Crusing speed
- Thread starter rugbyluke
- Start date
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Piemaster
Guru
- Location
- UK City of Culture
I'm afraid not.
18mph and 'plodding along' cruising is far too quick. Please slow down so the likes of myself have a chance of keeping up.
18mph and 'plodding along' cruising is far too quick. Please slow down so the likes of myself have a chance of keeping up.
Cruising speed doesn't mean much. Tailwind? Incline? Better to measure your average speed over a decent length circular route to see how your doing (e.g. 10+ miles finishing where you started). If you're a beginner and averaging 18mph your doing pretty well. I'd guess a beginner's average speed would be more like 11-15mph. Pros doing time trials can average around 30mph, maybe 23-24mph in a stage race. Good club riders on a longish group run would maybe average around 18mph.
the_mikey
Legendary Member
- Location
- South Gloucestershire
Bike Calculator
Bike calculator can be used to predict somewhat what sort of performance you will get under different conditions, assuming you're using a power output that you can realistically sustain for the duration of the ride.
Also you can tweak things like bike weight, rider weight, power output and see quite how much or little difference it will make.
Bike calculator can be used to predict somewhat what sort of performance you will get under different conditions, assuming you're using a power output that you can realistically sustain for the duration of the ride.
Also you can tweak things like bike weight, rider weight, power output and see quite how much or little difference it will make.
asterix
Comrade Member
- Location
- Limoges or York
When I used a cycle computer my avg speed over 3000km was 17 mph. So you beat me!
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Its hard to say there are too many variables, terain, weather etc and also the length of the ride. You are better to consider an all round average speed which balances some of those thing out making it easier to compare.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
I know what you mean by cruising speed, typical comfortable on the flat pace. Mine's around the same. I think it's pretty reasonable.
The bike doesn''t make too much difference once it's rolling on the flat, weight shows itself when accelerating and decelerating or going up and down hills. What will affect 'cruising speed' is Aerodynamics (mostly the rider) and amongst most bikes sub £1000 there's probably not much difference aero-wise. Aero section wheels are a benefit though as are good tyres that roll slightly better compared to budget items.
The bike doesn''t make too much difference once it's rolling on the flat, weight shows itself when accelerating and decelerating or going up and down hills. What will affect 'cruising speed' is Aerodynamics (mostly the rider) and amongst most bikes sub £1000 there's probably not much difference aero-wise. Aero section wheels are a benefit though as are good tyres that roll slightly better compared to budget items.
Moodyman
Legendary Member
Agree, but I find the biggest difference comes from the road surface.
I can cruise 22-23 mph on the smoothest road and yet struggle to maintain 16-17mph one a broken surface.
numbnuts
Squire
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
bloody hell I would have to be in the car to keep up with you
gaz
Cycle Camera TV
- Location
- South Croydon
My cruising is between 18 and 22mph.
But my average speed is dictated by the traffic lights
But my average speed is dictated by the traffic lights
GrasB
Veteran
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
As said there's so many variables it's hard to get a handle on these things. The only real way to judge your 'pace' isn't a speedo, it's some form of power measurement unfortunately at this time it's an expensive item to buy. PM cranks cost upwards of 4.5x the price of your bike & a power tap hub alone will cost over twice the price of your bike!.
On nice rolling asphalt (such as you find on roads that you really don't want to ride on unless you have to) you'll find that you can go much faster than on a really lumpy unclassified road that's falling to bits. So given the average state of the roads around me I cruise at 19-23mph on the flat in low wind conditions, the actual speed depend on the length of ride, this will result in a ride averaging somewhere between 17 & 20mph in pancake to slightly hilly landscapes. At the higher end of that effort level scale I'll drop most roadies fairly quickly, eg they hold on for about 10-15min before slowly dropping off my rear wheel & some will take the lead for a period. So I'd say that 18mph is a decent cruising speed, on a road bike many people can get up to that kind of pace but you'll find a lot of them can't hold that for more than 20min or so.
On nice rolling asphalt (such as you find on roads that you really don't want to ride on unless you have to) you'll find that you can go much faster than on a really lumpy unclassified road that's falling to bits. So given the average state of the roads around me I cruise at 19-23mph on the flat in low wind conditions, the actual speed depend on the length of ride, this will result in a ride averaging somewhere between 17 & 20mph in pancake to slightly hilly landscapes. At the higher end of that effort level scale I'll drop most roadies fairly quickly, eg they hold on for about 10-15min before slowly dropping off my rear wheel & some will take the lead for a period. So I'd say that 18mph is a decent cruising speed, on a road bike many people can get up to that kind of pace but you'll find a lot of them can't hold that for more than 20min or so.
the_mikey
Legendary Member
- Location
- South Gloucestershire
Agree, nothing quite like a newly rolled stretch of smooth tarmac for speed and comfort!
mcshroom
Bionic Subsonic
- Location
- Egremont, Cumbria
What are these "smooth roads" and "flat roads" that you speak of? I'm not sure I've ever met either of them
