how many miles per day?
 

I usually read the commuting forum.
Never toured yet.
need to know how many miles per day you guys usually ride?
or, how many hours?
because not too often when I ride home (more often I take the bike on a train), 35miles and my behind feels numb already.
I guess my limit is only 35 miles. or 4-5 hours only.
thanks....

60 +/- 40

You have the same problem I do. 35+ miles and I start to feel it on my butt—or lack of one. I attribute it to lack of saddle time. It's the only reason I can think of (that and the absence of natural padding), as when I rode mtb's all the time (and much more frequently), I never noticed that problem.

Now, I have a two hour commute to work each way and my riding is pretty much limited to weekends (I'm gonna quit this job, it's interfering with my life). All that and I'm still looking for the perfect saddle for moi.

To answer your question: About 60 miles max before it gets unbearably uncomfortable. Then, I need a long-ish break before I start pedalling again. And even then it's not quite hunky-dory. Again, I think it's a lack of saddle time. Somebody shed some light here.

I try for 60, no more than 80

50 is great; 60 is about max for me. FYI I take a 5-10 minute stretching/snacking rest break every hour without fail and it is very helpful.

When I tour I will ride for a couple of hours then take a break. Average is what you make it, looking back over the years I would guess my average would be in the 40-60 miles per day range. One tour the worst day was about 25 miles and that took around 6 hours of riding, battling brutal head winds. The best was over 120 miles in about 6.5 hours when we had a 35 mph tail wind on a long straight road. I have a tendency to want to stop and see things along the way. One recent trip I took we averaged 35 miles a day and it took us 8 hours to cover that with all the stops we kept making.:D I think our longest time in the saddle was maybe 90 minutes:o...if that.

Aaron:)

I ride about 55-60 miles a day when on tour, but I don't do it straight through. Usually 2 blocks of 3 hours each will get me to my destination.

When it was just my husband and I touring we typically rode 50 - 60 miles/day. With our kids we end up with 40 - 50, but with LOTS of 20 - 30 mile days!!

Lots of factors - but I agree with Valygrl - 60 +/- 40.

I generally use a 10 mph rule of thumb.
That included banana, photo, and water breaks.
Speaking of water - I think it is more relaxing to get off the bike for a water break.
Maybe pull off under a tree - even if just for a couple of minutes.
So that makes touring different from recreational riding.

On summer days with 14 to 16 hourse of sunlight, it is not hard to do 80 miles.
It depends on when you get started and how late you are willing to go.
I have a fair complexion so I skip the middle part of the day - cycle early and late.
If I stay in a motel or hostel, I usually get a much later start.
If there are lots of towns and stores, I usually take longer and more frequent breaks.
In Nevada, where it may be 80 miles between water -
One has a tendency to be more focused.

Then there's the wind.
100 miles with a killer tailwind is often easier than 60 miles with a headwind.
Stiff sidewinds can be tiring, too.
I guess the key is flexibility.
If you have a rigid itinerary, you will find yourself exhausted one day
And getting to your destination far too early the next.

My advice (+ 5 cents)
Ride early.
Stop often.
Plan, then discard.

I tend to average 70. Obviously hilly days will cut that in half, easily.

I've learned to start easy. Those first 2 or 3 days always seem hard, no matter how much training I've done. 30 miles is plenty for those days, and I don't feel guilty doing 25. After I'm acclimated, 50 miles is a pretty normal day, with 35 being an easy day, and 85 being a long day. I usually only do that when forced to by circumstances, e. g. no campground. 70 is more of a normal "long day".

I try to avoid having predetermined plans. I prefer to decide each morning what a worthwhile goal is, and adjust during the day depending on how I feel, what the wind is doing, etc.

When one considers that, on tour, one has only to pedal, see the sights, stop for snacks and delicious beverages and so on, the idea of going only 50 miles in a day (my own preference) is so leisurely, so downright comfortable that, imagining a tour full of such lazy days, I cannot help but think, "Wouldn't that be fun!"

I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard this, but you might try making adjustments to you saddle position (and maybe the saddle itself) to address the numbness issue. Sounds like it's hitting you in the wrong place if it's cutting off blood flow. If you're considering touring it might be worth $80 on a brooks - or whatever it takes - before setting off a thousand miles. Or ten thousand.
I found that after riding a hundred miles or so on one tour I nosed the saddle down maybe 5 degrees and there was a substantial improvement.

