What is your preferred cruising speed on a bike trail?

eSurfer

100 W
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Feb 5, 2016
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Location
Newport Beach, CA
What speed is comfortable for you when you are on a bike only trail?

I used to go full throttle 32 MPH at all times, zooming past traditional cyclists, until the newness of the speed wore off. Now I find that 18 MPH is the most fun. Less stressful, more peaceful, safer, more courteous to traditional cyclists. That's about the speed that the more advanced traditional cyclists tend to go. What speed do you like?

That's for bike trails. When I'm on the side of the street with cars, it feels safer to go full tilt. I guess because the speed differential between me and the cars is smaller.






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Very crowded? 8-10 MPH.

Mildly crowded? (50/50 bikes to pedestrians) around 20 MPH.

No crowd and very few people/bikes/pets? Safe & sane brother…
 
In socal, but I prefer more desolate trails, so 20 mph max when around other cyclists and usually just pedal for walkers. In the open, 32 mph if I'm in a hurry. On the street, try to keep up with traffic, but always willing to yield.
 
I like 18-20 MPH on bike paths. It gets you across town quickly without upsetting pedal only cyclists going 12-15 mph. I still get the occasional hard core leg shaver who gets frustrated and has to pedal past me and say some rude comment....but that is all part of the experience :) I ride in PAS level 4-5 on all the Rad Power Bikes and pedal with it lightly, especially in the winter to stay a little warmer.
 
I don't have a neat ebike yet, but I'll cruise around 19~24mph for the whole ride. I'm not a rude commenting leg shaver, but I'll chase down and pass people who are also fast. Practically no one has ebikes around here.
 
On a bike path, I'll do maybe 20 if other cyclists are around. I try to match speeds to the traffic and and only p[ass people at 1-2 mph faster than them. If there are kids on bikes, or walkers, I slow down to 10mph while in sight of them, and I pass them at 4-5mph. It's just courtesy.

If there is no one else around, no witnesses, then... I swear I was only doing 20 the whole time. :mrgreen:
 
hypertoric_amplituhedron said:
I don't have a neat ebike yet, but I'll cruise around 19~24mph for the whole ride. I'm not a rude commenting leg shaver, but I'll chase down and pass people who are also fast. Practically no one has ebikes around here.
So you are one of the good ones. Thank you for your courtesy.
 
I'm an ol' man,... on what appears to be a big ol' Beach Cruiser!

I MAY show off at near 40mph occasionally, but not very often. Typically, I'm headed to town on lightly traveled, 2-lane country pavement, and usually about 20mph,... no concerns for unseen patrol cars that way, and I can jus enjoy the ride. I may push 30 over a greater distance,... but I'll have to be more aware of those patrol cars, since 20mph is the "legal" limit here for e-bikes, and I really don't want any issues.

I'll slow a bit from 20 in village traffic because motorists see me as a bicycle. To go much faster is surprising and unexpected to them, and I often need to jus keep outa their way. Given jus a quick glance in my direction, they may not truly realize my greater speed, and I jus feel safer being able to stop quickly from lower speeds when necessary. I have plenty of torque in reserve to move quickly outa the way when needed,... but any higher speed IS NOT primary.

I don't hit the unpaved trails, but on the paved bike paths,.... I'm a bicycle!!! Don't matter much of other bicycles. And among pedestrians,... I slow immensely and give them EVERY right-of-way, and opportunity of awareness in my presense, and then jus gently and politely motor away.
 
Walking speed if it's crowded. In my retirement job now,, not in a hurry anymore, ever. In the clear,, 18 mph. At 18, I can look around, enjoy the ride much more.

Back when I bike commuted to a job, I rode up to 30 mph on the trails, when I had that much room. But even then, I passed walkers traveling 2 mph at 5 mph. Or other bikes at 2-3 mph faster than they are going. Whizzing by people 10-15 mph faster is not sharing the path, it's being a jackass. You got a motor,, so easy to slow down, and then get going again. Not at all like losing your momentum on a racing bike. Just no need to scare the crap out of everybody you pass. I tried the horn thing,, the honk just scared them.

