Your commuting speed

[BSRU]

haha i have started leaving later , no pre shift overtime with parts shortages so i would rather have another 10 minutes at home.I like to leave an extra 15 mins or so early anyway to allow for a fairy visit ( shhh ! )

My work uses flexitime so the earlier I arrive the earlier I can leave, as long as the core hours have finished, after 4pm.

 

[gaz]

I go as fast as the situations dictate or what my energy levels are like. Not going to put my self at risk by roaring along the cycle lane past stopped traffic.
I do however look at my time when I get to Hyde park corner, if it's a good time then I take park lane and push it. If it's not so good then I will cycle through the park.

 

[BrumJim]

Obsessively until I did my first Sportive.

Now I still log time, but just get bemused that it doesn't improve much when I'm sure that I'm getting fitter and stronger.

 

[Twizit]

I guess I'm with most of the previous posters - time and avg speed mostly dictated by traffic and traffic lights, and will have more effect than how much I try to blast it.

Door to door avg including stops is between 15-16 mph. Actually rolling average (as my bike computer is set up) is usually between 17 - 18 mph.

I reckon really pushing it on a ride might save me 2-3 minutes against my average riding speed, but a bad run of traffic lights might easily add 5 minutes onto the journey time, so really I ought to chill and commute at a sensible speed...

... but the competitive instinct usually kicks in and I push faster more often than I should

 

[lejogger]

My commuting forms most of my exercise so I try to push myself on most days.

I don't set off with the intention of setting a personal best, but some days you just feel in the zone and everything clicks.

Yeah I definitely agree with this. It's about pushing myself to feel that my fitness is benefitting, not just keeping the pedals turning at an easy rate. It's just the difference between Cruising at 17-18mph or cranking it in the big ring at 20mph+... always safely, not jumping reds and not taking risks.

My best average is nearly 21.5mph for the 10 miles and there's a couple of steady drags that I struggle to get up at more than 16mph. I'd say I have about 12 sets of traffic lights and 5 roundabouts - still not had a clear run!

 

[lejogger]

... but the competitive instinct usually kicks in and I push faster more often than I should

How true. I have to be really spent at the end of the week to not keep pushing hard.

I guess the commute is a weird beast. On the way to work there's always the anxienty of lost time if you get a puncture, and making sure you have enough time to shower and change before the day starts. I have a particularly raw deal because the only shower I have available is a room off the ladies' toilets, so I like to be in and out before it gets busy!!
...then on the way home, you're tired after a tough day and you just want to make it back before your tea's in the dog.

It's not like the weekend when you can just go out for a ride with one or two mates and take it easy because you don't particularly have anywhere to be.

 

[endoman]

I'm hoping to be able to commute in a month or two once I'm fit enough, but we have no shower, and nowhere we could put one. Obviously I will change etc, but can't think of a better way?

 

[DrSquirrel]

I like to go fast, and now I'm hitting the 20mph (for just over 10 mile) averages with constant 17-19s. I don't tend to go all out though, sometimes I have a nice little sprint but whilst commuting I sort of forget what I am doing and then I tend to idle along no real incentive to go fast, being late for me isn't an issue

I've now started time trialling and have been knocking minutes off any commute I have done and working on a few more

 

[lejogger]

Quick wash in the sink, maybe some babywipes for delicate areas. I've got a mate who does it.
The trouble is you're leaving yourself open to possible sores and infection by not making sure you're properly clean. Obviously in this case the more steady you cycle the less sweaty you'll arrive, and the lack of shower becomes less of a big deal.
Don't wear too many layers either. It's amazing how much bodyheat you generate after a mile or two. If I start off my ride feeling a comfortable temperature I know I'll be dripping by the time I get to my destination... (apologies for the image)

 

[John90]

I'm also a London commuter. I did keep a tally of speed and times for a few months after getting a cycle computer but so much of the variance was down to time of day, traffic density and - ahem - my appetite for RLJ's that I couldn't get a clear picture of improvement. Then I face planted over a pot hole and had a close encounter with a car at a junction, which meant safety went above speed on my priority list. Now I just try to do the hills (the upward parts) as fast as I can (and without changing down the gears if possible), keep it slow on the downhill sections, track stand the red lights to help build the leg muscles (and to pose - alright, mainly to pose) and don't keep a record of my journey times and speed. On the few occasions I do check average speed it is only around 12/13 mph, but I feel like I'm getting as much exercise as ever so I'm not bothered.

 

[515mm]

I'm hoping to be able to commute in a month or two once I'm fit enough, but we have no shower, and nowhere we could put one. Obviously I will change etc, but can't think of a better way?

Been commuting for over four years now, 14 miles each way. No shower in work but sink in the loo and kitchen.

I shower when I get up and wear full-on roadie gear on the bike. In work, I hang my lycra up to dry on hangers above a radiator.

Baby wipes for under arms and sucisson et deux legumes, a squirt of Arrid and we're good to go. I have one of those ultra absorbent camping towels in case I get properly soaked. I also have very short hair. Once a week I get the train in with fresh clothes, food etc.

No complaints from collegues or clients, just exclamations of "Wow! You've lost a load of weight since I last saw you..."

You won't regret it, mon ami, just take it easy on the first few days and leave yourself plenty of time to change and eat when you get to work. I recommend porridge with honey, takes 2 mins in the microwave.

An hour's exercise in the morning air will leave you hungry enough to eat a horse and still have room for a dolphin on toast (with apologies to Richard Curtis)

Best of Luck!

 

[gbb]

Always have, always will, ride at what i call 90% while commuting. The shame is, you reach a plateau where that average spped just doesnt get any better, it just becomes your 'normal' speed.
Very very rarely will i potter, only perhaps if i'm under the weather.

 

[cyberknight]

I'm hoping to be able to commute in a month or two once I'm fit enough, but we have no shower, and nowhere we could put one. Obviously I will change etc, but can't think of a better way?

Use your commute to get fit, do it alternate days and build up.

 

[gavintc]

I cycle commute when I can. Work has been horrifically busy of late and this has got in the way, with excessively long hours. But, for the last couple of weeks, I am getting back on the bike about 3 times a week for the commute and loving it. There is not a great deal of traffic, except for the 5km nearest to work. So for the most of my 23km, I can enjoy the ride. The commute speed is still not up to the speed of last year, but getting there. I use it for fitness training and keep my weight in check.

 

[briantrumpet]

I never work out average speed on the commute - the variables of traffic and traffic lights makes it meaningless for tracking my personal fitness. It's useful to know how long it takes, give or take a minute or two, but that's the end of my calculations. So I use the commute for mini interval training, doing sprinty things or quick pulls up the slopes when I can, and always pulling away from the traffic lights with my best acceleration. I think that worrying about the average speed would make me more likely to take risks too - it's not worth it: there are enough twerps around without me adding another one to the count.

I save the 'average speed' thing for my longer non-town routes, which are largely unaffected by traffic lights or traffic, and which gives me more meaningful and consistent data.