Ride as many miles as you want, the point is to have fun on your trip. I like to cover a lot of distance on tours, so I usually average between 80 and 90 miles a day. That definitely does not leave much time to stop and look around though. One thing I can say about touring is that once you get into the groove of riding your bike long distance every day you'll rack up the miles without even noticing. This usually happens for me after 4 days or so on the road.

Normally 40-50 miles, depending on terrain. If it's flat and things go well, 50-60, if there are lots of hills then 30-40. Also depends on what I want to see in the area and availability of accommodation, e.g. I'll stop early if the next open campsite is 40 miles away.

On the prairie 100+.
In the mountains 40-60.
And if its REALLY nice (like the icefield parkway) sometimes 0!

Over the years hanging out on different bike sites, the consensus is always the same: 45 miles seems to be the average. Some days you'll do more, some days less. Depends on the weather (esp. wind), tourist activities, and your energy level. As for your butt, I've never had that problem. Chances are it's a bad seat for you. Unfortunately, few shops will allow you to buy and test ride and bring back. Don't bother to leave on a tour if you have a bad seat.

Most of my riding is outside the touring realm.

I ride anywhere from just a few kilometers around the block to test something on my bicycle, all the way to my personal best ... 462 kilometers in 24 hours.

You see ... I'm a recreational rider, a commuter, a ultra-distance racer, a randonneur, and of course a cycle-tourist.

On a tour, I vary between maybe 30 kms on a day when I don't feel the urge to ride far ... all the way to a full century (160 kms). Most of the time, my preferred distance is about 80 kms (50 miles).

In all those distances, my sitting area is just fine. It's simply not a factor in how far I can go ... even on the 24-hour races, and even on the 1200 km randonnees. I ride a Brooks B17 which is well broken in, and it is like a part of me ... I don't even feel it. It currently has 35,000 kms on it, and is still just as comfortable as it was when it first broke in.

If you're experiencing discomfort after 56 kilometers, I'd strongly suggest two things:

1) Make sure your bicycle fits you. Take it to a fitter. Read Peter White's advice on fitting a bicycle. Read anything you can on fitting a bicycle (I believe there are a number of websites with bicycle fitting advice). BUT as you do this, remember one thing ... you're on a touring bicycle not a racing bicycle. The agressive aerodynamic position is great for a someone in a short distance race, but not good for someone on a tour. Aim to set your bicycle up so you sit up more.

2) Experiment with saddles until you find one that works for you.

Daily mileage can vary. If you want an idea, go to sites like Crazy Guy on a Bike and see what others are doing for mileage.

Second, look at sites like Adventure Cycling for bike tours, and figure out what they are doing for average mileage.

On any given day, mileage can vary greatly. But, as a good place to start, plan on 50 MPD.

Hmm, I guess I was being unrealistic to plan a 100-150mile ride in one day in mid-winter, having never before done more than 30 miles in a day... I'll have to think about doing it in two days :/

I am getting asked every day how many km/miles I do on average I just reply

sometimes I fly and sometimes I cry.

there really is no such thing as an average milage per day, terrain changes, the views change, wind and weather, distance between towns etc etc etc.

To get across the Nullarbor I was blown one day and did 160 miles, and then a couple of days later I had a head wind and grovelled about 45 miles.

tailwinds
george

What's your definition of winter?

If your mid-winter is late January, and you're talking about drizzly weather and temps around 15C, then I think you can do a 100 mile ride by then ... just build up your distances over the next few weeks.

If your mid-winter is July, and you're talking about drizzly weather and temps around 15C, then I think you can be up to a 150 mile ride in one day. You've got lots of time to build up to it.

But if your mid-winter is late January, and you're talking about ice and snow, and temps around -20C to -30C ... then I'd advise getting a few centuries and 150 mile rides under your belt before you attempt it. You're talking about life threatening, dangerous conditions there. (voice of experience)

This Summer we did the Trans America and averaged 60 including some half days in the 30's. Longest day 115. Strangely some of our longer days were in the mountains. I don't know why but when it was flat we often did less than when there was a lot of climbing.

The days were usually long with a few longish breaks.

I agree with all the above, too many variables, but to throw something out there not too far off, 70 +/- 15 miles.

I did three months touring in Europe. At the start I wouldn't feel satisfied with less than 100 km (60 mi.) each day, but as the days past I felt less rushed and overall I averaged about 80 km (50 mi.) per day over the trip. As others have noted, some days go longer, some go shorter based on what there is to see and do and on travel conditions (weather, hills).