Road Bike Speed
- Thread starter Hacienda71
- Start date
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Downward
Guru
- Location
- West Midlands
jimboalee said:
Anyone can do 20mph easily on a bike but most of us have to stop.
Downward said:
Claps his hands a few times.
What is the Mumbo jumbo telling you?
When you ride a bike round a track, as I did a lot in the seventies and eighties at the Birmingham track under Spag' Junc, you get to know how fast you can ride.
But, out on the open road ( which means 'open to all users'), there are all sorts of obstacles against a rider's progression.
The Mumbo jumbo on this occassion was a little experiment to formulate a departure time for my commute from Castle Bromwich to Hockley Jewellery Quarter, taking into consideration junctions and contours where I might have to stop or slow down.
It worked to a fashion, not being more than 3% adrift. Some juncs I didn't need to stop and some I did, but it all averaged out in the end...
Departure time was set at the 'worst case scenario', so any juncs I rode through without slowing were a bonus.
The same methodology worked fine when I rode from MIRA to Coventry rail station in the nineties. 3 minutes wait for the train was long enough..
amongst those Sky blue morons.Nowadays, I have a more sophisticated method, because I'm not going to count all the junctions and contours on a 200 km Audax route.
I've recently moved from a fairly flat area to a very hilly area. Before the move I could average up to 19 mph over 20 miles, and 22 mph in a time trial- which i think is 'OK', although not outstanding. Now after the move, I'm averaging about 15 mph, cos there lots of hilly roads. Shows you how the environment effects speeds. But I do think the hilly roads gives good interval training in which to build performance.
Bill Gates
Guest
- Location
- West Sussex
jwd80 said:
Exactly.
If I go out for a recovery ride I'm in a low gear and spinning on flatish roads for about 45 minutes @ 65% MHR and average 17.5 mph.
I go out for a hilly training ride for +2 hours @ 75/80% on the flat and pushing up to 95% on some of the hills and average 17.5/18.0 mph.
Average speeds mean diddly squat.
jasonmccullum
Über Member
i ride a 35 mile route in just over 2 hours 15. this works out just over 15 mph.
I would take what people say with a pinch of salt as each person works there time out differently.
an example of this is my cycle computer only runs when i am moving, if i stop at traffic lights the timer pauses. so might be out for longer that 2 hours but computer only records when i am actually moving.
Work out your how you want to record your own time and just try and beat it. thats what i do
I would take what people say with a pinch of salt as each person works there time out differently.
an example of this is my cycle computer only runs when i am moving, if i stop at traffic lights the timer pauses. so might be out for longer that 2 hours but computer only records when i am actually moving.
Work out your how you want to record your own time and just try and beat it. thats what i do
Banjo
Fuelled with Jelly Babies
- Location
- South Wales
In rolling countryside with not too many stops at junctions etc I do about 15 to 16 mph average on the road bike but have to say I get passed by bikes more often than I pass another bike :-)
a_n_t
Senior Member
- Location
- Manchester
Garz said:
Which is why the good old club 10 is a great fitness indicator. You do the same course every week with pretty much the same people. Sure the conditions will change but if its windy and you have a stinker just check out how someone who is usually close to you went. Much better than using the average speed on a commute, too many variables imho.
and btw http://www.manchesterwheelers.co.uk/news/20/detail.htm
