# Average Speed, What's Yours?



## classic33 (22 Aug 2021)

What's yours, and on what type of cycle?
Two wheels, mountain bike, on road according to the cycle computer is around 13 - 14mph.
On four wheels on road, based on time taken & checking the distance later, is down around the 8 - 9 mph.


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## slowmotion (22 Aug 2021)

I'm pretty sure that I'm lurking deep in the first quartile.


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## roley poley (22 Aug 2021)

The only measurement of my speed I have is those speed advisory signs they have at the side of the road ..smiley green face if your under the limit ..frown red face if over ..so pleased to say it's 9 -12 MPH as I pass one on the way to work in second gear on my brommie up a slight rise


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## KnittyNorah (22 Aug 2021)

Mine is currently - on a 20" wheel folder - about 6mph, on winding narrow (pavement-width) paths with decent surfaces, no hills but negotiating frequent cycle barriers and crossing busy roads. I can overtake slow joggers, that's all! But three weeks ago, it was less than 5mph and that wasn't counting all the stops I had to make, so I'm happy and that's all that matters!


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## Johnno260 (22 Aug 2021)

I was really pleased with this.


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## HLaB (22 Aug 2021)

10.6mph when I last looked


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## roley poley (23 Aug 2021)

classic33 said:


> What's yours, and on what type of cycle?
> Two wheels, mountain bike, on road according to the cycle computer is around 13 - 14mph.
> On four wheels on road, based on time taken & checking the distance later, is down around the 8 - 9 mph.


refreshing to hear pedal beats petrol ..but then I am biased


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## Alex321 (23 Aug 2021)

Pretty variable.

Up until a fortnight or so ago, was riding a hybrid, almost entirely on road, distance varying from about 10-30 miles, all moderately hilly, average speed usually between 14mph and 16.4 mph.

Now I have a decent road bike, average over that last fortnight is usually between 16.5 and 18, over similar distances.

This was today's ride, at 17mph
https://www.strava.com/activities/5836534261

FWIW, I'm a 62 year old male, riding 10-18 miles most evenings after work, with some longer rides at weekends, nothing over 36 miles yet.


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## FrankCrank (23 Aug 2021)

Just enough to stop me tipping over. You should see me on my trike.


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## raleighnut (23 Aug 2021)

Slow


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## Oldhippy (23 Aug 2021)

About 12-14mph on my Tourer but never feel the need to charge about myself. I just go places.


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## Milkfloat (23 Aug 2021)

Faster than most, but slower than some. It is all pretty irrelevant, smiles per mile is better than miles per hour.

Usually, in my own it is in the mid 18s, that will jump by 1 mph in a sociable group, when it is hammer time and we stop talking we can average 21 or more.

Edit: the above is no boast, I am fully aware that there are many, many faster riders out there, especially @blazed


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## Andy in Germany (23 Aug 2021)

On my commute I manage about 14-15 km in 40 minutes or thereabouts which comes in at about 22 km/h. This sounds thoroughly athletic until you realise it's about 13 mph...

On the other hand it's a nice ride and I see no reason to rush it...


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## gbb (23 Aug 2021)

At my peak, 18 mph average over 50 miles.
Now...dunno, speed isnt important anymore (for me)


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## flake99please (23 Aug 2021)

It depends entirely on the bike/trike and whether I am riding alone or in a group. Of my recorded rides the answer could be anywhere between 9-22mph. FWIW I haven’t recorded any rides since last October. I am enjoying my riding more since I stopped


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## numbnuts (23 Aug 2021)

Etrike ride


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## Scotchlovingcylist (23 Aug 2021)

As others have said depends on the ride.
A weekend 50 - 100 miler is usually around 16mph on the road bike
5 mile commute closer to 18mph on another roadie.
If its an mtb ride with sprog 7mph 

The commute is an interesting one though, as others have said. Depending on the shift im on and time of day a car journey can be 9 -12 mph average.
I used to pay attention to average speeds but nowadays map my rides for mileage and dont worry too much about average speed, too many factors to take into account and I just enjoy riding


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## Drago (23 Aug 2021)

It depends very much which bike I'm on.

My ebike is the slowest, where I'm in the 13mph range. Anyone that regales you with tales of derring do while overtaking all and sundry on an ebike is talking out their exhaust.

My fastest is (or was, my health has taken a tumble this year) 18-19 on my Felt roadie.


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## Punkawallah (23 Aug 2021)

No bloody idea? Don’t have the equipment (or the inclination) to log it.

My half day route is about 40 miles, takes me 3.5 hours with stops?


