What is a good speed for a novice?

Shibumi

David
There are several HR zone calculators on the web. Here is just one:
http://www.heartmonitors.com/exerci...ith_5_zones.htm
Other calculators will give you different limits, and some different numbers of zones, but read around the topic and you'll get the general idea.

martinlross

Thanks guys for all advice and opinions. I have no intention of TTing or racing quite yet so will settle for being pleasantly knackered and increasing my average speed day by day even if it is by 0.1mph at a time.

I'm finding that I can do now do 35-38 miles at 15mph (hilly) and this is gradually improving, as is my recovery period. This is a novice with less than 300 miles under his belt remember (credit to MBR guy doing 15mph on knobblies).

Perhaps most importantly I enjoy myself which is the best thing and it's nothing like the boring hard slog of middle distance running which I used to do.

Funnily enough on one ride I caught sight of another cyclist in teh far distance and the adrenaline rush of catching and passing him over maybe two or three miles gave me a higher than usual average speed. Maybe time I found myself a training partner.

Martin

Skunk

I am a novice like yourself. I started cycling a year ago at 41 after doing little or no exercise from age 21.
I started on a mountain bike and now ride a hybrid. I now use the bike for work everyday and do about 150 miles per week.
On long journeys i tend to average 14 miles an hour but to and from work which involves canal tow path riding and town roads, I average about 12 miles an hour.
Due to childcare etc. the longest I ride at one stretch is 40 miles, very occassionnally 50. I tend not to push myself for a higher average speed as I have found this has come naturally over time, and I tend not to push myself on the flat as I live in West Yorkshire and I find the hills are enough exertion!! Over the last couple of weeks I have found getting up hills that were impossible three to six months ago.
I have got as far as attempting the C"C ride next month from whitehaven to newcastle.
I am tempted to get a road bike but I don't whether it's worth the outlay for the level I ride at. what do ya think?

martinlross

Skunk

For what's it worth I think you should buy a road bike given the miles you do. I reckon your average speed would also increase by 1 or 2 mph but maybe that is not of interest to you.

FYI I bought last year's model of a Lemond Nevada City (made by Trek). It is a standard Reynold's 520 chrome-moly frame (as opposed to a sloping top tube frame), runs with cheap but perfectly acceptable for me Shimano Sora kit, has quick shifters and hidden cables, Mavic XP21 rims, Suntour chainset, looks the biz and weighs 22.5lbs according to our electronic scales, so give or take a pound.

This bike cost me £400 (down from £500). It was that or a bottom of the range Giant OCR, albeit aluminium framed, at around the same price, but I thought the Lemond was more a "proper" bike with the Giant looking like a mass produced for Joe Public version (complete with clear plastic chain deflector on the back hub which I thought looked naff). However I am not one for form before function but, sitting on the Giant and giving it a quick spin just did nothing for me. It is still a nice bike though for a budget buy (i.e. my price range) and I nearly did go for it.

Anyway, I ended up buying the Lemond local since it was on offer at the same price as on the web although generally, where I live, I find I can buy much cheaper on the web than anywhere within 100 miles.

I considered a hybrid but am glad I went for the racer although until I bought eight panel shorts the saddle was excrutiatingly uncomfortable. The fact that I was new to the game might also have lent to my pain!

Funnily enough and talking of hybrids, I cycle most of my time on the top bars except when going downhill when I drop to the lower bars to increase my pedal input and be in easy reach of the brakes (45mph in the Scottish Highlands is easily achievable). I also tend to stay in the saddle, even on hills, but I am finding that I start to come out of the saddle without thinking as my leg muscles get stronger.

However, assuming your hybrid is a road bike with flat bars I have to say I'm not sure I could cycle 40 or 50 miles in an upright position with such wide bars - that's why I would definitely go for a road bike now that I've bedded in a bit. However it's your choice and you should ride at least three road bikes or so to get a feel for it - be warned - they ain't comfortable to start with!

Martin

Naughty_hitter

I began cycling threeyears ago, at the age of 15. Started of with a cheap MTB-- $100 )
Two year ago I picked up a Schwinn Aluminum Frame Hard Tail, and had the tires switched to slicks. cost me $500. I could've got a road bike for that price, but i decided I'd rather geta decent MTB hardtail then a bottom-of-the-line roadbike.
on my schwinn rite now I'm averaging 34kmh on flats /occasiona hills. On all-out climbs, I don't bother too much with the speed (depressing!) cause I only use them for training, but i usually get to the top--well, not the top, but a landmark--of a nearby mountain in 40 minutes, and its a 12k ride. Steepness hard in some spots, decent in others. II usually go up, speed down, climb again, and then coast down w/o pedding.
sorry for drivelig so long...

__________________
wannabe roadie...

coolworx

That's about right.... in my experience - and if ya drop the bar ends, and use them as 'dropbars' in the headwinds, you can even manage '10 in 30' with a MTB matched with roadies.