# 2 wheel bent average speeds



## bicyclos (23 May 2009)

I am wanting to get an overall picture here. I recently built my own swb recumbent which I am chuffed to bits with and using it to commute to work on. Its a new concept in cycling for me and opened the doors for more projects. What I am wanting to know is what's the average speed of say a Bachetta or a bike-e etc on the flat, incline and hilly part.
I know I have not got my recumbent legs yet and I have mixed feelings about the speed on various road conditions. I seem to be slower on the bent or feel its slower or could it be that its just more comfy and I am enjoying the ride more, I cant beleive the interest and looks I get from people. I was let out of a junction the other day who waved me out and stared at the bike other than been papped at by certain idiots ....I just dont know?
down hill..have to break at 30mph
flat........18 to 20+ 
incline....10 to 12
hilly.......06 to 08

Have I built a Lada recumbent or would you say its average!
thoughts please would make me happy.


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## byegad (23 May 2009)

If you look at your average speed over a circular course on a DF and the 'bent you'll get a better view at which is fastest. 

Also braking at 30mph, while prudent, is limiting your average speed. When I was riding my AZUB 81 speed I was hitting 44mph plus on some of our steeper downhills. Now on my Trice QNT I regularly get up to 40mph on those same hills. My trike average speed is the same as my DF speeds were on all but the hilliest circular run when they are a little slower, around 5-10% less.

Your legs will develop as you ride, I'd say it took me 500 or so miles to feel faster than a Df and 1000 or so to not care because I was having too much fun.


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## squeaker (24 May 2009)

bicyclos said:


> down hill..have to break at 30mph
> flat........18 to 20+
> incline....10 to 12
> hilly.......06 to 08


Depends how much effort you are putting in 
FWIW, as a (moderately fit) old fart, I find 17-18mph on the flat about the max for any sort of distance ride on my Grasshopper, and a couple of mph less on my ICE 'S' trike. YMMV, of course


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## ufkacbln (24 May 2009)

Will depend on the design

I m faster on my Catrike, mainly due to the extra confidence and stability in cornering and downhill that a trike gives. The Street Machine is slower as it is a heavy tourer and the Hurricane about as fast on straights, but slower overall for the above reasons.

I am not a racer though and the attraction to me is safety and comfrt. What i "could" achieve and do are different

The Catrike will easily cruise at 20 - 22 on a good flat road, do 50 downhill and about 8 - 10 on a moderate rise.


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## 3tyretrackterry (24 May 2009)

i will echo wat cunobelin says the confidence i feel on my trike is much higher than on my bike especially as you dont have to concentrate on staying upright. i cant say wether im faster on my trike but i feel safer and faster


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## bicyclos (24 May 2009)

A big thanks for the replies so far. I am myself a middle aged farty pants {49} who thinks he is in his youth!!! I just find it a little deceptive riding the bent from the df. I suppose there is different disciplines in riding a df and bent. I think I know what my bent muscles are now.

I have just planned a small circular route and I am going to ride for the bank holiday on a df and my steely to put my mind at rest i thinks.....

I know my thread was for 2 wheel bents but Anyone else on trikes or two wheel bents who want to share their averages would be great just to broaden the picture. 

To change the subject slightly, I went to the car boot in Leeds this morning and picked up a turbo trainer for 4 pounds which was hardly used, at first I thought he said 14 pounds, what a bargain 

regards
Leon


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## banjokat (26 May 2009)

On one of my routes I'd average about 16 - 17mph on a DF. To start with, on a (heavy) two wheel 'bent I'd be around 12mph - once I got my 'bent legs it was around 14 - 15mph and now on a trike I'm still around the 15mph mark.

I have to say though - I used to get a bit hung up about not being as fast, but you come to realise that the comfort / fun is worth the loss of a few mph.


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## arallsopp (6 Jul 2009)

Hard to get a decent comparison for me. On a commute, traffic is the dominant factor. Assume 14.8mph on either. On a training ride, average goes up to 17 mph dependent on route, but stops altogether after 100 miles on a DF. The bent, on the other hand will go on for about 250... The last 100 are closer to commute speeds, but I couldn't do them at all on anything else.

On the flat, I peak at about 30mph on either. And that's with a tailwind.


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## LeeW (13 Jul 2009)

On my fujin I did the 73 miles of etape Caledonia at an average speed of 19.5mph. I regularly do training rides of 50-70 miles at avg speeds of about 18-20mph, often with about 1500-2500 feet of ascent.


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## ACW (21 Jul 2009)

i have only done 100 miles on my new bent and the average speed is 15.9mph.
hope to improve with a few more miles under my wheels.


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## arallsopp (21 Jul 2009)

That's bl00dy good going. Almost 16mph average for new legs suggests very good things for the future. Took me a few months to get that.

Actually, not true. My first ride gave me an average of over 18mph, but the computer thought it was on a 26" (rather than 20") wheel.


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## yanto2009 (30 Jul 2009)

My commute on D/F was about 19 av - over 18 miles of country roads and a 1 in 6 hill with hairpins going up at 8-9mph.

First time on trike average was 16.5, hill at 4.5mph, now after 600 miles, av is upto 20mph and hill at 6mph. These in nice conditions, give me a headwind and trike wins easily!!


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## NickM (7 Aug 2009)

Yes, the speed _dynamic_ is different - usually slightly slower uphill (because recumbents in a given performance bracket tend to be a bit heavier than their upright equivalents), but faster into a headwind and downhill, where it's aerodynamics that count. This can make riding in company with uprights a bit frustrating.

Over average terrain it adds up to much the same overall speed, in my experience; but I echo Byegad when he says that after a while you stop caring because you are simply enjoying yourself


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