At 50, most of my years on the bike were just being on the bike doing what I've loved doing since buying my first 10 speed at age 13. I never gave thought about performance or progress stats. I was always in good enough shape to head out for 30 or 40 miles of mostly flat roads. That all changed a few years ago when I decided to take on the local hills that surround me. Climbing requires a completely different range of strength and endurance needs. Around that time I also bought my first bike computer to monitor speeds, times and averages. Since that time I've watched my progress measured in reduced time to cover the same routes. I've also noticed faster recovery time and an increased capacity for sustained efforts with far less pain.

I'm not the only one to notice these physical improvements after riding consistently and regularly pushing beyond one's limits. That said, I do still have le suck days. Today's ride was a good example. It seemed to take me forever to find a comfortable rhythm and pedal without dull pain, which is the equivalent feeling of having parachutes attached to your ankles while pedaling. But, from having ridden as much as I have, I knew that feeling was temporary, so I began to work on my mind. The old "I am the boss of my body, so you do what I tell you" technique. On the first climb I refused to gear down to make the pedaling feel easier and stuck to my normal tempo. Sure enough, halfway up I had things back to relative normal. I still didn't feel at my best, but I managed to salvage what could have been a crappy ride. I ended the ride some 5 minutes over my recent averages, but that time was still well below the times when I first started 18 months ago, and even 6 months ago. Tomorrow will probably be a great day! That's how it works sometimes.

avg speed is (on the two different computers I've used) is current speed devided by time and calculated every few seconds (5ish). It is also just moving time - mine pauses when I stop.

To get an accurate gauge of what your cruising is wouldn't you want to find a large flat parking lot and ride in a circle for 30 minutes? Do that for several weeks at the same time and then avg those out to get your avg spd? Boring as L? You betcha, but wouldn't that get the most accurate data you are seeking/trying to figure out?

Ummm....umd. I was nothing BUT complimentary to the rider who overtook me. I was actually going quite fast for your average hybrid rider but this guy was going very fast for even a road bike rider. How on earth was I being negative??!! AGAIN this guy was really moving.

You've just described crits. Two weeks ago I did 61 miles at 26 mph

Going around in circles on a .8 mile course. over and over again.

Often when people on bikeforums use the specific phrase "roadies in full kits", especially when coupled with the idea that they are "racing" they are using it as a pejorative. If that was not your intent then I apoligize, I just see it like that so often I hear it with a snooty voice. That's the problem with reading things online and not hearing the inflection, etc. of the person speaking.

I did my first group ride yesterday.........by myself I do 30 miles at 22mph.......we did thirty miles yesterday and for the first 15 were at about 24mph (nice to draft and do a pace line) then they kicked and for about 2 miles I was able to keep it at 34mph (real slow slope down hill) untill we took a tight corner and I lost the pack......without being able to draft I got dropped and finished the last 13 miles at about 22mph by my self.....a group ride is very different, but very fun! Give it a try!

o...so that's what a crits are.

I'm a noob to bicycle racing (well, excluding stage and velodromes).

Holy f#$% that sounds tedious.

"when you're riding by yourself it just doesn't matter how fast or slow you are"

It doesn't? Seems to me the faster you ride, the better shape you get in! Not everyone is a pack rider. The OP asked what is considered a good average speed on a flat terrain with no wind so that he could judge his progress. Therefore you
super fast, pack riding, superheroes, should take a time out on this one and let us solo experts answer. 17 mph, alone for 10 miles and your on your way to success, in the land on the lone rider!!

WHOOSH, you never make any sense. Merlin was merely saying that there are too many variables for a speed to be meaningful. Flat, windy, road quality, etc.... are all things that are going to affect speed, and if you aren't trying to keep with a group why does it matter how fast you are going? In any event, except for where I just mentioned the crits, my answer was for solo cruising, not average, on flat ground. Of course nothing is flat around here. 17 mph alone for 10 miles is not fast at all unless you are rinding into a strong headwind or in the mountains.