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## PaulSB (23 Aug 2021)

Very much dependent on ride, bike and terrain:

Summer bike on the flat 16-17mph
Summer bike in the hills 13-14
Winter bike flats 15-16
Winter bike hills 13-14
Gravel bike on gravel 11-12


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## jowwy (23 Aug 2021)

15.5mph


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## Spiderweb (23 Aug 2021)

Again depends on the ride, distance and elevation and the type of riding, Road or off road MTB.

My average on my 6.7 mile commute can range from 16-17.5mph and depends upon traffic and the 4 sets of traffic lights on my route. Sometimes I will put some effort in and my average will be in excess off 19mph.

If I’m riding longer rides with a friend or two then the average will depend on the speed of the slowest rider so this is often 15-16mph.

Off road MTB is completely different, my last couple of 30 mile rides have been around 9mph.


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## CXRAndy (23 Aug 2021)

Anything from 10 to 53 mph. Over what distance ? 

Too many variables, I've done solo 100milers at 17.5mph, club runs 80 miles at 19mph, TOC 80 miles at 21.3mph (IN THE PAST)

These days I like 12-14mph tourer/shopper geared for 21mph on the flat at 100rpm


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## Illaveago (23 Aug 2021)

Average .


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## PaulRoberts (23 Aug 2021)

about 20 kmph, 30 kmph downhill.


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## Oldhippy (23 Aug 2021)

I can get to 35+ on a good hill, in the right direction of course!


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## OldShep (23 Aug 2021)

My average speed in Yorkshire is over 1 mph faster than here in Scotland.


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## Punkawallah (23 Aug 2021)

The ‘godsown’ effect :- )


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## rivers (23 Aug 2021)

It depends. Commute- 13-14mph is my average. Social ride with friends 15-16mph depending on route and friends. Time trialling- 20mph+, again depending on length and route. Weather also plays a part.
Yesterday on the Etape Loch Ness, we averaged 16.7mph.


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## nickyboy (23 Aug 2021)

Depends mainly on how much climbing involved

Around the Peak District it will be 14mph as a 40 mile ride will involve 4,000ft of climbing. Even the pros who ride around here don't do more than about 18mph on this type of ride

Flat rides in Cheshire will be around 18mph


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## rogerzilla (23 Aug 2021)

It varies from about 13-18mph depending on the weather, the bike, and whether I'm on my own or with company. Fastest is alone in summer (no talking!).

When I used to be in a club that did good Sunday runs (not racers - they were sent off on their own run), the average, as measured by bike computer, was always 15.5mph. So that's a good brisk pace.


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## fossyant (23 Aug 2021)

Just remember which bike you are going out on. Oh I'll be back in an hour, no you wont, 15 miles on a road bike, maybe, not rough MTB'ing as that can take three hours.

Made that mistake once on a hot day with just 1 bottle.


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## Bonefish Blues (23 Aug 2021)

Pretty average, I think.


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## Sterlo (23 Aug 2021)

My average for this year is unfortunately 0 (mph or kph take your pick!), before that around the 16-17mph mark, pretty flat roads around here.


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## All uphill (23 Aug 2021)

Average speed is only important to me in estimating when I'll be home.

I'm remarkably consistent in a range of 11.5 to 13 mph average for rides of 30 to 60 miles alone. I stop frequently for water, views, chats.


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## vickster (23 Aug 2021)

13-14 mph, suburban so traffic and lights, but pretty flat.
Hills…not so high 
Average speed is pretty meaningless, too many variables.
I’m happy if I feel I’ve had a good workout, whatever the numbers


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## derrick (23 Aug 2021)

Depends on who i ride with, anything between 12mph up to 18mph. lot of variables, wind hills, how many beers i had the night before.


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## cyberknight (23 Aug 2021)

Commuter heavy road bike loaded works out around 16 mph for the week , yesterday on my latest build on a ribble frame it was 18 mph over 52 miles


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## potsy (23 Aug 2021)

Since returning to cycling a few weeks ago after a long time away, I'm now up to the giddy heights of 11mph average for the commute to work 

Probably only slightly slower than I was when I was a regular cyclist


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## Dogtrousers (23 Aug 2021)

Lightning fast. Neeeeeeoooow type fast.


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## Sharky (23 Aug 2021)

Too many variables to give a single answer. I do keep an eye on average speed to monitor progress on my regular loops. On one of my hilly loops of about 12 miles, I was clocking about 11mph in the winter and now as the weather improves can get just over 14mph. One observation though, is that my best times have been on my SS (68" gear), which is nearly always faster than my geared bikes.

But as you probably gather from some of my other posts, I still ride the occasional 10 mile TT and on these events, I can just achieve 20mph.


