I'm not competitive, but....
ahazon
Posts: 5
Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to road cycling and just joined this forum the oher day. Been reading some of the archive stuff and found it very useful when setting up my bike.
I Bought my first road bike about 2 weeks ago (claud butler san remo, just to see if i liked road bikes). prior to that i had been ridin g about a year on a hybrid, but only the 2 mile commute to & from work.
I went out for a long ride yesterday, ended up doing nearly 50 miles when I had only intended to do 30... I just wondered what sorts of speeds I should be getting, over the 50mile I had an average speed of 18.5mph, given that it was on windy hilly roads, I reckon that's ok... plus I was totally exhausted at the end... but for the first 25 miles or so my average speed was 23mph ish... max speed of 36mph.
Just wondered if i was fast, slow of average...
Feedback greatly appreciated.
I Bought my first road bike about 2 weeks ago (claud butler san remo, just to see if i liked road bikes). prior to that i had been ridin g about a year on a hybrid, but only the 2 mile commute to & from work.
I went out for a long ride yesterday, ended up doing nearly 50 miles when I had only intended to do 30... I just wondered what sorts of speeds I should be getting, over the 50mile I had an average speed of 18.5mph, given that it was on windy hilly roads, I reckon that's ok... plus I was totally exhausted at the end... but for the first 25 miles or so my average speed was 23mph ish... max speed of 36mph.
Just wondered if i was fast, slow of average...
Feedback greatly appreciated.
0
Comments
-
i'd check your speedo is correct, possibly running a tad fast.........?0
-
the first part of your ride was fairly quick for a steady oouting. the second half was average.
good effort on the first ride though.Only the meek get pinched. The bold survive.0 -
The good ol' average speed question again!! As usual the figures quoted seem pretty unrealistic. If your figures are correct it looks like a balls out effort for the first hour followed by a total collapse to give you the 18.5mph average for the whole ride. Indeed as PageM says (but probably didn't intend) the second half where your speed was considerably below 18.5mph is indeed average. Of course I could be mistaken and you are infact a cycling god!
Still breathing.....0 -
In 2 weeks, from going from a 2 mile commute to doing a 25 in 1 hour 5 minutes and then holding on for another 25 averaging over 18 mph is quite incredible. If I was you I would phone up British Cycling and say you are their next great thing ( hopefully you are British).
I will look forward to hearing about your exploits in Bejing...0 -
angry_cyclist wrote:If I was you I would phone up British Cycling and say you are their next great thing ( hopefully you are British).
sorry to be a bore, but if i were you i'd check your computer calibrationOnly the meek get pinched. The bold survive.0 -
Pagem wrote:angry_cyclist wrote:If I was you I would phone up British Cycling and say you are their next great thing ( hopefully you are British).
sorry to be a bore, but if i were you i'd check your computer calibration
Thank you, your apology is accepted.. No doubt you have spotted a major flaw in the quote above and I will be a better human all round if you could let me know exactly what is it is.0 -
ahazon wrote:Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to road cycling and just joined this forum the oher day. Been reading some of the archive stuff and found it very useful when setting up my bike.
I Bought my first road bike about 2 weeks ago (claud butler san remo, just to see if i liked road bikes). prior to that i had been ridin g about a year on a hybrid, but only the 2 mile commute to & from work.
I went out for a long ride yesterday, ended up doing nearly 50 miles when I had only intended to do 30... I just wondered what sorts of speeds I should be getting, over the 50mile I had an average speed of 18.5mph, given that it was on windy hilly roads, I reckon that's ok... plus I was totally exhausted at the end... but for the first 25 miles or so my average speed was 23mph ish... max speed of 36mph.
Just wondered if i was fast, slow of average...
Feedback greatly appreciated.
How do I insert a really big head here? 0 -
Equates to:
25 mile at 23mph, time taken 1hr 5min.
25 mile at 15.4mph, time taken 1hr 37min.
Total 50 mile at 18.5mph average, 2hr 42min total ride time.
Very good effort, if you are to be believed................
Come on ahazon spill the beans, either tell us the truth or tell how you've got into such good shape !!0 -
PhilofCas wrote:Equates to:
25 mile at 23mph, time taken 1hr 5min.
25 mile at 15.4mph, time taken 1hr 37min.
Total 50 mile at 18.5mph average, 2hr 42min total ride time.
Very good effort, if you are to be believed................
Come on ahazon spill the beans, either tell us the truth or tell how you've got into such good shape !!
No beginner does that kind of time on a flat dual carriageway on a full on TT bike with a number on their backs......let alone on a leisure ride for the first time!0 -
SteveR_100Milers wrote:No beginner does that kind of time on a flat dual carriageway on a full on TT bike with a number on their backs......let alone on a leisure ride for the first time!
Apart from Hutch that is.....
As we all know, just seeing a speed on the computer for a few seconds doesn't mean it's an average. I take little notice of instantaneous speeds as they are so easily affected by the wind etc. (with the exception of uphill drags where I sometimes try and keep over a certain speed).
