Do you commute at a relaxed pace or go for speed?
02-05-15, 07:55 AM
#101
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02-05-15, 11:55 AM
#102
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Relaxed pace more often than not. Any need for speed is met in the morning on the way into work with the slight overall downhill. Hardly anyone on two wheels out at 4:00 am so I am left to pace against myself. Once at work I hit the gym for a workout before showering and beginning shift. After my shift, 30 minutes on a treadmill removes any residual 'me-first-itis' from the system before I head home. With decent weather there is a 50-50 chance I'll opt for a round of the lake on my way home, doubling the mileage albeit at a fairly leisurely pace. My average speed is 12-15 mph overall.
02-05-15, 12:40 PM
#103
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That's one thing I miss about my old 5am shifts. I could bike to work and see maybe one or two cars.
02-05-15, 02:23 PM
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Last year I posted to this similar Commuting thread ’Easy pace or 'pushing it'?”
See next post for more readable version, and this subsequent post:
I'm fortunate to be a daily year-round cycling commuter early in the morning, with a pleasant, minimal one-way distance of 14 miles, easily lengthened during the nice weather. My commute is really my only chance to train. I had long rejected the idea of intervals because getting on the Road early is a challenge itself, and I didn't want to lose my enthusiasm by punishing myself too much.
Intervals on the road during a defined commute are more variable than what one can do on a trainer. I have quickly learned that I must watch out for traffic and not pay too much attention to the stopwatch on my cycle computer. Sometimes the stopwatch times out during an interval and I have to reset. Often the terrain is out of synch with the interval, e.g. downhills on the intensity interval, uphill on the rest interval, with stoplights interspersed.
So here’s an alternative I find easier to accomplish: I just use “Rating of Perceived Exertion” (RPE) as my monitor. [My variation is to use a scale of 0 to 100...easier to think about than 6 to 19.]
RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION SCALE
* On RPE scale, 10 times the number is equivalent to heart rate. For cardiovascular effectiveness, one should exercise to ~ 60% of maximal heart rate: Max HR = 226 – age (for women), 220- age (men).
I consider my usual happy-go-lucky pace is at an RPE of 50 (out of 100), and usually try to ride most of the commute at a steady 60. For intervals I would ride about 6-8 miles at my usual pace (exertion) to totally warm up, then I estimate my RPE during the intense one-minute intervals to be about about 70-80. I then revert to my usual RPE of 50 for the remaining 2-3 miles
But IMO just riding at a slightly greater RPE I think is more beneficial than just cruising, and more tolerable than "pushing."
Intervals on the road during a defined commute are more variable than what one can do on a trainer. I have quickly learned that I must watch out for traffic and not pay too much attention to the stopwatch on my cycle computer. Sometimes the stopwatch times out during an interval and I have to reset. Often the terrain is out of synch with the interval, e.g. downhills on the intensity interval, uphill on the rest interval, with stoplights interspersed.
So here’s an alternative I find easier to accomplish: I just use “Rating of Perceived Exertion” (RPE) as my monitor. [My variation is to use a scale of 0 to 100...easier to think about than 6 to 19.]
RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION SCALE
Code:
RPE scale* Jim's scale
• 6 - resting 10-20
• 7 - very, very light 20-30
• 9 - very light 30-40
• 11 - fairly light 50 (usual pace; my 60% Max HR)
• 13 - somewhat hard 60
• 15 - hard 70
• 17 - very hard (Lactate threshold; 80 (my Max HR)
breakpoint between hard but steady
breathing and labored with gasping)
• 19 - very, very hard 90-100
I consider my usual happy-go-lucky pace is at an RPE of 50 (out of 100), and usually try to ride most of the commute at a steady 60. For intervals I would ride about 6-8 miles at my usual pace (exertion) to totally warm up, then I estimate my RPE during the intense one-minute intervals to be about about 70-80. I then revert to my usual RPE of 50 for the remaining 2-3 miles
But IMO just riding at a slightly greater RPE I think is more beneficial than just cruising, and more tolerable than "pushing."