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Aug 2021)

My average speed is about 120 bpm.


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## FishFright (23 Aug 2021)

Back in the day my average speed was sulphate


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## tyred (23 Aug 2021)

Cycling becomes much more enjoyable when you stop worrying about the numbers. Just enjoy the ride


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## roubaixtuesday (23 Aug 2021)

Uphill or downhill?


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## fair weather cyclist (23 Aug 2021)

rivers said:


> Yesterday on the Etape Loch Ness, we averaged 16.7mph.



When they sent me the list of the participants and I realised there were more than 4000 people on that list, I decided to not go no and lose the money.

Regardless of what the government guidelines say and the fact it was an outdoors event, I'm still not comfortable in taking part in an event with so many people.

Hope you had fun!


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## Dogtrousers (23 Aug 2021)

tyred said:


> Cycling becomes much more enjoyable when you stop worrying about the numbers. Just enjoy the ride


Numbers become much more enjoyable when you use a bike to generate them. Just enjoy the stats


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## Daninplymouth (23 Aug 2021)

I’m in 16-18mph depending on the wind and route. 30-50milers. Set myself a new record today after my bike fit so was happy with that. When I first started cycling in lockdown I was at 14.2mph for this lap today done 18.3mph after a 35miler yesterday so pleased with that


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## Hover Fly (23 Aug 2021)

It depends how you measure it. Over my cycling lifetime of 52 years the distance from where I first put foot to pedal to where I am now is about17 miles, tonight it will have gone down to about 300 yards when I get home. Any one care to do the arithmetic?


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## raleighnut (23 Aug 2021)

Hover Fly said:


> It depends how you measure it. Over my cycling lifetime of 52 years the distance from where I first put foot to pedal to where I am now is about17 miles, tonight it will have gone down to about 300 yards when I get home. Any one care to do the arithmetic?


Cor that's less than @potsy


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## lazybloke (23 Aug 2021)

Enjoying most riding at 11-12 mph this year. 
This mornings commute of 15 miles to my garden office was 11.5 mph.
A recent 94 mile ride was 11.6mph.

Only a couple of years ago I was haring around at 15-16 mph for most of my rides. My fitness levels are very different now.


It never felt healthy with my lungs gasping in litres of air and my heart romping away at nearly 200 (in my late 40s).
I think I need to regain some fitness but with a more structured and sensible training plan, nothing like how I used to ride.


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## Gunk (23 Aug 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> About 12-14mph on my Tourer but never feel the need to charge about myself. I just go places.



On my Van Nic Touring bike I’m about the same, I just enjoy the journey, I’m not looking to achieve a cardiac arrest.


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## GuyBoden (23 Aug 2021)

Usually at the end of a long ride it's the "will I even make it home" speed.


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## Mike_P (23 Aug 2021)

I have started seeking to predict my average when around 6 miles from home as on the vast majority of routes the elevation goes upwards and the average tumbles; can be a grim set of slogs if the wind is on the wrong direction and some routes homeward are taken depending on the wind direction and the shelter they offer. There is a 2/3 mile climb that is usually sheltered from the wind. Yesterdays answer to just how far it would fall was 14.8.


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## classic33 (23 Aug 2021)

roubaixtuesday said:


> Uphill or downhill?


Either or both.


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## classic33 (23 Aug 2021)

Hover Fly said:


> It depends how you measure it. Over my cycling lifetime of 52 years the distance from where I first put foot to pedal to where I am now is about17 miles, tonight it will have gone down to about 300 yards when I get home. Any one care to do the arithmetic?


You cycling backwards, given the drop in distance covered(17 miles down to 300 yards).


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## Jenkins (23 Aug 2021)

Mine for the last fortnight




The shorter, slower rides were stop-start shopping trips on a Giant flatbar, the slower ride of the 20th was on & off road on a 29er, everything else was done on a mixture of road bikes, a Spa Elan or a Picknflick flatbar.


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## taximan (23 Aug 2021)

I struggle to achieve 10mph on the NYM.


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## Supersuperleeds (23 Aug 2021)

Hover Fly said:


> It depends how you measure it. Over my cycling lifetime of 52 years the distance from where I first put foot to pedal to where I am now is about17 miles, tonight it will have gone down to about 300 yards when I get home. Any one care to do the arithmetic?



You are 17 miles away from your childhood home, but when you get home you will only be 300 yards away from your childhood home.


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## Supersuperleeds (23 Aug 2021)

I'm faster than some, slower than most, but since I don't race it is doesn't matter one jot.


