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-   -   Average annual miles? (https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cycling-discussion/1090141-average-annual-miles.html)

Baldy1953 10-08-18 05:49 PM

Going for 6000 mi. this year. Have about 5100 now. Just ride approx 30-40 5 or 6 times a week, with an occasional metric thrown in. Did the Withlacoochee trail ride this past weekend.

I have other things I do also besides being retired. Eat breakfast first, then ride for 2-3 hours and then have all afternoon to do what I wish ( naps) lol

Gyro 10-08-18 07:00 PM

I started riding in 08 and I broke 35,000 miles this year. Looking at 4000 so far. What I've found living in the NE. It's easier to go from cold to hot. Mid-40 degrees feel like summer in March after the preceding cold months. Going from 90 to 50 in late September, October is cold for me.

bobwysiwyg 10-08-18 07:04 PM


Originally Posted by Baldy1953 (Post 20606824)
Going for 6000 mi. this year. Have about 5100 now. Just ride approx 30-40 5 or 6 times a week, with an occasional metric thrown in. Did the Withlacoochee trail ride this past weekend.

I have other things I do also besides being retired. Eat breakfast first, then ride for 2-3 hours and then have all afternoon to do what I wish ( naps) lol

Hmm, I guess I better convene a meeting with my SO. :p

Jim from Boston 10-08-18 10:17 PM


Originally Posted by Gyro (Post 20606960)
I started riding in 08 and I broke 35,000 miles this year. Looking at 4000 so far. What I've found living in the NE. It's easier to go from cold to hot.

Mid-40 degrees feel like summer in March after the preceding cold months. Going from 90 to 50 in late September, October is cold for me.

I agree with that transition, and I have posted:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 20167983)
”What’s your max. of layers?”

My simple answer is four for the coldest I ride, down to about 10° F or so. However I think about dressing for a ride in terms not only of layers,but also materials. Over the years I have developed a system of six levels of cycling attire

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 19656919)
The “formula” I have adopted for dressing to ride is that over the years I have established a set of six levels of dress according to temperature, ranging from 1 to 6, according to intervals of temperature of about 10.

This list is particularly useful at the changes of seasons from Winter to Spring and from Summer to Fall, as I start to acclimate between the seasons.



Kovkov 10-09-18 07:17 AM

Last year it was 2000. This year it's gonna be some more.

jefnvk 10-09-18 07:31 AM

Last couple years have been steady in the 1800ish range. I've got other hobbies, I can't devote myself to any one endeavour, I get bored doing one thing exclusively.

CoogansBluff 06-16-19 05:02 PM


Originally Posted by Koyote (Post 20602260)
Honest question: why does anyone care about anyone else's annual mileage?

Not sure why. It's just interesting to read about how much time people spend on their hobbies. I'd probably find it interesting to hear how many miles that joggers run, or sets that tennis players play, or flowers that gardeners plant. There's no good/bad, right/wrong, just interesting to hear what folks are doing.

In this particular thread, I especially liked reading about the 84-year-old who is still grinding out 4,000 miles/year. That's inspiring. Also interested in how someone who wasn't biking at all 2 years ago suddenly goes 7,000 miles in a year. If I meet somebody who goes from 0 to 7,000 in any activity, I'd want to hear more about that. Probably a good story behind it.

Ghazmh 06-16-19 05:09 PM

.000000000742 Parsecs.

PaulH 06-16-19 05:29 PM

Currently, about 2,500, all commuting. My old office was 12 miles away, so I was doing 6,000, also all commuting, for quite a few years.

realocco 06-16-19 05:37 PM

Got really into 4x4 and Jeeping and kind of lost the passion for cycling. After ditching the 4x4 deal a 2 years ago finally hit 1k so far this year. Hoping to crack 2 by years end

Dr.Lou 06-16-19 08:22 PM


Originally Posted by indyfabz (Post 19223439)
6.02x10^23.

Miles not moles..
Avogadro would be proud of you :)

Dr.Lou 06-16-19 08:37 PM

Until recently I was getting in 5000 to 6000 a year, however since I started consulting in the Philippines I haven't been able to get in any real distance; the traffic in Metro Manila prohibits any meaningful distances. I ride nearly as often during the non-rainy season, but I am lucky to get in 30 miles a week instead of 100-150, and it's at a much slower pace. I'll be lucky to hit 1,000 miles per year here.

Bulette 12-16-20 08:34 AM

Old thread, sure, but the question remains relevant. I found this interesting graphic from a study conducted over forty years ago:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6ab6748a1a.png
Source: Kaplan, J. A. (1975). Characteristics of the regular adult bicycle user (No. FWHA/R9-76/7 Final Report).

The last several years (2014-2019) I was in the 3000-5000 brackets. Circumstance this year has provided a bit more riding time.




