Average Speed on your Commute?

CiB

Wot's that? 17 avg is unachievable? My last few commutes in to work...

It's the weather. Now it's warmer it's quicker. And there are only three places where I have to slow down significantly, for Give Ways etc. No traffic lights. No traffic really. Do I win £5?

25 May 12	 21.24	1:06:26	19.18
23 May 12	 21.09	1:05:25	19.34
11 May 12	 20.35	1:14:42	16.35
09 May 12	 20.35	1:01:11	19.96
04 May 12	 20.40	1:08:02	17.99
02 May 12	 20.52	1:09:05	17.82
27 Apr 12	 21.04	1:17:20	16.32
25 Apr 12	 21.30	1:10:46	18.06
20 Apr 12	 20.80	1:15:39	16.50
18 Apr 12	 20.81	1:09:32	17.96

keyser__soze

EKE_38BPM wrote:

How do you know they weren't jumping lights, pavement riding or on a moped/motorbike/car?
No idea what time of day either.

Are you now calling everyone with a high ave in the SCR group RLJers or pavement riders? I thought you'd met a fair few of them and knew they were well-behaved (well, on the road at least) Strava also shows the time of day too.

Fat-Boy-Roubaix

Does having autostop on mean I cannot willy wave? I put autostop on when Garmin mucked about with moving and total time, logic did really appy that it is the only way to compare time taken and average speeds

On a serious note I am about to cross my first year commuting or trying to commute 100%. Didn't mamage it but have done it probalby about 80%+. I have come out of Feb with increases in my average. Being my first year I assume winter cycling has greatly improved my fitness. Also you cannot take way the benefit of heat and still or low wind speed.

The other thing forums tend to encourage is the statement of the average in fact being the best single ride average.

Rather than speed I will quote that year on year this week I am 16.85393% faster than I was this week last year...

gbsahne001

PB this morning 16.5miles in 51' 23"; set out thinking I'll just take it easy this morning.

Edit; having just gone the opposite direction to the shops, this was probably with a tailwind.

meanredspider

EKE_38BPM wrote:

How do you know they weren't jumping lights, pavement riding or on a moped/motorbike/car?
No idea what time of day either.

I think my Garmin is nearly accurate enough to show if I was on the pavement (+/- a metre or so). Garmin connect shows time of day, cadence & HR (the latter two being reasonably good indicators you're on a bike). As for light, that's just a matter of luck anyway.

What you can't see are:
Nodders (and peds where appropriate)
Road surface quality
Wind direction & speed (though the really anal could look this up on wunderground)
Drafting (colleague drafted TWO camper vans for a KoM)
Anti-drafting (section of path I do next to fast dual but contra-directional)

Of course it's all nonesense but it's a bit of fun

jonny_trousers

I've recently been getting more obsessed with average speed for my commute than over all time (and I hold this thread partly responsible) and it's so frustrating. Yesterday on my way in I averaged a pathetic 13.8mph despite hitting a maximum of 28.7mph on the flat and cruising well over 20mph over much of it. Traffic lights are such a b*tch! If you lose 0.5mph of your average every time you stop at lights it doesn't take many stops before you may as well throw in the towel. Thank God for Strava where you can test yourself on traffic-light-free segments.

thiscocks

Comparing commuting times with people who commute on different routes is utterly pointless. Fair enough its good for personal targets but why would you want to compare your flat route with someone who commutes over hills in Scotland ?

If you think you are good man up and get your ass kicked in a time trial and stop posting pointless figures up.

dhope

thiscocks wrote:

Comparing commuting times with people who commute on different routes is utterly pointless. Fair enough its good for personal targets but why would you want to compare your flat route with someone who commutes over hills in Scotland ?

If you think you are good man up and get your ass kicked in a time trial and stop posting pointless figures up.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

EKE_38BPM

Keyser__Soze wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

How do you know they weren't jumping lights, pavement riding or on a moped/motorbike/car?
No idea what time of day either.

Are you now calling everyone with a high ave in the SCR group RLJers or pavement riders? I thought you'd met a fair few of them and knew they were well-behaved (well, on the road at least) Strava also shows the time of day too.

The condition we leave the Morpeth in is not the correct condition to judge anyone's (including my own) behaviour!

roger_merriman

route can make a huge difference as can wind.

see http://app.strava.com/rides/10799709

though Kingston while a fairly direct route, loads of lights. plus headwind. 13mph average.

then http://app.strava.com/rides/10806475 a lot faster route, while still a number of lights, not as many plus a faster route, with a tail or side wind for most of it. 18mph average.

First.Aspect

I lost my bike computer some time after my accident.

I've not replaced it yet and I'm commuting on a mountain bike at the moment.

