# Average speed on a road bike



## chipmonster (17 Jul 2008)

Just curious, what is the average speed you get on your road bike?


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## Sh4rkyBloke (17 Jul 2008)

Depends how far I'm going, wind speed/direction, gradients etc.

My Manc - Blackpool run last weekend was a shade shy of 17mph for the 60 miles of undulating roads.


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## Paulus (17 Jul 2008)

On a normal day I can average 15-18 mph. This is quite easy to achieve. If I am in a hurry on a open road it goes up to about 20mph.


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## John the Monkey (17 Jul 2008)

I've done 19.6 mph on my commute, but a more common speed is around 17 or 18 mph, slower on the way home because of the route and the traffic. My Sunday ride (sans rucksack etc) tends to come in at between 17 and 19 mph for 30 miles, depending on how energetic I'm feeling.


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## 4F (17 Jul 2008)

Between 14 - 19 mph depending on mood, weather, traffic, wind, hills, rain, lightning or volcanic eruptions.


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## HLaB (17 Jul 2008)

Paulus said:


> On a normal day I can average 15-18 mph. This is quite easy to achieve. If I am in a hurry on a open road it goes up to about 20mph.


That's almost exactly what I averaged last night, for the first 19 miles into a strong wind, I averaged 15mph and on the way back with the wind behind me I averaged 18mph. It's wuite a hilly route but along one flat section I was averaging around 21 (19.5 at min, 23 at max).


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## Tynan (17 Jul 2008)

comp says average moving of 15.7 but that's London commute with a million red lights

I get up to 20 pdq and stay there left to my own devices, maybe 25 if I try


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## asterix (17 Jul 2008)

When I got my audax bike I averaged 27kph over 3000km. Max speed was 83kph down Holme Moss. (I was getting fit for the Raid Pyrenean)

Since I completed the RP and the battery on my computer went flat last year, I don't bother about speed or distance figures any more!


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## domtyler (17 Jul 2008)

When I go out on a training ride that involves going about five miles to the edge of London, five miles out into Essex, turn round and come back, almost exactly twenty miles in total my average is always between 19 and 19.9 mph, very annoying that no matter how hard I try I have never been able to break through the 20mph average! 

Fortunately I can do much better than that on a TT course where there are no traffic lights or junctions other than RABs, can get around 25mph average then.


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## Albert (17 Jul 2008)

My rides are all around my home in a hilly area of Wales. An typical ride takes in around 1000ft of climbing every 7 or 8 miles, with lots of 10% sections. My average speed over the last 1000 miles has been 11.7 mph.

I am 60 years old and had a heart attack (after a lifetime of smoking) 18 months ago and took up cycling in order to get fit after I left hospital. It has become a passion.


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## snapper_37 (17 Jul 2008)

Albert said:


> I am 60 years old and had a heart attack (after a lifetime of smoking) 18 months ago and took up cycling in order to get fit after I left hospital. It has become a passion.



Well done to you Albert. 

My average is around 13 - 16 on a commute. That's if you class a technically hybrid bianchi as a road bike  Around 18 - 20 on a spin out.


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## gavintc (17 Jul 2008)

My commute is now a pretty steady 20-22 mph on a 17 mile ride. I was pushing 18 mph when I started, but the legs have enjoyed the exercise.


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## Joe24 (17 Jul 2008)

My average is normally about 18mph, can go up to mid/low 19's depending on the weather. On windy days wit strong head winds, high 17mph averages is what i normally get, sometimes low 18mph ones if i am feeling good. 
Still trying to get it higher though.


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## trio25 (17 Jul 2008)

14mph is a good average for me, I must be slow.


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## marinyork (17 Jul 2008)

Absolutely nothing, nothing like the averages of other people here. I don't have a roadbike I have a hybrid. I've been cycling more seriously for 3 years (with a season out in there) and have yet to achieve these average speeds that other people claim is normal within a few weeks or months. Hills have improved, speeds on the flats (where available) haven't improved one iota over distances.

On the other hand I don't use a computer, I measure pure crude average speed which is different to some of the computers, but that'd only make a diff of perhaps 1mph.


