Average speed

[Rhythm Thief]

www.bikejournal.com

Crikey.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

sounds like it, yes.
consider the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5.
the mean is (1+2+3+4+5+5+5+5)/8 because there are 8 numbers, i.e. 30/8 = 3.75.
The mode is 5.0, becaue that number occurs 4 times, all the others occur only once.

... and, if I remember my maths GCSE, the median is, er, three as it's nearest the middle. Or something.

 

[Noodley]

Crikey.

I don't tend to use my bike for short trips, nor do I commute (I used to - 35 miles per day), or "any other" cycle thing. I ride audax. I record it. Up until 3 months ago (when I got injured) I rode about 50km per day, which is easy for recording. I was not exact.

 

[piedwagtail91]

with the touring club the averages are around 13mph.with the racing club that i go with once a week the average is about 17, though for part of that ride the speed is in the mid to high twenties with a rest on the way home,it's about a 68 mile ride.
when i'm out on my own i've no idea as i don't use hrm or computer as i felt they were turning every ride into a time trial and spoiling my enjoyment. the only rides i measure ,with a gps, are my century a month which have to be logged on this site, they're usually six and a half hours but i never log a speed, or log a time.

 

[killerdingo]

I am similar to you caz, I did mountain biking but bought a road bike just before christmas, my average speed on the first couple of rides was around 10mph.
now I am up to 15.2 mph on a 28 mile ride. I have kept to the same loop on the last 4 rides so I also check my average by the time it takes me to complete the ride, on average I shed about 15 minutes off the ride each time.
Like others have stated road riding it is totally addictive.

Terry

 

[byegad]

Median is the central value, for an even number of values add the two central values and divide by 2. So for bonj's data it would be 4+5 divided by 2 = 4.5

 

[arranandy]

Average speed depends on a lot of factors such as terrain, weather and rider performance. For instance today I did a fairly hilly 64 mile route with a average speed of 13.7mph. However in the past I have done the same route with an average speed of 16.8mph. The main factor affecting today's ride was the wind. At times I was down to 6mph cycling uphill into a headwind followed later by almost 35mph on the flat with a tailwind

 

[gbb]

Average speed depends on a lot of factors such as terrain, weather and rider performance. For instance today I did a fairly hilly 64 mile route with a average speed of 13.7mph. However in the past I have done the same route with an average speed of 16.8mph. The main factor affecting today's ride was the wind. At times I was down to 6mph cycling uphill into a headwind followed later by almost 35mph on the flat with a tailwind

This is where you realise your (actually my) limitations.
I'm moderately surprised to see some lower average speeds noted here. At near 50 with maybe 5 years 'serious' cycling behind me, my average is somewhere near 15 to 17 mph over a 35 mile loop. I cant seem to top it, and sometimes accept i'm a bit long in the tooth to up the average at all. In fact, i've chilled this last year and rarely get to 16mph average.

Like you andy, moderately strong headwind today that limited me to 10mph on the outrun....but i can only manage 23mph on the homerun. Crikey...35mph, i can only do that downhill....god i wish..

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

My average speed varies between 12 and 20 mph depending on the route, conditions and how I'm feeling.

 

[summerdays]

Out of interest how big is a hill - my killer one Muller Road goes from 50 ft at the bottom to 250 ft with a bump at 150ft which drops to 30 ft in the middle. It is 1.75 miles long and by the time I reach the top I am almost dead - usually going at 4 mph. It probably takes about 8 mins approximately. As a result of all this 4 mph stuff my average seems to be about 8 mph even though going down it I usually manage 20 (depending on how much traffic there is).

However I assume that to some of you riding in the Peak District or abroad, that is a mere bump? Is the way to improve, to just keep on doing it?

 

[gbb]

Out of interest how big is a hill - my killer one Muller Road goes from 50 ft at the bottom to 250 ft with a bump at 150ft which drops to 30 ft in the middle. It is 1.75 miles long and by the time I reach the top I am almost dead - usually going at 4 mph. It probably takes about 8 mins approximately. As a result of all this 4 mph stuff my average seems to be about 8 mph even though going down it I usually manage 20 (depending on how much traffic there is).

However I assume that to some of you riding in the Peak District or abroad, that is a mere bump? Is the way to improve, to just keep on doing it?

Undoubtedly

 

[gavintc]

There is a well known saying; hills never easier you just get faster at getting up them. The pain remains a constant, the thrill of moving 'more' quickly is the reward.

I took 6 weeks off the bike recently while I recovered from pleurisy. I was a little horrified at how slow I had become when I got back onto the bike, but am pleased that my average speed is creeping upward. In 2 weeks, my average has gone from 16 mph to 21 mph for the same 17 mile commute. Just press on and take confidence that it will get faster.

 

[fossyant]

I've got a quick 28 mile circuit that does 1000 feet on the edge of the peak - still hurts lots no matter how many times you do it, and as has been said, you just get quicker - knocked 10 minutes off the circuit between July and then in October..... !

 

[cannondale boy]

My average is 12-13mph going to work mainly because its going uphill...and coming back is quicker by an average of 15mph. It just depends on where you live. Best speed coming back from work on a hybrid is 19mph. So 13.5 is acceptable, and there is nothing wrong with that speed. Unless you have a headwind...which can be really annoying!