Proof that I'm unfit?

Dammit, went out on the skinnybike today, did 30.35 miles in 1hr 50 ish. 16.40mph avg.
I mean I know I’m old & fat but that’s ridiculous. 😥

Way faster than I am!

That’s not too bad an avge speed for a large lad, how much climbing was involved?

Not loads of climbing, more ‘undulating’ with a slight breeze heading south. (which meant a slight tailwind heading North!)

I do that time in the ‘vet

It’s pretty slow for sure, I’m not much better mind, last weekend managed 30 miles on the mountain bike ( but road miles) averaged 18 mph.

I think is the cold air, just seems harder to breath in lungfulls of freezing air.

Please spring can you finally come and see us.

Okay….

I’m over the moon if I sustain averages anything over 15mph.

got a 55 miler on friday………..aiming for about 9 hours including cafe/pub stops.

Well I’m not happy. Must try harder.

18mph avg on a MTB is beyond my comprehension. You must be proper fit.

It’s not that bad really.

18mph on road with a MTB, ye gods you must be fast

18mph on road with a MTB, ye gods you must be fast

Right, & not 56 & 3 stone overweight like me!

Jesus Christ,I’ve either got a **** up computer,a **** up bike or a **** up body,but I’m lucky if I top 14 mph ave.

16.4mph is perfectly acceptable for a normal person on a solo ride, even if it’s flatish.
Nothing to stop you getting fitter and faster though. Whatever you do don’t become discouraged by willy waving on here. YOU AIN’T SLOW.

Get rid of your orange five, that’ll give you at least 2mph

Get rid of your orange five, that’ll give you at least 2mph

Never I tell thee, NEVER!

& please use a capital ‘O’ when you mention an Orange 5.
Thank you. 😉

You deffo ain’t slow.

Most Club runs ask that you can do 17mph aves, so you are really not too far off that now are you.

It can be both depressing and soul destroying to “think” you are slow, but really you can only ride at your own pace. It’s boring to realise that more riding = better fitness but its the only solution.

Now that you know where you are, dig into a few hills and power over the tops, soon your aves will be improving.

Do enjoy it though won’t you. 😆

18mph on road with a MTB, ye gods you must be fast

**** incredible I’d say, for someone who claims to be 20lbs overweight. Imagine how fast he’ll be when he loses that 3 stone or gets a proper road bike. Lance watch out!

esselgruntfuttock – Member
Get rid of your orange five, that’ll give you at least 2mph

Never I tell thee, NEVER!

& please use a capital ‘O’ when you mention an Orange 5.
Thank you.

You’ll get quicker if you stick at it and push on a bit.

I guess you can do intervals and all that, I never bother because I don’t race. Just try and ride all the undulations stood up in the big ring or similar.

zilog6128 – Member
18mph on road with a MTB, ye gods you must be fast
**** incredible for someone who claims to be 20lbs overweight. Imagine how fast he’ll be when he loses that 3 stone or gets a proper road bike. Lance watch out!

😆

Have you ever ridden a mtb on the road? Although it feels it, its honestly not that much slower!

Yep, my carbon hardtail is lighter than my road (cross) bike, done a lot of road miles on it – with slicks on it’s fast, especially uphill. Not convinced I could average 18MPH over a 30 mile route though! Maybe if it was dead flat.

Just to make you feel better, I averaged 17mph over 81 miles with 2825ft of climbing at the weekend, 50 of those were on my ownsome.

This weekend I’m aiming for 17.5mph over 100 miles with just under 5000ft of climbing, it’s a tough ask and if I’m honest I doubt I’ll do it at the moment as it’s **** freezing and it’s the kind of pace I was riding at last summer, but I can dream 😆

zilog6128 – Member
Yep, my carbon hardtail is lighter than my road (cross) bike, done a lot of road miles on it – with slicks on it’s fast, especially uphill. Not convinced I could average 18MPH over a 30 mile route though! Maybe if it was dead flat.

I’m not convinced I am qualified enough to answer these questions 🙂

But I used to do a local just over 18 mile loop in 1 hour 2 mins (this was the quickest I ever did it I think). This was also when I wasnt very fit (just over 18 miles was the furthest I ever cycled). It was also on a 1997 Marin Bolinas Ridge with normal mtb tyres.

I got a road bike and was dissapointed that I wasnt much quicker, even though it felt it.

Don’t read too much in to one ride.
I did 25 miles in 1hr03 on Sunday (23.45mph average), properly cold and pi$$ing it down, quite windy too.
Today I did 100 miles in 6hr35 (15.2 average), gentle breeze and blue skies, but still chilly.
Sunday was a time-trial, today a solo ride, I’m sure it’s all the mind, I can just make myself go harder when I’m wearing a number. Maybe your head just wasn’t in it today and it’s nothing to do with fitness?