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## Nick1979 (17 Jul 2008)

20+ average on a commute? with all the red lights, traffic.. ??
Reading this thread I wonder how some people calibrate their computer :-)
Or maybe I'm just slow, I rarely do faster than 15mph average (but improving!).


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## numbnuts (17 Jul 2008)

I wish I was as fast as some of you, on a slightly hilly ride I can manage 12.5 mph, but I’m 57 with emphysema and I get out of breath on the hills, on the flat I’m OK but as soon as I hit a hill speed goes down to 3-5 mph hence my low average


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## caz (17 Jul 2008)

trio25 said:


> 14mph is a good average for me, I must be slow.



I guess I must be slow too. I average between 14-15mph, although a few of my rides (a dozen or so) have been above 15mph and last week I managed to break the 16mph barrier by .07 seconds for the first time!  How do I get to go faster? Is it possible or is it too late in life now (I'm a couple of years off being 50 ) ?


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## MrGrumpy (17 Jul 2008)

I average approx 16.5mph sometimes slower if its howling and thats for 15mile journey from Fife into Edinburgh


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## Joe24 (17 Jul 2008)

Nick1979 said:


> 20+ average on a commute? with all the red lights, traffic.. ??
> Reading this thread I wonder how some people calibrate their computer :-)
> Or maybe I'm just slow, I rarely do faster than 15mph average (but improving!).



Its possible, i have had over 20mph averages when i'm going on a short distance, and whilst going through busy areas its easier to keep the speed up as long as the cars are going abit faster then you are. Gives a challenge. If its flat or with parts of downhill its even easier.
When i ride from here into town my speed is usually in the 20mph mark, going to the high 20mph mark if ts clear. Going in that bus lane or just wanting to keep pace with the cars is enough to keep going.


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## John the Monkey (17 Jul 2008)

Nick1979 said:


> 20+ average on a commute? with all the red lights, traffic.. ??



I'm lucky in havng some stretches that can be done quick, especially at the time I'm going in (early morning). Wilmslow Road has some lovely false flats (in my favour on the way in) and you can hit 24ish without much effort, and 28sih if you try. (I do always stop at red, and traffic (in general) is moving, so no need to slow for filtering etc). What stops me achieving 20+ is using cyclepaths on the way in - they're shared use, so I slow right down on those.


> Reading this thread I wonder how some people calibrate their computer :-)


Take front wheel off, roll it for two complete revolutions (mark start, 1 rev, 2 revs) and then measure the distance marked and divide by two. I never trust those tables in the manual (spot on for my contis, but out for my Stelvios by a few mm)


> Or maybe I'm just slow, I rarely do faster than 15mph average (but improving!).


I'd struggle to do much more than 15mph coming home - it's that much more busy in terms of traffic, and more care has to be taken watching out for peds too.


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## domtyler (17 Jul 2008)

This is some data from a Sunday morning ride I did recently, out to a slightly hillier area than where I live and back again, still only 1,763 feet of climbing over 25 miles though. I wasn't going for it particularly but got a reasonably respectable average of 18.1mph.




Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:23:52	3:20 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:23:14	3:19 pace
Distance (mi )	25.06
Moving Speed (mph)	18.1 avg.	39.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+1,763 / -1,773

Temperature (°F)	60.8°F avg.	60.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	WSW 12.7 avg.	WSW 13.8 max.


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## wlc1 (17 Jul 2008)

Just finished 8 12 hour shifts in a row and my average coming home tonight was 18.7mph.

I've been up at 0400hrs and back at 1930 hours every day so for me my average speed depends on how knackered I am. Last 4 miles of my ride is up and over the south downs


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## gbb (17 Jul 2008)

What average on a roadbike ? Depends what you're measuring. Circuit, one way, etc etc.
The only average i'm interested in is my circuit speed. One way out (usually against the wind) and the return leg (hopefully with a tailwind) combined. 

Anything else is meaningless. I can do 24 mph average for 5 or 6 miles on one section of my ride, but its verrrry slightly downhill with a tailwind. I'm fooling myself if i use that to measure against.

Whatever my circuit, hilly, flat, windy...my average is always within one MPH.
I have three routes that take me 25 to 40 miles. I always do 16 to 17 mph overall. It doesnt seem to matter what distance it is.

