What would be considered normal cruising speed?

[CdnRider]

Yup. 27mph = 43.2kmhr !! Yikes. When i was club riding years ago....i don't think the elite group was maintaining those speeds for any extended periods....except perhaps with a nice tailwind or downhill!!

For those who CAN sustain an HONEST avg speed anywhere close to 25-27mph and have their computers calibrated properly. For an extended distance (minimum 20kms??!) THEN WELL DONE! Keep it up.

For some interesting reading. Google..average Tour de France speeds......

 

[pr1mate]

This whole thread is surely full of exageration and Walter Mitty characters.

 

[rikdee]

Yeah sure. Do you have any idea how fast 27 mph is?

There will be small increase in speed if you switch to a road bike from a mountain bike, but it will be nowhere near 6 mph. Why don't you do an experiment and tell us about it.

I completely agree with Yojimbo. At 27 mph avg., which Division I rider are we referring to?

 

[Chrisbnj]

dam, i certainly caused a ruckus. i no i can never get to 27 anytime soon, i never said i could. im new to this sport kinda, but im not dumb haha

 

[Chrisbnj]

dam, i certainly caused a ruckus. i no i can never get to 27 anytime soon, i never said i could. im new to this sport kinda, but im not dumb haha

its not like im new to cardio sports either. ive been swimmin a while if it makes it seem more believable

 

[Bastiani]

Weston Flyers

Weekend rides are pretty fast -- cruising 23-35 mph with....

I have gone out with these boys... they are not Pro's.... and I have known they can maintain 26-27mph ave.

Mind you its Florida all is flat...and hence why I asked the OP about the terrain... and again... I fail to see how the jump from 21mph on a mountain bike to 25-27 on a road bike is so hard to grasp on flat terrain like Florida.. if you can keep for 30miles a ave of 21mph on a mountain bike... you can keep 25-27 on a road bike.. Don't know about how it translates to mountain areas.

Team Memorial Bike Club

Ride Level: 22-26+ MPH, plus faster points in the ride. Riders may be dropped.
This is a peliton ride which is large and most likely will not stop for flats and mechanicals.

Ride Level: 25+ MPH

Also not a pro team... all weekend riders.

 

[CdnRider]

Wow. Those are some fast times posted above. And for what distances are they clocking those times? Huge help is the peloton riding!! Huge. Especially if the riders all know what they're doing. Saves a ton of energy. I loved riding in formation with guys who all took their turn to pull.

To match those times above. I'd need a serious tailwind going OUT and BACK!

 

[Yojimbo_]

Wow. Those are some fast times posted above. And for what distances are they clocking those times? Huge help is the peloton riding!! Huge. Especially if the riders all know what they're doing. Saves a ton of energy. I loved riding in formation with guys who all took their turn to pull.

To match those times above. I'd need a serious tailwind going OUT and BACK!

Those speeds to which you are referring are absurd. 35 mph? The only time I've ever done that is going downhill, or while sitting in a big group going downhill with a tailwind. Sure the peak speed might hit that value, but the average speed will be nowhere near. Neither will the average approach 26 mph as that guy has posted in another example.

That guy has no clue what he is talking about.

 

[Dansky]

I've been following this thread for awhile, and it's hard to sort through all of the answers regarding average speeds.

What speed do most of you consider a good average? (flat terrain, moderate wind, 60 miles)

For example, I rode 65 miles with a group yesterday and we had 7-10 mph winds over fairly flat terrain. (Highland Park, IL --up to around Bristol, WI and back) The group averaged a moderate 18.5mph while riding 2 abreast the whole way, and I ended up pulling for at least an hour; it felt like I had a lot of extra gas in the tank. I'm considering joining the faster group of riders who get into the 20+mph averages, but wanted to hear more opinions if possible.

 

[CdnRider]

I've been following this thread for awhile, and it's hard to sort through all of the answers regarding average speeds.

What speed do most of you consider a good average? (flat terrain, moderate wind, 60 miles)

For example, I rode 65 miles with a group yesterday and we had 7-10 mph winds over fairly flat terrain. (Highland Park, IL --up to around Bristol, WI and back) The group averaged a moderate 18.5mph while riding 2 abreast the whole way, and I ended up pulling for at least an hour; it felt like I had a lot of extra gas in the tank. I'm considering joining the faster group of riders who get into the 20+mph averages, but wanted to hear more opinions if possible.

Here's a totally believable post. Thank you.

So while riding in 2's. People didn't take turns up front? were you guys not doing a counter-clockwise rotation? i think if you had the right guys, and stayed fairly tight, you all could have increased pace a little and saved energy output. I know that's what we used to do. Sounds like you're ready to join the faster group.

I just got back in from a quick little ride I managed to squeeze in. Doing a big ride tomorrow with some buddies so I wanted to do a short medium intensity spin today. Light wind 26km/hr (16mph). 30min avg was 30.7km/hr (19.2mph). The 2 guys i'm riding with tomorrow are jr racers like myself. We'll all take proper pulls up front and I'll report what numbers we manage.

 

[dhk2]

27 mph doesn't seem outlandish to me....I've personally seen Lance and others average 27-28 mph in the Tour of Georgia TT

Actually, anything over 16 mph average is fast for a regular club ride here.....we do have hills. The pack will often cruise at 18-20 or higher on the flats, but climbing slows everything down.

My personal best on our club century, 102 miles/5500 ft vertical gain is a 17.0 average. The top young studs average 20 mph on a good day, but that would be the top handful of riders out of over 100 going the full distance.

