Picked up from another thread pootle or what( POLL)

[si_c]

I think this is symptomatic of why it's a bit daft to categorise people by speed alone. One person's ambling is another person's bombing along.

I've never finished a 200k Audax in less than 10 hours. This dooms me to be forever "pootling".

Not to mention that where I live, bridges class as hills.

 

[burntoutbanger]

I think a pootle is a speed that can be attained by anyone (or certainly the vast majority of people). I would put a pootle somewhere in the region of 10mph on flat ground.

 

[Biff600]

On my last half dozen rides on each, my averages were:

Road bike - 17.7 mph
Single speed - 15.9 mph
MTB - 12.1 mph ( Thats if not falling off it, going the complete wrong way, stuck in mud or generally acting the arse !)

 

[si_c]

I just don't think it's helpful to assign labels based on speed.

That's because it's not

 

[Reynard]

If speed is your definition of pootle, then I'm a pootler.

But little me on my little roadie - which has smaller wheels and lower gearing than you taller bods on full-sized bikes - can't seem to go much faster than an average of 11 mph no matter how much welly I give it.

So if definition of medium ride is based on effort as opposed to speed, that's usually where I'm at.

 

[Alan O]

...can't seem to go much faster than an average of 11 mph no matter how much welly I give it.

That's your problem - riding in wellies.

 

[Reynard]

That's your problem - riding in wellies.

My pink, sparkly "Hello Kitty" ones.

 

[mjr]

That's your problem - riding in wellies.

If you want to, be at Lynnsport in wellies about 0930 on Sat 5th May 2018. 7 and 21 mile welly pootles should be available, raising money for the RNLI as we go (and return the same length after a rest - wellies optional)

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I just don't think it's helpful to assign labels based on speed.

i think it's a combination of the rider's natural comfortable cadence and how hard they are willing to push on the pedals. Your bike tends to decide your speed, not you. Let me explain; most people have a pretty narrow cadence speed range at which they are happy pedalling. Too slow is a slog, too fast gets manic. Now, if you have a fairly light bike with plenty of gear ratios, it's easy to find that sweet spot combination of cadence and effort. However, if you have a heavier bike with only a few widely-spaced ratios (Sturmey AW gears for example). the gears are further apart than your cadence "bandwidth". That means in order to get into high gear you have to thrash along faster than you really want, in order to get enough momentum to use high gear. If you get into high gear but your speed is too low, you're really slogging against the ratio. That means in practice a pootler will stay in their mid-range gear and let their cadence find it's natural level. If I compare AW gears to a 6-speed freewheel on the big chainring, L is roughly equivalent to 2nd, M is 4th, and H is 6th. However, my maximum comfortable cruising gear is 5th, the ratio of which on an AW hub falls roughly midway between M and H.

 

[lazybloke]

i think it's a combination of the rider's natural comfortable cadence and how hard they are willing to push on the pedals. Your bike tends to decide your speed, not you. Let me explain; most people have a pretty narrow cadence speed range at which they are happy pedalling. Too slow is a slog, too fast gets manic. Now, if you have a fairly light bike with plenty of gear ratios, it's easy to find that sweet spot combination of cadence and effort. However, if you have a heavier bike with only a few widely-spaced ratios (Sturmey AW gears for example). the gears are further apart than your cadence "bandwidth". That means in order to get into high gear you have to thrash along faster than you really want, in order to get enough momentum to use high gear. If you get into high gear but your speed is too low, you're really slogging against the ratio. That means in practice a pootler will stay in their mid-range gear and let their cadence find it's natural level. If I compare AW gears to a 6-speed freewheel on the big chainring, L is roughly equivalent to 2nd, M is 4th, and H is 6th. However, my maximum comfortable cruising gear is 5th, the ratio of which on an AW hub falls roughly midway between M and H.

I'm sure that makes sense to someone, but not to me at this late hour!

 

[Colin_P]

Just a poll to see who does what. We all pootle at some point but how do you prefer to ride.
I thought a pootle would be about 11mph average. correct me if iam wrong, it only a bit of fun.

Can you add a <11mph category and call it something like "poo-doddering"

 

[Biff600]

That's your problem - riding in wellies.