Edit: in my avatar I was cruising pretty comfortably at > 24mph but it wasn't fast enought to stay away from the pack.

Since we're differentiating between cruising and average speed, I generally average about 16 mph, and cruise around 18-19.

20mph seems like a descent cruising speed in a moderate head wind.

Id like to know where you can find flat windless terrain for more than an odd day or two and during those days for more than an hour or two.. But assuming I can find it I can motor along at 16/17 mph without killing myself and can go to the drops and do 18/19 and hold that until I have to stop, turn around or slowdown for traffic etc., which seems to be at least every couple of miles.

Im 62 and Im somewhat faster now than a couple of years ago due to weight loss, weight training better flexibilty and more cycling. So if even old farts can improve the sky can be the limit for you..

I hate you guys that can do 20 mph into a moderate headwind..

And if your goal is get fit, then there are a lot better ways to do it than measure your average speed, and certainly much better ways than measuring your average speed against others, riding different terrain under different circumstances.

Focusing on average speed, is actually counterproductive. (use the search function to find the repeated voluminous explanations of why this is so.)

If you're doing this to get as fit as possible, and don't care where you stack up against others, follow a training program based on time and intensity, not speed, and use an HRM, or a power meter if it's in your budget.

If you're doing it to be competitive find competitive group rides or races. In either case, Average speed is not only the wrong matrix, it's often counterproductive.

Merlin, true, but average speed and cruising speed are different things (although often confused). Maybe the OP meant average but said cruising. Cruising speed is not particularly useful either, but it is probably a better metric for performance (although harder to measure).

I can do the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs.

Might sound odd to some, but I'm finally getting back to riding after we had our son (he just turned 7).

Most of my rides have been on a converted fixie and due to warm up, hammering then cool down (sorta) my ave has been around 17mph.

This works out good because my bike is geared to cruise at 80-100 rpm or 17-22 (72 & 75 GI) and I have a 17 mile loop that I know I can do in an hour, which fits into my schedule. Hope to build up soon to 20-25 miles and some group rides too.

Setting aside some of the legalistic retorts, I’m fairly uncertain the OP had in mind: ”So there I was, just tooling along, not hammering it. The road was flat, the flags were still. The speedo was between 14 and 15. Where does this stack up?” Since he’s a professed newb, I suppose all the advice to ignore this metric is reasonably given, but doesn’t really help him gauge himself.

OP: Maybe this will help. I turn 60 this year. Been riding 800-1000 miles/month the last 9 months, all solo. I’m not training to get faster. I’m not training at all. But I was a life-long runner until I hurt my back 5 years ago. Not fast, but well-conditioned; always finished in the top 10% of my age group. These days, on that rare windless day in the middle of Kansas, when I look down I’m doing between 16-17. But I’ll maintain this pace for miles and miles until the headwind or hill arrives. Yesterday the winds were in the 8-10 mph range, and my average for a 104 mile loop solo ride was just a tick under 15. Today the winds were 25 G 35+; my 55 mile ride came in at about 12.5 mph. Basic arithmetic will tell you your average will always drop as the course (assuming a loop) gets hillier or windier. You just can’t get the time back you lose.

My guess is the recreational, lower mileage rider is a bit slower than I am. Serious cyclists can be quite a bit faster than I am, even more so if they are younger. Knowing how my running times changed from, say, age 30 to 55, due to natural age losses and if I’m “cruising” at 16-17 now, then your 14-15 strikes me as being on the slower side. But I know nothing about your age, weight, and fitness, either. If you’re new to the whole fitness thing, then what’s to worry about? If you consider yourself out of shape, then 14-15 will quickly climb as you develop your legs, heart, and lungs.

In short, most serious cyclists ride faster than you are now. That’s not to say some serious cyclists aren’t slower, but that they would not be the majority. As a corollary, as you become a serious, committed cyclist, you will definitely get faster. If your intent is fitness, just keep riding. If your intent is racing…I think you’re starting a bit further back than most.