khutch

I have no idea how many 90 year olds do this ride so I can't be sure either. The ride started in 1973 not 1981 however and there still are a few dozen who have done it every year which is pretty impressive given that there were only 300 or so total the first year. Right around 10% are still doing it! It is a great ride, definitely take the chance to do it if one comes your way!

coominya

That's about what I'm doing too. 21.8 km/h and I doubt it will go any higher once I get fitter and move off into a circuit with some hills.


Nice graph. I knew wind was the limiting factor but it's good to see it in print alongside the other drags.
Speed speed speed, it matters on a motorcycle because it allows you to get out of harms way in a hurry, and allows you to get a head start out of the traffic lights and away from the mass of cars. On a bicycle though, outside of actual racing events, I don't see what all the fuss is about? Certainly it's nice to be able to go as fast as you can on your bicycle but it's relative to bike types, and the faster you go, the unsafer you become, unlike the responsible use of a fast motorcycle.

A lot of people here on the forum talk of wanting to go faster but it's never so they can get to work on time, it's invariably because they want to "keep up" with some group of riders. It becomes a vicious circle it seems until you have thousands of cyclists flying around the city streets on an apparent suicide mission with the traffic. That's their choice and it's ok in my book, what I grow tired of though is the whining and recriminations when one of them (or a group) comes a gutsa or is slammed by a car that didn't see them wizzing down a hill on a collision course. It's always the car's fault it seems, few people take personal responsibility for their choices.

All motorcycles have Bright 24/7 headlights now-a-days and for a good reason, so they can be seen. But a motorcyclist with any experience knows that means little in a world of endless street signs and reflective surfaces, so they keep their wits about them every second when near cars. That's easy when you're relaxed atop a machine that is doing all the work for you. Not easy when your flogging yourself and scope-locked for the next pothole or road debris.

We create machines and then the machines create us.

Jaxjag

I am averaging about 14.5 on 15 mile trips. Drop it to just under 14 on my 29 mile trips. Pretty much flat with minor inclines. On totally flat stretches, I am just over 15.

GrooveRite

I have a 2010 Specialized Rockhopper Expert (26") with Kenda 2" wide slicks and I think I've hit my peak performance with it. I'm currently really considering a Giant Fastroad Comax1! Only thing thats bothering me is whether I should go with a dropbar or flatbar....those windy NYC days can zap the energy/life out of you and your ride, lol! My question to you is....

.....do you feel like you can peddle more efficiently on your Comax1 on super windy days than your older bike?....or would a dropbar bike like the Specialized Diverge or Giant Anyroad be better for that??..............or is just really all about the motor and not the bike??

I don't think I ever leisurely ride. I ride with unabandoned effort.....most of the time!

Oh and 13-14mph average on my daily and mostly flat ride.

finch204

I'm not a fast rider. When I had my Trek Verve, I was averaging 8-9 mph on my short rides. On the Trek 7.2 FX, I am averaging 9-11 mph.

fietsbob

My Total miles ridden divided by the amount of time I was Riding, that is My Average speed ..

gemini

For me, it's about fitness. If bicycling is my workout, I'd like to know that I'm getting some sort of an improvement out of it. Riding alone, it's very easy to slip into a very casual pace and just coast along. That's a lot better than doing nothing, of course, and probably a nice time outdoors.

I agree that going fast on a bicycle can feel unsafe and uncomfortable if you're not used to it (I mean roads, in city traffic one should behave). I was gradually getting up in speed over this past summer, and it was definitely an adjustment. I live in a relatively flat area and I definitely started to appreciate hills in a new way - getting the exercise without the speed. There are some downhills where I get up to 50 km/h even with braking.

coominya

Perhaps that's why I see things differently than a lot of riders, I'm self motivated and every ride is a race with myself, I never just coast unless I'm conserving my strength and cooling down for a climb up ahead.

Otherwise I'm like you, in it for fitness only and try to ride as fast as I can while not burning myself out. In that respect speed isn't a factor for me. If I was on a racer with super thin tires etc I could certainly go faster but I wouldn't get any more exercise than I do on the hybrid with upright position and fat tires.

jase33

My thoughts exactly.

chong67

I avg 12 mph on 40% uphill for 26 miles.

I avg 12 mph on flatland for 51 miles.

This is sad isnt it?

Jaxjag

Wow! You are consistent!!

coominya

Must be an e-bike

ScootermanBob

Yesterday I averaged 14.1 on my 17.5 mile ride I do through our local park. I ride a Giant Cypress DX. Of course during the ride I'm usually in the 15-17 mph range but the stopping and starting screw with my overall average speed according to my Cateye Velo 7. It seems anything over the 13.5 mph average is a good workout for me. I usually keep my display on "time" to gauge myself as to where I am on certain landmarks vs. the time ridden just to see how I am doing. Soon I plan on just putting it on "odometer" so that I am not rushing. Time to enjoy the rides vs. getting into shape.

Bob

GrooveRite

I find doing a little of both during my rides the ideal situation as of late! Going beast mode 90% of my ride is TIRING and quite frankly zaps the 'FUN' out of my ride, lol.

