msviolin57

I rode down part of the Pacific Coast last summer on my first loaded tour, and I averaged close to 10.5 mph. Slow and steady is my motto.

Emphasis on the slow. :-)

djb

Geez I'm glad somebody laughed! (i was always a plane nut and when young, had a friend with his private planes license, so the airspeed vs groundspeed comment jogged.the pitot tube memory.

I don't think fiets thought it was funny....(fiets , it wasn't mean spirited in any way)

chris1548

I thought it was funny too, and I didn't think you were being mean spirited.

-holiday76

I had the same computer on my bike for years. I only used that bike for fully loaded touring. When I changed the bars and took the computer off it said 9,000 miles with an average speed of 14 mph. That would include mountains, coasts, flats.

We usually averaged 75-100 mile days.

djb

You are a strong rider with those daily.averages (good on you is what I'm meaning) , I just hope that inexperienced tourers wouldn't expect your.daily averages to.be necessarily what they could.plan for.

Machka 

+1

Even many experienced cycletourists would want to try to maintain that kind of pace and those kinds of distances.

Of course, an average speed of 14 mph doesn't tell the whole story ... it leaves out the long lunches and all the photo breaks.

-holiday76

it's true that those numbers dont take into account time spent off the bike. Though we normally ride from sunrise to maybe 6pm or closer to dark. Sometimes a mid day nap under a tree is nice. I believe i figured out that'd we'd usually spend about 8 hours a day actually on the bike pedaling.

I don't feel like 14 mph is fast though.

Oh also, if you really want to cover lots of ground and raise your average speed, tour on one of these:



I don't know what my numbers on this bike for touring are/were, but they're higher than 14 average i'd guess.

Rob_E

When I'm planning my day, I plan on 10 miles per hour. My rolling average is probably higher than that, but 10mph seems to even out any breaks under 20 minutes or so. Of course too many up hills or the wind blowing the wrong way can bump that down, and the reverse can bump it up. And the more miles I go, the lower my average speed gets.

djb

Holiday, I reckon I've usually spent about 6 hours or so actually on the bike , or at least that is what I enjoy and at least aim for more or less.
That recumbent must be nice and fast.

Bacciagalupe

I also plan on roughly 10 miles per hour of cycling, including stops. I see no particular reason to rush when I'm on tour.

-holiday76

Planning? Interesting idea.

Konasutra

It is not how fast you get from point A to point B...........It is about how much fun you have getting there.

djb

Smartass!
;-)

-holiday76

i didnt mean it to be a smartass It's just that, when i first started touring 15 or so years ago i planned out every details. It didnt take long to realize those plans rarely work that way, nor do you want them to. So now when i tour I have a block of time, a bike, and the world, for the most part. I find it works best that way for me which is ironic since I'm normally very goal driven. I guess I still do have certain kinds of daily goals, but what road i'm going to take and when i'm going to stop isnt one of them.

djb

No worries , I just couldn't resist saying that.
Ive usually prefered staying in campgrounds (showers) so its nice to be able to guesstimate how much time it will take to get somewhere, especially handy too if in countries.where stores are closed during certain hours or whatever.
Thats where its nice to.get a good estimate of your speed depending on hills or wind.

djb

Very important points, especially about how as the day can go along and one feels tired, how we either slow down and/or need more breaks, which adds more time.

I think this a very common beginner error, believing the avg speed will stay the same (its great when it does, but so often time tends to stretch out at the end of a day)

trekboy248

around a 18-19mph over 75 mile road with two major hills with about 6 people some a little slower but at a good rate can go a little faster I'm thinking about a century just wondering what's the pace for professionals in the century

Machka 

This is the Touring forum ... people here put panniers and other bags on their bicycles, and go riding for a weekend, week, month, or longer to see the sights around the world, or accomplish a personal goal. Touring is not really about speed, it's more about the journey.

If you're looking for answers about centuries, and particularly fast centuries, you want the Long Distance forum:
https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...urance-Cycling

TheRedWolf

Most of the the speeds and distances seem low to me- understanding that this audience is in no hurry. Not saying there is anything wrong, but I'm wondering if my goals are realistic. I average ~17-18mph for 50+ mile training rides (level ground), and ride 6-10,000 miles a year, so I do a bit of distance. I've only done one cc "tour"- an overnight, 100 miles each day in cold windy conditions, hard work but very enjoyable.

I am planning a 5 day tour in New Zealand next month (riding a Bike Friday Pocket Sport, road handle bars, will have panniers for food and change of clothes but staying in hotels or hostels). My philosophy is to see as much as possible and ride as many roads as I can- different than many of you I realize. Who knows if I will ever get this chance again (with 2 kids and a non-cycling spouse), at least in this part of the world (living in Asia temporarily). My planned route is around 100-125 miles per day. If I average 15-16mph on the bike- well under my typical average- taking several 10-15 minute photo breaks, works out to maybe 9-10 hours of cycling a day door to door, which leaves some safety margin for enough daylight (and have lights even if I get into darkness). If I can do 60 miles in 3.5 hours- like I did last Saturday and Sunday with no lingering soreness- seems like 100+ miles in 6-8 hours is very reasonable. The journey and time on the bike are the trip to me, don't need to stop to enjoy the scenery.

