MTV avg speed

badly_dubbed

Us roadies use avg speed all the time to judge a runs pace,

What's a decent mtb avg speed approx?

Lastnight I did a hilly 32miles on the mtb but only managed 11mph avg which is of course miles slower than any road run i do ( or anyone else for that matter)

Any ideas chaps?

BorisSpencer

Distance and speed are pretty irrelevant off road. Ground conditions can vary from day to day, muddy gloop can turn into iron hard ruts etc.
Measure time spent and enjoyment factor.

njee20

+1

It's irrelevant.

andyrm

As has been said, it varies so much due to terrain, technical nature of the trails, conditions and hills etc. But saying that, when we take a faster group of us to Afan and do W2 for example, we can average around that speed at a good hard pace, so I'd suggest you are shifting pretty rapidly!

twonks

As above, average speed on an MTB is irrelavent.

Having said that, I'm currently using the same trail against the clock on my Garmin, but only as rough training guide to get fitter.

11mph average over 30+ miles off road is what I'd consider a good average on paper but there are too many variables to use it as a real guide.

If it makes you smile, sweat and breath a little harder then it's good enough imho

nicklouse

badly_dubbed wrote:

Us roadies use avg speed all the time to judge a runs pace,

What's a decent mtb avg speed approx?

Lastnight I did a hilly 32miles on the mtb but only managed 11mph avg which is of course miles slower than any road run i do ( or anyone else for that matter)

Any ideas chaps?

was it fun?

badly_dubbed

Yea very good

roger_merriman

around swinley tends to end up sub 10 mph average, on other places like the run out to BoxHill then it can be a lot faster as it's mild stuff.

so yes how long is the string.

Tank-slapper

Most of my rides around the Peak average about 12kmh, but they are very leisurely. The last race I did in the Peak averaged 18kmh.

Anonymous

nicklouse wrote:

was it fun?

^^This.

cooldad

Most of our rides are so slow it would be an embarrassment to record the speed, what with cake stops, smoke breaks, time to swap knitting patterns etc.

NatoED

cool dad i remember a guy who rode single speed with in Margam NPS races (XC) in the mid /late 90's . he would chain smoke his way around the course on a Pace RC200 with RC30 forks . It was great fun watching him grind past all the pros. Best bit was he was a Yorkshire chap who would give a big drag on his cigiy just before the climb and give the guys in the pack a smile before powering off up the climb shouting "see ya boys " .

Mad days them were .

badly_dubbed

NatoED wrote:

cool dad i remember a guy who rode single speed with in Margam NPS races (XC) in the mid /late 90's . he would chain smoke his way around the course on a Pace RC200 with RC30 forks . It was great fun watching him grind past all the pros. Best bit was he was a Yorkshire chap who would give a big drag on his cigiy just before the climb and give the guys in the pack a smile before powering off up the climb shouting "see ya boys " .

Mad days them were .

That would be awesome lol

njee20

That sounds highly apocryphal, particularly the bit about overtaking 'pros'!

Anonymous

And if it's true, imagine how much faster he'd have been if he didn't smoke.

Johnny Napalm

One of my mate smokes, and I've yet to see anyone beat him to the top of any hills. I'm no slouch when it comes to climbing (for my age), but it's as if the laws of gravity don't apply to him.

He was complaining the other day that he's slowed down, while rocketing up a climb, because of smoking. :shock: It just shouldn't be that way.

njee20

Enter him in an Elite XC race. I've not seen many of them smoking, and call me cynical, but I doubt he's an undiscovered pro!

Anonymous

I don't care how fast he is compared to anyone in your crew, he would still be faster, and have more stamina if he gave up the ciggies.
I can still destroy most trail centre warriors when I smoke, by virtue of having ridden for over 20 years, in an extremely hilly area. It is, however far far easier when I'm off the fags.
I'm afraid this isn't subjective opinion, preachyness, or some weird conspiracy, it's just a simple fact. No smoking = far more oxygen to your body. More oxygen = good.
frankly if you believe otherwise, you must have the kind of mental deficiency that poses a good case for selective breeding.

Johnny Napalm

I'm not saying he is an undiscovered pro, but it just shouldn't work how it does...and he can talk all the way up a hill too (if you can keep with him) without it appearing to bother him too much.

I've always wondered what he'd be like if he didn't smoke. He's bloody good on the descents too.

Anonymous

Maybe, just maybe, you should take a long hard look at your own fitness, Johhny.

Johnny Napalm

I agree - not smoking is far more beneficial.

I haven't smoked for years, and I have no desire to do so again, but I would not be able to do what I do if I smoked - plain and simple. It would completely wreck me. It's hard enought the older you get without adding further difficulties.

njee20

So he's the quickest in a group of people who may in fact be very slow, as you have no yardstick?

