GhostRider62

16.5 mph sitting upright on a hybrid with slow tires? You're fast. Keep at it!!

burnthesheep

Have fun and work hard if you care about “fast”.

Everywhere there is always someone faster, my example:
A Danish coworker of mine rides with his grandson all over Europe on weekends and I see the Strava rides. That kid is about 13 or so and does 75 or so mile days at 6000 or so feet climbing the cols out there at about that same average speed.

mstateglfr 

I ride extensively with a couple dozen+ teens each year and many use Trek Fx1 hybrids while some use road bikes.
Compared to the dozens of kids I have ridden with thru the years, 16.5mph on flat roads is good. It definitely isnt the slowest, but it also isnt the fastest. Within that large group of teens, it would put you in the top 1/3rd for average speed on a flat 12mi route. However, within the smaller athletic group of kids, it would put you in the bottom 1/3rd. That is pretty easily changed with training(freqency of riding, distance, etc).

At that average speed, you suffer a decent bit from sitting upright, so you may find you are a bit more aerodynamic with the road bike and average speed will be a bit faster. Your road bike will weigh less, but on flat road it basically doesnt matter which bike weight you have for that distance and speed range.
Just a couple of things to keep in mind once your road bike comes in.

Thomas15

Hey Alex if being fast over long rides is important to you set goals and work towards meeting those goals. Set what might be an impossible goal with a few intermediate goals as stepping stones and get to work.

I did my first organized ride (in decades) back in 2019. This was just a little more than a metric century in length. My average speed was 13.9 mph but my rest stops were not included in this figure. 4 rest stops totaling about 50 minutes. This past summer I did the exact same ride/route average speed 17.9 mph, with only one (2 minute) rest stop. I'm no athlete and way past my prime.

I hope you keep at this and in 6 months from now will have the attitude that it's not even a bicycle ride if it is less than 20 miles. Push yourself, get on the bike as often as you can and give consideration to what you eat. Good luck with your new bike, stay safe.

bruce19

OP.....you are not as fast as you are going to be. Enjoy your accomplishments and don't forget to enjoy the ride.

GhostRider62

If OP gets down on the drops with decent quality kit and good tires like Continental GP5000, his speed will bump up 3 mph on the new bike. The position making most of the gains. Keeping riding and the engine gets stronger and then riding with a group and suddenly 20 mph average will be routine.

Just make sure you get enough rest to recover from rides. It is easy to have so much fun that you can burn yourself out and then it is no fun. Moderation and consistency is key

70sSanO

Grasshopper,

You will be fast when arrive at your destination before you begin your journey. However the enjoyment of the journey resides within the journey.

John

RayHenry

Yeah, no. I'm just going to go ahead and say that chart is bogus. I'm fat and old. 55 yrs old, look like I'm about 6 months pregnant, 5 heart attacks under my belt, and dealing with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and Reynaud's. Did I say I'm fat and old? Yeah. And broken. When me and my other old, fat, broken buddies ride, we average 20 - 25 KPH. That's including stops for stop signs, lights, etc. Does not, or course, factor in stopping for a beer or two (because we so desperately need them, right?). So if our speed is average for our age, I gotta say there's got to be a whole lotta puppies for sale by other 55 year old riders out there. Because anybody my age that can make the pedals go 'round should be able to sustain an average speed considerably higher than my old, fat, broken *ss.

GhostRider62

No agreement on that but you can believe what you wish.

shelbyfv

rumrunn6

lol none taken! just tried to get the ball rolling. surprised how much attention it is getting!

rumrunn6

not sure I followed all that but yeah, it's a chart ... I'm a little faster than the chart says I should be. I'll be forgetting that in a bout a microsecond ... ;-)

livedarklions

All that proves is there's one born every minute. That's a ridiculous product

livedarklions

I can tell you from experience that the FX line is a very fast hybrid.

caloso

You're doing great, kid. Keep going.

tomato coupe

It's cheaper to go to Home Depot and buy a couple of cinder blocks and a short length of chain, and drag this behind your bike. It's what the pros do.

shelbyfv

But endorsed by Little Calvin....

indyfabz

It's 3:16 am, 1/7/22, in Manilla.

Leisesturm

You'd think so, but reality is harsh. The speed is in YOU. Or not. A light bike is a joy, but mostly for the ease of throwing it up on the bike carriers on mass transit, or over the tailgate of your riding buddies pickup. Out on the tarmac there will be scant difference in your speed. You might, in fact, be somewhat faster on your hybrid if it has heavier tires vs training slicks. Not flatting has got to be the (avg.) sleeper speed secret of the last century.

phughes

Cool, I am as fast as the average for my age, while I am riding my fully loaded touring bike, over 50-70 miles.

livedarklions

Probably cheaper to ride on a flat tire.

Or clothespin a bunch of playing cards to the seat stays so they go through the spokes. It's basically free and it sounds cool.

Or use honey instead of chain lube. The stinging insects you attract will give you incentive to ride faster.

Don't suggest a kid just starting out put things on their bike to take the fun out of riding, ok?

livedarklions

Hope the kid loves the new bike!

BlazingPedals

16.5 mph for an 11 mile ride sounds pretty average for an untrained youngster. Nothing to be ashamed of, but definitely not in the front group.

Cyclcist11023131

I pass a lot of riders. It is how I ride. Usually quite a bit faster. Some pass me as fast as I pass the others. Those guys are Gods!

alexTREKal3

Santa Clara near Cupertino