How fast do you ride?
#126
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Menomonee Falls, WI
Posts: 1,861
Bikes: 1984 Schwinn Supersport, 1988 Trek 400T, 1977 Trek TX900, 1982 Bianchi Champione del Mondo, 1978 Raleigh Supercourse, 1986 Trek 400 Elance, 1991 Waterford PDG OS Paramount, 1971 Schwinn Sports Tourer, 1985 Trek 670
Liked 1,078 Times
in
546 Posts
Last edited by tkamd73; 06-30-21 at 06:49 PM.
Likes For tkamd73:
#128
Old enough, hmmm?
While racing in my early-30s, I topped 60mph on a long wide-open downhill, and would regularly hit 40mph in sprints at the end of a race. After 15 years off the bike, I got back to riding at the end of 2019. I've been regaining my comfort at speed, but it's been very slow to return. Approaching 40mph makes me nervous.
Top speed back in the days (mid 1980s) 80+ kmh on the Nishiki on a road with a few gentle curves.
The SilverStar climb is an the menu .... after the weather gets back to what I consider normal. 18+ km, grade up to 16% with very few relaxing sections in between. Best part? Blasting down on the return trip.
#130
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: SE Wyoming
Posts: 604
Bikes: 1995 Specialized Rockhopper,1989 Specialized Rock Combo, 2013 Specialized Tarmac Elite
Liked 589 Times
in
278 Posts
I'm 76, riding 50-75 miles a week. Average speed is 10-12 mph with splits (downhill and with a tail wind) up to 25-30 mph.
#131
Senior Member
This the ride data that I saved from January to end of August 2019. Fastest was just over 60.
Likes For GhostRider62:
#132
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,949
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
Liked 4,321 Times
in
2,381 Posts
I used to be around 220# when I was still trying to go as fast as possible on descents and I have hit 53mph. I agree with being skeptical of some of the speeds people say they go. I suppose 60 is within reach but much beyond that I don't know.
It is the internet, though, so someone probably dug a bike out of a dumpster and went 80 mph barefoot down a 5% grade.
It is the internet, though, so someone probably dug a bike out of a dumpster and went 80 mph barefoot down a 5% grade.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Minthorn_Murphy
ive hit 60 going down a mountain but that was when bike computers were a new fangled thing. 50 s is easier to hit. In the hills near me 40s are about the most I’ll hit and it wouldn’t surprise me if I start to slack off the next time I head out to a hilly area where I can hit those speeds. Heck I might not reinstall my bike computer. I haven’t used one this year. I like riding without one. It reminds me of when I first started racing and training. At this point it’s just about quality time in the saddle and your speed doesn’t tell you that
Last edited by bikemig; 07-09-21 at 07:25 AM.
Likes For bikemig:
Likes For BobsPoprad:
#134
Full Member
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: NW Minnesota
Posts: 212
Bikes: Lemond Poprad, Cervelo Soloist, Cannondale F4, RANS Velocity Squared
Liked 68 Times
in
46 Posts
In all seriousness, I average between 13-16 MPH depending on bike and who I'm riding with. I'm sure I could go faster, but I'd be riding by myself.😐
#136
GDFTR
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Torrance CA
Posts: 156
Bikes: '74 Falcon San Remo, '80 SR Semi Pro, '88 Trek 360, '18 Fairdale Goodship
Liked 82 Times
in
44 Posts
#137
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,320
Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712
Liked 601 Times
in
314 Posts
Last night? Not very fast. With high humidity, I overheated and slowed to 14mph on the final flat section, no wind. Sweating like buckets on the last half of a 16mi ride. Temps were only 75deg but humidity was 90%.
#138
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gulf Breeze, FL
Posts: 4,128
Bikes: Rossetti Vertigo
Liked 119 Times
in
70 Posts
About 10 years ago I was averaging around 20-21mph. I took a long time off and have just recently gotten back into cycling. My current pace, as of yesterday, is 15.8mph over a 12 mile flat course. That is up from 13mph two weeks ago when I first got back into it. My goal is to get back up to around 18-19mph by the fall.
#139
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 3,947
Bikes: Trek 1100 road bike, Roadmaster gravel/commuter/beater mountain bike
Liked 1,711 Times
in
937 Posts
Close to where I live there's a fairly big hill on a highway that I like to bomb down. I don't like riding that highway much because it's a 60 MPH road with no shoulders, but one of my routes puts me on it for just one mile, with the hill being at the beginning. So last time I rode down it on my current road bike, which was the first time I've ever ridden it on this bike, I put it in high gear and started pedaling down. It was probably equal parts exhilarating and frightening, but it certainly got the adrenaline flowing. I think I topped out at around 37 MPH or so. The road is nice & smooth (especially compared to the chip sealed road you take to get there) and I was in control the whole time, but at the back of my mind I was thinking "this is really gonna hurt if you crash."
