What is a good top speed?

[voodoochilli]

OK, today I managed to get to 39.2 mph on my 2nd bike ride in 10 years. I'm thinking I'm going to take this up professionally and enter the tour de france later in the year...or... maybe my GPS didn't sync at the start of my ride:

http://app.strava.com/activities/46315392

But still, I have managed to reach 27.5 and 27.8 yesterday which I hope is near the speeds I'm getting while sprinting. I'd need a bike computer to know for sure. I'm just wondering, what kind of speed to people get on really good bikes with plenty of training? Obviously we aren't taking sustainable speeds, but I'd still be interested in people's real records.

 

[new-fish]

If it gives you that carefree feeling you had as a kid while hurtling down a hill, then any speed is a good speed

 

[voodoochilli]

Yeah true!

 

[voodoochilli]

When I go fast I'm thinking "F***!! What if the wheel falls off?! What am I doing? Get back to the office and check the server!"

 

[gavintc]

A good speed is one that is faster than your normal riding speed. It is all relative. If 27mph makes you happy - crack on. There is always someone significantly faster and significantly slower.

 

[Brommyboy]

Speed is not the real issue - that is sustainability! Can you sustain a sensible speed to complete your journey? It is no good going hell-for-leather and then dying before the destination is reached!

 

[mattobrien]

Without wanting to burst any bubbles, Strava top speeds can be wildly inaccurate. Not suggesting that you didn't hit 39mph, but I would expect a fairly big hill to be involved.

That said, I find Strava reasonably accurate as an overall average speed.

For top speed measurement, bike computer every time.

 

[numbnuts]

When you get to my age anything over 10 mph is fast

 

[Ozzrahog]

Speed is not the real issue - that is sustainability! Can you sustain a sensible speed to complete your journey? It is no good going hell-for-leather and then dying before the destination is reached!

What he said

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Without wanting to burst any bubbles, Strava top speeds can be wildly inaccurate. Not suggesting that you didn't hit 39mph, but I would expect a fairly big hill to be involved.

That said, I find Strava reasonably accurate as an overall average speed.

For top speed measurement, bike computer every time.

Darn it, so the 50mph it said I did is wrong.

 

[voodoochilli]

Without wanting to burst any bubbles, Strava top speeds can be wildly inaccurate. Not suggesting that you didn't hit 39mph, but I would expect a fairly big hill to be involved.

That said, I find Strava reasonably accurate as an overall average speed.

For top speed measurement, bike computer every time.

Yeah this is what I said. There is no way I went 39, and looking at the chart, it's way off at the start as it's obviously trying to find the gps. Even so, gps is only accurate to a few meters so, yeah it's not that accurate. Still I think I might have got near 30 at a couple of points. I also agree about the cycle computer (think I mentioned this too in my post).

Just a bit of fun really, and wondered if anyone has a personal top speed they achieved and what kind of figure we are looking at. Is it possible to get 40mph for example?

 

[Sittingduck]

I reckon GPS is accurate, personally. It is only dodgy if you're using a mobile phone with flakey signal. If you're using a Garmin without a speed sensor, it's still pretty good.

40mph++ is perfectly possible providing you have a hill to go down and some confidence.
ideally you want a long straight downhill with good line of sight, nice smooth tarmac, a slight tailwind and no cars in sight.

Edit to add that I would suggest you get used to cycling before worrying too much about top speeds or certain downhill targets. Wouldn't want it to end in disaster...

 

[mattobrien]

My current top speed is 40.9mph, although I know folk on here have achieved 50mph+

Living in suffolk our hills don't really lend themselves to particularly fast descents.

 

[G3CWI]

What is a good top speed?


...slightly less than "escape velocity".

 

[simon.r]

Just a bit of fun really, and wondered if anyone has a personal top speed they achieved and what kind of figure we are looking at. Is it possible to get 40mph for example?

60mph+ is possible:



Personally, on the odd occasion I've got to 40mph my brain tells my fingers to pull on the brake levers!