Cycling Forum: Avg Speed how good is it.....

 

So I have a gary fisher mountain bike that I ride on and when I really just crank it out I can probably get it to about 22 to 23 mph..... I would say on my rides I avg about 15 mph. This is without clip in pedals which I just got but have not gotten a chance to use. My question is A. is this a good avg speed on a mtb.... B. Will it increase with the clip in pedals.... and C. If I were on a road bike built for speed how much faster do you think my avg speed would be.... 

where do you guys ride your mountain bikes????? An average of 24 mph on a mountain bike.........downhill??? clip ins are a preference. I have seen good riders on flat pedals ride just as fast as riders in clip ins. the key is to keep your foot planted on the pedals. if you currently have a good pedal stroke on flat pedals, I don't see your average speed changing. If you are riding mainly on the road, invest in a nice road bike. it will allow you to go faster by as much as 5-6 mph. you will be able to cover more ground and enjoy your ride a little better.

I'm regularly commuting on a mtn bike - round trip of about 28 miles on a reasonably hilly route. I average about 15.5mph over the entire route, but over time as I've become fitter, there are some sections where I can reach 25mph on the flat. I've had a downhill speed of 38mph, but that was hard work..

 A point to note for mtn bikes - my one had a front chainset more geared for, well, going up mountains, and only had 44 teeth on the largest chainring. I've changed it for one with 48, and it has made a world of difference. I like the idea of a pure road bike, but some of the areas that I commute through are little more than potholed dirt tracks, and I'd fear for the wheels..

Avg speed of 24 miles an hour on a mountain bike seems a bit of a stretch.  I'm a roadie and I avg. 20-21 on a 17.5 pound bike (I'm cranking it to average this speed, not a casual ride).  I've gone over 40 on down hills with smooth pavement but then I get a bit edgy and slow down to a comfortable speed.  You WILL go faster on a road bike, but it's a totally different riding experience.  Just so you can get an idea of how fast you are relative to pro's...the Tour de France averages about 27 mph on rides in a pelaton.  A really good roadie will avg 24 mph solo.  The fastest I've gone in a flat is 38.  I've seen Tom Boonen going 45 on flat terrain riding a time trial bike on youtube.  By the way..Lance is making a come back!!