Average speeds on a spin

Needabike

What is your average

lukester

Would have thought it would vary a fair bit dependent on how hilly the terrain is, wind, etc. My last spin over the Sally Gap was on a very windy day, just cycling out along Bohernabreena was a lot more effort because of the wind.

As someone else was saying recently in another thread, heart-rate may be a better guide for improvement. I've taken to timing myself over certain well known parts of routes, certain climbs etc, where wind is less of a factor. I'm also trying to avoid getting hung up on stats, trying to aim for general overall improvement, amd most importantly, enjoying it

Edit: just noticed this is a poll. Kind of impossible to give an average unless it's on a clearly defined type of ride.

blorg

38 KPH

OK, I picked 36km/h on the basis of my best ever average over a non-trivial distance (20km+)

Spins over Sally Gap etc. I am eh a bit slower.

As lukester points out it is difficult to compare due to conditions.

I'm sure you'll find some guys who have sustained 40km/h+ over significant distances racing.

72hundred

30 KPH

My best ever was 37.21kph for 16km.... (10 mile time trial). Dunno how that rates amongst my peers though.

kenmc

How long is a piece of string?

TinyExplosions

26 KPH

kenmc wrote: »

How long is a piece of string?

On average, 26cm for certain values of string

Raam

TinyExplosions wrote: »

On average, 26cm for certain values of string

How thick is the string? :pac:

Chips Lovell

22 KPH

Raam wrote: »

How thick is the string? :pac:

Yes, girth rather than length is the vital statistic.

Gavin

28 KPH

el tonto wrote: »

Yes, girth rather than length is the vital statistic.

Ah, String Theory, one of my favourites.

p.s. I picked my average speed through town. Which is a bollix from all the slowing and starting at lights.

bwardrop

28 KPH

Hmmmm - maybe I am too inexperienced on the bike (only at it about 6/8 weeks, but I have noticed that regardless of conditions, I seem to have the same average speed on my spins - 26km/h. This would include my typical 30kroute to my longest jaunt of 80k and everything in between. Average about 4 outings per week.

As I say, I haven't been at this long enough to have tried particularly varied terrain or conditions...

*Edit*

...although I feel pretty well versed in cycling in the rain after the past fortnight!!!

Billy Whizz

30 KPH

I took 28kph as the average of my average spins.

Lower for hilly/windy conditions, higher on better days obviously. And much higher for riding in a group.

Raam

When I started out it was around 24, 25kph on longer spins. Nowadays it's more like 30 - 32kph. I'm not great on the flat or into the wind. And come to think of it, I'm not that hot on the downhills either.

PeadarofAodh

How can you pick your average speed?? As stated windy days and more hilly routes would affect things hugely!

Raam

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

How can you pick your average speed?? As stated windy days and more hilly routes would affect things hugely!

Based on doing the same route over and over

bwardrop

28 KPH

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

How can you pick your average speed?? As stated windy days and more hilly routes would affect things hugely!

Personally - At the end of each cycle I review the data from my cycle computer, which gives the average speed for the trip. I've noticed that I am pretty consistent at about 26km/h

fish-head

26 KPH

My last average speed on a very wet and hilly route to the 'Stones was 24km/h and I only got a computer last week, so it was my first time monitoring it.

lukester

My average along a fairly long piece of string uphill, into the wind is about twice as slow as my average in the other direction. Sheep on the road tend to lower the average, wool fibres in the air make it more dense and harder to cycle through. I find I have to clean the wool off my tyres too, although this makes for a nice cushioned descent.

PeadarofAodh

But I mean I vary my route every time I go out - for example I went out to Laragh last weekend into a strong headwind the whole way out and got back with an avg of 27.5km/h. Without that same headwind I reckon that would've been easily over 30km/h. Not that I'm about to go and make my brain bleed doing the exact same 110km route 10 times over to make sure, but you can see just how much of a difference conditions can make.

PeadarofAodh

lukester wrote: »

My average along a fairly long piece of string uphill, into the wind is about twice as slow as my average in the other direction. Sheep on the road tend to lower the average, wool fibres in the air make it more dense and harder to cycle through. I find I have to clean the wool off my tyres too, although this makes for a nice cushioned descent.