Originally Posted by Koyote (Post 20602260)
Honest question: why does anyone care about anyone else's annual mileage?

Some of us just like data.

rydabent 12-16-20 10:11 AM

I live in the snow belt, so I am pretty much off of the bike for about 4 months. Also I am now 82, and the last few years my average mileage is about 2000 miles per year.

Chinghis 12-16-20 10:36 AM

A good year is about 2000 miles. This year, I did about 1200. I probably average about 1200-1400.

Rolla 12-16-20 10:51 AM

I figure I average about 35 miles a ride, three or four days a week, so somewhere between 4000 and 5000 a year I guess. Don't really care, tbh. I don't ride a bike to do math.

Phil_gretz 12-16-20 11:51 AM

I wonder how many miles I rode in 1974, the first full year of owning a ten speed bike... I really wonder, because the concept of keeping track of miles would never have dawned on me then. It still doesn't, but...

I can't even offer a guess, maybe 2000 that year? More? Less? Who knows?

Reflector Guy 12-16-20 12:15 PM


Originally Posted by Phil_gretz (Post 21835545)
I wonder how many miles I rode in 1974, the first full year of owning a ten speed bike... I really wonder, because the concept of keeping track of miles would never have dawned on me then. It still doesn't, but...

I went many years without having a speedometer/odometer. Then I'd buy one, only to have it not work the following season. Dead battery usually. :(

I am at about 2000 this year, but the only thing I am sure of is that number is way up over the past several years, due to the extra free time I've had this year.

ofajen 12-16-20 01:06 PM


Originally Posted by indyfabz (Post 19223439)
6.02x10^23.

Wow! You must average at least 3.2x10^19 m/sec, even riding all day, every day! That’s more than 100 billion times faster than the speed of light! 👍

Btw, what kinda tires you runnin’?

Otto

Riveting 12-16-20 01:27 PM

5,000 miles is always the goal. 100 miles per week, with 2 weeks off for vacations with the family. Some years it ended up being 8,500 miles, some years, like this year, was a measly 3,400, due to the lack of group rides, and me overcoming some pesky Stage 3 Lung Cancer that I was diagnosed with in Fall 2019. But a few weeks ago I did my first century since beating it, and I was able to do it with my 28 yr old son (marathon runner), who had never done a century before. I've never been so happy with my mileage, and not hit my 5k goal.

pdlamb 12-16-20 01:43 PM


Originally Posted by Ghazmh (Post 20981850)
.000000000742 Parsecs.

C'mon, can't you use real units? How many furlongs is that?


Originally Posted by Riveting (Post 21835753)
5,000 miles is always the goal. 100 miles per week, with 2 weeks off for vacations with the family. Some years it ended up being 8,500 miles, some years, like this year, was a measly 3,400, due to the lack of group rides, and me overcoming some pesky Stage 3 Lung Cancer that I was diagnosed with in Fall 2019. But a few weeks ago I did my first century since beating it, and I was able to do it with my 28 yr old son (marathon runner), who had never done a century before. I've never been so happy with my mileage, and not hit my 5k goal.

Well done, getting better and getting back on the road!
​​​​​​​

Riveting 12-16-20 03:26 PM


Originally Posted by pdlamb (Post 21835784)
Well done, getting better and getting back on the road!

Thanks, the initial cancer fighting/recovery period was the first time I ever had let my hard-earned fitness fade away for 6 months (blood thinners and bike crashes don't mix). Having to start with weak lungs and legs, and ramp up to a century again, starting with 10 mile rides, was humbling, and made me remember why a century is the Gold Standard, and also made me re-appreciate when I read about a new rider accomplishing their first.

Doohickie 12-16-20 04:10 PM

Interesting question. I've used Strava for a little over 5 years, so for the last 5 full years,
2016: 5,201.1 miles
2017: 4,060.9 miles
2018: 1,721.9 miles
2019: 946.4 miles
2020: 2,579.2 miles

...which comes out to an average of about 2,900 miles per year. Prior to that I was generally around four thousand miles per year. In 2018 we moved, buying a 60 year old house that's needed a lot of time and effort and took away from my cycling time. Through the first 6 months of this year I had less than 200 miles, but obviously I'm back to a more normal (for me) pace. What changed? Well because I hadn't been riding I'd put on a lot of weight, and when they said obesity was a major risk factor with Covid I decided to lose some weight. I've dropped 40 pounds since July.

jay4usc 12-16-20 10:55 PM


Originally Posted by one4smoke (Post 19223321)
On average, how many miles do you ride per year?

my first year cycling and I’m on pace to do 7,000 miles

Trsnrtr 12-17-20 07:01 AM

I started logging miles in 1982 on paper which then got transferred to a digital spreadsheet in later years. Since 1982, my annual average is 6,179 miles. My mileage for this year is 7,085 miles so far. :)


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