Bike computers...

[Moodyman]

Am avoiding getting one as I think it'll become too serious and take me away from the enjoyment element of the commute.

BUT....can someone advise what calculations the computer uses to work out the average mph, i.e. does it stop computing when the bike is stationery?

My 12 mile commute takes me an hour dead-on - so 12 mph. But in that hour I lose quite a bit of time sitting at the lights.

Without appearing immodest, I'm a strongish rider, yet, I see a load of posts where people are averaging high mid-teens / early twenties.

 

[BentMikey]

It depends on the computer. Some can be set to be rolling average, and some overall average.

 

[chillyuk]

My 12 mile commute takes me an hour dead-on - so 12 mph. But in that hour I lose quite a bit of time sitting at the lights.

Without appearing immodest, I'm a strongish rider, yet, I see a load of posts where people are averaging high mid-teens / early twenties.

Please don't take this as criticism, but I am a fat 18 stone 60+ bloke, not all that fit, who rides a heavy old Ridgeback Adventure hybrid, with panniers carrying everything bar the kitchen sink, and I average 12 mile an hour over a 30 mile circuit. Most other cyclists pass me like I am standing still, so I can well appreciate they are pushing those higher speeds to which you refer.

In response to your question, my computer stops the clock a few seconds after I stop, and starts again a few second after I restart. I therefore get a cycling average not a journey average.

 

[shippers]

With a computer you can always look down and see how fast you're going when you're not stopped at the lights.
I also use endomondo- it's a download to your phone that plots your route using the satnav in your phone. You can then see where you're fast and slow and whatever. Bit sad but you know you want to try it!

 

[gaz]

My averages for my commute are 13.8mph if you look at it from journey time. i record everything as cycling time which makes me averages higher.

+ i'm no slow poke, but i have over 100 set of lights to go through on the way.

 

[GrasB]

Due to my commute times I have a real lack of traffic on my route to & from work, this leads to monumentally quick averages both rolling & door to door. Now if I was to say commute to get to work at 8:30pm & left at 5:00 my averages would go through the floor simply because I'd have to negotiate so much more traffic... okay looking at it leaving work at 4:30 knocks my door to door average speed down by 26% & my rolling by 18%, same route different conditions.

As for what to get, just get a nice cheap one & see how it goes.

 

[Bman]

My commutes average at about 13mph (and only 3.1 miles ). I rarely have to stop, except to give way at junctions or slow down for peds/joggers/dogs.

My garmin can be set to stop when I stop, or constantly record. I prefer to count the whole journey time, and edit/delete parts of the route as required.

If I'm not commuting, I push it harder and can average 17mph. I do wonder what averages I could set on a track

 

[Moodyman]

Thanks for all the responses. I think you've answered my question.

Cycle computers largely log the motional average not the journey average.

I now feel better doing a 12 mile journey in an hour. My cycling average will be higher than 12mph.

Chilli - I don't take it as criticism. You've answered my question well.

 

[Debian]

I have a cheapo computer from Maplin, about £12 I think and it can be set to tell me my overall average or my rolling average + my maximum speed, journey time, etc.

I was averaging 12+ mph when I used a rucksack on my 7 mile commute but since I switched to panniers that's gone up to nearly 15 mph overall average. I have very few, if any enforced stops along the route so it's just head down and slog it.

 

[Bromptonaut]

I use a Garmin E-Trex GPS rather than a computer counting wheel rotations. Whether biking, walking or even driving the difference between the moving and "overall" average is alarmingly large. An overall average of 12mph for an urban commute is pretty good going!

 

[Twanger]

I now feel better doing a 12 mile journey in an hour.

There are so many variables other than your strength and fitness - skill being one, setup of the bike, quality of the bike, type of the bike, wheels and tyres, road condition, traffic conditions, lights and junctions, hills, wind...

What the hell, 12 mph works for me, averaged over my 10 miles on a Sirrus hybrid. I stop at lights and don't take risks.

I can do it faster, but then I don't enjoy it so much and feel knackered when I get to work. It's not to do with age. I am 51 now, but I was doing 12 mph when I was 29, too.

 

[Coco]

I feel the same. When I started commuting I had a computer and my average was always on the low side. My longest stretch of track is only about 1/2 mile. I've got so many stopping points on my commute (and I do stop) that I never build up any real speed.
In order to fix this, I just got rid of the computer. Its now on my road bike and I just use my average for my commute speed for cyclogs etc.
I probably enjoy the commute more now that I'm not clock watching.

 

[J4CKO]

I go through phases of setting averages, a change to a road bike has renewed my interest to see how it compared to my all time PB of a 17.5 mph average on the hybrid on the return journey (going in is on average 1 mph slower) and did 16.8 mph so I am thinking that the road bike does give a speed advantage and feel I have enough to get nearer to the magic 20 mph average over the summer.

Its a 7 mile, mainly rural commute with some up and down, no traffic lights but a few bits where I have to slow for safety, crap road surfaces and one slow junction either way.

You can only really compare if you are doing the same journey as there are far fitter and faster cyclists than I that cant set similar averages just because their journey doesnt lend itself to it.

My neighbour reckoned his average never dropped below 20 mph, usually nearer 25, I think that he should remove the car journeys from his total

 

[hackbike 666]

I think my averag is 12mph if I am lucky....but I haven't got a problem with this....more of a problem with the millions of cyclists who overtake me.Been using cycle computers as long as I can remember.

I'd like to get one where you download the results to the PC.