Why is my average speed so low?












11















I recently bought a bike (never rode one real one before, only ever used the gym ones) and became quite comfortable with it so I ride it everyday around my city.



Here's the thing, I'm a 19 year old girl (if that's relevant) and I exercise almost daily (plus the cycling) so my leg muscles are fairly strong, but my average cycling speed never got over 8 km/h, I was wondering why? Does the bike use muscles I usually wouldn't train?



My city is uphill/downhill almost no flat terrain, but when I looked up even average cycling speed for uphill it was 12 km/h, am I doing something wrong?










share|improve this question




















  • 10





    Can you please describe your bike, or add a photo. How are you measuring your average speed ?

    – Criggie
    Jan 26 at 7:17






  • 2





    Where can you look up 'average cycling speed'?

    – Argenti Apparatus
    Jan 26 at 11:40








  • 4





    I'm guessing that either the bike is a single-speed one or you're not using the gears correctly.

    – Daniel R Hicks
    Jan 26 at 12:57








  • 3





    Do you feel like you're labouring, or that your legs can't spin fast enough to make you faster? Or neither?

    – Chris H
    Jan 26 at 17:54






  • 2





    I would be interested in your maximum speed, and the speed you ride along the flat in no wind. How are you working out Average speed? Bike computer/GPS Watch of something else.

    – mattnz
    Jan 26 at 19:14
















11















I recently bought a bike (never rode one real one before, only ever used the gym ones) and became quite comfortable with it so I ride it everyday around my city.



Here's the thing, I'm a 19 year old girl (if that's relevant) and I exercise almost daily (plus the cycling) so my leg muscles are fairly strong, but my average cycling speed never got over 8 km/h, I was wondering why? Does the bike use muscles I usually wouldn't train?



My city is uphill/downhill almost no flat terrain, but when I looked up even average cycling speed for uphill it was 12 km/h, am I doing something wrong?










share|improve this question




















  • 10





    Can you please describe your bike, or add a photo. How are you measuring your average speed ?

    – Criggie
    Jan 26 at 7:17






  • 2





    Where can you look up 'average cycling speed'?

    – Argenti Apparatus
    Jan 26 at 11:40








  • 4





    I'm guessing that either the bike is a single-speed one or you're not using the gears correctly.

    – Daniel R Hicks
    Jan 26 at 12:57








  • 3





    Do you feel like you're labouring, or that your legs can't spin fast enough to make you faster? Or neither?

    – Chris H
    Jan 26 at 17:54






  • 2





    I would be interested in your maximum speed, and the speed you ride along the flat in no wind. How are you working out Average speed? Bike computer/GPS Watch of something else.

    – mattnz
    Jan 26 at 19:14














11












11








11


1






I recently bought a bike (never rode one real one before, only ever used the gym ones) and became quite comfortable with it so I ride it everyday around my city.



Here's the thing, I'm a 19 year old girl (if that's relevant) and I exercise almost daily (plus the cycling) so my leg muscles are fairly strong, but my average cycling speed never got over 8 km/h, I was wondering why? Does the bike use muscles I usually wouldn't train?



My city is uphill/downhill almost no flat terrain, but when I looked up even average cycling speed for uphill it was 12 km/h, am I doing something wrong?










share|improve this question
















I recently bought a bike (never rode one real one before, only ever used the gym ones) and became quite comfortable with it so I ride it everyday around my city.



Here's the thing, I'm a 19 year old girl (if that's relevant) and I exercise almost daily (plus the cycling) so my leg muscles are fairly strong, but my average cycling speed never got over 8 km/h, I was wondering why? Does the bike use muscles I usually wouldn't train?



My city is uphill/downhill almost no flat terrain, but when I looked up even average cycling speed for uphill it was 12 km/h, am I doing something wrong?







beginner






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Jan 27 at 11:43









Loong

1034




1034










asked Jan 26 at 7:10









SalmaFarSalmaFar

593




593








  • 10





    Can you please describe your bike, or add a photo. How are you measuring your average speed ?

    – Criggie
    Jan 26 at 7:17






  • 2





    Where can you look up 'average cycling speed'?

    – Argenti Apparatus
    Jan 26 at 11:40








  • 4





    I'm guessing that either the bike is a single-speed one or you're not using the gears correctly.

    – Daniel R Hicks
    Jan 26 at 12:57








  • 3





    Do you feel like you're labouring, or that your legs can't spin fast enough to make you faster? Or neither?

