Cyclists, how do you work out your MPH?

jadelyndsey
jadelyndsey Posts: 150 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I often seen my MFP friends logging "Cycling - 15mph" in their exercise, but just out of interest, how do you know that? How do you know that you have rode 15 miles in the hour? Do any of you recommend an electronic device that tells you how far you have travelled? Thanks!

Replies

  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Any basic cyclocomputer for a couple bucks will tell you.
    I also use Mapmyride on my smart phone.
  • Speedtrap
    Speedtrap Posts: 216
    Any Cycle Computer will tell you your average speed, most smart phone have apps that can help, I even use an old GPS I had from when I use to Geocache that I use as a bike computer now.
  • g0tr00t
    g0tr00t Posts: 192 Member
    I have two. One I have a bike computer (bontrager trip 4w) and 2nd I wear a Motorola Motoactv that helps me micromanage my calories burned. It tracks me on every ride and gives me a slew of data to crunch when my workout is complete.
  • wardf
    wardf Posts: 33
    Hey Jade, I am sure that you have gotten a lot of responses from other cyclists that have given you the same information, but i would recommend the Garmin, it can track a lot of data for you and if you are wanting to get more detailed data you could go with an SRM. I use mine to give me the power of my stroke, speed, cadence of the stroke, my heartrate (which tells how many calories you have burned in the workout), percentage / or grade of incline/decline of the road you are riding on, how long it should take you to finish the workout if you want to burn X number of calories... It's basically a computer for the athlete. and it's mobile. Or if you just want to know basic things, you can get a Cat eye and mount it on your bike and it will tell you the distance you have traveled, and the speed you are going. those are only about 15-30 dollars. hope this helps!

    Forrest
  • summer8it
    summer8it Posts: 433 Member
    I use the Strava Cycling app on my Android phone - it's a free app.
  • jadelyndsey
    jadelyndsey Posts: 150 Member
    Thanks for the information guys :)

    I do not currently have or ride a bike, but I were to invest in one I would just like to be assured I could use it as an exercise in MFP, so if I do, I think a cheapo computerised one from ebay or amazon will do the trick, although the "Garmin" product does sound good and informative too! :)
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    You can get a solid bike computer at most bike shops for ~$20 to do the basics for you - current speed, average speed, max speed, distance, time.

    There are also a variety of apps available for smart phones (I use mapmyride) that work well.

    There's also the old distance divided by time formula, provided you know the distance and the time.
  • Moriarty_697
    Moriarty_697 Posts: 226 Member
    I was looking at cycle computers but then I bought a garmin gps watch. I use it for running and cycling. It's not as accurate as a well set-up computer but it's close enough for me.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
    Before I had a bicycle computer, I would just gauge it by how long it took me to get somewhere. I commute to work which is about 6 miles away. I would get there in less than a half hour, so I knew I was doing at least 12mph.

    10mph is a pretty slow, leisurely ride and there are times when I will go 10mph on flat surfaces, but mostly I only go that slow if I'm climbing a hill.

    If I'm not sure or if I hadn't kept time on a ride (outside of work) then I will normally half the totals, i.e. I take the amount of time I rode my bike and then divide it in half, apply half to >10mph and the other 12-15mph
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    You can get a cycle computer which is cheap and easy to install, or simply map out your route in something like Google Maps or Bing or MapMyRide or whatever, then divide distance by time to get average speed. You can also judge it more by how much effort you put into it - if I never put any pressure on the pedals it's "casual", "vigorous" means you're probably doing a decent amount of hills or really putting some effort in.

    When I go for long rides, I tend to be pretty vigorous, so I put "vigorous" in. But since there are downhills in addition to the uphills, I tend to log HALF the time.
  • CollisionofNova
    CollisionofNova Posts: 98
    I often seen my MFP friends logging "Cycling - 15mph" in their exercise, but just out of interest, how do you know that? How do you know that you have rode 15 miles in the hour? Do any of you recommend an electronic device that tells you how far you have travelled? Thanks!

    I use Endomondo on my phone. It also helps me see the altitude, which accounts for any speed increase or decrease. I live in a majorly hilly town, so this is really important! I'm still trying to figure out the "flattest" route for me to bike. I hate hills!
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