what's your average speed?

[outnabike]

This has made me more aware of average speed and is interesting. I keep a record of distances, so I will start to take note of average speeds as well.

[DavidS]

I try and average over 22KMh each day. I ride a flat bar and carry a large heavy bag of clothes in a basket (actually it is the book which really adds weight). This year my average will be about 22.2KMh. The average is a lot higher before I hit town where I get stopped at a lot of lights and stop at a bakery on the way in. I figure this is reasonable and tend to be about in the middle compared to the other riders around me.

The wind is the real killer for me. In spring and summer the wind is generally SW on the way home and really kills my speed. It has been damned windy this year too.

DS

[warthog1]

Self-deprecation is a part of Auzzie tradition. Better to take myself down before someone else does.

Good to see it is not entirely lost in the generation of Facebook, Youtube and Strava.

[Nobody]

I'm impressed that this thread didn't degenerate into a pissing contest

Agree. We have Strava for those who want to do that.

[warthog1]

I'm impressed that this thread didn't degenerate into a pissing contest

Agree. We have Strava for those who want to do that.

You are a nasty, nasty man with bung knees where is your Christmas spirit you cynical old bugger

[trailgumby]

27.6 average on my 60km ride today.

[Nobody]

You are a nasty, nasty man with bung knees where is your Christmas spirit you cynical old bugger

I don't have a Christmas spirit, or a boxing day one either.

I've also noticed you don't have a Strava sig anymore. Getting modest and/or conservative in your middle age huh?

[Cossie Phil]

I find average speed is a good measure of your power level, and over longer distances it is a good measure of your cardio state.

For me so far as a recreational rider looking to step up into competition one day, I like to push myself pretty much every time I get on the bike.

The best comparison of how average speed would be relevant for my riding is probably an M7 ride...80km. June 2012 my avg speed for that ride was around 20kph. Other than time off for 2 broken arms March 2012 and March 2013, I have ridden approx 250km per week since...now my average for that ride if I TT it is around 34kph.

A cruise over that same distance would now be approx 25kph.

Some other current numbers after that same period riding, though I don't have a base to compare too...

20km TT on freeway shoulder with slight 'favourable conditions' being truck drafts and a slight tailwind now is around 46kph.(this is my favourite type of riding)

Bunch training over 5 laps of a 5km circuit currently averages 40-41kph.

All this is probably only relevant if you like to ride fast...you could probably go from beginner(for me zero fitness and 20kg over weight) to these speeds in 12 months if you aim for 300km per week and push yourself each time you ride. Depends on what riding is about for you I guess:)

[g-boaf]

If I push myself, I can get a 30.5km/h average speed on my normal 60km rides.

If more of the ride was on the M7 and less on dangerous stop-start areas strewn with debris and glass (it's like a damn slalom course at times dodging it), I think I'd probably be doing around 32-33km/h average. I enjoy the long segments as well.

When I take it easy the average is usually around 25-26km/h, or if I'm doing it really easy it's around 24km/h average.

I'm only a recreational rider just doing this for fun. I've got no intention of doing any kind of racing.

Phil: You were 20kg overweight and zero fitness??? Cripes - you look like a TDF pro-cyclist these days. You are getting amazingly quick these days.

[warthog1]

You are a nasty, nasty man with bung knees where is your Christmas spirit you cynical old bugger

I don't have a Christmas spirit, or a boxing day one either.

I've also noticed you don't have a Strava sig anymore. Getting modest and/or conservative in your middle age huh?

No just embarrassed by my mediocrity, is that conservatism

[ACT SC600]

this year for the 8500ks I have averaged 29.5kph (pretty stoked being my first full year on the bike)

[Nobody]

No just embarrassed by my mediocrity, is that conservatism

Nothing wrong with mediocrity, it's the relative normal. Unless there is a problem with being normal (sometimes I wonder about that on here). Also as much as we'd like to forget our ages, there's no point in comparing ourselves with younger riders.

Is it conservatism? According to meaning No. 3, I'd say yes.

[warthog1]

No just embarrassed by my mediocrity, is that conservatism

Nothing wrong with mediocrity, it's the relative normal. Unless there is a problem with being normal (sometimes I wonder about that on here). Also as much as we'd like to forget our ages, there's no point in comparing ourselves with younger riders.

