# What average MPH is good over a 10 mile ride?



## Toby_2009 (8 May 2009)

Hi,

I'm 16 and have been cycling as a hobby for just under a month (up till now only used it for 2.5 miles a day to school and back ) So, I bought myself some lycra stuff, bottle, pump bike computer from aldi yesterday and decided to test it out today, Set the computer up this morning and tested it on way to and back from school (because I know exactly how far it is).

Then this afternoon, I decided to do a 10 mile ride (exactly 10 miles) and use it as a ride to do each week/fortnight to plot on a graph my improvement. Its a ride with one very steep, short hill and one long (one mile) hill.

My average speed was 15.5 MPH over the 10 mile ride which is *ALL ON ROAD*

The bike is a completely standard (at the moment) GIANT Boulder (yes with knobbly tyres) and as I said, I am 16, and I until I started cycling (about a month ago) I didn't really get any excersise.

So, Is 15.5 over 10 miles any good on a MTB? And what sort of average can i realistically but challengingly aim for?

Cheers, and btw I do cycle further than that, its just a short ride I can do frequently to fit in with A-Level studies

Toby


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## MadoneRider1991 (8 May 2009)

15.5 is very good on a MTB B)

i tend to average 22 - 23 mainly on 10mile TT's


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## Flyingfox (8 May 2009)

That's a pretty good average, I very rarely get over a 13.5 mph on my 9 mile commute. It's flat but has loads of traffic and lights, so it's difficult to set a steady pace. My fastest speed was 23.7 mph yesterday (was slightly downhill though).


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## palinurus (8 May 2009)

Get those knobblies off and you'll be averaging 20.

Realistic, but challenging? Some riders can average 30 mph over 10 miles but they'll be riding top quality time trial machines and doing specific training for that. There was a guy who turned up at my local time trial on an MTB (he used the event for extra training) and he could average 22-23 mph however the course doesn't have much in the way of hills.

It's a good idea to repeat the same ride to track improvement, I have an 8 mile loop of quiet roads with all left turns and no lights or roundabouts which I use.

Here's a target for you: 18 mph.

Ride that course twice a week and I reckon you'll be there in a couple months. It helps if your course doesn't have any lights or tricky junctions or right turns.


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## palinurus (8 May 2009)

And 15.5 miles/ hour is pretty good going for an MTB on a hilly course I reckon, especially if you've only been at it a month.


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## 3-IN-One (8 May 2009)

I,ve never done a 10m route but when I do a 50m on a steep ride on a Mountain bike my average is 13.5 mph,If thats any good????


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## nigelnorris (8 May 2009)

I nearly asploded with pride yesterday when I did my 4 mile each way commute on a steel hybrid in 15 mins both ways. 16 mph WOOHOO.

But then I'm 45 years old and fat so you young uns should be bettering that I reckon.


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## Wigsie (8 May 2009)

I am not exactly the fittest person on a bike yet (can swim for miles) and can average 18-20mph (road bike) on a 14mile loop I do at lunch with 1 rather steep hill and a couple of long climbs.

I reckon if you stick some slicks on you should be able to average 18 pretty easily! 

good luck


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## willhub (13 May 2009)

On a MTB when I last used one I could average about 16mph over 15 or so miles, was pushing it though, far cry away from today where I can achieve up to 50miles at 20mph.

My PB which I doubt I'll beat for a Long time was 146 miles at 18.6 mph average.


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## peanut (13 May 2009)

that sounds like a pretty good average speed given the type of bike and tyres and your age and fitnness levels.
I do a hilly 6 mile loop every week and keep a record on a graph like you. My best average on a road bike is only 13.8mph but it is hills for half the route

If you can get some road wheels or at least some road tyres you'll notice a tremendous difference in speed and your average will shoot up .

Don't worry about doing short rides it is the intensity and effort you put into the rides that really count fitness -wise.
The latest training theory is to half the miles and increase the effort with hills and sprint training.