ScootermanBob

Funny, I did start riding with the cyclometer on "odometer" the day after I posted this. Therefore I have been going a bit (much) slower and enjoying the ride. My repaired left knee was not feeling right so I took a day off then started riding this new way. I feel terrible- sluggish etc. Tonight- got to REALLY hurry because of the damn time change- I'm going back to my old way of using the "timer" and I'm going to hit it hard again. I'll see if this brings me back to where I was...


Bob

ScootermanBob

Yep, got back to "pounding it" (for me anyway) and I feel much better! Riding slower, just to ride slower, was more work and felt more stressful than just getting out there and riding MY ride. Interesting note is that I only saw one road bike rider and about 9 hybrids! Hybrids rule! Ha, ha.

Bob

GrooveRite

This year was the first year in my life that I've been biking almost everyday. I get home from work, throw on my gear and go for my 11.5 mile ride and 30+ mile trips on the weekends. My rides have become my therapy especially for stress! Amazing how much better I've been feeling this year as opposed to previous years! I'll also be biking through the winter for the first time as well but try to get in 2 to 3 rides per week. I'm just curious how I'll handle biking in the teens, lol!

Glad you're back to riding and feeling great Bob but def take care of that knee! Without it, you won't be able to enjoy those rides.

ScootermanBob

I tried biking through the winter about 20 years ago. The first 14-17 degree day ended that! Froze to death. I'm "thinking" about having my mountain bike refitted with a different stem and handlebars to try and mimic the riding position of the Giant as close as possible and riding through winter too. Took off this morning at 43 degrees and WINDY- wasn't too bad but the wind made it a lot tougher.

When I had my knee fixed I asked the doctor if there is anything I should be doing while waiting for the day of the surgery. I thought he'd say ice, rest, etc. He said "since you filled in your pool" - being a smart ass - he asked "do you have a bike?" When I told him I did he said ride in a light gear sparingly until the day of the surgery. Couldn't believe it. I started riding my stationary recumbent in the basement a few weeks afterwards then I got back into road riding with the hybrid this summer. Best thing I've done in a long time! I used to bike a lot in my younger years but gave it up for other interests and then scooters but I'm really falling in love with biking again. This hybrid is the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden. Without it I would not have started riding again.

Bob

metro2005

my bike computer says 20,4km/h average which is 13,6 miles an hour. In the summer its usually 21,5km/u average which makes 14,3 miles an hour so year round average is at around 14 miles an hour.

GrooveRite

Its all about the clothing Bob! Get yourself some under armour long sleeve thermal compression shirt and tights and then get a soft shell windproof thermal jacket and pants and you should be good. If you still get cold from the wind in the teens especially, get a hard shell that will block the wind. I just purchased the jacket and pants and they're excellent from Amazon.

Jacket
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Pants
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thermal Base Layers
Shirt
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Tights
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...N8HZH043KVTHDS

Windproof Thermal Gloves
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thermal Insulation for toes
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Balaclava
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...A2SP5A43CV0Q0D


This is the winter gear I just bought so I'm not sure is this is over kill or I'll be needing other things especially when the temps hit single digits! I might switch out the under armour base layer for wool base layer because they hold warmth better and don't stink after multiple uses like synthetics do. Don't let the winter stop you Bob!!

ScootermanBob

Thanks for the links. I'm going to do some investigating. I froze today and it was in the upper 30's. I wear full fingered mountain biking gloves when its cold but my hands were like icicles. I have glove liners- very thin- for when I'm on the scooter when its cold so I'm going to try those tomorrow.

Had about a 300lbs buck run in front of me- that was interesting. A walker warned me that one was grazing in the direction I was going. I still averaged 13.6 mph today. Only saw one other guy riding. He was riding "no hands" with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Might wait until it warms up more tomorrow before heading out.

Bob

mj0

This was a fun one:

------------Avg---Max
Speed 17.0mi/h---34.2mi/h
Heart Rate 152bpm---168bpm
Cadence 84---131
Calories 1,142
Distance 31.1mi
Elevation 818ft
Elapsed Time 1:56:58
Moving Time 1:49:57

prj71

More the motor than bike in my opinion.

I spent some time riding with a group this summer every Tuesday. I was the only one with a flat bar bike and I had no problem keeping up with them. Our average ride speed was 18.5 mph. Probably would be higher but we have to ride a few miles to get out of town. Many times looking down on the speedometer we had consistent speeds of 23-25 mph and as high as 33 mph a few times.

GrooveRite

Thats good to hear man, thank you!

I got to test ride the comax1 this weekend and its such a nice bike! I felt good and FAST on it! They also gave me a dropbar bike option for my style of riding and I really liked it!! It was the Felt Z4 2016 all black w/red highlights! Gorgeous bike! I seem to prefer endurance geometry bikes, less aggressive and more comfy position for me. I'm going to test more dropbar bikes with endurance geometry now. I have a lot of decisions to make before that tax return comes and I pull the trigger on my new bike!

coominya

That does look like a good little workout. I don't mind hills, just not too many of them and none too long or steep. I have a set of nasty little ones just near where I live and on my route out, fun leaving home but a real drag when inbound after a long ride.