    – Chris H
    Jan 26 at 17:54






  • 2





    I would be interested in your maximum speed, and the speed you ride along the flat in no wind. How are you working out Average speed? Bike computer/GPS Watch of something else.

    – mattnz
    Jan 26 at 19:14














  • 10





    Can you please describe your bike, or add a photo. How are you measuring your average speed ?

    – Criggie
    Jan 26 at 7:17






  • 2





    Where can you look up 'average cycling speed'?

    – Argenti Apparatus
    Jan 26 at 11:40








  • 4





    I'm guessing that either the bike is a single-speed one or you're not using the gears correctly.

    – Daniel R Hicks
    Jan 26 at 12:57








  • 3





    Do you feel like you're labouring, or that your legs can't spin fast enough to make you faster? Or neither?

    – Chris H
    Jan 26 at 17:54






  • 2





    I would be interested in your maximum speed, and the speed you ride along the flat in no wind. How are you working out Average speed? Bike computer/GPS Watch of something else.

    – mattnz
    Jan 26 at 19:14








10




10





Can you please describe your bike, or add a photo. How are you measuring your average speed ?

– Criggie
Jan 26 at 7:17





Can you please describe your bike, or add a photo. How are you measuring your average speed ?

– Criggie
Jan 26 at 7:17




2




2





Where can you look up 'average cycling speed'?

– Argenti Apparatus
Jan 26 at 11:40







Where can you look up 'average cycling speed'?

– Argenti Apparatus
Jan 26 at 11:40






4




4





I'm guessing that either the bike is a single-speed one or you're not using the gears correctly.

– Daniel R Hicks
Jan 26 at 12:57







I'm guessing that either the bike is a single-speed one or you're not using the gears correctly.

– Daniel R Hicks
Jan 26 at 12:57






3




3





Do you feel like you're labouring, or that your legs can't spin fast enough to make you faster? Or neither?

– Chris H
Jan 26 at 17:54





Do you feel like you're labouring, or that your legs can't spin fast enough to make you faster? Or neither?

– Chris H
Jan 26 at 17:54




2




2





I would be interested in your maximum speed, and the speed you ride along the flat in no wind. How are you working out Average speed? Bike computer/GPS Watch of something else.

– mattnz
Jan 26 at 19:14





I would be interested in your maximum speed, and the speed you ride along the flat in no wind. How are you working out Average speed? Bike computer/GPS Watch of something else.

– mattnz
Jan 26 at 19:14










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















21














Average speed depends a lot on various factors. But, having said that, 8km/h is very slow for a fit young person: it's not a whole lot more than walking pace.



Where you're cycling. In cities, it can be hard to cycle quickly. Cycle paths often have lots of pedestrians on them; roads often have lots of junctions, stop signs and traffic lights. If you're constantly having to stop and get going again, that will bring your average speed down a lot.



You say you're in a hilly city. Going up-hill is, of course, slower. However, on average, you'll go down as many hills as you go up, so that should balance out to some extent. If you mean that you average 8km/h up the hills, that might not be at all bad, depending on how steep the hills are!



How you measure speed. If you just compute distance travelled divided by time taken, then you're including all the time you're stopped in your average: if you cycle at 15km/h for ten minutes and spend five minutes stopped, your overall average would be 10km/h but, when you were actually cyling, you were doing 15. If you're using a cycle computer or GPS app, you should set it up to only compute average speed over the time you're actually moving.



How you cycle. Obviously, if you don't try to cycle fast, you won't be fast. Are you working quite hard when you cycle, or are you just drifting along? Do you get out of breath? Are you using your gears properly? A lot of beginner cyclists turn the pedals very slowly in much too difficult a gear, and it's hard to go fast that way (and very hard to accelerate away from a stop). As a rough guide, if you're pedalling at less than 60rpm on flat ground (i.e., pressing your right leg down once every second), you're pedalling very slowly and you should probably aim for something more like 75. Use an easier gear to compensate and, crucially, if you feel yourself slowing down, change into an easier gear. The point of the gears is that they let you keep the pedals spinning at a good rate whatever speed you're actually going at. A good way to measure how fast you're pedalling is to use the internet to find out how many beats per minute there are in some songs you know, and compare that against how often you're pressing down your right leg.