To those that manage 14 or 15 mph...take heart. At 50, i have to push hard to get 17 mph average. 
If i went out 3 times a week, pushed the distances and myself...i could probably get 18 mph average. But i cant be arsed


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## Noodley (17 Jul 2008)

Nick1979 said:


> 20+ average on a commute? with all the red lights, traffic.. ??



Ooooh, here's an amazing thing coming up...

Not everyone lives in London.

Sorry to have to break it to you.

My commute involves zero traffic lights and maybe 20-30 cars (mostly in the last 2 miles). Distance? 20 miles. Jealous? :?: And I can average over 20mph...


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## Bodhbh (18 Jul 2008)

So far I found I average about 13-14mph on long weekend rides, about 15mph on 20mile exercise runs during the week, and about 15mph on the 4 mile commute. Go flat out and knacker myself out as best I can on the commute and with all the stopping and starting seems to average out similar to the longer rides in the country


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## Nick1979 (18 Jul 2008)

Noodley said:


> My commute involves zero traffic lights and maybe 20-30 cars (mostly in the last 2 miles). Distance? 20 miles. Jealous?  And I can average over 20mph...



I am


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## goo_mason (18 Jul 2008)

I think the highest I've hit since I got the bike in April was an 18.6mph homeward run over 10 miles.

I was really on a flyer down Telford Road and along Ferry Road, hitting over 32mph in the main flow of traffic - and obviously prevented from travelling any faster by the cars in front and the road conditions (nice big pot-holes, sunken drain covers, slowing for junctions and side-roads in case anyone tried to nip out etc).

I was therefore highly disappointed at the sub-20mph average. I guess the many lights and junctions at other points on the route are responsible (or perhaps I'm just not as fast as I like to think I am)


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## dodgy (18 Jul 2008)

We had this thread recently I think? Last time it ended with our beloved tourers telling us all that their average speed is 10mph because they include breaks 
For average speed stories to make sense, the route has to be roughly circular (an out and back essentially qualifies as circular). I average 18.5mph over 50 miles when I'm in good shape, right now I'm averaging 16.5mph. All done on a decent carbon road bike.

Dave.


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## AdamBlade (18 Jul 2008)

What would you expect a decent average to be on a mtb? I am mainly downhile on the 6 miles to work and can average about 18 mph. On way back I probably average 12mph, last 3 miles being all uphill.


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## marinyork (18 Jul 2008)

12mph up something like prince of wales, on a mountain bike, in rush hour, with all those chuffing lights would be pretty impressive...


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## AdamBlade (18 Jul 2008)

Mine is from Ecclesall Road South down to Meadowhall. Great in a morning, mainly downhill. Average about 12mph on way home and 8-10mph up Ecclesall Road from hunters bar upwards.


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## Cycling Naturalist (18 Jul 2008)

Intensely variable. My commute of 7 miles has varied between 13 mph and 23 mph. Long runs vary between 12 mph and 20 mph. Most are in the bottom third of the range.


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## Over The Hill (18 Jul 2008)

John the Monkey said:


> .
> 
> Take front wheel off, roll it for two complete revolutions (mark start, 1 rev, 2 revs) and then measure the distance marked and divide by two. I never trust those tables in the manual (spot on for my contis, but out for my Stelvios by a few mm)
> 
> If you are trying to get exact then you need to be on the bike when you roll it as your weight will flatten the tyre by a good few mm (If it did not you would have almost no contact with the road) Shorten radius by say 3mm (x pi) will make you about 1cm out on your calculation.


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## bonj2 (18 Jul 2008)

AdamBlade said:


> Mine is from Ecclesall Road South down to Meadowhall. Great in a morning, mainly downhill. Average about 12mph on way home and 8-10mph up Ecclesall Road from hunters bar upwards.



bet banner cross to hunters bar is bloody frustrating in the morning...


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## AdamBlade (21 Jul 2008)

bonj said:


> bet banner cross to hunters bar is bloody frustrating in the morning...



