Loner Manners?

[Eden]

Just a word in defense of outliers... many people overestimate their averages because they sort of interpret it to mean "the speed you spend most of your time going."

I find people tend to overestimate because they think of it as "the speed I see when I look down at my speedo most often..." and most people tend to look at and remember the higher numbers more than the lower ones

Looking at your actual speedometer average can be just as unuseful though..... if you ride anywhere where you have to contend with traffic, lights or stop signs that will drag your average speed down quite quickly. I think thats why our local club defines the rides by the "average speed of steady riding on flat terrain" and not the average for the ride. That hopefully gives people a better idea of what to expect.

[Crankin]

Believe me, I know that the outliers think that average speed means the speed you see when you look down at your speedo.
I now say: "What is your average speed? By average, I mean your true average. What does the av. speed function on your computer say at the end of a ride that has some hills in it?"
If the person can't answer that, then I ask,"How long does it take you to ride 15 miles?" "How many miles do you ride in one hour?"
Usually, someone can answer one of those questions and give me a clear idea of their riding.
The rides I lead are considered intermediate. The advertised speed is 13-16 mph average. Our beginner rides are 10-13 mph average. Our rides usually average 13-14, as there is significant climbing on most of them.