How well your bike is set up and maintained. Many beginners have their saddle much too low. An easy rule of thumb is that, when you're sat on the saddle with your foot on the pedal at its lowest point, that leg should be almost straight. If your saddle is much lower than that, it's really hard to generate any power. Is your bike well maintained? Do the wheels spin freely? Are the brakes rubbing? Is the chain properly lubricated? Does the bike make noises while you cycle?






share|improve this answer



















  • 4





    Is the cycling meter correctly set up regarding wheel diameter or circumference?

    – Carel
    Jan 27 at 9:16






  • 1





    @Carel Good point -- the asker should check whether the distance it reports for a ride is roughly the same as what, e.g., Google maps says is the length of the same route.

    – David Richerby
    Jan 27 at 9:29






  • 4





    Most likely, the problem is due to a combination of a) the way speed is measured, and b) the fact that it's the lowest speed that dominates the average. If you do 1km uphill at 10km/h, that's 6min. If you go down the same 1km at 60km/h, that's 1min. Total: 7min, or an average of 2km/7min = 17km/h. That's much, much closer to the uphill speed than the downhill speed, simply because the uphill dominates the total time. Add in a few traffic lights at 0km/h and, ..., well, you get the idea...

    – cmaster
    Jan 27 at 20:24











  • Many computers, such as the one I use, make a difference between total average and moving average. Other might just give you total time and moving time from which one may calculate moving average. Also a city ride is quite bad at giving realistic data on average speed because of stop & go traffic.

    – Carel
    Jan 28 at 13:26



















9














You don’t provide much information in your question so it’s impossible to give you a specific answer, but it basically boils down to: either you're not as fit and strong as you think you are, or something is holding you back.



Addressing the latter:



Your bike may be a slow bike. Is it heavy? inefficient? in poor shape? A rusty, worn out chain or low tire pressure can slow you down.



If the bike does not fit you very well it will hinder your ability to put power into the pedals.



Is your bike simply not designed to go fast, such as a beach cruiser or a hybrid with a very upright riding position?



Are you using the gears correctly? Are you pedaling too fast in a too-low gear or grinding along in a too-high gear?



What are you wearing? Regular clothes or lightweight cycling clothing that does not restrict movement?



Maybe you have just got into the habit of riding slowly? Do you concentrate on keeping your effort and speed up?






share|improve this answer

































    1















    I recently bought a bike (never rode one real one before, only ever used the gym ones)




    Nobody seems to have paid attention to that crucial bit of information.



    It likely comes down to technique, which will not be very good if you never rode an actual bicycle before. It will improve with practice.






    share|improve this answer



















    • 2





      Right. In a gym 30+mph. In stop and go traffic : 2mph...

      – Mazura
      Jan 27 at 13:47






    • 2





      What specifically could OP do to improve their technique? what should they practise?

      – Swifty
      Jan 27 at 14:58






    • 1





      This answer is, basically, "You're doing it wrong", which isn't very helpful.

      – David Richerby
      Jan 27 at 17:06






    • 1





      I thought they were just using a gadget wrong. If it is stop and go traffic, sounds like they don't know how to use a gear shift yet.

      – Mazura
      Jan 28 at 3:47











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    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes








    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    21














    Average speed depends a lot on various factors. But, having said that, 8km/h is very slow for a fit young person: it's not a whole lot more than walking pace.



    Where you're cycling. In cities, it can be hard to cycle quickly. Cycle paths often have lots of pedestrians on them; roads often have lots of junctions, stop signs and traffic lights. If you're constantly having to stop and get going again, that will bring your average speed down a lot.



    You say you're in a hilly city. Going up-hill is, of course, slower. However, on average, you'll go down as many hills as you go up, so that should balance out to some extent. If you mean that you average 8km/h up the hills, that might not be at all bad, depending on how steep the hills are!



    How you measure speed. If you just compute distance travelled divided by time taken, then you're including all the time you're stopped in your average: if you cycle at 15km/h for ten minutes and spend five minutes stopped, your overall average would be 10km/h but, when you were actually cyling, you were doing 15. If you're using a cycle computer or GPS app, you should set it up to only compute average speed over the time you're actually moving.



    How you cycle. Obviously, if you don't try to cycle fast, you won't be fast. Are you working quite hard when you cycle, or are you just drifting along? Do you get out of breath? Are you using your gears properly? A lot of beginner cyclists turn the pedals very slowly in much too difficult a gear, and it's hard to go fast that way (and very hard to accelerate away from a stop). As a rough guide, if you're pedalling at less than 60rpm on flat ground (i.e., pressing your right leg down once every second), you're pedalling very slowly and you should probably aim for something more like 75. Use an easier gear to compensate and, crucially, if you feel yourself slowing down, change into an easier gear. The point of the gears is that they let you keep the pedals spinning at a good rate whatever speed you're actually going at. A good way to measure how fast you're pedalling is to use the internet to find out how many beats per minute there are in some songs you know, and compare that against how often you're pressing down your right leg.