But generally, my rides tend to average around 12-13 MPH. When I'm doing my morning 10 miles for exercise, usually between 13-14. On long rides for fun, it tends to be a bit slower.
But generally, my rides tend to average around 12-13 MPH. When I'm doing my morning 10 miles for exercise, usually between 13-14. On long rides for fun, it tends to be a bit slower.
Last edited by Milton Keynes; 07-16-21 at 07:38 AM.
Likes For Milton Keynes:
#140
Old enough, hmmm?
Me: "so what happened?"
Him: "I had the bike in for a tune up ...... yesterday."
Me: "I like to do my own tune ups."
Likes For OldRailfan:
#141
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: USA
Posts: 1,951
Bikes: 1996 Trek 970 ZX Single Track 2x11
Liked 638 Times
in
484 Posts
Sure helps keep things safer, knowing it's been flogged at least a few times prior to being taken down rough descents, or across challenging XC routes, on a long tour far from telephones and fresh water ...
Of course, I've always been a bit of a cycling hill wimp, in a way. Only went down a ~4mi ~12-15% grade once. Didn't trust things enough to feel comfortable, on that road. Far too many cliffs off one side, too many occasional cars appearing in the "blind" corners, etc. Once was enough. Even with wheels that ran true.
Happier in my dotage puttering about on the upright "city" bike. No hair streaming behind me, or on fire, but I'm okay with that.
Likes For Clyde1820:
#142
Full Member
I'm in North Georgia, where there are plenty of mountains. Once I joined a Florida group in one of those screaming fast pace lines - Fun, but that 'always on' threshold endurance zone was super hard for me to hold. I can see how that's satisfying if you're good at it
Likes For IronM:
#143
Full Member
Speed is very much 'it depends'. Myself; on the road I can sometime still hang with the regional racers & do OK in the sprint (but usually I'm dropped on the big climb). But usually I'm just tooling along on some endurance ride, As I'm getting into bikepacking, and having a huge endurance motor matters more.
#144
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Central Fl
Posts: 138
Bikes: Argon 18 Gallium, GF 29er, old Trek Madone
Liked 48 Times
in
30 Posts
Yep, to go fast in a group here, it takes smooth pavement, some good riders to mostly pull me along, and every once in a while everything comes together with the group and it feels like we are flying.
#145
Full Member
ask me about my bench press
gm
gm
#146
Senior Member
Slow. I ride slow. I’m happy to ride at all. And I’m guided by…sensations. Most of them are bad sensations. But whatever.
__________________
Momento mori, amor fati.
Momento mori, amor fati.
#147
climber has-been
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Posts: 7,510
Bikes: Scott Addict R1, Felt Z1
Liked 4,059 Times
in
1,999 Posts
How fast? As fast as I can make the pedals go.
Pedals don’t go as fast as they used to, but there you have it. Getting passed on the climbs is an every day thing now.
I have a power meter now, which I pay attention to. I don’t care about the speed.
Pedals don’t go as fast as they used to, but there you have it. Getting passed on the climbs is an every day thing now.
I have a power meter now, which I pay attention to. I don’t care about the speed.
#149
Senior Member
I never measure how fast I ride. Sometimes it's fairly slow and leisurely. Sometimes I am wondering if I'm going fast enough that the crash would just kill me rather than leave me seriously maimed. I hate thinking I might survive only to be taken care of the rest of my days. LOL. I honestly just don't get into any kind of numbers. I ride purely for fun. I ride about 360 days a year. Some days it might be 5-10 miles or some days 20-40. It just depends on how I feel. I get to feeling good and push things sometimes and I think that's good, but I'm not going to kill my 53 year old self to try to match some numbers some 20 year old bean pole posted. LOL: And PS,I love you guys and I am in pretty good shape for my age regardless of how slow I am sometimes.
Likes For RH Clark:
#150
GDFTR
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Torrance CA
Posts: 156
Bikes: '74 Falcon San Remo, '80 SR Semi Pro, '88 Trek 360, '18 Fairdale Goodship
Liked 82 Times
in
44 Posts
~22 miles today, average speed about 15, max about 34. I think mid 30-s is fast enough that it’s fun, but not reckless.