Milton Keynes

When my sister and I were kids riding our bikes down the road, we'd both do the "Na NA na na naa, na Na na na naa" music from the Wizard of Oz when she came on screen, like at the beginning of this video:

coominya

So true

Waxbytes

Oh goodie, an earworm soundtrack to my mental image!

If I ever do find that flat road I know what is going to pop into my head.

jefnvk

15ish is what I average on a regular day. Contrary to jamesdak, if I am pushing closer to 17-19, it generally means I am late and in danger of missing happy hour at the bar. I know I have no issue pushing that pace solo, because I have been late to getting to happy hour at the bar a few times. Stupid work.

xaosbp

I avg. my rides from a flat trail I've frequented and it came out to 12.3 mph. So I'll say that. Trek Shift 3, a Hybrid bike. Pretty slow compared to most here, generally middle to back of the pack on Strava segments. Looking at a road bike next year. Hoping it'll help me keep improving and I can get my speed up.

thisisbenji

Too many variables to say what type of speed I could maintain. However, I tend to average 15-17 mph on Strava, however I'm almost always do interval work when I'm out solo. When I'm out with a group of guys we usually average somewhere around 20 mph. When I used to race CAT 4/5 road we would average anywhere in between 20-25 mph depending on the race. I only ride about 1,000 miles a year, so it's a fact that people who ride a lot more can destroy my averages.

Ty0604

On my loaded bike with 2 rear panniers? ~15 mph
On my unloaded bike without panniers? ~25 mph

The fastest I've recorded myself going was 53.6 mph on my loaded bike with 2 rear panniers. Back side of Satus Pass in Washington.

Bike: 2011 Fuji Newest 3.0

Ty0604

Kudos! My top speed ever was 53.6 mph as noted in the post above. I was on tour and my bike was loaded with 2 rear panniers. I'm not sure if that helped my speed going down hill or not? Seems like I hit 53.6 mph and stayed there for a few hundred feet before the hill ended and I slowed down on the flats.

Nachoman

I've got a standard loop around a very flat island, with no stop signs and no stop lights.
Normally I try and hold 20 mph for as long as possible.

davefield

With an e-bike, i can go for 40 mpg on steady speed if there is no car or stop sign. i am not sure if using electric counts lol
Still need to pedal tough

jeichelberg87

Participating in my first RAIN in 2016, I finished at 7:42 pm. That included 3.5 hours worth of breaks, including a one hour nap at Indy. I thought that was pretty fast. 12.5 mph with the breaks, roughly 18 without.

My good friend finished at 2:10 pm! Over 22 mph!

BlazingPedals

To answer the original question, I ride as fast as I need to in order to stay with the group. If the group is doing 12, I can do that (but I'll probably find another group next time.) If they're going 25...

TheNormanRider

I average about 16 mph on my ebike. Very easy to keep a steady speed on flat terrain, and the electric assist stays on lowest setting so I can work my cranking skills.

devianb

13-18 mph depending on wind and energy level.

friday1970

On my aluminum/carbonfork road bike, usually about 17.5-18.5mph. On hoods.
On my recumbent, usually 19-20.
I'm not the fastest rider, but I enjoy the ride at this pace without making it too much of a chore and risk burnout.

Bizman

In the Velomobile on flat to rolling hills on my one stretch of about 7 miles anywhere from 25-40. On my DF around 17-18, on my trike about 12-14, and my ebike about 15-17 (I rarely use the motor for flat or rolling hills).

69chevy

On the flattest "course" I know of around here, "cruising" is around 18-19mph.

jitteringjr

Watched a youtube video about helmet aerodynamics and they claimed the average speed of all rides uploaded to Strava was around 15.5mph for men and about 13.5 for women. Add or subtract a couple of tenths since I am going off memory but that is the ball park. Take out the hilly or mountainous rides, take out the nasty head wind rides and I would think the calm day average flat road speeds would be about 17-19mph for men and 15-17 for women.

base2 

Preface: I don't consider my results to be particularly spectacular, or amazing. I am only citing it as a baseline for a common reference for this particular post. Obviously, any conclusions derived from a data pool of 1 is anecdotal at best.

2016
Distance 4,910.1 mi
Time 315h 51m
Elev Gain 174,265 ft
Rides 183
15.54 mph 35.49 feet elevation gain per mile.

2015
Distance 1,818.1 mi
Time 119h 2m
Elev Gain 43,163 ft
Rides 71
15.277 mph, 23.74 feet elevation gain per mile.

So, we can see here that in 2016, my average speed for the year has increased a measly .263 miles per hour. Super lame until you consider 1.5x the elevation gain per mile for a total of 4.5x the elevation gain for the year.

What isn't so obvious in the "average speed" question is all the other meaningful data. Despite 2016's seemingly marginal gains by that one metric, my average heart rate is easily down 20-30 beats per minute, for a given wattage, down 40 or 50 bpm for a given speed, heart rate lag and recovery are virtually non-existent, my vO2 max is 49mg/ml, up from the 20's, I ride further and faster with less fatigue, also my recovery between rides is better. I've only lost 15 pounds total weight in the last 18 months, but my body fat has decreased 11% from 27 to 16% (Meaning I lost 23.85 pounds of fat.) So that works out to be a 9 pound increase in muscle mass...and it's all in my legs.

What my average "moving speed" is, is anybody's guess. Flat/level ground with no wind and solo currently it's usually in the 20-22 mph range; For a given journey, lately it's 17-19 mph usually depending on terrain and how fresh I am. Factoring in stop signs/lights, rest stops/breaks, and all the other little things, we're right back to the 2015/2016 annual averages. (total miles/total time, and why the annual average increase of 1/4 mph data point doesn't really capture what it is I think you are looking to have answered.)

So, IMO, you are asking a well intentioned, but wrong question. Has your health and strength improved? If yes, then you are on the right track and stick with it.

jitteringjr

Here is an article about the report for this year

Strava End of Year Insights: Do you live in the fastest state? | VeloNews.com

52telecaster

Try to keep up,with whomever will ride with me.

stoplight

normally a good pace for me is 15 give or take .5 up or down..

Vortac180

I was riding a nice smooth road a couple months ago and saw in my mirror an obese man in a straw hat slowly reel me in. I increased my cadence little by little as he approached. I'm not real thin, nor too athletic myself, but I was pretty upset I couldn't hold him off, despite maximum effort. I was relieved when he passed, and realized he had electric assist. He smiled and waved as he cruised past.

I watched a YouTube video of last year's race of one I'm signed up for. All the riders have bodies like gazelles. Watching it just made me scared and to feel less than adequate. Better to train with joy and not worry about everyones' speed.

wphamilton

I can't give a number on how fast I "cruise on flat smooth pavement." That sounds like a cop-out, but seriously all I could give you is some kind of average.

For what it's worth the average speed of my commutes is almost always 18-20. If I crop out the parking lots. But it's slower at the beginning, and faster closer to the end, so which is cruising?

It's all relative but for general cyclists, in my opinion, anyone cruising over 20 is "fast" and 22 or 23 is "really fast".

linberl

I'm focusing more on cadence than speed. Started at 55 and I'm up to a nice steady 78 now. When I'm feeling peppy, I can hold 85 for a while. It's more about being kinder to my knees. In terms of speed, I typically am around 13-14mph with bursts of 15-16. Except when the headwinds are pushing 20mph - then I'm going backwards ;-) This is on my sweet little Bike Friday with 20" wheels.