    How well your bike is set up and maintained. Many beginners have their saddle much too low. An easy rule of thumb is that, when you're sat on the saddle with your foot on the pedal at its lowest point, that leg should be almost straight. If your saddle is much lower than that, it's really hard to generate any power. Is your bike well maintained? Do the wheels spin freely? Are the brakes rubbing? Is the chain properly lubricated? Does the bike make noises while you cycle?






    share|improve this answer



















    • 4





      Is the cycling meter correctly set up regarding wheel diameter or circumference?

      – Carel
      Jan 27 at 9:16






    • 1





      @Carel Good point -- the asker should check whether the distance it reports for a ride is roughly the same as what, e.g., Google maps says is the length of the same route.

      – David Richerby
      Jan 27 at 9:29






    • 4





      Most likely, the problem is due to a combination of a) the way speed is measured, and b) the fact that it's the lowest speed that dominates the average. If you do 1km uphill at 10km/h, that's 6min. If you go down the same 1km at 60km/h, that's 1min. Total: 7min, or an average of 2km/7min = 17km/h. That's much, much closer to the uphill speed than the downhill speed, simply because the uphill dominates the total time. Add in a few traffic lights at 0km/h and, ..., well, you get the idea...

      – cmaster
      Jan 27 at 20:24











    • Many computers, such as the one I use, make a difference between total average and moving average. Other might just give you total time and moving time from which one may calculate moving average. Also a city ride is quite bad at giving realistic data on average speed because of stop & go traffic.

      – Carel
      Jan 28 at 13:26
















    21














    Average speed depends a lot on various factors. But, having said that, 8km/h is very slow for a fit young person: it's not a whole lot more than walking pace.



    Where you're cycling. In cities, it can be hard to cycle quickly. Cycle paths often have lots of pedestrians on them; roads often have lots of junctions, stop signs and traffic lights. If you're constantly having to stop and get going again, that will bring your average speed down a lot.



    You say you're in a hilly city. Going up-hill is, of course, slower. However, on average, you'll go down as many hills as you go up, so that should balance out to some extent. If you mean that you average 8km/h up the hills, that might not be at all bad, depending on how steep the hills are!



    How you measure speed. If you just compute distance travelled divided by time taken, then you're including all the time you're stopped in your average: if you cycle at 15km/h for ten minutes and spend five minutes stopped, your overall average would be 10km/h but, when you were actually cyling, you were doing 15. If you're using a cycle computer or GPS app, you should set it up to only compute average speed over the time you're actually moving.



    How you cycle. Obviously, if you don't try to cycle fast, you won't be fast. Are you working quite hard when you cycle, or are you just drifting along? Do you get out of breath? Are you using your gears properly? A lot of beginner cyclists turn the pedals very slowly in much too difficult a gear, and it's hard to go fast that way (and very hard to accelerate away from a stop). As a rough guide, if you're pedalling at less than 60rpm on flat ground (i.e., pressing your right leg down once every second), you're pedalling very slowly and you should probably aim for something more like 75. Use an easier gear to compensate and, crucially, if you feel yourself slowing down, change into an easier gear. The point of the gears is that they let you keep the pedals spinning at a good rate whatever speed you're actually going at. A good way to measure how fast you're pedalling is to use the internet to find out how many beats per minute there are in some songs you know, and compare that against how often you're pressing down your right leg.



    How well your bike is set up and maintained. Many beginners have their saddle much too low. An easy rule of thumb is that, when you're sat on the saddle with your foot on the pedal at its lowest point, that leg should be almost straight. If your saddle is much lower than that, it's really hard to generate any power. Is your bike well maintained? Do the wheels spin freely? Are the brakes rubbing? Is the chain properly lubricated? Does the bike make noises while you cycle?






    share|improve this answer



















    • 4





      Is the cycling meter correctly set up regarding wheel diameter or circumference?

      – Carel
      Jan 27 at 9:16






    • 1





      @Carel Good point -- the asker should check whether the distance it reports for a ride is roughly the same as what, e.g., Google maps says is the length of the same route.