 

[Yojimbo_]

27 mph doesn't seem outlandish to me....I've personally seen Lance and others average 27-28 mph in the Tour of Georgia TT

Actually, anything over 16 mph average is fast for a regular club ride here.....we do have hills. The pack will often cruise at 18-20 or higher on the flats, but climbing slows everything down.

My personal best on our club century, 102 miles/5500 ft vertical gain is a 17.0 average. The top young studs average 20 mph on a good day, but that would be the top handful of riders out of over 100 going the full distance.

Let's get back on track here. This part of the thread started because someone asked how fast he would be on a road bike given that he can do 21 mph on a mountain bike riding solo for 30 miles.

It won't be 27 mph.

 

[campbellj]

I've just started out, but my average speed on a 20-30 mile ride is 15-17mph. I've really been trying hard to make the first half of my ride heading into the wind, which sometimes can slow me down to 14-15, and on the way back it goes up to 20-21. I'm hoping that's pretty good for a beginner...

 

[Chavez]

I've just started out, but my average speed on a 20-30 mile ride is 15-17mph. I've really been trying hard to make the first half of my ride heading into the wind, which sometimes can slow me down to 14-15, and on the way back it goes up to 20-21. I'm hoping that's pretty good for a beginner...

I'm not "just starting out" but just starting to log some real miles for race training, and was pretty happy with a 17+ mph avg and a 30 mi "there-and-back" ride, especially considering I felt like I was doggin' it pretty bad on the way back. There-and-backs are great to figure out your avg speed IMO, because theoretically the headwind and uphill is equal to the tailwind and downhill.

I usually ride with a friend of mine who does tris (and is single with no kids) and I've been able to put a hurtin' on him.

 

[dhk2]

Let's get back on track here. This part of the thread started because someone asked how fast he would be on a road bike given that he can do 21 mph on a mountain bike riding solo for 30 miles.

It won't be 27 mph.

Sorry, got distracted by all the big numbers being claimed here. To answer the question, I think 1-2 mph increase with a road bike is pretty standard. All depends on the tires on the mtb, and the position on the bike of course since aero is so important over 20 mph. With the right tires and bike fit, a mountain bike could be much closer in speed.

Lots of variables, but agree it won't be 27 mph. Anyone who is averaging near 27 mph for 30 mph needs to get out with a fast club or race team training ride right away.....would be a shame to keep that kind of speed in the closet

 

[skammer]

Ikarian:

What kind of bike are you chugging on?

I ride a CX bike on my local rail trail and just rode a 40 miler today at 15.5 approx, with a stiff crosswind in both directions. I am not in as good a shape as I was last season, but I survived.

By contrast, I can ride a 20 miler at about 18 or so on the same trail, and if I am out to do my 14 mile round trip quick blast, I can hold close to 20 on a good day. I ride to my Garmin Edge 705 most of the time, using HR as my guide. I averaged 153 today I think on that death march, but on the shorter rides, I can push my averages into the 160s easily.

By comparison, most of the guys that are on this board are far lighter than me, and have far more experience cycling.

It's a rail trail, so it's crushed gravel. My top gear on the CX bike is a 38/11, I am rarely in that gear mind you.

It sounds to me like you are doing fine, and with a few weeks of consistent riding, you will get faster quickly.

 

[baker3]

So, I'm pretty new to cycling, and since I'm overweight, I know I'm moving a bit slow out there. My first major ride is in a month, and I'm going to be meeting up with my uncle and cousin, who are lifetime riders, and I don't want to hold them back too much. The ride is only 30 miles, so I should have no trouble keeping a steady pace, even if it's a bit faster than what I'm confortable with.

Right now, (though I suspect my comp is a bit on the generous side... need to check the wheel measurement settings) I'm running at between 14-16 MPH once I get warmed up and going. I ride on an easy bike path with minimal other serious riders, though I get smoked whenever one does come along. What would a normal cruising speed be for a seasoned rider?

Most people should be able to ride @ 20mph on flat roads with no wind.

 

[Triathloner]

This thread has gone off track a little bit but to answer the beggining question yes if you are just starting off you will have a hard time getting any where near 20 mph you will probably be averaging 16 mph. But as you progress the speed will build up and it will get to a point where you will want to joing fast groups to further improve your speed. Dont forget that the true way of getting better is to actualy pull on a group ride and not side in the pellotone the whole way.

As for the mountain biker, if you can actually avg 21 mph on a mountain bike you will deffinetly avg a good 23 -24 or a roadie. Trust me on this I have freinds who trained wiht me on mountain bikes, once they switched to a raod bike the speed jump was unbelivable. Now 23-24 would be on a nice flat road and you will probably be pushing to the limit. Lets not forget that every body has different pain thresholds and some people can sustian higher speeds than others. This can be improved with training.

As for the people who dont believe that it is possible to avg 27 mph on a group ride, I have no idea what type of group rides you do or have seen because there are plenty of them in florida. Where the avg is 27-28 and the peaks burst were in the 38-40 for a good 5 miles. Some of the riders are elite some are just addicted to the hobby. It can be done but you have to crank in the miles, you cant expect to be rididng like that and only manage to do 100 miles a week You have to be racking in 100+ easly on a weekly basis.

As for solo riding there are plenty of people who avg 24 to 25 mph for a god 60 miles course. I have done 21. 5 mph avg for 60 miles during a half marathon. If you dont believe me look it up its all free on the internet. It was during Cancun 70.3 2009. And I was one of the slower ones in that race.