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## Milkfloat (23 Aug 2021)

FishFright said:


> Back in the day my average speed was sulphate


If you are talking chemicals mine was C9H13N


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## FishFright (23 Aug 2021)

Milkfloat said:


> If you are talking chemicals mine was C9H13N



Thats the one


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## Ming the Merciless (23 Aug 2021)

Hover Fly said:


> It depends how you measure it. Over my cycling lifetime of 52 years the distance from where I first put foot to pedal to where I am now is about17 miles, tonight it will have gone down to about 300 yards when I get home. Any one care to do the arithmetic?



Easy 0.32 MPY


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## Rusty Nails (23 Aug 2021)

How do you define average speed? Does it include all types of riding including to the shops, out with the family, riding to work, in town, out in the countryside, or just when trying to go fast.

Most people have several average speeds.

I am proud to say that I am so fast I can set off the 5mph warning signs along Cardiff Bay barrage.


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## freiston (24 Aug 2021)

I only ever look at average speed on my touring bike (my only other bike is a folding bike). According to my little wired Cateye Velo 7 (calibrated by measuring rolling circumference whilst sat on bike), my rides (moving time) usually average between 10 and 12 mph; very rarely does it deviate from this range and then I don't think I've seen it deviate by more than ½ mph . I tend not to keep (or pay particular attention to) ride stats other than a quick look at the computer at the end of the ride before resetting it to zero. I haven't noticed any particular or significant reason that makes it 10mph on one ride and 12 mph on another. My speed is very inconsistent during a ride, often going down to 6 or 7 mph on a climb and regularly over 30 mph downhill. On my little rides, the computer is not much more than a toy; on longer rides and tours, it is a planning and navigation aid. Average speeds matter to me only for knowing when I will be somewhere or how far I will get before needing to think about somewhere to sleep.

Most of my regular rides are circular or at least finish where they start, so I have as much climb as descent and I get wind from all directions. I usually ride with a bag or two and I'm not "lightweight". I have recorded gpx files (on my phone using OsmAnd) of my regular routes and looked at them on Google Earth - average climb and descent per mile is around 70~75 feet.


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## Colin Grigson (24 Aug 2021)

This was my ride yesterday … I appear to be consistently just over 19mph regardless of perceived effort, it’s very flat where I live which helps with average speed … it would be great to go over 20mph for a ride one day but I don’t see that happening anytime soon …


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## Alex321 (24 Aug 2021)

tyred said:


> Cycling becomes much more enjoyable when you stop worrying about the numbers. Just enjoy the ride


That is true for some people, but not for all.

Some of us just like looking at the stats. Others of us have a very competitive streak, and like to compare our results against others. And some of us like to have targets to push ourselves against.

So don't assume that everybody will get more enjoyment without worrying about the numbers.


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## gcogger (24 Aug 2021)

For context, I'm in my late 50s and 117kg in weight. I'm working on the latter - can't do much about the former 

I can average up to 16mph on shorter routes (say, under 30 miles), more commonly ~15mph if longer and more hilly (and if I'm not pushing so hard!), and ~11mph if I'm out with my wife


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## SpokeyDokey (24 Aug 2021)

Usually 14-15 mph.

If I do something like the Kendal/Shap/Orton/Kendal loop then it's about 10mph.

Currently though it's 0mph due to shoulder problem.


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## classic33 (24 Aug 2021)

SpokeyDokey said:


> Usually 14-15 mph.
> 
> If I do something like the Kendal/Shap/Orton/Kendal loop then it's about 10mph.
> 
> Currently though it's 0mph due to shoulder problem.


Why are you pedalling with your arms?


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## Ming the Merciless (24 Aug 2021)

Rusty Nails said:


> How do you define average speed? Does it include all types of riding including to the shops, out with the family, riding to work, in town, out in the countryside, or just when trying to go fast.
> 
> Most people have several average speeds.
> 
> I am proud to say that I am so fast I can set off the 5mph warning signs along Cardiff Bay barrage.



What did it say? Please speed up!


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## Dogtrousers (24 Aug 2021)

I've just skimmed through this thread. I think about two or three people actually admitted to being as slow as me  I'm not admitting it though


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## tyred (24 Aug 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> I've just skimmed through this thread. I think about two or three people actually admitted to being as slow as me  I'm not admitting it though


Pass me the calendar and I'll measure mine.


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## Rusty Nails (24 Aug 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> What did it say? Please speed up!


What did what say?

I ride a gravel bike 95% of the time, mostly on the road, although also on trails/paths. Sometimes in the city, sometimes in the countryside, sometimes in the mountains, sometimes on the flat, sometimes just to admire the scenery, sometimes to run errands and sometimes to try and keep fit. I rarely do exactly the same ride and don't note my average speed for all those different examples because it would be meaningless so I don't have an overall average. When I go out on my mountain bike no ride or terrain is the same and average speed doesn't mean a thing so I don't monitor it.

