Originally Posted by
runnergoneridin
So from what you guys are saying, I just need more time with the gearing I have and work into it. And the better I get at riding, the closer I'll be to optimizing my average speed with the bike the way it currently is set up. Makes sense, and is simple enough to understand.
At the very least, it seems like I'm right in line for my level of experience. For the most part I was between 16 and 19.5 mph where I was riding.
Plus, I'm not completely comfortable on the bike yet, either - I need a new seat or something, because this one sucks donkey balls.
Average speeds are misleading until you consider the terrain. The only way you can compare average speed from a ride is if you ride the same route again. We ride where it's up and down hilly. Then we went to Florida and did some riding where we rarely shifted (it was sooooo flat). Average speeds went up by 30%.
And then there's wind which is never constant.....
A better measure of how your conditioning is improving is your average power output for the ride (and more sophisticated measurements beyond that). But for that, you need a power meter.
J.