Check out our 3- and 7-speed models so you have the option to explore more trails. I'm 17, ectomorph stomatotype. How much faster is a road bike than a mountain bike? Here is a small example I just ran.....two bikes....everything identical except "frontal area". All the rest is chump change, even weight. Mountain bikes have between 1-40 gears, with most mountain bikes having between 7 and 28 gears and some custom mountain bikes have over 40. The average speed is ≈ 17 mph (27 kph) with peak speeds upwards of 30 mph (48 kph) during downhill mountain bike riding. You may have a greater speed going down a hill or your speed may decrease going up a hill. — Pat F. Coach Fred Matheny Replies: I hate to hedge, but the answer is: It depends! The study loop for the MTB -XCO featured more challenging terrain, including tighter turns with steeper and longer inclines. Fun fact: Eric Barone was clocked at 141 mph (227 km/h) while downhill mountain biking on snow using a prototype bike for the speed setting event on March 19th, 2017. It doesn’t matter if you go with a single-speed bike or one with more gears: you’ll be riding in style and comfort. but that was then. The singletrack was rated beginner/intermediate by the local chapter of IMBA, and full-suspension 26ers & 29ers were ridden. Professional bicycle racers can usually maintain 25-28 mph on flat ground. If you are using a bike app like Strava, then you will be able to find out what your average speed is. The overall average speed for pro/semi-pro cross-country mountain bikers is ≈ 9 mph (14.5). How do you know if a 3-speed … I'm not talking about hammering, just a 80 RPM cadence, in a sustainably easy gear in both bikes. Of course, it depends on what bike you are riding. Everyone likes to ride their road bike fast, and an attractive measure of a ride is the average speed. I have done pretty extensive road riding on my dual squish mountain bike with slicks on it. The rolling hills of the Cotswolds are not the same as the Scottish highlands.So hearing from someone else that their average is, say, 20 miles per hour, means very little if you don't know where they are riding.Some areas are naturally and frequently exposed to high winds. In fact, it’s usually about double that of an average rider. Not wise except on a straight road with little traffic. Uphill sections average ≈ 8 mph (13 kph) with downhill sections averaging ≈ 12 mph (19 kph). Every Trek mountain bike is loaded with features and details that will make any ride, on … Say you were averaging 10 or 11mph on a mountain bike on roads. Maintaining an average speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph) on a mountain bike, over rocky and technical terrain, would put you in a very elite category. Fighting your bike will make riding long, tiring and usually more bumpy that it needs to be. What’s the average speed of an elite XC-MTB? You might consider this cheating but riding with other people will increase your … Many factors determine average biking speed, but it’s interesting to see what the literature reports. That's about a 6% increase in speed over the MTB. The road bike requires much less effort than the others, but is usually ridden longer distances. I'd think for a mtb ride on rolling terrain my speeds would be about 25-35% less than on the road bike; I don't have too many spots for either type of ride where it's level in any case. Photo Credit: wikipedia.org Average Speed of a Gran Fondo or Century (100 miles) The average speed of a Gran Fondo or a Century is very dependant on how hilly the terrain is. Pros: Lightweight yet durable alloy … The average bicycle commuter travels at 10 miles per hour. To give you a more exact idea, listed below are the general weight limits published by some common mountain bike manufacturers. How many calories do you burn while mountain biking? Science generally doesn’t move as fast as technology, even though these two studies have been published recently (2017 & 2015) the testing was conducted years before the results were released. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more! 25-30% is probably on the high side. Mountain bike miles: 2011 - 41 rides, 310 miles, 41,700ft vertical ascent, 78.6hrs, 3.9mph average 2012 - 33 rides, 273 miles, 38,900ft vertical ascent, 68.3hrs, 4.0mph average All time top speed on a fire-road is 38.2mph, but that's unusual. Here, innovations are not limited to only the highest-end MTB models. Hurst, H.T. I average around 14 - 15 mph for long distance, is this a decent speed? I sold it after a CAT 3 or 4 race and about 1000 miles. Fixed gear bikes are the best when it comes exercising. I don't own a road bike and they all do, but I thought the slicks would equal things out. Traditionally the most common gear ratio used on single-speed mountain bikes is 2:1, with a 32T chainring and 16T rear cog being a popular example of that. A 2006 study from the University of Central Lancashire in England tested racers on an ≈ mile-long (1.7km) course that had 571 feet (174 m) of elevation drop with “technically demanding” singletrack and fire roads with two near-vertical ‘drop-offs’ of more than 10 feet (3 m) with a short 1800 feet (550 m) switchback