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Maximum speed of a cyclist record. Cycling speed: from average to world record

Riding a bike is very useful. It's hard to disagree with this statement! And also this one eco-friendly look transport gives an incomparable feeling of flight. The amount of positive emotions directly depends on the speed of movement.

What determines the speed of a cyclist?

The speed of a cyclist depends on various factors:

  • frame;
  • rider position;
  • tread pattern;
  • wheels;
  • equipment;
  • geometric settings;
  • friction in mechanisms, etc.

Do you know which one maximum speed your bike? The speed record is 268 km/h. But this does not mean that you can develop such speed. Because this requires a special bike that is designed for heavy loads.

Average speeds achievable for an ordinary cyclist are 20–25 km/h. Of course, such speeds are only possible under normal conditions.

Tires

Bicycles are divided into different classes:

  • mountain;
  • highway
  • hybrid;
  • tourist;
  • folding, etc.

Various tires are used, for example:

  1. Tires from 24 to 26 inches (size 1.9 to 2.2 inches; aggressive tread) are suitable for mountain models. You cannot reach high speeds on such tires.
  2. For city models, tires from 28 to 30 inches are suitable. The tread pattern is “slicks”. Such tires provide long-term rolling inertia.

When using a smooth slick tire, you get better speed performance on smooth surfaces. It is also recommended to install tires with a smaller profile width.

As a rule, such smooth tires are installed only on city models. In addition, it is necessary to take into account tire pressure. In order to increase driving speed, it is necessary to significantly increase the tire pressure (up to 6 atmospheres).

If you prefer off-road driving, then give preference to wide tires with an aggressive tread. What kind of surface are these tires suitable for?

  • soft ground;
  • sand;
  • gravel, etc.

Wheels

Often owners of “iron horses” do not pay due attention maintenance. Therefore, various malfunctions and breakdowns occur. If you often overcome curbs, “jump” over bumps, then sooner or later a “figure eight” will appear on the wheel. The figure eight is the deformation of the wheels.

This is a fairly common defect. It appears due to an impact on the wheel and is corrected by tightening the spokes. Small “eights” on the wheel can be eliminated. To do this, you need to contact a workshop.

Negative consequences:

  • reduction in driving speed;
  • can rub the hind feathers.

Of course, “eights” affect the speed of the cyclist. Therefore, they need to be eliminated as quickly as possible.

And you also need to take into account the diameter of the wheels. Wheels large size(diameter) have many advantages:

  • easily overcomes various road irregularities;
  • coasts longer in a straight line;
  • rolling resistance has been reduced.

Bike geometry settings

Proper fit is of great importance.

Classification:

  • high (walking);
  • average (tourist);
  • low (racing).

The low-slung design is ideal for cyclists. The main advantage is air resistance. This significantly increases movement speed.

But there are also disadvantages:

  • your back will hurt after the trip;
  • the neck gets tired.

If you want to increase the speed of movement, then use a low seat. Do not use a low seating position for off-road driving.

Walking landing is the most popular. Because she has no flaws. Description:

  • the steering wheel is raised;
  • saddle down;

The walking seat is designed for medium distances. Choosing a landing is quite difficult. Here it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of a person. And also when choosing a seat, you must take into account the riding style, as well as the geometry of the bike.

  • If you prefer to go on long trips, then you need to use bent handlebars.
  • During long trips, your hands often get tired. You can install special horns on a straight steering wheel. Such structural element allows you to change the position of your hands.
  • If you suffer from any diseases of the musculoskeletal system, then you should give preference to curved handlebars. And also curved steering wheels are recommended for those who like long trips.
  • Straight handlebars are suitable for cyclists who do not ride on rough terrain.

You need to pay a lot of attention to the choice of steering wheel. If you choose the right handlebars, then the cyclist will be able to accept a low seating position.

Frame

In fact, the frame has little effect on ride quality. Therefore, this factor can be ignored. It is important to choose the right frame.

Classification:

And also when choosing a frame, you must take into account your riding style. For example, small frames (S, M) are recommended for freeride.