      – David Richerby
      Jan 27 at 9:29






    • 4





      Most likely, the problem is due to a combination of a) the way speed is measured, and b) the fact that it's the lowest speed that dominates the average. If you do 1km uphill at 10km/h, that's 6min. If you go down the same 1km at 60km/h, that's 1min. Total: 7min, or an average of 2km/7min = 17km/h. That's much, much closer to the uphill speed than the downhill speed, simply because the uphill dominates the total time. Add in a few traffic lights at 0km/h and, ..., well, you get the idea...

      – cmaster
      Jan 27 at 20:24











    • Many computers, such as the one I use, make a difference between total average and moving average. Other might just give you total time and moving time from which one may calculate moving average. Also a city ride is quite bad at giving realistic data on average speed because of stop & go traffic.

      – Carel
      Jan 28 at 13:26














    21












    21








    21







    Average speed depends a lot on various factors. But, having said that, 8km/h is very slow for a fit young person: it's not a whole lot more than walking pace.



    Where you're cycling. In cities, it can be hard to cycle quickly. Cycle paths often have lots of pedestrians on them; roads often have lots of junctions, stop signs and traffic lights. If you're constantly having to stop and get going again, that will bring your average speed down a lot.



    You say you're in a hilly city. Going up-hill is, of course, slower. However, on average, you'll go down as many hills as you go up, so that should balance out to some extent. If you mean that you average 8km/h up the hills, that might not be at all bad, depending on how steep the hills are!



    How you measure speed. If you just compute distance travelled divided by time taken, then you're including all the time you're stopped in your average: if you cycle at 15km/h for ten minutes and spend five minutes stopped, your overall average would be 10km/h but, when you were actually cyling, you were doing 15. If you're using a cycle computer or GPS app, you should set it up to only compute average speed over the time you're actually moving.



    How you cycle. Obviously, if you don't try to cycle fast, you won't be fast. Are you working quite hard when you cycle, or are you just drifting along? Do you get out of breath? Are you using your gears properly? A lot of beginner cyclists turn the pedals very slowly in much too difficult a gear, and it's hard to go fast that way (and very hard to accelerate away from a stop). As a rough guide, if you're pedalling at less than 60rpm on flat ground (i.e., pressing your right leg down once every second), you're pedalling very slowly and you should probably aim for something more like 75. Use an easier gear to compensate and, crucially, if you feel yourself slowing down, change into an easier gear. The point of the gears is that they let you keep the pedals spinning at a good rate whatever speed you're actually going at. A good way to measure how fast you're pedalling is to use the internet to find out how many beats per minute there are in some songs you know, and compare that against how often you're pressing down your right leg.



    How well your bike is set up and maintained. Many beginners have their saddle much too low. An easy rule of thumb is that, when you're sat on the saddle with your foot on the pedal at its lowest point, that leg should be almost straight. If your saddle is much lower than that, it's really hard to generate any power. Is your bike well maintained? Do the wheels spin freely? Are the brakes rubbing? Is the chain properly lubricated? Does the bike make noises while you cycle?






    share|improve this answer













    Average speed depends a lot on various factors. But, having said that, 8km/h is very slow for a fit young person: it's not a whole lot more than walking pace.



    Where you're cycling. In cities, it can be hard to cycle quickly. Cycle paths often have lots of pedestrians on them; roads often have lots of junctions, stop signs and traffic lights. If you're constantly having to stop and get going again, that will bring your average speed down a lot.



    You say you're in a hilly city. Going up-hill is, of course, slower. However, on average, you'll go down as many hills as you go up, so that should balance out to some extent. If you mean that you average 8km/h up the hills, that might not be at all bad, depending on how steep the hills are!



    How you measure speed. If you just compute distance travelled divided by time taken, then you're including all the time you're stopped in your average: if you cycle at 15km/h for ten minutes and spend five minutes stopped, your overall average would be 10km/h but, when you were actually cyling, you were doing 15. If you're using a cycle computer or GPS app, you should set it up to only compute average speed over the time you're actually moving.



    How you cycle. Obviously, if you don't try to cycle fast, you won't be fast. Are you working quite hard when you cycle, or are you just drifting along? Do you get out of breath? Are you using your gears properly? A lot of beginner cyclists turn the pedals very slowly in much too difficult a gear, and it's hard to go fast that way (and very hard to accelerate away from a stop). As a rough guide, if you're pedalling at less than 60rpm on flat ground (i.e., pressing your right leg down once every second), you're pedalling very slowly and you should probably aim for something more like 75. Use an easier gear to compensate and, crucially, if you feel yourself slowing down, change into an easier gear. The point of the gears is that they let you keep the pedals spinning at a good rate whatever speed you're actually going at. A good way to measure how fast you're pedalling is to use the internet to find out how many beats per minute there are in some songs you know, and compare that against how often you're pressing down your right leg.