I've found that I ride just as hard (or not), my legs hurt just as much, I sweat just as much, the scenery is just as good and work starts at exactly the same time.

Comment.

meanredspider

First Aspect wrote:

I'm commuting on a mountain bike at the moment.

I've found that I ride just as hard (or not), my legs hurt just as much, I sweat just as much, the scenery is just as good and work starts at exactly the same time.

Comment.

And (for my commute at least) I spend 15 minutes longer a day cycling if I'm on my MTB.

sketchley

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Keyser__Soze wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

How do you know they weren't jumping lights, pavement riding or on a moped/motorbike/car?
No idea what time of day either.

Are you now calling everyone with a high ave in the SCR group RLJers or pavement riders? I thought you'd met a fair few of them and knew they were well-behaved (well, on the road at least) Strava also shows the time of day too.

The condition we leave the Morpeth in is not the correct condition to judge anyone's (including my own) behaviour!

I tend to find my average speed goes up after a night in the Morpeth.....

dhope

First Aspect wrote:

I lost my bike computer some time after my accident.

I've not replaced it yet and I'm commuting on a mountain bike at the moment.

I've found that I ride just as hard (or not), my legs hurt just as much, I sweat just as much, the scenery is just as good and work starts at exactly the same time.

Comment.

Erm, you're more concerned about qualitative feedback than quantitative? Yes, I know it was largely rhetorical.

I'm not sure anyone is arguing that their average speed over their particular stretch of road allows them to rank themselves accurately against commuters all over the world.

Anecdotal evidence would suggest I'm faster than most casual cyclists and slower than most serious cyclists. I also have a Garmin 800 which I use on the commute so I know when I'm faster than I have been on previous days. I'm a geek, I like having figures to hand purely for my own interest. Beyond that I'm not too fussed unless I do decide to give racing a bash.

We're also posting on a fairly London-centric forum where half the occupants spend an hour a day haring down Embankment so it's not entirely arbitrary, and most people have an idea of what constitutes quick for that part of town.

EKE_38BPM

dhope wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

I lost my bike computer some time after my accident.

I've not replaced it yet and I'm commuting on a mountain bike at the moment.

I've found that I ride just as hard (or not), my legs hurt just as much, I sweat just as much, the scenery is just as good and work starts at exactly the same time.

Comment.

Erm, you're more concerned about qualitative feedback than quantitative? Yes, I know it was largely rhetorical.

I'm not sure anyone is arguing that their average speed over their particular stretch of road allows them to rank themselves accurately against commuters all over the world.

Anecdotal evidence would suggest I'm faster than most casual cyclists and slower than most serious cyclists. I also have a Garmin 800 which I use on the commute so I know when I'm faster than I have been on previous days. I'm a geek, I like having figures to hand purely for my own interest. Beyond that I'm not too fussed unless I do decide to give racing a bash.

We're also posting on a fairly London-centric forum where half the occupants spend an hour a day haring down Embankment so it's not entirely arbitrary, and most people have an idea of what constitutes quick for that part of town.

How many times do you ride along Emankment each day? Five or six?

dhope

EKE_38BPM wrote:

dhope wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

I lost my bike computer some time after my accident.

I've not replaced it yet and I'm commuting on a mountain bike at the moment.

I've found that I ride just as hard (or not), my legs hurt just as much, I sweat just as much, the scenery is just as good and work starts at exactly the same time.

Comment.

Erm, you're more concerned about qualitative feedback than quantitative? Yes, I know it was largely rhetorical.

I'm not sure anyone is arguing that their average speed over their particular stretch of road allows them to rank themselves accurately against commuters all over the world.

Anecdotal evidence would suggest I'm faster than most casual cyclists and slower than most serious cyclists. I also have a Garmin 800 which I use on the commute so I know when I'm faster than I have been on previous days. I'm a geek, I like having figures to hand purely for my own interest. Beyond that I'm not too fussed unless I do decide to give racing a bash.

We're also posting on a fairly London-centric forum where half the occupants spend an hour a day haring down Embankment so it's not entirely arbitrary, and most people have an idea of what constitutes quick for that part of town.

How many times do you ride along Emankment each day? Five or six?

5, it gets really confusing doing it an odd number of times, ending up at the wrong end every other day.

(Okay, people spend an hour a day commuting of which some of that is on Embankment)

tallmansix

Hi, I measure my time / average speed but it is the relative speed, not absolute that is important. The fact that I have reduced a 20 mile commute by 45 mins over 6 months is more important to me.

rolf_f

EKE_38BPM wrote:

How many times do you ride along Emankment each day? Five or six?

To be fair, the speeds people make along the embankment are slow enough that an hour is about right