New to cycling. Average speeds? How long to improve?

[addictfreak]

I wouldnt get to hung up on averages, afterall who wants to be average!

 

[david k]

I disagree, if you're not competing then average speed is up there, it may or may not wear off, that's down to the individual. The only realisation that's bound to come is that the numbers only matter to yourself.

i dont want them to matter, but cannot help myself

 

[MacB]

i dont want them to matter, but cannot help myself

yep, and mine matter to me, nowt wrong with that, the only thing any of us should be aware of is that a little speed improvement isn't worth taking silly risks. I'm a noteably risk averse person but was shocked, when I started out, by things I started to do on my commute to shave seconds.

 

[stuwie]

18 mph avg is fantastic.

I have started biking 8 months my self after about 8 years of not being in the saddle and I can manage 17 - 18mph avg on my Cannondale CAAD8 and 14 - 15mph on my Cannondale BadBoy 26''. I put it down to my big muscular leg from playing front row in Rugby.

I have no help really but what help me was to spin my legs faster in a lower gear "Higher Cadence" I tend to aim for 80 - 90 rpm. I was finding it hard even with my massive leg that if I used High Gearing "50 - 60 rpm" my legs would start to get painfully and would take forever for them to recover thus slowing me down.

 

[HLaB]

The worst feature of bicycle computers is the bit that tells you your average speed. People become obsessed with it. If you want to get there quicker take the car, or you could just take your bicycle and enjoy the ride.

That's a bit of an oxymoron in some towns and cities for me average speed is nice thing to check later but I could see some folk becoming obsessed with them, your last point is most pertinent 'Enjoy the Ride'

 

[david k]

i suppose checking ave speeds every month with the same run is fine, but every trip would have the affect of being a competition. something i want to avoid
this is recreational not a sport

 

[Munchkin100]

18mph average??!! Flippin eck.... I've been riding for about a year (with a break through the winter....) and I still only average about 11-12mph.
Fair play.....

Hey this is what I like to hear, I dont feel too bad now. I have been back on bike after over a year off due to an injury (non biking), and averaging 11-12 too. Been out every weekend for last 6 weeks and my crowning glory today... I over took 4 cyclists which is an achievement its usually the other way round. Managed 41 miles.