For walking, the standard calculation (hillwalking) is 4km per hour plus 10m per minute vertical. You can then modify according to fitness, skill, severity of route etc to come up with a reasonable estimate.

Does anyone have something for biking? I know there are more factors involved when taking a bike into the hills, but there must be some kind of proven formula at least to start from.

There are so many variables it is impossible. Unless you know the exact terrain you’re covering of course. Like you, if anyone has a reliable formula I am all ears!

Bog Trotter rides tend to work out at 5mph including punctures and lunch stop

5mph? Save the hassle and run! 😆

I reckon on 10 mph for flat and descent with 3 mph + 1/2 hr per 1000 ft for climbs.

Large groups always slow things down tho and I reckon on adding 25 % to that for stopping / faffage especially in groups

For cycling, you need a descent factor too. I've tried playing around with this in Anquet to get something approximating my speed but I can't get anything consistent. Road cycling is a bit easier to do as there are less variables (terrain being the most important).

Tracklogs uses a mountain biking version of the Naismith algorithm which I find to be reasonably accurate for a fairly fit rider.

The default values for the rule are:

3.75 mins per km
add 4.75 mins per 100m ascent
subtract 0.72 mins per 100m descent

and Tranter's correction set to 1.

I hope that means something to you!

5mph? Save the hassle and run!

on a recent 4 passes ride (Sty Head, Honister, Scarth Gap, Black Sail) one of the 'riders' didn't bother taking his bike and complained about having to wait for the others :o)

I have scant experience of running, but I imagine it must be hard to maintain 5mph for hours over rough terrain… and it doesn't sound like much fun 🙁

Druidh – you caould factor the descent factor in the climbing – as most routes finish at the same height as they start – so if you don't add as much in the climb as it takes you allow for speeding up on the descents.

The quality of the trail makes a huge difference which it doesn't really for walking tho.

For example Carn mor ban the other week took what – 4 hrs plus for 8 miles ish. A couple of hours for the 2000' 3 mile climb, half an hour across the top, half an hour for the descent, and an hour for faffage / lunch / pinch flat repairs.

I have done the Beinn a ghlo circuit in under 6 hrs. 35 miles with 5000" of climb.

So 35 miles at 10 mph = 3.5 hrs
5000' of climb = 2.5 hrs
total 6 hrs

Hmmmm – neither of those really add up as we deffo stopped for a picnic or two on beinn a Ghlo

add 4.75 mins per 100m ascent

looking at a recent climb up The Calf, I get a figure of 13 minutes per 100m ascent

Off the brakes – that would make the Carn Mor Ban an hour and a quarter – I doubt even a rear racer could get close to that. 3 – 4 hrs more like it – the 700 m climb is done at walking pace or not much above so will take over an hour

I think on a bike you slow more the steeper it is – so a 1000' 1 miles climb takes longer than a 3 miles 1000' climb

It's a rule of thumb, obviously you would modify the values to take into account your own fitness, terrain difficulty, weather conditions etc. I'd suggest googling Naismith's Rule for anyone wanting to apply it to their routes, and then using their experience of riding in that area to set the variables to something suitable.

You can debate specific examples you've ridden to your heart's content – but I won't join in 🙂

OMG! it's an asberger meeting 😕

OMG! it's an asberger meeting

🙄

On my own the average speed is about 8mph, in a group 5mph seems about right as there is more faffage. These values don't appear to be terrain dependant.

I use 10kph to estimate based on bridleway type riding in the hills (min. trail centre red standard). Can get above 12kph in trail centres. YMMV!!

Paul

PS Lunch stop not included or taken 😉

@GW

OMG! it's an asberger meeting

If you're going to be offensive to those who sit elsewhere on the autistic spectrum from yourself, you might at least spell the name of their condition correctly…

😆

PS Lunch stop not included or taken

cold comfort 🙁

If you're going to be offensive to those who sit elsewhere on the autistic spectrum from yourself, you might at least spell the name of their condition correctly…

would I not be right in thinking such people would not grasp the concept of offense ?

10mph, works well in 90% of cases, even the peaks/lakes where off road speeds are very low (expecialy the climbs) it tends to work out because you have to do the odd road section to make up the loop.

No simon – you would be wrong. Aspergers encompasses a range of developmental peculiarities. From my reading of your posts I think you may well have some of them – as do I 🙂

Mmm. I would guess that any steepish ascent is going to be slower than walking as you are dragging 10-15kg of extra weight, so I reckon SFB's 13 mins per 100m sounds about right compared to the standard for walking of 10 mins per 100m.

So need a distance estimate. How does 10km per hour plus 13 mins per 100m fit into people's past rides

From my reading of your posts I think you may well have some of them – as do I

you think I didn't know ? But I did think that autism is basically an inability to understand the mental states of others…

Well that would make the rest of us autistic with relation to you, sfb 🙂

Well that would make the rest of us autistic with relation to you, sfb

I think you'll find that's just dimwittedness 🙁