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## Joe24 (13 May 2009)

Thats a good average for a MTB, i reckon an average in the 16/low17 would be a good one to aim for.
If i was just doing 10miles on my fixed(road bike) id aim for an average somewhere in the 20s, when i did the evening 10s on this id do it in 25:53(my PB for that bike)
On my TT bike(also fixed) my PB so far(only used it 2 times) is 24:55 on a windy day, so its an average of low 24mphs. That should be high23/low 24mins on a good day though. And there are some short-ish sharp inclines in that and courners you have to slow right down on.
Stick some slick road tyres on and you will average a high 17mph easy i think.

Oh, and im only 17, and ive been cycling since i was 15, or 16. One of them


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## peanut (13 May 2009)

comon guys this is turning into a pissing contest of PB's


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## Joe24 (13 May 2009)

I used to go out regulary and do 30miles in 1:29, and sometimes 1:28, and thats with hills in.
Sorry no more pissing contests

Talking about pissing though, have you ever just been going along and had the urge to pee. Then you get off and pee(chose a spot with a nice view) and be peeing there for ages taking in the view?


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## Toby_2009 (14 May 2009)

Hi guys, thanks for the replys, Did the 10 mile Time Trial again yesterday (same route) and had an average of 17.0 MPH, so Iv gone up by 1.5MPH!

Pretty pleased, I realise that I wont increase at that rate the whole time but its still nice!

Also, I did a 30 mile on sunday and my average was 15.5 which is the same as my first ride of my time trial, even though I was pushing on my time trial and taking it easy on the 30 miler. Oh well, strange stuff eh


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## willhub (14 May 2009)

I find hills don't massively decrease the averages unless they are miles long with a lasting headwind, as what goes up must come down.


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## jimboalee (14 May 2009)

What you need to do is find a longish stretch of flat road. Devise a ten mile circuit which ends at the far end of the long flat road.
Ride the circuit and then cruise the long flat road, noting your riding speed. Then turn round and ride along the other direction, also noting your riding speed. Take an average.

What you have just done is 'parallel passes', in a similar method to the 'land speed record' procedure.

Every now and again, do this and you might notice your speed increasing.

Then after some months, devise a twenty five mile circuit to ride before the 'Parallel passes'. 

This is a routine that can be done in conjunction with the repeated hill climb procedure I described on another thread.


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## jimboalee (14 May 2009)

Toby_2009 said:


> Hi guys, thanks for the replys, Did the 10 mile Time Trial again yesterday (same route) and had an average of 17.0 MPH, so Iv gone up by 1.5MPH!
> 
> Pretty pleased, I realise that I wont increase at that rate the whole time but its still nice!
> 
> Also, I did a 30 mile on sunday and my average was 15.5 which is the same as my first ride of my time trial, even though I was pushing on my time trial and taking it easy on the 30 miler. Oh well, strange stuff eh



Before a ten mile TT, you should ride ten miles at a moderate/fast pace aiming to get to the start five or so minutes before your 'Off' time.

Ideally, you should get your spare bike on the rollers for 45 minutes to warm-up before the TT. You never know if you will P* on the road warm-up.


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## peanut (14 May 2009)

Joe24 said:


> I used to go out regulary and do 30miles in 1:29, and sometimes 1:28, and thats with hills in.
> Sorry no more pissing contests
> 
> Talking about pissing though, have you ever just been going along and had the urge to pee. Then you get off and pee(chose a spot with a nice view) and be peeing there for ages taking in the view?



yep and a car pulled up and two ladies and a dog got out and started to walk into the wood  had to make out I was stretching my legs  I don't think they noticed


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## Randochap (14 May 2009)

The first thing you need to do is not believe half ... make that 9/10ths of what you read on internet bike forums -- especially when it comes to "average speeds."

Average speed doesn't mean much. The thing is how well are you doing for a given terrain and the conditions. Some will tell you it's only watts that count.

I'd say, just go out and enjoy your bicycle at this point.

If you want to improve the "ride" of your present bike, the cheapest upgrade is to get rid of the knobbies and put some slicks on it.

Have look around VeloWeb for some other tips and inspiration.

Cheers,
Rando


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## colinr (14 May 2009)

> On my TT bike(also fixed) my PB so far(only used it 2 times) is 24:55 on a windy day



I devised a 10 mile route and managed 33:53 today (fixed). It had a lot more hills in it than I realised when plotting it on google maps. I hope your route is quite flat, otherwise I feel really unfit.