Riding to RPE is great. My only criticism would be that MaxHR = 220bpm - age has been pretty well discredited.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 02-06-15 at 03:16 AM. Reason: Added PS
02-05-15, 02:40 PM
#105
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Better version (see preceding post for explanation):
RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION SCALE
RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION SCALE
Code:
RPE scale* Jim's scale
• 6 - resting 10-20
• 7 - very, very light 20-30
• 9 - very light 30-40
• 11 - fairly light 50 (usual pace; my 60% Max HR)
• 13 - somewhat hard 60
• 15 - hard 70
• 17 - very hard (Lactate threshold; 80 (my Max HR)
breakpoint between hard but steady
breathing and labored with gasping)
• 19 - very, very hard 90-100
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 02-05-15 at 02:55 PM.
02-05-15, 03:08 PM
#106
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I ride through an area called "Pine Hills" - probably named for the fact that it's rather hilly.
02-05-15, 04:21 PM
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Riding to RPE is great. My only criticism would be that MaxHR = 220bpm - age has been pretty well discredited.
02-05-15, 11:58 PM
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80% of the time I'm going at a pretty fast-ish pace, maintaining 20-22 mph. Days like today (Mondays), I go slower between 14-16 mph. My work does have a shower fortunately.
Often times when there's no bike lane I'll hit sprints to maintain pace with city traffic around 25-30 mph between lights so the angry drivers here don't freak out that a bike is holding them up.
Often times when there's no bike lane I'll hit sprints to maintain pace with city traffic around 25-30 mph between lights so the angry drivers here don't freak out that a bike is holding them up.
02-06-15, 03:18 AM
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Riding to RPE is great. My only criticism would be that MaxHR = 220bpm - age has been pretty well discredited.
02-06-15, 10:40 AM
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Riding to RPE is great. My only criticism would be that MaxHR = 220bpm - age has been pretty well discredited.
02-06-15, 10:52 AM
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I mostly ride at a relaxed pace. I'm in no great shape, I sweat a lot and I don't have a shower at work, so I take my time usually (around 10mph). Also, my commute involves a four-way traffic signal at almost every intersection so I'm not going to be able to get to any great speed and maintain it for long (though I know some bike riders in San Francisco do). But there are days I push harder when it feels good.
02-06-15, 01:39 PM
#113
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Man, you are fast. My fastest time on my 8 mile route was 29 minutes. And that was with me running red lights when safe. But I actually got pulled over by cops a couple of times. And even though I watch many fellow cyclists go through red lights when safe right now, I stop at them. Now my commute time is close to 40 minutes. I think my average speed is like 12 mph. Did you do anything special to get to 25 mph? If only I could get to 20 mph
02-07-15, 08:20 PM
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I'm not in any hurry to get to work, but I want to arrive smiling so I generally ride briskly(for me, that's 16-17mph). But often loiter as well(12-13).
02-07-15, 08:41 PM
#115
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It varies because of traffic and stop signs and stop lights and crossing intersections, but for the most part it's a casual speed of about 15mph.
02-08-15, 07:24 AM
#116
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Yup, I'm not even 30 yet and my commute is only 3.5 miles. So I treat the entire thing as a sprint. The traffic light I have to go through half way acts as my rest. Plus I'm not very active at my job, mostly just standing around, so like the poster below I love trying to destroy my legs as best I can before I get into work.
I'm the same way. If I see ANYONE not in a car, I'm passing them. It's just something I do to push myself. Doesn't matter if I'm just commuting to work or half way through a weekend century, I have to pass haha. Never been passed back, and I think the day I am I'll be making a new riding buddy
I'm the same way. If I see ANYONE not in a car, I'm passing them. It's just something I do to push myself. Doesn't matter if I'm just commuting to work or half way through a weekend century, I have to pass haha. Never been passed back, and I think the day I am I'll be making a new riding buddy
From April, I'll be doing a 13.3km ride, and I'm pretty sure I'll ride as fast as I can maintain (as always). In fact, I bought a whole new bike for it, and got a racier frame just because I know that I want to go FAST.
02-08-15, 11:38 AM
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When I first started bike commuting and didn't do it every day, I rode hard every time. Once I started riding every day my effort level dropped quickly! Sometimes someone on a road bike will blow past me and I'll try to stay at their pace for a while (20 or so yards back), and sometimes I feel good or bored and speed up for a few minutes. My most hated rides are when I'm running late and I'm forced to do the whole thing like a time trial.
02-09-15, 07:29 AM
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Not to bring research into this, but...
