.

series1811

Average speed on a flat road is very subjective, let alone to qualify it as "good". There are also many factors that come into play - wind, road surface condition, traffic, and equipment used. Assuming a relatively flat route, smooth open roads, a good road bike, and little to no wind, I would consider the following benchmarks for average speed (solo) over a 40 mile course:

Under 14 - beginner/novice
15-16 - okay
17-18 - good
19-20 - really good
21-22 - excellent
22+ - elite (at varying levels - some can cruise at 25mph, only a very small percentage of cyclists out there can manage 22+ over 40 miles)

ETA - YMMV

70sSanO

After decades of riding I can tell you the correct answer is... more than single digits and less than 3 digits.

You need to put in the time and the effort. If you don't put out the effort to ride faster you won't. If you don't put out the effort to ride farther you won't

That said, as part of real life lessons, no matter how much you try, you may never be as fast or ride as far as others who put in far less time. Life is not the special olympics.

You do the best you can, work on improving, and after that you embrace your lot in life.

I ride fast enough to not really be fast and short enough distances not to be long. I have always been one who will ride hard over 15-25 miles, but never had a desire to ride for hours on end. In that respect I am a ripe-early-spoil-late rider and as I get older I sometimes just spoil early and late. I'll go on 50+ mile rides, never did a century, but it takes more time than I want to spend (I know it is an odd comment for this forum). But road hills and mountain biking has been helpful in building up strength over shorter distances.

John

Phil_gretz

^I'd agree with this listing. To answer OP's question, a good average speed on the flats is ~17-18 miles per hour, all other assumptions considered...

Jim from Boston

This post expresses a particular mellow attitude, not unlike my own. After years of training via miles, this summer I decided to emphasize speed.