However, a few years ago I couldn't get up one of the hills on my route, and I was using gears then, so I claim a personal victory


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## peanut (14 May 2009)

colinr said:


> I devised a 10 mile route and managed 33:53 today (fixed). It had a lot more hills in it than I realised when plotting it on google maps. I hope your route is quite flat, otherwise I feel really unfit.
> 
> However, a few years ago I couldn't get up one of the hills on my route, and I was using gears then, so I claim a personal victory


well done colinr
I'm working out a 10 mile loop myself tonight . Can't wait to try it out. 30 mins is the best I used to do I'd be well happy with 33mins but it does have a few corners and hills


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## Al Fowler (15 May 2009)

Im going to have to try a 10 mile loop myself once my hybrid comes back from the menders.....the derailleur decided to rip itself off the bike when it somehow hit my spokes.....


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## jimboalee (15 May 2009)

Randochap said:


> The first thing you need to do is not believe half ... make that 9/10ths of what you read on internet bike forums -- especially when it comes to "average speeds."
> 
> Average speed doesn't mean much. The thing is how well are you doing for a given terrain and the conditions. Some will tell you it's only watts that count.
> 
> ...



This year's aim for me is to gain AUK's Brevet 2000. My choice is to do it by way of 20 x 100km rides.

My strategy is to ride most of them as DIYs, choosing towns ~50km away, ride and return.

I check the weather to ascertain the wind direction. I ride out AGAINST the wind, and home wind assisted.

The outward is a bit tough, but the homeward ride is absolute bliss. THAT is what it's all about - enjoyment.


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## peanut (15 May 2009)

Al Fowler said:


> Im going to have to try a 10 mile loop myself once my hybrid comes back from the menders.....the derailleur decided to rip itself off the bike when it somehow hit my spokes.....



ouch  hope its back soon


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## Candaules (15 May 2009)

I fell rather inadequate. My average speed for any kind of ride is 15 kilometers per hour.


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## Joe24 (15 May 2009)

Al Fowler said:


> Im going to have to try a 10 mile loop myself once my hybrid comes back from the menders.....the derailleur decided to rip itself off the bike when it somehow hit my spokes.....



Do you know what you need?

Can anyone gues what im about to say?


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## Randochap (15 May 2009)

Joe24 said:


> Do you know what you need?
> 
> Can anyone gues what im about to say?



A Phillips screwdriver?


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## Joe24 (15 May 2009)

Randochap said:


> A Phillips screwdriver?



No, but close


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## MacB (15 May 2009)

Joe24 said:


> Do you know what you need?



the ability to ignore immature teenagers who, having found their current latest and greatest, want to convert the world to their way of thinking. They know it's right and can't believe the stupidity of others in not seeing the obvious. You could almost describe them as 'fixed' in their viewpoint.

just a guess there


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## Joe24 (15 May 2009)

MacBludgeon said:


> the ability to ignore immature teenagers who, having found their current latest and greatest, want to convert the world to their way of thinking. They know it's right and can't believe the stupidity of others in not seeing the obvious. You could almost describe them as 'fixed' in their viewpoint.
> 
> just a guess there



Errrrrm, no
Just because you advocated violence and i went against it, theres no need to be stroppy now is there?
You forgot the capital T at the start of your post aswell. I mean come on!! At least put _some_ effort in.


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## MacB (15 May 2009)

Joe24 said:


> Errrrrm, no
> Just because you advocated violence and i went against it, theres no need to be stroppy now is there?
> You forgot the capital T at the start of your post aswell. I mean come on!! At least put _some_ effort in.



don't they do reading and comprehension at school anymore?


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## Joe24 (15 May 2009)

MacBludgeon said:


> don't they do reading and comprehension at school anymore?



Yes.
You wanted to smack someone for riding in a way you didnt like
I dont like the way you type, it causes me offence and might damage my brain, what can i do?


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## MacB (15 May 2009)

Joe24 said:


> Yes.
> You wanted to smack someone for riding in a way you didnt like
> I dont like the way you type, it causes me offence and might damage my brain, what can i do?



Joe, the place to argue about whether I advocated violence or not is in the thread I posted that, not here. Suggest you go and read what I typed and then post in that thread exactly where I did so. I'll happily go over it again but I'm not getting into a running point across multiple threads, it's messy.

