That cadence is far, far TOO SLOW! What are you trying to do to yourself? Build big muscles??
It just seems efficient. I can spin if I want to, but on the way to work is not one of those times.
Average commute speed…
- Thread starter CharlieB
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
It just seems efficient. I can spin if I want to, but on the way to work is not one of those times.
kevin_cambs_uk
Guru
- Location
- Near Cambridge
My best over my 17 mile commute (one way) was 20.49 mph
but its normally 17-18 over the total 34 miles
but its normally 17-18 over the total 34 miles
Iain p
Active Member
- Location
- Sunny Slaithwaite
For the whole commute, there and back i do 14mph average. Getting to work is a dam sight quicker than getting home
400bhp
Guru
That's kind of the way I look at it.
Get out of bed @ 6:30, cycle to work, shower and sat at my desk at 8.
vs
Get out of bed @6:40, drive to tram stop & get the tram. Usually at my desk at 8.
Variance of commute times by other means than bike is far higher.
Efficiency ratio (avg commute time / variance of commute time) much higher by bike.
i need to get fitter 
.
i can only manage a best of about 11mph for my 13miles to ( normally 10 coming home
). tbh i'd be happy with 'under an hour' for the time..
traffic does make it slower... noticably.
by car, it would be about 30mins , so 26mph... however some lunatics (planners) seem to have decided to reduce traffic flow along a dual carraigeway into manchester )a6 corridor into salford) , with the designated aim of moving the cars 'elsewhere',,, since the 'elsewhere' isnt upgraded OR even applicable to me in any way(ends up wrong side of town via regent road),,, i've not found a nice 'new route' yet (or anyone else) so its taking another 15mins... grr.
and it also messes up where i like to cycle,, not too bad on the morning, but on the evening it means 'fighting for road space' down a static two lane busy stretch(which i am NOT confident about ). they've even removed some of the bus lanes and the intention is to make it 'one lane + bus lane and some cycle lanes' ( i think)....
( by car, its 15min walk from car park to work, so it will be faster once i get up to speed
)
.i can only manage a best of about 11mph for my 13miles to ( normally 10 coming home
). tbh i'd be happy with 'under an hour' for the time..traffic does make it slower... noticably.
by car, it would be about 30mins , so 26mph... however some lunatics (planners) seem to have decided to reduce traffic flow along a dual carraigeway into manchester )a6 corridor into salford) , with the designated aim of moving the cars 'elsewhere',,, since the 'elsewhere' isnt upgraded OR even applicable to me in any way(ends up wrong side of town via regent road),,, i've not found a nice 'new route' yet (or anyone else) so its taking another 15mins... grr.
and it also messes up where i like to cycle,, not too bad on the morning, but on the evening it means 'fighting for road space' down a static two lane busy stretch(which i am NOT confident about ). they've even removed some of the bus lanes and the intention is to make it 'one lane + bus lane and some cycle lanes' ( i think)....
( by car, its 15min walk from car park to work, so it will be faster once i get up to speed
)
brokenbetty
Über Member
- Location
- London
5.5 miles
37 sets of traffic lights
30 minutes door to door
11 mph on a sit up and beg
37 sets of traffic lights
30 minutes door to door
11 mph on a sit up and beg
Browser
Guru
- Location
- Crowland, Lincolnshire, UK.
Current commute distance is 11.5 miles, along mostly rural roads with one short stretch of the A47. Normal time is between 38 and 44 minutes, with some summer wind-assisted times of 33-35 minutes. Average speeds anywhere between 16 and 20+ mph. In the car would be quicker but I'd still be a fat lardy git who was starting to wheeze with every breath!
Pompey Princess
Veteran
- Location
- Portsmouth
I am quite chuffed to read some of the average commute times cos I thought I was a fairly lame girly and actually it turns out that I'm not!! I cycle a Carrera Subway Ltd edition 2009 (girly short version) and don't have ultra skinny road tyres. I am usually laden down with 2 Ortlieb pannier bags full to the rafters with work stuff too so I feel quite smug about my commute time !!
Average is 12 -14 mph and I do just over 7 miles in 30-32 minutes. I have done it in 26mins before but this was a very wind assisted time!!
Average is 12 -14 mph and I do just over 7 miles in 30-32 minutes. I have done it in 26mins before but this was a very wind assisted time!!
Roadrunner78
Senior Member
- Location
- Scotland
I use cyclemeter GPS on my iPhone, it agrees with my computer. 16mph average most conditions, with blasts up to 27mph and the occasional 35mph. Slightly lower average when cycling into Scotland's headwinds.
Edit; and like this morning when I'm assisted by Scotland's tailwind I saw a steady 20mph+ all the way home .
Edit; and like this morning when I'm assisted by Scotland's tailwind I saw a steady 20mph+ all the way home
.
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
17-18mph .................. Chesham is surrounded by major hills on all sides so I doubt you'd be climbing them at anywhere near 12mph. White Lion Hill is pretty steep maybe climb at 8mph? And then cycling around the town to maintain your 18 mph average you must take some monumental risks. I don't believe you cycle anywhere near an averge of 17-18mph. Probably around the 12-14mph mark. What bike are you riding, Honda Fireblade ....... ?
I am in the flat Fens. When I rode everyday my average was about 19mph on a commuting hybrid bike with panniers. But to obtain this average of 19mph one has to ride much of the time at a speed of 24-25 mph to make up for the times when you are starting off or riding at speed considerably less than 19mph. If I rode around Chesham and environs I would expect my average to drop to about 14-15mph or even less. FYI I commuted 25-30 miles for many decades.
Hacienda71
Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
- Location
- Wilmslow, Cheshire
My commute is 17 miles there and back lots of climbing. If i can do it in less than an hour I am happy. Finding it harder to do that as the winter closes in. The unlit country roads for part of it even with good lights do restrict speed a bit. It probably takes 10 mins more than in the car but a damn site more enjoyable and saves me a gym subscription that would never be used.
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
Agreed but it's nice to see the times and speeds etc, my last commute was a 40 mile round trip, but very quiet, few junctions and only two sets of lights quite close together. Rolling and total time were usually within 30 seconds of each other, couldn't get to 10mph when I started doing it and 16.5mph was about as good as it got.
Point of this, unless traffic was exceptionally bad, I could never do it faster than in the car. Even if traffic was bad my car time would only have been the same as my best bike time.
Still no comparison, commuting by bike was vastly superior, though getting hooked on bikes made the anticipated financial benefits evaporate rather quickly.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
Yesterday we were in the car and set off from some shops, down A38 into towards the centre with a cyclist immediately in front of us - we were laughing at his badger stripe up his light brown trousers and thinking that mudguards were worth it. We overtook him. Several miles later we turned off the A38 and a cyclist filtered by ... with the same badger stripe and it wasn't even prime commuting time - 4pm ish. But I guess most other motorists won't have made that same link.
As for average speeds - due to junctions, lights, hills and the inadequate cyclist on top of the bike I doubt my average is in double figures.
5.5 miles
37 sets of traffic lights
30 minutes door to door
11 mph on a sit up and beg
What you need to do is fit a rear rack, fix on a couple of booms with a large padded buffer sticking out the back, with a sign saying "Gizza push".
