What is your overall average MPH?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'm glad you posted this cause it makes me feel better about my speed! I've also been curious what other people's average speeds are. From that older thread that was posted, I have determined that I'm pretty average. I feel like such a slow poke around Dh and other cyclist friends we have, but I think I'm really quite average. Not the fastest, but certainly not the slowest. Just the slowest in my circle of cyclist friends, which is frustrating, yet spurs me on to be better. I, personally, have a definite desire to go faster. I want to be able to ride with other people and keep up. Be more physically fit, etc.
Anyways, thanks for posting this.

If that post made you feel good, then mine will make you feel GREAT!.....
I ride over 100 miles a week except in bad winter weather. My bike is a 30 lb (when loaded for daily ride) steel road/touring bike, and I live in a very hilly rural area. My ride distances can vary between 13 and 70 miles. I'm 53 and have been riding only a year.
Regardless of distance, my average speed seems to always be somewhere between 8.5 and 10.5 mph, depending on the hills on a particular ride. My slowest speed is 2.5mph uphill (which I do almost daily) and fastest downhill has been 39mph, but I hit 30 on downhills almost every ride too.
I do hope to at least get to an average of 11mph by the end of this year.
I'm slower than anyone I know. Yet I feel simply wonderful since I have been biking, and am much more fit. The physical benefits are too plentiful to go into!

P.S. My bike computer is set to "auto start/stop". If it wasn't my average speed might actually be a negative number! =8-O

[Jiffer]

One thing that occurred to me about speeds reading through that old post (although I don't know how much difference it would make) are that there are two different ways that cycle computers can calculate average speed. One is auto stop/start (where it only counts actual riding time ie while the wheels are spinning - and divides the distance by that) where time stopped at lights etc doesn't count. The other computer setting is where you push 'start' at the start of your ride and 'stop' at the end so time stuck at lights counts - which would give you a lower average speed.

I was going to comment on the same thing. My computer stops whenever I stop, so those times are not included in my average. So, by some standards, I'm slower than what I said. (Which was in the 14 to 15 mph range).

[Jiffer]

I was telling Dh about this thread and he said he has learned that where you live in the country tends to make a difference in what is considered average pace. He was talking with a guy at our LBS who races at a high level. In California, where we live, the average pace of cyclists seems to be a lot faster than in other parts of the country. I guess we're more competetive! We certainly have the ability to ride more often during the year because of weather and cycling seems to be fairly popular.

I found one post I read a while back interesting, which made me realize how different cycling is in other parts of the country. Someone was talking about how they used to laugh at people walking around the grocery store in their lycra cycling shorts and hobbling around in their cycling shoes with clips (yet now they are one of those people!). My first thought was, "At the grocery store?" This is just not something you see in California. For the most part anyways. People may ride their bikes to the store to pick up some milk, but they will typically not be the more serious cyclists who wear cycling shorts and clip in to their pedals.

So, my main point is, what is considered an average pace in one area may be completely different in another.

[Flybye]

Somewhere around 17 mph on a 20 miler. My legs are protesting but I am getting faster and working hard at getting there!

[suzieqtwa]

I am the slowest person I know. My average is 13-13-8 depending on the day,and distance I get passed by everyone, when I'm out riding on the weekend. I did 68 miles in the rain ,and cold ,and I think my avg was 13 something.

[annie]

Totally depends on what bike I am riding and what group - or no group - that I am with. If I am on my quick little road bike, and with a fast group, I can manage about 19-20 mph. That's with some pacelining. On my own, probably more like 16-18. Add in lots of hills and it goes down! With my touring bike and my BOB trailer, it goes WAY down. And I don't care. Speed is not what's important. It's getting wherever you are going. I finally got a computer for the touring bike last week, so I am not sure yet what average speed would be. I'm guessing around 11-12 mph, loaded for a week's trip. I don't even have a computer on my MTB.........

There was a time in my biking life that my average speed really mattered. Now, much, much less. I still want to push myself on occasions, but don't need to do so. I credit age , and wisdom to know what my body is still capable of handling.

I do understand why Av. speed is important to riders. Especially if you are trying to find a group ride that suits your speed. Or if you have a goal to meet, or a competitive event for which you are training.

If you want your speed to increase, ride with faster riders. It is very challenging, and you'll really have to push yourself, you might feel like you want to die the first few times, but it WILL improve your time.

Mainly, - HAVE FUN ON YOUR BIKE! Whatever speed that means.

Annie

[KnottedYet]

It takes me a while to get where I'm going. And generally it takes me a while to get back home. But some times it takes me a bit instead.

So my average is probably "a while".

[pyxichick]

I've been riding for about a year. I live in the flat midwest and I average 15-17 on group rides of 30 miles or so. However, I did a TT the other day and my average was around 18-19 for 7 miles. I wonder if that's fast enough to outrun a cougar... Probably not.

[salsabike]

Thanks for that giggle.

It takes me a while to get where I'm going. And generally it takes me a while to get back home. But some times it takes me a bit instead.

So my average is probably "a while".

[Suzi-Sue]

i'm usually somewhere between 13-15mph. i am aiming to try and get this to about 18mph average this summer, anyone got any good training tips to help increase the speed?
So far i have a 16mile route that i time myself on. I dont own a bike computer, but use this site to track my progess.
www.mycycling.net (it's pretty good)

I'm thinking if i just push harder, get stronger and more stamina, the average speed will eventually go up can't wait until it does!

I look up to those of you averaging around 18, well done!

[redrover77]

I ride a steel touring bike, so...

Unloaded - on flat terrain, about 15mph, on hilly terrain, about 12-13mph
Loaded (with an added 10kgs or so) - on flat terrain, about 12-13mph, on hilly terrain, 10-11mph...

Definitely room for improvement!

I get totally intimidated by ppl who say they average 20mph... HOW???

[redrover77]

I ride a steel touring bike, so...

Unloaded - on flat terrain, about 15mph, on hilly terrain, about 12-13mph
Loaded (with an added 10kgs or so) - on flat terrain, about 12-13mph, on hilly terrain, 10-11mph...

Definitely room for improvement!

I get totally intimidated by ppl who say they average 20mph... HOW???

I should add that these are averages over distances that are at least 30 miles and over...

[DDH]

I'm not sure if mine stops calculating when the wheels stop spinning or not, but I am really slow right now, I average around 11 mph. That is on some pretty hilly terain, but that is all I can ride around here.
I don't worry about speed so much though right now. I want to be able to get better on these hills.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hey, I hit my new all-time lowest average speed record this morning!

Believe it or not, my average on this morning's 12 mile ride was.....7.6mph!
I know why....first there was about 2 miles of low highway uphill grade in granny gear. Then I had several miles of steeper uphill on a VERY rocky freshly graveled wooded road where I had to pick my way between 2" rocks the whole way. Finally I got to the top and looked forward to the long downhill home on that same gravel road- but had to pick my way through the boulder-riddled lunar landscape the whole way down, slogging through fresh gravel and riding my brakes all the way down home. Despite the obstacles it was fun- got to watch some cool cows and goats grazing amongst rusted model T fords...and I also passed some people looking for a lost hog. I spotted the giant red hog a bit further up the gravel road and doubled back to tell them where it was.
It was a good ride, and I wouldn't have traded it for one of my "zippy" 9-10mph rides.

[Chile Pepper]

I'm around 20-22... km per hour. If you want to feel faster, try setting your computer to kph. Works for me. That and the fact that everything is metric here.