Back on this thread, was I wrong, were you not going to beat the fixie drum again?

someone has mechanical issue with gears - Joe posts get a fixie
someone has a sore bumb, hands, neck - a recumbent rider posts get a bent

Do you see the similarity?


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## Joe24 (15 May 2009)

MacBludgeon said:


> Joe, the place to argue about whether I advocated violence or not is in the thread I posted that, not here. Suggest you go and read what I typed and then post in that thread exactly where I did so. I'll happily go over it again but I'm not getting into a running point across multiple threads, it's messy.
> 
> Back on this thread, was I wrong, were you not going to beat the fixie drum again?
> 
> ...



Yes
However, i was going to say hub gears Its not the gears he has problems with, its the mech.
Or, are you abit up tight because you wont ride fixed and cant ride a bent?


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## MacB (15 May 2009)

Joe24 said:


> Yes
> However, i was going to say hub gears Its not the gears he has problems with, its the mech.
> Or, are you abit up tight because you wont ride fixed and cant ride a bent?



amazingly even an internet conversation with you can't get me uptight. Though it can, and does, cause me to re-read my posts to try and see how you've managed such a gross misinterpretation, of what I've typed, yet again.

Think more along the lines of subtlety, for example, you had no need to put the winky smiley after 'hub gears'.


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## Joe24 (15 May 2009)

MacBludgeon said:


> amazingly even an internet conversation with you can't get me uptight. Though it can, and does, cause me to re-read my posts to try and see how you've managed such a gross misinterpretation, of what I've typed, yet again.
> 
> Think more along the lines of subtlety, for example, you had no need to put the winky smiley after 'hub gears'.



Sorry
Wooops, can i not put one there
I do appologise
Im off now, toodles, dont get too stressed now will you


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## colinr (15 May 2009)

> I fell rather inadequate. My average speed for any kind of ride is 15 kilometers per hour.



If it's any consolation, my legs are stiff as heck today after that ride. Unless you're planning on racing, just compete against yourself.


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## Al Fowler (15 May 2009)

Joe24 said:


> Do you know what you need?
> 
> Can anyone gues what im about to say?



Come on then....what do i need..?

The ability to fix a bike?


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## Al Fowler (15 May 2009)

peanut said:


> ouch  hope its back soon



The guy who owns the shop is pretty rapid at getting everything fixed, ive had to take it in three times to be mended....(variety of reason) and ive had it back within a day or two.

He hasnt got a part for something or other so its going to take longer, but hey ho.


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## Randochap (15 May 2009)

Joe24 said:


> You forgot the capital T at the start of your post aswell. I mean come on!! At least put _some_ effort in.



Pot. Kettle. Black.


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## Al Fowler (29 May 2009)

Just wondered how your doing with your 10MPH toby?


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## Toby_2009 (29 May 2009)

Al Fowler said:


> Just wondered how your doing with your 10MPH toby?



Hi,

Haven't rode the 10-mile TT many times but last time I did I was up to 17MPH average and that was a couple of weeks ago but thanks for reminding me, I might to that tomorrow!

Cheers,

Toby


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## montage (29 May 2009)

I used to average 20mph (this required alot of effort) on my 8mile commute on knobblies..... I should be alot faster on my road bike for TTs....but I haven't had a TT that hasn't gone wrong yet, and had a few injuries that keep knocking me back ....grrrr

17mph is good on a mtb  keep it up


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## Al Fowler (29 May 2009)

Toby_2009 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Haven't rode the 10-mile TT many times but last time I did I was up to 17MPH average and that was a couple of weeks ago but thanks for reminding me, I might to that tomorrow!
> 
> ...



I get my bike back from the menders after what seems like months tomorrow....may have a bash at a 10 mile route.....see if i can kill myself in this heat


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## Ben M (30 May 2009)

nigelnorris said:


> I nearly asploded


Sorry, what?


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## just4fun (31 May 2009)

To the OP: IMO you should be really pleased with your Av speed, i know i would be


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## Toby_2009 (31 May 2009)

just4fun said:


> To the OP: IMO you should be really pleased with your Av speed, i know i would be



cheers mate


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