    How well your bike is set up and maintained. Many beginners have their saddle much too low. An easy rule of thumb is that, when you're sat on the saddle with your foot on the pedal at its lowest point, that leg should be almost straight. If your saddle is much lower than that, it's really hard to generate any power. Is your bike well maintained? Do the wheels spin freely? Are the brakes rubbing? Is the chain properly lubricated? Does the bike make noises while you cycle?







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Jan 26 at 14:26









    David RicherbyDavid Richerby

    12.1k33461




    12.1k33461








    • 4





      Is the cycling meter correctly set up regarding wheel diameter or circumference?

      – Carel
      Jan 27 at 9:16






    • 1





      @Carel Good point -- the asker should check whether the distance it reports for a ride is roughly the same as what, e.g., Google maps says is the length of the same route.

      – David Richerby
      Jan 27 at 9:29






    • 4





      Most likely, the problem is due to a combination of a) the way speed is measured, and b) the fact that it's the lowest speed that dominates the average. If you do 1km uphill at 10km/h, that's 6min. If you go down the same 1km at 60km/h, that's 1min. Total: 7min, or an average of 2km/7min = 17km/h. That's much, much closer to the uphill speed than the downhill speed, simply because the uphill dominates the total time. Add in a few traffic lights at 0km/h and, ..., well, you get the idea...

      – cmaster
      Jan 27 at 20:24











    • Many computers, such as the one I use, make a difference between total average and moving average. Other might just give you total time and moving time from which one may calculate moving average. Also a city ride is quite bad at giving realistic data on average speed because of stop & go traffic.

      – Carel
      Jan 28 at 13:26














    • 4





      Is the cycling meter correctly set up regarding wheel diameter or circumference?

      – Carel
      Jan 27 at 9:16






    • 1





      @Carel Good point -- the asker should check whether the distance it reports for a ride is roughly the same as what, e.g., Google maps says is the length of the same route.

      – David Richerby
      Jan 27 at 9:29






    • 4





      Most likely, the problem is due to a combination of a) the way speed is measured, and b) the fact that it's the lowest speed that dominates the average. If you do 1km uphill at 10km/h, that's 6min. If you go down the same 1km at 60km/h, that's 1min. Total: 7min, or an average of 2km/7min = 17km/h. That's much, much closer to the uphill speed than the downhill speed, simply because the uphill dominates the total time. Add in a few traffic lights at 0km/h and, ..., well, you get the idea...

      – cmaster
      Jan 27 at 20:24











    • Many computers, such as the one I use, make a difference between total average and moving average. Other might just give you total time and moving time from which one may calculate moving average. Also a city ride is quite bad at giving realistic data on average speed because of stop & go traffic.

      – Carel
      Jan 28 at 13:26








    4




    4





    Is the cycling meter correctly set up regarding wheel diameter or circumference?

    – Carel
    Jan 27 at 9:16





    Is the cycling meter correctly set up regarding wheel diameter or circumference?

    – Carel
    Jan 27 at 9:16




    1




    1





    @Carel Good point -- the asker should check whether the distance it reports for a ride is roughly the same as what, e.g., Google maps says is the length of the same route.

    – David Richerby
    Jan 27 at 9:29





    @Carel Good point -- the asker should check whether the distance it reports for a ride is roughly the same as what, e.g., Google maps says is the length of the same route.

    – David Richerby
    Jan 27 at 9:29




    4




    4





    Most likely, the problem is due to a combination of a) the way speed is measured, and b) the fact that it's the lowest speed that dominates the average. If you do 1km uphill at 10km/h, that's 6min. If you go down the same 1km at 60km/h, that's 1min. Total: 7min, or an average of 2km/7min = 17km/h. That's much, much closer to the uphill speed than the downhill speed, simply because the uphill dominates the total time. Add in a few traffic lights at 0km/h and, ..., well, you get the idea...