He should try giving up, he'll go faster, and die later, both of which seem advantageous to me!

Johnny Napalm

I haven't got an issue with my fitness for my age (44), Yeehaa, and I've left people half my age way behind me on rides. I'm no super-athlete, by any means, but people who have ridden with me have always commented on my fitness/stamina etc. When I've had medicals etc., I've always had good results on my fitness.

I still eat really well - lost of fruit, veg, fish, chicken etc., when most people I know can't stop shovelling crisps, chocolate, beer down their necks, so I'm doing pretty well.

My mate is just one of those rare instances, and other people who have ridden with him have also mentioned his remarkable hill-climbimg ability. Just one of those things that shouldn't work, but does.

Yeah, I could be fitter, but work/family-life dictates that I can't be on the bike/working-out constantly, so I'll be pretty happy to sustain this level of fitness as much as possible. There's always room for improvement, but I'm not aiming to be an XC champ or anything.

Anonymous

njee20 wrote:

He should try giving up, and die, both of which seem advantageous to me!

Lol, bit harsh, Njee!

I have a mate who's astoundingly fit, even though he smokes, too. He runs, climbs, and bikes all the time. But, he is obsessively active.
He will destroy most people up a hillclimb. And by most people, I really mean MOST people.
BUT, he and I both know he would be far faster without the ciggies.
He really COULD have been a racer - if he wanted to.
He is still not patch on people like Sian and Dafydd (of Coedy fame) though. And, by extension (them being old time racers, Njee being a current racer), I doubt he'd trouble someone like Njee either.

Basically what I'm saying is that, he's not as ludicrously fast as you think. You... are just far less fast than you think you are.

njee20

Lol, bit harsh, Njee

Haha! I actually had to recheck what I'd written!

Nail/head with that last post I reckon.

Johnny Napalm

Basically what I'm saying is that, he's not as ludicrously fast as you think. You... are just far less fast than you think you are.

Yeah, I can accept that, but I don't do bad for my age/what time allows - I suppose another thing to consider is that he's out every day, whereas I get out 3-4 times/week in general.

Talking of fast for their age - I've tagged along at the back of Peaty and that guy is fast uphill for a DH racer. I once saw him climb Heart-Attack Hill in Wharncliffe, and I was surprised how that guy can get up a hill. It was also fun to see his mates appearing quite a few minutes later all rosey-cheeked and gasping for air - some of them just ended up pushing their bikes in the end.

Anonymous

If you think Peaty's fast up a hill, you really should see someone like Gary Fisher go up a hill. He's far older, and a faster climber

Peaty is undoubtedly very fit, but he's still no XC racer. I think you would be truly ashamed of yourself if you saw what someone like Njee would make of a hill.

Johnny Napalm

Peaty is undoubtedly very fit, but he's still no XC racer. I think you would be truly ashamed of yourself if you saw what someone like Njee would make of a hill.

I know he won't be as fast as an XC racer, but I just (ignorantly) thought that all he did was point the bike downwards and never realised how fit he really is for his particular riding discipline. I now know different. I've seen XC guys fly up hills and had to double-check that they haven't got motorised-aid. :shock:

I'm not ashamed of what I achieve uphill (more the other direction :oops: ), and it's all swings and roundabouts, there'll always be someone better, no matter who you are. I know some very fit individuals that make you realise what true fitness is, but then again they are treating it as a science, and everything is methodically done with training, diet etc., which is what is required. And, every day is training - their lives revolve around it. I'd never even contemplate trying to keep up with anyone who treats it so seriously - you simply can't.

If I trained every day, then yes, I'd be much faster and much fitter, but it's not possible and never going to happen, so I don't worry about that because it is what it is.

I'm sure you, Njee would have to wait for me (that I have no doubt about), as I'm sure most serious riders on here would have to too, but at least you'd have time for a good chat (and a cig, Yeehaa).

Anonymous

Well, you realise what it takes to get fitter. And stopping smoking is another one. Your mate, or my mate Rob, would within about a fortnight, get far far faster by JUST giving up the fags, without having to do any extra training.

Johnny Napalm

Your mate, or my mate Rob, would within about a fortnight, get far far faster by JUST giving up the fags, without having to do any extra training

.

You're right, they would improve significantly, and I on the other hand would die the first ride if I ever took up smoking again, which I why I will never do so.

john74

yeehaa is right. i ride a hill called puke hill for obvious reasons. ive never made it to the top without walking but i gave up fags 3 weeks ago and yesterday i finally conquered it all the way to the top.
i dont think that is a coincidence.