It's not to bad with the bus lane. Corner of Encliffe Park can be a bit of a nightmare. This is where I came off a couple of weeks ago. Cars always pulling across traffic without checking bus lane


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## bonj2 (21 Jul 2008)

AdamBlade said:


> It's not to bad with the bus lane. Corner of Encliffe Park can be a bit of a nightmare. This is where I came off a couple of weeks ago. Cars always pulling across traffic without checking bus lane



hmm... with no traffic though you could absolutely hoon it down there at about 40... but there _always is_ traffic there :?:
it's what's known in mtb circles as a 'waste of altitude' 

fox house to whirlow is a nice descent, steeper than it looks - 5 miles in about 9-10 mins!


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## GrahamG (22 Jul 2008)

I never go much over a 15mph average. I'm a slacker, me.


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## punkypossum (22 Jul 2008)

I'm clearly a snail...about 13mph is pretty good for me (although that is on a mountain bike)


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## jgulliford (22 Jul 2008)

On a route I usually take (12 miles) I average between 16-17.5 with up and down hill..I need to get out on my bike more though, just don't always have that motivation after work.

Anyone in the Frome area cycle? (Yes, thats home of the farmers..Somerset)


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## Liveaxle (24 Jul 2008)

I feel a lot better now I've read this thread I average 15-17mph (aged 51, fairly hilly routes)


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## postman (25 Jul 2008)

Don't worry about speed.We i am 58,average about 14mph.But we enjoy tea and dinner stops.But we are retired and have all day when we go out.


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## Abitrary (25 Jul 2008)

postman said:


> Don't worry about speed.We i am 58,average about 14mph.But we enjoy tea and dinner stops.But we are retired and have all day when we go out.



Actually, in a seven and a half hour day, with 2 twenty minute tea breaks and an hour lunch break, you're probably averaging closer to 20mph!!


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## yenrod (25 Jul 2008)

Abitrary said:


> Actually, in a seven and a half hour day, with 2 twenty minute tea breaks and an hour lunch break, you're probably averaging closer to 20mph!!



Brilliantly put into context by Arbs!


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## walker (27 Jul 2008)

averaging over a 55 mile course I average around 18-20 mph, including hills


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## RedBike (27 Jul 2008)

Crikey, I'm feeling a bit slow looking at some of these times. 

I can't average 20mph unless the conditions are just right. Add in hills. twisty desents, wind and my average speed just comes tumbling down. 

On most of the hilly sportives i've done this year i've only averaged about 14-16mph. Yet this has been enough to get me in amoung quickest finishers.


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## Perry (27 Jul 2008)

trio25 said:


> 14mph is a good average for me, I must be slow.




Me too, that's on my commute with the odd hill and lights.


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## bikevigilante (20 May 2009)

*average*

i am running at 14.8mph at the moment and if you check consett area on an O/S MAP that is not bad - normal roads around 22mph - but saying that the cahin set I have on I can get upto 36mph on the flat.
I am trying to keep the average up as I am in training for a couple of charity events- anyone interested have a look at bikevigilante.co.uk


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## jimboalee (20 May 2009)

RedBike said:


> Crikey, I'm feeling a bit slow looking at some of these times.
> 
> I can't average 20mph unless the conditions are just right. Add in hills. twisty desents, wind and my average speed just comes tumbling down.
> 
> On most of the hilly sportives i've done this year i've only averaged about 14-16mph. Yet this has been enough to get me in amoung quickest finishers.



15 mph overall average has got you in amongst the quickest finishers?

I must enter a sportive. Do they have special prizes for veterans?


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## jimboalee (20 May 2009)

jimboalee said:


> 15 mph overall average has got you in amongst the quickest finishers?
> 
> I must enter a sportive. Do they have special prizes for veterans?




Yes, an ambulance ride.


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## thomas (20 May 2009)

Nick1979 said:


> 20+ average on a commute? with all the red lights, traffic.. ??
> Reading this thread I wonder how some people calibrate their computer :-)
> Or maybe I'm just slow, I rarely do faster than 15mph average (but improving!).




I've got about 4 sets of traffic lights on my commute. Traffic can be a problem.