    – cmaster
    Jan 27 at 20:24





    Most likely, the problem is due to a combination of a) the way speed is measured, and b) the fact that it's the lowest speed that dominates the average. If you do 1km uphill at 10km/h, that's 6min. If you go down the same 1km at 60km/h, that's 1min. Total: 7min, or an average of 2km/7min = 17km/h. That's much, much closer to the uphill speed than the downhill speed, simply because the uphill dominates the total time. Add in a few traffic lights at 0km/h and, ..., well, you get the idea...

    – cmaster
    Jan 27 at 20:24













    Many computers, such as the one I use, make a difference between total average and moving average. Other might just give you total time and moving time from which one may calculate moving average. Also a city ride is quite bad at giving realistic data on average speed because of stop & go traffic.

    – Carel
    Jan 28 at 13:26





    Many computers, such as the one I use, make a difference between total average and moving average. Other might just give you total time and moving time from which one may calculate moving average. Also a city ride is quite bad at giving realistic data on average speed because of stop & go traffic.

    – Carel
    Jan 28 at 13:26











    9














    You don’t provide much information in your question so it’s impossible to give you a specific answer, but it basically boils down to: either you're not as fit and strong as you think you are, or something is holding you back.



    Addressing the latter:



    Your bike may be a slow bike. Is it heavy? inefficient? in poor shape? A rusty, worn out chain or low tire pressure can slow you down.



    If the bike does not fit you very well it will hinder your ability to put power into the pedals.



    Is your bike simply not designed to go fast, such as a beach cruiser or a hybrid with a very upright riding position?



    Are you using the gears correctly? Are you pedaling too fast in a too-low gear or grinding along in a too-high gear?



    What are you wearing? Regular clothes or lightweight cycling clothing that does not restrict movement?



    Maybe you have just got into the habit of riding slowly? Do you concentrate on keeping your effort and speed up?






    share|improve this answer






























      9














      You don’t provide much information in your question so it’s impossible to give you a specific answer, but it basically boils down to: either you're not as fit and strong as you think you are, or something is holding you back.



      Addressing the latter:



      Your bike may be a slow bike. Is it heavy? inefficient? in poor shape? A rusty, worn out chain or low tire pressure can slow you down.



      If the bike does not fit you very well it will hinder your ability to put power into the pedals.



      Is your bike simply not designed to go fast, such as a beach cruiser or a hybrid with a very upright riding position?



      Are you using the gears correctly? Are you pedaling too fast in a too-low gear or grinding along in a too-high gear?



      What are you wearing? Regular clothes or lightweight cycling clothing that does not restrict movement?



      Maybe you have just got into the habit of riding slowly? Do you concentrate on keeping your effort and speed up?






      share|improve this answer




























        9












        9








        9







        You don’t provide much information in your question so it’s impossible to give you a specific answer, but it basically boils down to: either you're not as fit and strong as you think you are, or something is holding you back.



        Addressing the latter:



        Your bike may be a slow bike. Is it heavy? inefficient? in poor shape? A rusty, worn out chain or low tire pressure can slow you down.



        If the bike does not fit you very well it will hinder your ability to put power into the pedals.



        Is your bike simply not designed to go fast, such as a beach cruiser or a hybrid with a very upright riding position?



        Are you using the gears correctly? Are you pedaling too fast in a too-low gear or grinding along in a too-high gear?



        What are you wearing? Regular clothes or lightweight cycling clothing that does not restrict movement?



        Maybe you have just got into the habit of riding slowly? Do you concentrate on keeping your effort and speed up?






        share|improve this answer















        You don’t provide much information in your question so it’s impossible to give you a specific answer, but it basically boils down to: either you're not as fit and strong as you think you are, or something is holding you back.



        Addressing the latter:



        Your bike may be a slow bike. Is it heavy? inefficient? in poor shape? A rusty, worn out chain or low tire pressure can slow you down.



        If the bike does not fit you very well it will hinder your ability to put power into the pedals.



        Is your bike simply not designed to go fast, such as a beach cruiser or a hybrid with a very upright riding position?



        Are you using the gears correctly? Are you pedaling too fast in a too-low gear or grinding along in a too-high gear?



        What are you wearing? Regular clothes or lightweight cycling clothing that does not restrict movement?



        Maybe you have just got into the habit of riding slowly? Do you concentrate on keeping your effort and speed up?







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited Jan 26 at 15:00

























        answered Jan 26 at 13:41









        Argenti ApparatusArgenti Apparatus

        35.6k23891




        35.6k23891























            1















            I recently bought a bike (never rode one real one before, only ever used the gym ones)




            Nobody seems to have paid attention to that crucial bit of information.



