How many riders post their true speeds and distances without padding? Are riders like weight lifters,runners,fishermen and lovers?

I'm sure there are some, maybe even many who lie. I'm equally there are many, maybe even most, who don't.

I don't get lying since it doesn't matter anyway, but I guess there are people who want to look bigger or better than they are. OTOH I don't care since I get my satisfaction riding, and don't record any rides, much less publicize them.

If I was going to lie, I'd make up something better than a 15-17 mph average speed.

I just go with whatever Cyclemeter or Wahoo Fitness apps record. I'm only interested in long term results as a general indicator of fitness and activity, so I don't have any real use for Strava. Cyclemeter and Wahoo are only approximations anyway. Occasionally they'll record different distances for the same routes. If there's a way to fudge those numbers I haven't figured it out.

Wahoo is handy because it's free and features auto-pause/resume, but it also continues recording while I'm walking around doing grocery shopping, etc., so if I don't manually stop/start the app it'll usually reflect slower average times. Cyclemeter's free version doesn't feature auto-pause/resume, so I have to remember to pause/restart.

Not a big deal. The apps only tell me my average speed has increased gradually from around 10 mph when I first started riding again last year, to 13 mph now. Last year I typically rode no more than 10-12 miles per ride. Now I'm up to 20-40 miles. That's enough info for me as a general indication of fitness over time.

Many, like me, will post their Strava link. As far as I know, that isn't something that can be manipulated.

Tonight's ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/68...ts/16690356678

Effective (for lack of a better word) lying is a skill, and requires some care.

In the case of speed/distance info, you want to lie upward to impress people, but you have to be careful to stay within the bounds of the plausible. Over-inflating the data defeats the purpose, since all you demonstrate is that you not only are lying, but are so ignorant that you don't even know the bounds of reality.

I have an automatic go/nogo filter for this kind of stuff. It weeds out the obvious liars, but I sometimes find myself wondering when folks just slightly shade the truth.

I imagine lying is pretty cut-and-dried, but padding seems to me to be in the eye of the beholder. For example, my GPS reports my average speed -- but it's for the time that I'm actually moving. Stopping for a drink or to give my behind a rest or even taking a lunch break isn't included. I sort of think that the number of miles covered divided by the actual wall clock elapsed time is a more "honest" report of how many miles per hour I rode. I'm sure others would view the matter differently, and I am loathe to say that they are lying. While the two numbers are quite different for any decent ride that I take, they are both accurate in their own way.

Why do you care?

to be honest , i record but just for myself to know how many km i made for season , i don't share and i just feed my ego with the results not with the lies as a lots of ciclyst do

I don't even keep track of speed or mileage.

Why do you care why the OP cares?

Alas, 14.5 to 17 (lately ~15-15.5).

I do 50 mph up mountain dirt roads and two centuries before breakfast on my Walmart Huffy.

Every. Single. Day.

I care because his odds on silly justification/response should be entertaining.

Why do you care that I care why the OP cares?

the only way you're going to find out is by chasing them, and they clobbered a guy on a thread yesterday for doing that

Been cycling 3 years. Average speed between 3 bike computers = 12.6 MPH

For 2016, over the course of 7,333.3 miles and 298,776 vertical feet, I have averaged 16.4279mph.

That aside, average speed is a virtually meaningless metric, unless viewed as a trend. Because rides with my wife are 14-15mph, rides with the kids are under 10mph, and solo interval rides can be 20mph+.

Today I didn't even manage 15mph average, because it was hot, I climbed 1,800ft in the first 14 miles, and frankly, I just didn't feel like going faster.

One of the more fun rides that I've done over the last few months averaged 4.0 mph.

Average speed is a meaningless metric IMO.

Guess it's not kosher to say that I rode at [max speed] instead of [average speed] or [average moving speed]? Perfectly honest would be not so fast but steady.

I don't use Strava, but I'd guess the road I live on is a segment as a lot of club riders come here to ride. One day I was out for a ride on a quiet afternoon and coming in the other direction was a car with their flashers on and a rider drafting behind. I had to suspect Strava might be involved.

who cares if I care? Just asked if figures were inflated People also inflate incomes and preachers inflate number of souls saved

Non responsive. As expected.

maybe he's all out of pee?

Is it dishonest to live vicariously through other people's inflated speeds?

Because the OP deserves to get legitimate responses, not negative wise-cracks.