If I ride less, the question is, what do I cut out? So much to see, so little time!

I know my approach is different- but is it ridiculous to try, and does anyone else tour this way?

Machka 

TheRedWolf ...

Before I started my 3-month tour of Australia back in 2004, I was an avid Randonneur. I had done thousands of kilometres both in randonnees and in training for randonnees. And riding in the flatlands of Manitoba with an unloaded bicycle, I could keep up a decent pace.

I had all sorts of grand ideas about the distance I could cover in Australia ... even with a loaded bicycle. Within probably about 2 days, I realised there was no way I could keep up my Manitoba pace ... or anything close to it.

Now, in your case, it sounds like you're travelling quite light, so the weight of the bicycle and gear probably won't slow you down too much.

However, keep in mind that New Zealand can be quite hilly. How are your hill climbing skills? That was one thing that really slowed me down on my Australian tour ... I came from flat Manitoba to very hilly Australia.

Next, have you checked the daylight hours when you're planning to be there. We're losing light fast around here. It's down to less than 12 hours a day now.

And, in a month New Zealand could possibly be experiencing some autumn/winter conditions. Further north, here in Australia, the temperatures have already started cooling off, and we've had snow at higher elevations. So it is possible the weather may hamper you a little.


Also remember that there is quite a bit of difference between 50-60 miles and 100-125 miles. You're only planning to do that for 5 days, so it is probably doable, but I suspect that your 9-10 hour estimate might be more realistic than a 6-8 hour estimate.

How long, each day, did it take you to do your 200 mile overnight tour?

Bacciagalupe

It can be done, but that's a stretch for a solo tour.

Assuming you're staying in hotels: You also have to eat, get water, and keep the bike reasonably clean. You'll need to carry more gear than usual, especially clothing and spare parts. You also need to keep your clothes clean.

You might also find it less than thrilling if you find yourself 2 hours behind schedule, and rush every night to get to your hotel.


Might as well stay on a treadmill at home, then.

Or: Which makes more sense, spending 5 minutes in 10 different cathedrals, or spending 1 hour in a single cathedral?

There's nothing inherently wrong about covering lots of miles on tour. But if you're in it for the cycling rather than for the experience and the scenery, you could've saved yourself the plane fare and gone somewhere local.

sstorkel

This is the sort of pace I do on my road bike. With a credit card touring load in moderately hilly terrain, I plan to average 10mph. That pace includes short photo stops, but not longer meal breaks. I'll often end up averaging 12-14mph, but in particularly scenic areas my average may drop well below 10mph due to all of the photo stops!

I had similar thoughts when planning my credit card tour from SF to LA. Even though I planned the trip because I was interested in riding a lot for days on end, I found myself stopping much more often than I anticipated to take photos. If I had to guess, I'd say that I probably averaged 12mph for the trip. I believe the route ended up being around 500 miles with 18,000 feet of elevation gain. My last day through Big Sur I, literally, had to pack my camera away because I was taking so many pictures that I wasn't going to make it to my hotel before dark! I think my average speed for that day ended up being 8-9mph.

TheRedWolf

I think your responses have answered my fundamental question- while my goal may be a stretch, the average pace is in large part a matter of personal choice. This audience clearly tends to be the linger in one place a while crowd, while I'm of the "let's get the show on the road" mindset. Not better or worse, just different.

Bacciagalupe- it may not make sense, but I would choose 10 cathedrals for 5 minutes (or maybe 5 for 10 minutes) over 1 every time. Especially if I'm not likely to get back to the location again. I live permanently in Indiana and temporarily in Shanghai, so hopefully the reason to cycle as much as possible in N Zealand and not locally is self evident. . .

Machka- great points, and yes I've considered most. I have mapped the routes on ridewithgps.com to understand the elevation changes (3 significant climbs, each on different days- Crown Range Rd from Queenstown, the road to Milford Sound, and the Lindis Pass, the rest looks rolling but not as intimidating). I also built in some optional loops so if it gets to be too much, I can turn around and shorten the day. I love watching the sun rise from the saddle, so likely to be on the road well before dawn. I commute 40 miles daily, so I'm used to riding with the extra weight of clothes and computer (no computer on the tour, too heavy). I did my 200 mile overnight (in miserable conditions) at about 15mph (7 hours+ with a couple nature breaks and fix a flat), but have since raised my daily pace by a full 1 mph, and also did 3 consecutive centuries in hot summer weather (not a tour, just daily rides from home). So hopefully those have prepared me mentally. We will see. . .

I'm also somewhat counting on the gorgeous scenery and desire to see the next destination as motivation, a lot more interesting than looking at cornfields for hours on end. . .