section. Now, I train 80% on the road on my MTB with revolts. Performance differences when using 26- and 29-inch-wheel bikes in Swiss National Team cross-country mountain bikers. Why weren’t the Olympic level XC-MTBers faster than the experienced recreational MTBers? Average speed of an e-MTB on singletrack - 13 mph (21 kph), The overall average speed for pro/semi-pro cross-country mountain bikers is ≈ 9 mph (14.5 kph). The main factors are what tires you have on the hybrid, the comparative weight of the two bikes and, most important, your position on the two bikes. The discomfort doesn’t (only) come from … You can expect to cruise with a mountain bike at an average speed of 10-15 mph (16-24 km/h). Based on the speed test, I found the road bike rolled, on average, about 11% faster than the mountain bike. . It's a 22.5 pound hardtail with those tires. A 2017 study from Southern Utah University rode singletrack trails in the Three Peaks National Recreation Area. Impact of Wheel Size on Energy Expenditure during Mountain Bike Trail Riding. Average speeds for hill climbs A gradient of 3% (Long Hill) – average speed 36 km/h A gradient of 5% (box hill) – average speed 31 km/h A gradient of … Let your bike flow, down… For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. link, Steiner, T., Müller, B., Maier, T. and Wehrlin, J.P. (2015). Generally, most mountain bikes have a weight limit of ~300 pounds when moving at an average speed of 10 mph on level terrain. "John McCain will make Cheney look like Gandhi.”. When is a 3-Speed Right for You? Road bikes are the fastest bikes. 29ers were 1.8% faster in the Swiss study, 29ers were 4.9 % faster in the study from Southern Utah University. I always go on my bike to the ride as fast as possible. According to the studies the 29er is noticeably faster than 26ers during mountain bike riding. “The course mainly existed of technically challenging single-track trails and forest roads with gravel and numerous turns, jumps and “drop-offs.” (4). link, Sperlich, B., Achtzehn, S., Buhr, M., Zinner, C., Zelle, S. and Holmberg, H.-C. (2012). Meanwhile, most recreational groups on a … E. Taylor, J., Thomas, C. and W. Manning, J. The average speed singletracks riders maintain on the trail is 6.98 mph so if a trail lists an average speed above this – it’s fast. Hard for me to compare speeds when I ride mountain vs road. This change to a more upright position almost assuredly accounts for the lower percentage advantage. http://www.analyticcycling.com/DiffEqWindCourse_Page.html, VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter, Suite 901, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. The road bike was running standard road bike tires at about 80psi. Mountain bikers average 6.98 miles per hour over mountain trails. But for a beginning road cyclist, an average of 13.5 mph is very respectable, especially on a longer ride. Journal of Sports Sciences, 24(10), pp.1047–1053. You can take a 40 to 50 mile ride on a road bike at an average speed of around 20 MPH, and get about the same workout as a person on a mountain bike riding on a … It should be noted that the traditional non-pedal assist MTB averaged 9 mph (14 kph), which was 4 mph (7 kph) slower than the pedal assistant electronic mountain bikes. Average speed for a mountain biker ≈ 10 mph (16 kph) during singletrack riding. Aerodynamics is the 800 pound gorilla. and normal. According to Bicycling, the average recreational road biker moves at 17 to 18 miles per hour over flat terrain and 9 to 10 miles per hour over mountainous terrain. On easy days, I average 17MPH for a 35 mile ride. Max speed is 32 miles per hour on the mountain bike (was down a hill :) ), and if I go to my limits. Both studies had similar results concerning the average speed of mountain biking, with the first study averaging 9 mph and the 2nd study averaging 10 mph. They should have watched the Lance Chronicles on OLN last year then.... you can usually do 1/2 a mile an hour faster if you just dip your helmet-covered-head down and look at the ground. International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, [online] 5(4), pp.77–84. The average speed of an eMTB is ≈ 13 mph (21 kpm) while riding singletrack. Mountain bikes are geared to accommodate steep climbs and slower average speeds, so on the road, you will need to spin quickly once the speed comes up. The speed, however, comes at a cost: they are less comfortable than any other type of bike. The average speed is ≈ 17 mph (27 kph) with peak speeds upwards of 30 mph (48 kph) during downhill mountain bike riding. Even on flat land, a Tour de France pro’s average speed needs to be way up there in order to stay in the race. Salivary Cortisol, Heart Rate, and Blood Lactate Responses During Elite Downhill Mountain Bike Racing. 3.2h Average Speed If you are on a mountain bike that travels 5km along a trail in 1 hour, you are travelling, on average, a speed of 5km/h It is NOT likely that your speed is constant from beginning to end. The difference will increase with speed due to increased aerodymanic drag. What’s the average speed dowhilling among competitive riders? 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