Generally this meant going a slower average speed on the way to work, the morning strollers out in force. But coming home, when it's 105F in summer,, I'd let er rip. :twisted: Nobody but me out there in that heat.
 
I have a long commute - 32 miles one way. So slowing down for a long period of time is the difference of up to 30 minutes of saddle time. Thats a big deal.

That being said. On the bike path I am usually around 23-24mph. Which means I pass people from time to time (sometimes 10 a day). I ring my bell and pass slowly. It's not a race. Even then I have had drafters on my tail many times at the speed as well.

On the roads with cars I prefer as fast as I can get to keep up with the speed differential.
 
Yeah, that's what I meant,, when I rode the 15 mile commute, about 8 miles of it was bike trail. I rode fast, but never passed people real fast. It was empty enough for me to ride fast most of it. As soon as I could though, I got off the path and took back streets. Close to campus, the path was impossible. Lots of people, but the real problem was the cars racing to the student parking near campus. So the long way around NMSU was faster by far.

I found announcing good morning to the ones that knew me scared them less than the damn horn though. Or just some brakes did the trick, if they made a bit of noise. One by one,, I stopped and talked to everybody I saw every day, about 10 people in 3-4 groups. Often the discussion began with,, I'll try not to scare you passing,, but you know,, three abreast in the center of the trail,, you know,,,. :lol: Once I taught them to leave me some space on the left, things went much better. From then on,, they at least knew I would always pass left. Eventually walk/ jog/ ride to the right signs went up, which nobody does unless trained by a commuter that they better.

Of course,, there was a group of three bitches that disagreed. This path is bitches only. I made sure to whizz by them, but it had to be off the trail in the gravel since they would not give an inch left or right.
 
Very slow to enjoy the beautiful path.
No need to hurry.
Go fast on the streets not the bike path. I do not want to get banned .
 
I have a bear bell on both of my trail riding bikes, bought for letting real bears and moose that I am coming up their trail, I don't want to surprise them as the bike is too damn quiet!

When in town riding the bike/hiker trails there, I accidentally found it provides just the right amount of noise (unless they're wearing ear buds) to let them know I will be passing them shortly. I don't know what it is, but the power I have on tap (BBSHD with hot rod programming) makes me ride SLOWER, and enjoy it. Sure, every now and then it's fun to romp on it but by and large if I pass anyone on a trail it's as slow as possible, any slower and I'd fall over. Normal bike speeds the rest of time. I mostly use the power I do have on tap, to go up super steep stuff slowly, the torque is what I like. On a ride in the Moab area a few weeks ago, my average speed was ....4 MPH !
 
Ykick said:
Very crowded? 8-10 MPH.

Mildly crowded? (50/50 bikes to pedestrians) around 20 MPH.

No crowd and very few people/bikes/pets? Safe & sane brother…

Perfectly outlined.
 
It's lonely down here 15 to 18 miles an hour on river trails with people, but hard to find many people. I stop and let the horses go bye as some are high-spirited. But 47mph on a bike is a little stressed ful and fun. I think my next bike will have a 1,500 watt motor as a muxus 3,000 is a boat anchor. Maybe get out the old bmc 600 at 52volts for street riding. Little tried of the weight. Yes Dogman got me to slow down on the beach an enjoy. Now faster then 12mph is rushing it on the sand.
 
12 MPH usual, if there is pedestrians 5 mph, street 10-20 mph, my battery luvs me.
 
999zip999 said:
It's lonely down here 15 to 18 miles an hour on river trails with people, but hard to find many people. I stop and let the horses go bye as some are high-spirited. But 47mph on a bike is a little stressed ful and fun. I think my next bike will have a 1,500 watt motor as a muxus 3,000 is a boat anchor. Maybe get out the old bmc 600 at 52volts for street riding. Little tried of the weight. Yes Dogman got me to slow down on the beach an enjoy. Now faster then 12mph is rushing it on the sand.
Holy cow! You bike goes 47? That's freaking fast. What is your setup?
 
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