Can you really average 20MPH?

[gbb]

Can I average 20mph ?...no
There are so many variables for each person...
myself ?...cycling seriously for 5 or so years, now 50, slim build and relatively fit..and ride on my own.
2 years ago, i was REALLY trying to up my average on a road bike..pushing pushing for up to 45 miles...and i had to work REALLY hard to up it to 18 mph average (from 16 mph).
I was riding about 80 miles per week...


I reckon if you're young, put in some serious'ish mileage and really go for it...you should be able to average 20mph over 30 / 40 miles in a true loop...not one way....with some hard work.

But realistically...if you're 'a bit older' with limited years on a bike, doing limited mileage...it's much much harder to achieve these kinds of average speeds.

On the other point, Hybrid vs Road....my Trek hybrid would NEVER allow me to achieve the same averages as my roadbike.
The gearing is often completely different...48T hybrid chainwheel vs 50 or 52T road chainwheel, then the skinny tyres on a roadbike...no chance the average hybrid can stay with a roadbike.

Or perhaps i never achieved 20 mph average because i'm...well, crap

The irony is, as slow as i think i am (and i'm not that slow)....it's very very rare i get overtaken...so where are all these guys that go so fast ?

 

[bonj2]

on my current commute (28.8 miles) I did it today coming back from work to home in 1:19 so that is slightly over 20, but it is apparently very slightly downhill all the way, with one short sweet climb in the middle, and not many traffic lights apart from at the start. Slight (6mph) tailwind today aswell, but i was quite pleased to get under the 1:20 mark.
On a good day I'll get around 18mph on the way in, and i'll be pleased with that, sometimes drops to high 17s.
When i commute to sheffield it's more like low 17s as it's lots hillier (and the roads are a lot worse - come on derbyshire pull your finger out )

I don't agree. Average speeds you read on forums seem frequently inflated to me. 20mph average is definitively fast and only a very fit, trained cyclist (competent club cyclist or 4th/3rd cat racer) can really go faster.
Of course I talk about real average speed, i.e. measured on a circular route of more than a few miles, with a properly calibrated computer. It's easy to do 23mph average on a 5 miles route with a tailwind
Soltydog, 22.5mph average is a very respectable 10 miles time trial speed, if the figure is accurate and on a 16 miles loop, you should definitively give your local TT/races a try!

I think people don't so much lie, but they do record themselves having achieved a good average over a short distance, and then repeat this conclusion in the context of a different discussion which may be about longer distances.

 

[bonj2]

What is the speed difference though for a hybrid? Some people seem to say a gigantic 2 or 3mph and some others seem to think it so small as to not be worth mentioning?

The other thing is I reckon a two or three thousand feet worth of climbs has got to be worth a fair bit in speed.

it mainly depends on the tyres. Also the fact that on a road bike you're lower so more out of the wind. I know i do go faster when i use my drops, enough to go about 1 or even 2 gears higher up.

I think difference between a hybrid and a road bike is a lot less on the uphills - as the rolling resistance isn't as much due to the fact it's proportional to speed. On the flat or downhill though is where the road bike is going to pull away. The thing i love about my road bike is it doesn't take that steep a downhill to be batting along at nearly 30mph.

 

[wlc1]

I have a 18 mile ( or so - route dependant) commute to work. I averaged a few weeks ago ( last time I rode in) 22.3mph from Surrey to South London.

I just try hard and want to get to work shattered then I'm happy. Jelly legs and all.

The more you do it the faster you become, the quicker you recover and the more you enjoy it.

Get a road bike and watch the times tumble with time.

 

[dantheman]

over four months, my commute avg has gone from 12.5 - 15 mph, thats with a few hills, not pedalling down them, and not pushing that hard, when i push it hard its more like 17/18 mph avg, on a hybrid, commute is 7 miles each way, one traffic light, one busy (motorway junction) roundabout.

 

[wlc1]

Coming home is a different story though.

Average 14.1 - slightly uphill and I'm exhausted after a 12 hour shift.

Swings and roundabouts.

 

[Noeyedear]

I'm fairly new to cycling (I'm 50 years old) so I'm not sure what is fast and what is slow. I also live in Norfolk, although not totally flat I do have to look for the hills, some are steep but none are long and steep. My bike was a 20 year old MTB with semi off road tyres, according to my GPS over about 30+ miles I would average 13 - 13.5 mph mostly country roads. That bike is off the road now, so I have been using my Wife's Marin flat-bar machine, it's a bit small for me and I can only get the low and middle range of gears, it has touring road tyres. Sunday I did 37 miles at an average of 15.5, I'm sure I could be much quicker on average if my backside was not in agony after about 15 miles. So much so I'm thinking of a recumbent as my next bike. These are all averages according to my Garmin 60Csx. My MTB is a struggle to get to 25mph going downhill. If only I could just get this comfort thing sorted!!
I was thinking of the Jake the Snake as a good all round machine, I'm just not sure I can stand the pain of a saddle. I've tried a few now at great expense.

Kevin.

 

[4F]

Kevin, have you tried a specialised toupe ? I have tried a fair few over the years including a brooks B17 for 3000 miles which felt as uncomfortable on the last day as the first until I tried the toupe.

I have now used this on rides of up to 100 miles and have to say for me it has been a joy to sit on

 

[bonj2]

i've got a specialized toupe it's excellent.

 

[purplemoon]

Is it a big hairy one?










I'll get my coat!

 

[Angelfishsolo]

LMAO

So do big hairy ones do it for you then? ;-)

Is it a big hairy one?










I'll get my coat!

 

[Vitesse]

Average speeds depend a lot on traffic and road conditions. A few delays at roundabouts/junctions is all it takes to knock several mph off an average over shorter distances. I find it pretty amazing that anyone can manage over 20mph unless they have a clear road.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I guess it would be really wrong of me to ask what type of mathematical average you are talking about B) http://www.projectgcse.co.uk/maths/averages.htm

 

[Morgan]

I live in New Zealand - not many cars and not many traffic lights. When I first started commuting 30 miles a day on an MTB my average speed was around 12 mph. It didn't take long before I decided to buy a road bike and my average speed was soon up to around 18mph. Get a road bike and stop dragging that lump of iron to and from work every day.

 

[purplemoon]

LMAO

So do big hairy ones do it for you then? ;-)

Now THAT would be telling! B)