Is it conservatism? According to meaning No. 3, I'd say yes.

Well I was trying to live a few more years in denial of advancing age.
I guess not

[g-boaf]

I just noticed something near the end of my morning breakfast ride when I did another tag-on 24km on my local bike track.

Ages back when I started, sitting on 34km/h average speed was impossible for me on there. 30km/h average was hard, and my heart rate would be enormous (170+) to achieve that.

Today I was going backwards and forwards sitting on speeds around 33km/h or so with a heart rate sitting on about 140-145bpm! I couldn't believe it.

Now I know what the deal is with doing lots of kilometres.

[nezumi]

Today I showed a friend the commute I take, as he starts further along the direction I travel but takes longer. We also had my gf with us on the ride.

As we were going easy we averaged 17km/h for the run, compared to my normal 26 odd.

[worzel]

I started commuting from near Joondalup to Perth (32km each way) two days per week at the end of November having hardly ridden a bike for 30 years. In that time I have increased my average moving speed from about 20 to 25kph (and rode about 1000km / lost 7kg) depending on wind direction/speed. According to Map My Ride I have some 5km segments around the 30kph mark midway but it is the Joondalup end of the route which hurts my average. I have a 2km climb to the freeway PSP in the morning which I treat gently as a warm up and there is a series of long climbs from Whitfords to Moore Drive on the way back gaining something like 40m altitude.

I am really happy with those speeds on my commuter bike for a fat bloke of 44. The main improvement I have noticed is on the short-medium hills where I used to labour up in lowest gear after about 20m and now I attack all but the worst. It’s just that stretch home around Ocean Reef which keeps getting steeper when I have already done about 25km on a hot day that hurts so bad.

I am already thinking of trading up for a race bike in search of reducing my commute time (75-80 minutes + stoppages) and maybe joining a club if I can get near 30kph. But losing another 5kg is probably the first thing to work on.

[Calvin27]

That's some high numbers. I ride after work beach road (about 7-8pm) and can't seem to get the numbers maxing -getting around 28. That's with barely any traffic!

It's the lights that kill me. I never know if it more efficient (Strava wise anyways haha) to coast and hope to turn green of hammer and come to a complete stop since strava calculates average based on moving time.

[ratter]

last year I did 5908 klms with an avg speed of 28.3, but there was some hill repeat work in that

This year so far I've done 452 klms with an avg of 27.5 but have done a few hill repeat sessions
yesterday I did a 101 klm ride and avg 30.0 kmh with heaps of traffic light stops and caught in traffic at St Kilda

[lobstermash]

To maximise your Strava average, hammer up to every stop point and brake as suddenly as you dare... But in the real world, that be crazy talk.

[singlespeedscott]

My commute length varies between 25.5km and 32.5km depending on the route I take.

I usually average around 30 kmhr, but it depends on which bike I use.

The slowest average would be the fixed gear. Next would be my mudguard equipped audax bike and the fastest would be my old GEFSCO with 10 speed Campagnolo.

However my fastest ever commute, with an average of 36kmhr, was set on the fixie trying to beat a thunder storm home

[visrealm]

Usually 26-27km/h on my 18Kg commuting rig. 17.5km each way. ~600m descent into work and ~600m climb back. (Crafers to Adelaide CBD)

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

[mitchy_]

have only just started using strava this week... averaging ~26km/h (with a peak of ~48km/h) on my 16km route with 100m climbing on my single speed.
once the carbon bike is back together i'll see how it goes.

[kb]

To maximise your Strava average, hammer up to every stop point and brake as suddenly as you dare... But in the real world, that be crazy talk.

I never realised there was Strava for motorists...

28 in 24 out for me but if I add an extra 40km by including Beach Rd it goes up to 30 .

[hiflange]

While I ride a variety of bikes in a variety of conditions 27.1 km/h seems to be the figure that haunts the Ave Speed display on my Garmin

[rangersac]

My commute is ~30km each way with around 350m of climbing. On the flat bar commuter with usually one, but sometimes two panniers I average ~25-28kph depending on weather conditions. My best effort with a screaming tailwind was 32kph, and the worst riding into a gusting 80kph southerly was 19kph. I'm in the process of building up an old steel frame drop bar for commuting duties and it will be interesting to see if this speeds things up.