Average Mountain Bike speed?

Question

wat do u think is the average mountain bike speed? im gonna b on road the whole time so i was wondering how long itd take to ride 145 miles and watd b a good average speed.. im pretty well in shape and ride 5 miles in 20 mins reallly easily...

Answer 1

How many time are you going to post questions about your long bike trip? Lot's of us are trying to help, but you don't need to post more than once usually.

For 145 miles, you might average 9-12 MPH on a mountain bike, unless you are as fit as Lance Armstrong. Most people could not make this trip in a single day.

Answer 2

Sorry, we need a lot more information about both the route and your cycling experience.

First, are you talking about doing 145 miles in a straight shot?  I've only done more than that three times (164/164/200), and I was mentally and physically wrecked after one of those attempts (8,000 feet of climbing involved)

It took me fourteen hours, forty-five minutes total time to do a flat 200 miles.  And I was riding a properly set-up road bike, and I rode smart.  We're looking at about 13.5mph average.

Second, what's your experience with distance.  Going 5 miles is one thing.  Twenty is another.  Fifty is another.  A hundred is far different.  And out beyond there, it's a whole different world.

And on a fat tire mountain bike?  All other things equal, you're going to lose a couple of mph from the friction of the wider tires and knobbies.

A better rider with less off-the-bike time will be faster, of course.  But you've only told me that you can maintain 15mph for twenty minutes.  It's very hard to extrapolate any maintained speed from that short a line of data.

Answer 3

On the road keeping up 15 MPH on an MTB is pretty good. The question is how long can you do it. Riding for 20 minutes is significantly different than attempting 145 miles. Even if you consider yourself fit, the 20 minute mark is really rather meaningless. IT depends on the terrain, the weather, and at 145 miles things like your tire inflation and bike weight with factor in.

Do yourself a favor. Do some long rides before you attempt this trip. Start with two hour rides, then ramp up to four, then six. If you can do a six hour ride without stopping, you have a decent chance of completing this 10+ hour trip you're contemplating. You're going to have to serious consider things like food and water - a 145 mile trip will require a rather large caloric intake. Then there's the possibility of mechanical issues - if your bike breaks down, can you fix it? I'm not talking about just a flat tire, but things like broken spokes, chain, shifter/brake cables.

Seriously, sit down with someone who has done this sort of thing and _really_ think it through. It's not nearly as easy as it sounds like you're thinking it is.

Answer 4

I can ride my rigid mountain bike w/ mountain bike tires a good 25-30 mph on the road and i'm 13, you could probably do better.

Answer 5

well i guess for a mountain bike 10-15 miles per hour it depends on the road... good luck ;)