avg winter speeds

gubber12345

So we all know avg speed is down this time of year but just wondering how far down would they actually be if instead of the old winter hack i was out on the good summer bike for the same effort.

chippyk

My speed is down so much I keep checking the brakes aren't dragging.

hsiaolc

Winter is not really a speed problem. traffic is and normally during summer holidays I am much faster than during school term time.

gubber12345

chippyk wrote:

My speed is down so much I keep checking the brakes aren't dragging.

me too :P :P

Bobbinogs

gubber12345 wrote:

So we all know avg speed is down this time of year but just wondering how far down would they actually be if instead of the old winter hack i was out on the good summer bike for the same effort.

About £4.50

gubber12345

Bobbinogs wrote:

gubber12345 wrote:

So we all know avg speed is down this time of year but just wondering how far down would they actually be if instead of the old winter hack i was out on the good summer bike for the same effort.

About £4.50

holy censored that much

fat daddy

I am only slower on the climbs .... my flat and down hill haven't changed.

uphill has slowed probably due to the extra clothing, heavier rubber and all the lights stuck to me .. I weigh a tonne this time of year

imposter2.0

gubber12345 wrote:

So we all know avg speed is down this time of year but just wondering how far down would they actually be if instead of the old winter hack i was out on the good summer bike for the same effort.

No need to 'wonder' - ride it and find out.

lakesluddite

Not just me then! Thank censored .

bernithebiker

It's mainly down to the colder air with is far denser than warm air, thereby slowing you considerably (plus less aero winter clothing). Someone should do a Youtube video about that......:)

DavidJB

my average speed has halved.

ryan_w-2

I've got faster, everywhere... But I have been training my censored off on my heavy commuter bike.

Went out on the race bike last Friday and it felt like I was pedalling air.

sloppyschleckonds

Ryan_W wrote:

I've got faster, everywhere... But I have been training my censored off on my heavy commuter bike.

Went out on the race bike last Friday and it felt like I was pedalling air.

I agree with Ryan.

Its about fitness.

gubber12345

DavidJB wrote:

my average speed has halved.

Mine too...not halved but bloody hard work trying to get a 15/16 avg

cycleclinic

denser air more clothing and for many a less aero bike/position all make us slower. Add to that more caution due to ice/wet greasy roads it is senisble to ride a bit slower. Like ryan though fittness is a big part. Generally my average pace is more like last summer's pace with caution. Can't wait for this summer.

jrich

I reckon 1.5mph, maybe 2mph slower on average. Cannot wait for summer!!!

keezx

Would you notice this "huge difference" without your speedometer?

bernithebiker

50 watts difference at 40km/h between extremes, i.e. high pressure v.cold day, versus low pressure very warm day.

And yes, I can feel that without a speedo.

charlie_potatoes

All of my peers seem to be around 5 mph quicker during the winter. Such is the realism of Zwift

debeli

I commuted for many years both with and without a computer or speedo.

1. Time is a funky variable and an unreliable guide. There are often times when a storming ride produces what seems at first glance a pedestrian time. It is still a storming ride.

2. Before speed measurement became so easy, journeys were often times door-to-door to the nearest few minutes.... Somehow that seemed more honest.

3. I know that I am a lot slower in the wet, even when pushing. I just do not descend or go into bends carrying as much speed, and that means exiting bends and reaching the bottom of a descent with lower speed.... it all drags down the average speed even though the rider may feel that he or she is right on the rivet for the whole hour.

My advice: Take those computers off from time to time. Training with no screen to look at and no HRM is liberating.... not on every ride, but on occasion.

webboo

If I didn't have a speedo I wouldn't be sure I was actually moving sometimes.

keezx

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

All of my peers seem to be around 5 mph quicker during the winter. Such is the realism of Zwift

Zwift has nothing to do with cycling.
So do not mention it.

DavidJB

keezx wrote:

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

All of my peers seem to be around 5 mph quicker during the winter. Such is the realism of Zwift

Zwift has nothing to do with cycling.
So do not mention it.

What?

bompington

All of the above is true... but I would have said that the difference between "best bike" and "winter hack" is far and away the smallest of the variables.
Some factors that I perceive as being relevant to the difference in my speed - clearly some make much more difference than others:

• heavier winter bike - about 2k for mine, most of which is the tyres
• heavier/more restrictive clothing/equipment (how much does saturated winter gear weigh?)
• less aero winter clothing
• cold dense air
• wind and rain
• more careful descending/cornering on greasy/dark roads or when dazzled by headlights
• can't see my speed - I find it's easier to push myself when I can
• tyres - when you run 35mm studded tyres: yes, you notice the difference.
• health - I seem to spend half the winter with a cold...

My commute is by far my most regular ride - 30km with about 300m climbing. In summer I average just over an hour. In winter it's roughly 5 minutes slower if I'm on my summer bike (when there's no ice risk), about 10-15 minutes on the winter bike.
What always gets me about changing bikes is that it just feels so much faster and so much less effort on the summer bike.

fat daddy

keezx wrote:

Zwift has nothing to do with cycling.
So do not mention it.

I use my road cycling as training to get better on Zwift ... somewhere its all gone wrong !

philbar72

wouldn't worry about average speeds, they are pretty meaningless. its the work, or quality thereof that will make those averages go up (and also an awareness around weather, wind , air density and other factors).I went out on Saturday and did awful average speeds and next to no work except on the two climbs... that way my legs were primed for a decent ride on Sunday in the rain.

I also handle the bike differently around this time of the year.... i.e. more cautious.

keef66

I was agonisingly slow at one point on Saturday. I could hear the rear wheel dragging on something as I toiled up a hill I normally find easy. At the top I had a look and found the whole of the rear guard completely packed with mud, and I could barely turn the wheel by hand. I had to spend 10 minutes with a variety of sticks trying to poke the bulk of it out, and the next few miles deliberately riding through puddles to try and wash out the rest. Think I'm going to have to find a cleaner route until that particular stretch is cleaned up...

charlie_potatoes

fat daddy wrote:

keezx wrote:

Zwift has nothing to do with cycling.
So do not mention it.

I use my road cycling as training to get better on Zwift ... somewhere its all gone wrong !

benws1

I'm a bit slower average speed wise than I was last summer. Initially thought it was me, but had a conversation with someone who used to be a very active amateur and he told me it's harder to ride in winter. Air is more dense, wind and weather can take their toll and you are wearing and carrying more (as already mentioned in this thread).

One thing I have noticed is that when it is windy this time of year (like it was on Saturday), it's a lot harder than when it's windy in summer.

I'm still managing to maintain 13/14 mph averages on my hybrid though.

bompington

benws1 wrote:

I'm still managing to maintain 13/14 mph averages on my hybrid though.

just think how you'll go when you get a real bike ;-)

okgo

Nah I went faster in a TT in December than I have ever done, reckon its faster...