When my wife started commuting on her bike, I looked to the Dutch to see what their "magic numbers" for commuting distance and speed were. The numbers were, by American standards, surprisingly low. Their inflection points were at 7.5 km (4.6 miles) one way to destination and 20 kph (12.5 mph) or less average speed. Their segregated bikeways in cities are designed for 20 kph speed limit.
In order for a standard American rider to maintain 20 kph, that US rider has to really be carrying the mail to make up for traffic controls. The Dutch really work at limiting stops and maintaining momentum so that riding slower works just fine.
BTW, wife commutes 4.25 miles one way, flat terrain (Florida). Except for the traffic controls and lack of separation of bikes and cars, it's pretty much a Dutch commute. She rides an old English 3-speed in street clothes.
When my wife started commuting on her bike, I looked to the Dutch to see what their "magic numbers" for commuting distance and speed were. The numbers were, by American standards, surprisingly low. Their inflection points were at 7.5 km (4.6 miles) one way to destination and 20 kph (12.5 mph) or less average speed. Their segregated bikeways in cities are designed for 20 kph speed limit.
In order for a standard American rider to maintain 20 kph, that US rider has to really be carrying the mail to make up for traffic controls. The Dutch really work at limiting stops and maintaining momentum so that riding slower works just fine.
BTW, wife commutes 4.25 miles one way, flat terrain (Florida). Except for the traffic controls and lack of separation of bikes and cars, it's pretty much a Dutch commute. She rides an old English 3-speed in street clothes.
02-09-15, 08:55 AM
#119
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So about 3x the distance of the average dutch bike trip, no cycle paths, no bike-signals, and no separation at all. By this criteria my commute on a 19 lb plastic crotch rocket in completely abnormal clothes with elastene (no koch lycra) is also pretty much a Dutch commute.
02-09-15, 09:16 AM
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So about 3x the distance of the average dutch bike trip, no cycle paths, no bike-signals, and no separation at all. By this criteria my commute on a 19 lb plastic crotch rocket in completely abnormal clothes with elastene (no koch lycra) is also pretty much a Dutch commute.
02-09-15, 09:46 AM
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02-09-15, 10:12 AM
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Not to bring research into this, but...
When my wife started commuting on her bike, I looked to the Dutch to see what their "magic numbers" for commuting distance and speed were. The numbers were, by American standards, surprisingly low. Their inflection points were at 7.5 km (4.6 miles) one way to destination and 20 kph (12.5 mph) or less average speed. Their segregated bikeways in cities are designed for 20 kph speed limit.
In order for a standard American rider to maintain 20 kph, that US rider has to really be carrying the mail to make up for traffic controls. The Dutch really work at limiting stops and maintaining momentum so that riding slower works just fine.
BTW, wife commutes 4.25 miles one way, flat terrain (Florida). Except for the traffic controls and lack of separation of bikes and cars, it's pretty much a Dutch commute. She rides an old English 3-speed in street clothes.
When my wife started commuting on her bike, I looked to the Dutch to see what their "magic numbers" for commuting distance and speed were. The numbers were, by American standards, surprisingly low. Their inflection points were at 7.5 km (4.6 miles) one way to destination and 20 kph (12.5 mph) or less average speed. Their segregated bikeways in cities are designed for 20 kph speed limit.
In order for a standard American rider to maintain 20 kph, that US rider has to really be carrying the mail to make up for traffic controls. The Dutch really work at limiting stops and maintaining momentum so that riding slower works just fine.
BTW, wife commutes 4.25 miles one way, flat terrain (Florida). Except for the traffic controls and lack of separation of bikes and cars, it's pretty much a Dutch commute. She rides an old English 3-speed in street clothes.
02-09-15, 11:31 AM
#123
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By the by, you can show everyone your pace and not be doubted if you join the Bike Forums Commuters group on Strava.
I'm tied for 5,328th place on the "steep hill to Hazel bridge" segment.
I'm tied for 5,328th place on the "steep hill to Hazel bridge" segment.
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02-09-15, 12:23 PM
#124
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I have 12 traffic lights and 2 rail crossings on my 7 mile commute. I observe them all except for 2 rights that I treat as yields in the am. I could run a couple if I was so incline, but most are multi lane, congested arterials and it would be way to risky.
02-09-15, 12:30 PM
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Speed. If it weren't for the shower at work I don't know that I'd even ride to work at all.