As a result of this thread I just went back and checked the last decent road ride I did – back in February. 35.83 miles in 2h04m, or 17.3 mph. That’s a lot better than I was expecting and I’m even older than you!

zilog6128 – Member
18mph on road with a MTB, ye gods you must be fast
**** incredible I’d say, for someone who claims to be 20lbs overweight. Imagine how fast he’ll be when he loses that 3 stone or gets a proper road bike. Lance watch out!
POSTED 12 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Don’t worry zilog have a Cervelo in the garage waiting for spring.

Bikes don’t make as big a difference as some people think, especially on short rides. Yes on longer rides > 50 miles a decent road bike is much faster. Pump the tyres up hard and I doubt you are any more than 2 mph slower on average speed.

My cube is not that heavy and actually I am at least 25 lbs over weight not 20. Granted on a longer ride I would probably be 4 mph slower on the mtb.

And I am not fit, not by a long shot. But am training hard and hoping to get there by this time next year. At least be able to keep up with the fast guys in the club over shorter rides. I doubt I will ever keep up with the 10 stone whippets in the hills. My legs weigh 10 stone!

Fair enough, I’ll have to take the hardtail out for a proper spin (when the weather stops being shit!) and see what I can do!

Hmmm… after reading some of your replies I don’t feel so bad!
I don’t compete in any events. I’ve only done about 130 miles on a bike since Xmas. I’m only trying to get a bit of fitness for a Torridon trip in April.
I was hoping to get 17mph avg but will keep going till I get there.

Right, one last G&T & a bag of crisps then I’m off to bed.

17 mph is doable for most proper cyclists, ie someone who rides a couple of times a week. On a flat course anyway.

Getting from 17mph to 20 is a big jump and takes much more training and lots of miles in the legs.

If you swapped most of the figures quoted above for kilometers instead of miles,thats about my level …

davidtaylforth

1997 Marin Bolinas Ridge with normal mtb tyres

.
I still ride mine ,good old bike ,just fork upgraded few years back .
My av today was 12 over mixed 12 mile 1/2 road,1/4 forest n 1/4rail track.

think your slow try this (example of a ride i did on xmas day on my new tarmac sport road bike).

i just came back from a really nice road ride.i did 33.39 miles according to google maps (1485 ft climbing 😳 1484 ft descending 😀

i didn’t go to avebury,but just went from devizes to pewsey vale (via coate/horton e.t.c)

then went to marlbrough,then to pewsey,alton barnes and back home again.

IT DIDN’T RAIN ONCE! 😯 saw some stunning views (also stunning skies).it took me 2h 40 min to do the ride,but i am well chuffed as the last ride i did was 27 miles and it took me 3 hours. 😳

i even went on the drops for some of it 8)

am buzzing now 😀

i hope you all had a good christmas/ride 🙂

am no better/faster now 😳

This is the STW of one of those Facebook posts where a pretty girl says “I’m so UGLY” so that all her friends will tell her she’s hot, right?

I’m assuming so, particularly Stevewhyte. 18mph on a MTB is fast, bit of a pisstake to say you’re not fit.

This is the STW of one of those Facebook posts where a pretty girl says “I’m so UGLY” so that all her friends will tell her she’s hot, right?

Well It’s going that way, not that I’m complaining. I actually thought that my performance was crap. (it still is to folk who ‘train’ & compete I suppose) but for an old fat nacker I feel like the ugly bird now!

I’m assuming so, particularly Stevewhyte. 18mph on a MTB is fast, bit of a pisstake to say you’re not fit.

As mr Boardman says, the biggest thing in your way on a bike ride is the air, rolling resistance doesn’t have a huge influence on speed.

Considering the not so aerodynamic position on a MTB, even a 29’er, with the inevitable wide bars and more upright position, maintaining that kind of speed for over an hour is very good going for an alleged fat lad who is unfit apparently.

Njee20 as usual have something useless to say.

And no I’m not fit, bt I would say I’m a cyclist and not just a bike owner, get the difference.

I can stay in the middle group on club rides, get dropped on long climbs and drop them on long descents. But I’m well off what the faster guys can do, and none of them are cat 1 or 2 riders either.

So no I’m not fit, am 25 lbs overweight and have a long way to go.

The fact is on a flat course they is not as big a difference in speed between bikes as some folk would like to think.

Does it matter??Did you enjoy your ride?Thats the main thing.

Spot on.

And no I’m not fit, bt I would say I’m a cyclist and not just a bike owner, get the difference.

You’re still fitter than most folk, both on here and even more so IRL, you’re not unfit. You don’t need people here to tell you that.

Not sure if you’re aiming the ‘not just a bike owner’ comment at me. I do ride a bike, sometimes.

Well, I find this all very encouraging, (in as much as I should not yet give up riding to take up golf, as I’ve obviously still got a long way to go..)

My 10.5 mile morning road loop (ridden on an MTB on slicks) has about 320m of climbs, and if I can average 13.5mph I’m chuffed. 18mph average? Clearly I must try harder. 😯