            It likely comes down to technique, which will not be very good if you never rode an actual bicycle before. It will improve with practice.






            share|improve this answer



















            • 2





              Right. In a gym 30+mph. In stop and go traffic : 2mph...

              – Mazura
              Jan 27 at 13:47






            • 2





              What specifically could OP do to improve their technique? what should they practise?

              – Swifty
              Jan 27 at 14:58






            • 1





              This answer is, basically, "You're doing it wrong", which isn't very helpful.

              – David Richerby
              Jan 27 at 17:06






            • 1





              I thought they were just using a gadget wrong. If it is stop and go traffic, sounds like they don't know how to use a gear shift yet.

              – Mazura
              Jan 28 at 3:47
















            1















            I recently bought a bike (never rode one real one before, only ever used the gym ones)




            Nobody seems to have paid attention to that crucial bit of information.



            It likely comes down to technique, which will not be very good if you never rode an actual bicycle before. It will improve with practice.






            share|improve this answer



















            • 2





              Right. In a gym 30+mph. In stop and go traffic : 2mph...

              – Mazura
              Jan 27 at 13:47






            • 2





              What specifically could OP do to improve their technique? what should they practise?

              – Swifty
              Jan 27 at 14:58






            • 1





              This answer is, basically, "You're doing it wrong", which isn't very helpful.

              – David Richerby
              Jan 27 at 17:06






            • 1





              I thought they were just using a gadget wrong. If it is stop and go traffic, sounds like they don't know how to use a gear shift yet.

              – Mazura
              Jan 28 at 3:47














            1












            1








            1








            I recently bought a bike (never rode one real one before, only ever used the gym ones)




            Nobody seems to have paid attention to that crucial bit of information.



            It likely comes down to technique, which will not be very good if you never rode an actual bicycle before. It will improve with practice.






            share|improve this answer














            I recently bought a bike (never rode one real one before, only ever used the gym ones)




            Nobody seems to have paid attention to that crucial bit of information.



            It likely comes down to technique, which will not be very good if you never rode an actual bicycle before. It will improve with practice.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered Jan 27 at 12:46









            a guesta guest

            191




            191








            • 2





              Right. In a gym 30+mph. In stop and go traffic : 2mph...

              – Mazura
              Jan 27 at 13:47






            • 2





              What specifically could OP do to improve their technique? what should they practise?

              – Swifty
              Jan 27 at 14:58






            • 1





              This answer is, basically, "You're doing it wrong", which isn't very helpful.

              – David Richerby
              Jan 27 at 17:06






            • 1





              I thought they were just using a gadget wrong. If it is stop and go traffic, sounds like they don't know how to use a gear shift yet.

              – Mazura
              Jan 28 at 3:47














            • 2





              Right. In a gym 30+mph. In stop and go traffic : 2mph...

              – Mazura
              Jan 27 at 13:47






            • 2





              What specifically could OP do to improve their technique? what should they practise?

              – Swifty
              Jan 27 at 14:58






            • 1





              This answer is, basically, "You're doing it wrong", which isn't very helpful.

              – David Richerby
              Jan 27 at 17:06






            • 1





              I thought they were just using a gadget wrong. If it is stop and go traffic, sounds like they don't know how to use a gear shift yet.

              – Mazura
              Jan 28 at 3:47








            2




            2





            Right. In a gym 30+mph. In stop and go traffic : 2mph...

            – Mazura
            Jan 27 at 13:47





            Right. In a gym 30+mph. In stop and go traffic : 2mph...

            – Mazura
            Jan 27 at 13:47




            2




            2





            What specifically could OP do to improve their technique? what should they practise?

            – Swifty
            Jan 27 at 14:58





            What specifically could OP do to improve their technique? what should they practise?

            – Swifty
            Jan 27 at 14:58




            1




            1





            This answer is, basically, "You're doing it wrong", which isn't very helpful.

            – David Richerby
            Jan 27 at 17:06





            This answer is, basically, "You're doing it wrong", which isn't very helpful.

            – David Richerby
            Jan 27 at 17:06




            1




            1





            I thought they were just using a gadget wrong. If it is stop and go traffic, sounds like they don't know how to use a gear shift yet.

            – Mazura
            Jan 28 at 3:47





            I thought they were just using a gadget wrong. If it is stop and go traffic, sounds like they don't know how to use a gear shift yet.

            – Mazura
            Jan 28 at 3:47


















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