If X is the first piece of string and Y is the second with sheep mixed in, give me Z with nylon fibres substituted in for the wool fibres.

Raam

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

Not that I'm about to go and make my brain bleed doing the exact same 110km route 10 times over to make sure, but you can see just how much of a difference conditions can make.

Agreed. Over the months/years you can see and feel that your average pace is increasing.

72hundred

30 KPH

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

If X is the first piece of string and Y is the second with sheep mixed in, give me Z with nylon fibres substituted in for the wool fibres.

Arggghhh!! Now that's a brain bleed'er . Must be the leaving cert results coming out recently that has all these X,Y,Z problem solving posts coming up!

c0rk3r

An infinite number of monkeys walk into a bar and say everything.

Average speed ? /shurg. too varied

Raam

c0rk3r wrote: »

An infinite number of monkeys walk into a bar and say everything.

Average speed ? /shurg. too varied

How about, "normalised comfortable sustainable pace"?

c0rk3r

Raam wrote: »

How about, "normalised comfortable sustainable pace"?

But i dont have a monkey joke for that answer. 26-28kmph is comfortable

Planet X

kenmc wrote: »

How long is a piece of string?

Exactly twice the length from the middle to either end.

Limestone1

c0rk3r wrote: »

An infinite number of monkeys walk into a bar and say everything.

Average speed ? /shurg. too varied

Anyway - what did the barman say ?

stevecrow74

<just found this forum>

my best time

from salthil (galway) - west donegal ( 280km )

11.2 hours including 3 breaks (1 30 min, 2 15min)

time on saddle 10.2hrs

and that was just to get there, did the same back in less time (11.5hrs) with only one break of 5 mins..

mind you that was 10years ago.. now it would take me 2 days to get there


for shorther journeys (up to 10 miles) i used to be able for an average of 29mph


have also cycled around lough corrib in 3 hours exact

Andrewf20

26 KPH

24 big ones an a relatively flat route with little wind. Its a MTB tho with skinny tyres.

kenmc

my average, tracked since february covering 1998.75 km, is 22.9km/h
That includes a high of 29.3 (4.85km commute - not much climbing, but a few traffic lights) to a low of 11.1km/h (14.67km of mountainbiking)
But then there's a 27.5km/h for 170.9km (ROK) vs 18.8 for a 4.32km commute vs 20.8km/h for 196.14km (wicklow 200)
I fail to see how anything useful can be determined from such a vast spread of data to be honest, especially considering the routes are rarely the same, nevermind the conditions.

ilovelamp2000

26 KPH

I only really commute on my hybrid and my average is usually somewhere between 22km/h and 26km/h

Civilian_Target

26 KPH

My 24km-per-direction commute, which is a mixture of town, flat road and alps takes an hour on average, so I picked 24kmph. But my normal cruising speed with my hybrid on the flat is 38kmph...

72hundred

30 KPH

Looks like alot of ppl have responded. (Accurate or not)

...wonder who the speed king at >40 is?

Raam

72hundred wrote: »

Looks like alot of ppl have responded. (Accurate or not)

...wonder who the speed king at >40 is?

Lukester, it would seem.

Raam

Oh and I don't buy for one second, that El_Tonto's average is less than 20kph.

blorg

38 KPH

Raam wrote: »

Oh and I don't buy for one second, that El_Tonto's average is less than 20kph.

He must mean "up a 10%+ hill," I think we were all answering the question differently Back to the string- what if you took the piece of string and attached it to a winch at the top of a hill. How fast would you get up then? Would depend on who was operating the winch, I guess. I reckon I could get over 20 in that scenario, if tonto was operating the winch.

kenmc

depends on the gearing on the winch though - and if the operator was a grinder or a spinner.

72hundred

30 KPH

Also the aforementioned gauge of the string would also be a determining factor.

Dirk Gently

32 KPH

is it considered cheating if I picked my best "average" over a completely flat route

Fion_McCool

26 KPH

Just checked my bike computer...

24km/hr over 1,100km on my hybrid.