Today I did a ride that was a mix of scenery and fitness, much of it through city roads with traffic and traffic stops, including one junction where the traffic was stopped for 5 minutes and another stretch where I watched a dredger going through a narrow channel, on which I averaged 13mph. 

Are these threads just for cycling geeks and performance improvers who monitor and record every ride?


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## itboffin (24 Aug 2021)

i ride slow in the week as in dont care what speed i'm at then totally smash it Wed & Sat club rides, the slow riding has made me a better fast rider.


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## SpokeyDokey (24 Aug 2021)

classic33 said:


> Why are you pedalling with your arms?



Old climbing injury. Can't put much weight on shoulder so I currently can't ride hence the fascetious 0mph.


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## Baldy (25 Aug 2021)

Rusty Nails said:


> How do you define average speed? Does it include all types of riding including to the shops, out with the family, riding to work, in town, out in the countryside, or just when trying to go fast.
> 
> Most people have several average speeds.
> 
> I am proud to say that I am so fast I can set off the 5mph warning signs along Cardiff Bay barrage.


I think a post of mine in another thread prompted this thread, somebody posted that you should be able to average 20mph, I thought this a bit high. So, I added up my last 24 rides, taking the daily average from RidewithGPS I then divided the total by 24 and got an average of 10.1mph. Half of my rides were on mountain bike and half on my touring bike. About half of the rides on my touring were loaded, typically for a weekend. All the mountain bike rides were day rides.


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## classic33 (25 Aug 2021)

Baldy said:


> *I think a post of mine in another thread prompted this thread*, somebody posted that you should be able to average 20mph, I thought this a bit high. So, I added up my last 24 rides, taking the daily average from RidewithGPS I then divided the total by 24 and got an average of 10.1mph. Half of my rides were on mountain bike and half on my touring bike. About half of the rides on my touring were loaded, typically for a weekend. All the mountain bike rides were day rides.


Partially correct, started in an attempt to allow the other thread to continue.

Take the average speed posts to this thread.


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## Ridgeway (25 Aug 2021)

Hills kill my average speed here but the lake rides are at least flat:







Wind and traffic are also against this game


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## johnblack (31 Aug 2021)

I can ride at over 20mph on a rolling route solo for maybe a couple of hours. Put me in a group and that would be at lot longer, I’ve done 100 miles in 4.45.
With two mates who I ride with a lot and are all of a similar level, we managed 187 miles in 10 hours. 
But most riding I do is a bit slower, it’s no fun just hammering it all the time.


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## hoopdriver (31 Aug 2021)

Mach 0.017


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## oldwheels (31 Aug 2021)

Not particularly bothered about speed but on my Brompton I usually averaged about 10mph but this could vary according to wind strength and direction. 
On my trike I think I go faster but the display which came with the machine is only set to speed and distance and I have never bothered looking any further into it. Again wind has an influence.


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## LarryDuff (31 Aug 2021)

Depends on far I'm going.


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## RoubaixCube (1 Sep 2021)

just under 15mph give or take, depending on the conditions.


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## CharleyFarley (18 Sep 2021)

8.4 mph on my fat bike, and 7.3 mph on my cruiser. I ride on sidewalks because the roads are too dangerous due to drunk and unlicensed and generally dangerous drivers. I generally have long waits at pedestrian-controlled lights, and there are quite a few of those on my long rides. I did reach a speed of 28 mph on my fat bike going down a long bridge, just one time, and it scared the heck out of me. Average speeds are probably a bit higher in the winter months when riding is more comfortable. It's too hot in Florida's summer months during the day.


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## Oldhippy (18 Sep 2021)

I seem to average 12-14 mph these days if im going somewhere with a purpose but pootling about 8-10 mph as I'm looking for interesting things to photograph. I did hit 32 on a great hill this afternoon. Going down obviously. 😁


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## Archie_tect (18 Sep 2021)

Between 14 and 16mph depending on which bike/ traffic/ wind/ gradients and whether Mrs A_T 'tries' on the e-tandem...


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## classic33 (18 Sep 2021)

LarryDuff said:


> Depends on far I'm going.


_There_ and _Back_.


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## HLaB (19 Sep 2021)

I was quite pleased with my speed today 3minute man, lol at the same instant I was caught by my 3 minute man, Whoosh! There's always some one faster


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## Paulus (20 Sep 2021)

Not as fast as it used to be. Age is starting to take it's toll. Some years back my average was up around the 17-18mph. Now it seems to be down to 12mph on the last few rides.


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