On the way there i'd average about 16-18mph, home about 18-19mph. If there's bad traffic I'll loose about 1/2mph on my average. I'm much more of a short distance rider though. I can hold reasonably decent speeds to work and back, but couldn't do that for a day or a longer ride.

If I'm just going out for a ride, depends what mood I'm in and if I'm with people, distance, etc. Maybe between 14-19mph.


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## garrilla (20 May 2009)

This week I've extended my commute to 20.6mile and I did 15.8 on monday, 16.8 yesterday and 17.2 today. 

I'd like to claim the performance gain on my efforts but obvioulsy the weather is due a shout for some part. However, over the next few week I hope to have this boxed off and by June and then throughout the summer I hope to be coming in at around the 20mph mark.


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## jimboalee (20 May 2009)

As a side note.

Audax UK have 'speed limits' on their rides.

Up to 200km, the organiser has the discretion to set the speeds. 10 kmh being the slowest and 30 kmh being the fastest.
Some organisers set 10 - 20 kmh and some set 15 - 30 kmh. Some set 10 - 25 kmh.

Between 200 and 699km, the speed limits are 14.3 - 30 kmh.
Then up to 1299km, 13.3 kmh.
Then up to 1899km, 12 kmh.
Then up to 2499km, 10 kmh.
Then events over 2499km, more than 200km every 24 hours.

The optional slow speed of 10 kmh for a 'populaire' shorter than 200km ( usually 50 and 100km rides) is to encourage beginners and novice cyclists.

It is recognised that as the distance increases, a rider's speed reduces


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## John the Monkey (20 May 2009)

On the commute, 17-18mph, depending on conditions on the way in, on the way back, 14-15mph (traffic heavier, more dangerous to move quickly &c) over about 13 miles. I could probably get 19ish on the way in if I mixed it with the busses, but the attitudes of the drivers from some companies mean that I don't.

At weekends, between 17 and 19mph depending in whether I have to slow down because I'm lost, and on how much distance I intend on doing - usually over 25-40 miles.


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## TeddyP (22 Jul 2009)

*Average speed*

I averaged 14.4 mph on my mountain bike on a 30 mile coastal ride, mainly flat but very breezy. Times according to my GPS.


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## beachcaster (22 Jul 2009)

Albert said:


> My rides are all around my home in a hilly area of Wales. An typical ride takes in around 1000ft of climbing every 7 or 8 miles, with lots of 10% sections. My average speed over the last 1000 miles has been 11.7 mph.
> 
> I am 60 years old and had a heart attack (after a lifetime of smoking) 18 months ago and took up cycling in order to get fit after I left hospital. It has become a passion.



Well done that man  Impressive

barry


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## Bensbikespares (30 May 2011)

My avrage on a Mtb is about 8.8 or somthing but i use it around town and doing jumps, my max speed is 31.0mph in a 30 speed zone.

Bearing in mind ive only got 30% gears working


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## Wankelschrauben (31 May 2011)

I've been very consistent with the 3 mile shallow climb home, my average speed has been about 10 mph, I put new tyres on it today and achieved an average of 13mph on the same road. The difference good tyres make.


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## bassthatguitar (31 Mar 2012)

This forum has made me feel much better about how I'm coming on  cycled about 15 miles today. averaged about 18mph on the way there and then I was against the wind on the way back so 15.2mph in total. I maxed at 31.2 mph


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## Speedywheelsjeans (31 Mar 2012)

marinyork said:


> Absolutely nothing, nothing like the averages of other people here. I don't have a roadbike I have a hybrid. I've been cycling more seriously for 3 years (with a season out in there) and have yet to achieve these average speeds that other people claim is normal within a few weeks or months. Hills have improved, speeds on the flats (where available) haven't improved one iota over distances.
> 
> On the other hand I don't use a computer, I measure pure crude average speed which is different to some of the computers, but that'd only make a diff of perhaps 1mph.


 
What would you consider a realistic average then? I regularly travel the 50ish miles from swansea to cardiff and I can average 20+mph on a good day, one section in particular where the road is smooth and flat I put it in my 52 ring and maintain 30mph for a few miles on the TT bars. On my commutes to work and general riding I average between 17-20mph. But it all depends on lots of factors, I have averaged as little as 13mph on some days.


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