Neil--
"Because the cycling is pain. The cycling is soul crushing pain."0 -
When you put your computer on your bike, did you calibrate or set it up in any way, or did you just plump it on and assume it's already set up?
You've not got it set to kilometres by mistake by any chance?0 -
angry_cyclist wrote:Pagem wrote:angry_cyclist wrote:If I was you I would phone up British Cycling and say you are their next great thing ( hopefully you are British).
sorry to be a bore, but if i were you i'd check your computer calibration
Thank you, your apology is accepted.. No doubt you have spotted a major flaw in the quote above and I will be a better human all round if you could let me know exactly what is it is.
Angry indeed! I think Pagem was referring to the OP's speedometer, not your words.0 -
I used to be an international athlete, (ok, it was junior level and only once did I compete overseas but hey, I wasn't too bad) and when I started cycling, (admittedly 10 years since I last competed) it took me a good few months to build up to 50 miles. Over 20 miles I've maintained a 17.6mph and that was a fairly flat run and not too windy. I thought I was doing ok until I read your post.
As others have said, you're either an amazingly gifted cyclist with a huge natural ability or perhaps the computer wasn't quite right. It could be the former but suspect (and hope) that it might be the latter or else that means I'm really crap. iykwim
keep it up0 -
Well... it seems my computer must be set incorrectly... I'm fairly sure it's right, but I will double check...
Sorry if i came across as big-headed "RRSODL" I certainly didn't mean to. Just after an Idea as to whether I was riding within what would be expected.
I just checked the mileometer on the computer and it reads 49.7 miles. and I confirmed the total average speed as above... I'm off out again this weekend coming and I'll tripple check the calibration and repot back.. I'm fairly sure it must be the computer, not me that is giving good times, as you said.
Again. thanks for the input
Andy0 -
I just checked the calibration of the computer, and you guys were right, sadly... It was a little out, but only by 1.7cm on the circumference... not sure how much of adifference that would have made. I guess over a long disatnce it adds up.
I've re-set it with the correct measurement, taken from an internet source. I'll report back.0 -
if the computer is right you're s*** hot!
Did you go off the standard values for your wheel/tyre type or did you enter your own value for wheel circumference based on your own measurement?
whatever method you used, I'm sure it can't be too far out which will still mean you've done a bloody good distance in a really good time at an enviable (for me) speed.
0 -
ah, we posted at the same time. I can't imagine that 1.7 cm is going to make such a huge difference. So to a fellow beginner like me, you are very very fast. Well done.0
-
ahazon wrote:I just checked the calibration of the computer, and you guys were right, sadly... It was a little out, but only by 1.7cm on the circumference... not sure how much of adifference that would have made. I guess over a long disatnce it adds up.
I've re-set it with the correct measurement, taken from an internet source. I'll report back.
don't !!, measure it yourself, it's takes seconds and will ensure accuracy0 -
The typical setting for a 700C wheel is 2096.0
-
Under 3 hours for a 50 miler is fairly impressive stuff.
And 1.05 for a 25 miler is wow! :shock:
I always find that my cycle computers are preset to the wrong wheel size giving slightly optomistic speeds- First ride I averaged 20mph over a hilly 40 miler (apprently).
Turned out to be about 15mph over a hilly 30 miler "I hold it true, what'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost;
Than never to have loved at all."
Alfred Tennyson0 -
You could also try plotting your route on bikely.com and seeing if it was in fact 50 miles.Jeff Jones
Product manager, Sports0 -
Ride a known distance of about 10 miles. Drive it in a car or get a friend to do so, then ride the same route and check the milage. If it's right then you're a fast beginner.0
-
If the circumference is set too small (which is the usual default setting heaven knows why) then the speed will read too high, and the distance covered also too high (as Nolf discovered.. ) 0
-
Dont you lot be so negative, he just may be naturally gifted it happens some times.
Just becuase it took you lot years to get to average 20mph on a ride :P :P
Just let him enter a race and report back and we will see how fast he really is 0 -
Good advice 0
-
No, it's the other way around. If you set the circumference to be too large, the computer thinks you're going further than you actually are. Also, tyre pressure and your body weight can both affect how far your wheel rolls in one complete revolution.SteveR_100Milers wrote:If the circumference is set too small (which is the usual default setting heaven knows why) then the speed will read too high, and the distance covered also too high (as Nolf discovered.. )
I used to set mine to about 209, unless I had really huge tyres on.Jeff Jones
Product manager, Sports0 -
angry_cyclist wrote:Pagem wrote:angry_cyclist wrote:If I was you I would phone up British Cycling and say you are their next great thing ( hopefully you are British).
sorry to be a bore, but if i were you i'd check your computer calibration
Thank you, your apology is accepted.. No doubt you have spotted a major flaw in the quote above and I will be a better human all round if you could let me know exactly what is it is.
what are you on about? i'm referring to the op's bike computer, capt. paranoia.Only the meek get pinched. The bold survive.0