Frame height is measured in inches. When choosing a frame, you need to take into account the height of the person, as well as the length of the legs. The frame must fit your anatomy.

Bike weight

When choosing an “iron horse,” you must take into account the weight. First of all, total weight depends on the materials used to make the frame. The lightest frames are made of titanium and aluminum. The less weight, the better.

And the total weight is also affected by attachments and additional accessories. The lighter the overall weight, the less effort the cyclist spends on acceleration.

Windage

  • Air resistance begins to have a significant effect from 25 km/h.
  • In general, air resistance begins to affect itself at speeds starting from 10 km/h, if there is a headwind.

How fast can you ride a bicycle? How fast can a cyclist actually go? How to increase the speed of a particular bicycle?

Such questions sooner or later come to the inquisitive minds of every real cyclist. Let's try to answer them.

Preamble

First of all, you should not forget about the difference between maximum peak speed and average speed. In every bicycle-related community (forum, VKontakte group, ...) there is a topic where speeds are measured. There, every MTB rider with 2.5-inch wheels with an aggressive tread screams how he accelerated to 50-80-100 km/h, what a damn thing to do. At the same time, it is usually kept silent about what kind of wind it was in, what mountain it was rolling from, and what kind of Mercedes the suspenders caught on. This is the maximum speed achieved for a short moment with the application of all forces, after which there is no more strength or speed left. A high average speed maintained for a long time is a completely different matter.

Records

Let's start with the most powerful result: the world record for speed on a bicycle is 268 kilometers per hour. Installed by 50-year-old Fred Rompelberg in 1995.

The bicycle was specially prepared for record speed, had a special transmission system, a racing car with a special design that created an air bell was driving in front of the cyclist, and the action itself took place on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah (USA).

The speed record for a bicycle without aids is 133,284 km/h, established by Sam Whittingham (Canada) in Varna in 2009 on a recumbent bike with a fairing (ligerade). The bicycle was also specially designed (by the Bulgarian designer Georgi Georgiev).

The track record for an hour race is 49 700 m. Installed by Czech athlete Ondrej Sosenka in 2005. on the track in Krylatskoye (Moscow). This is an official UCI Hour Record and requires the bike to meet certain requirements to be recognized. Due to the improvement of technology, great results are achieved (in the league - significantly greater), but here it is the capabilities of a person that are compared, and not the achievements of technology.

Average speed

The average speed of a cyclist, in my opinion, is a more interesting value from a practical point of view. This is the value that you can strive for when using a bicycle for utilitarian purposes: ride from point A to point B while admiring the surroundings with some load.

Speed ​​over rough terrain depends on the terrain itself, and therefore is not very interesting. We will focus on the highway, and more specifically on the Tour de France. Here, the average speed of mountain stages is about 39 km/h, and of flat stages up to 49 km/h. Undoubtedly, the length of the stage also plays a role.

But these are athletes in a race. If you are completely healthy person If you are moderately passionate about cycling, you can focus on the average speed of 20-30 km/h depending on the type of bicycle, road surface, distance and purpose of the trip, wind strength and other 56 factors.

How to increase speed as mere mortals

So, have you already been inspired by the examples of athletes and are eager to increase your own cycling speed? Great! It remains to understand how.

Take care of your bike's maintenance first. Lubricate and adjust the bushings so that nothing is loose, fix the figure eights on the rims, adjust the speed switches, adjust the height and position of the saddle, clean the chain and there you have it, “+5 to speed.”

If you are an unhappy person on a MTB with an aggressive tread, replace the tires with semi-slick ones and get another “+5 to speed.” Although the mountain bike position itself is high speed- somewhat contradictory concepts. The fact is that the greatest resistance to movement is air resistance, everything depends on aerodynamics. And here the superiority lies in the streamlined road landing. Is it time to change your bike to at least a cyclocrosser?

The bike uniform not only looks beautiful and is comfortable to ride, but also reduces windage, which means it improves aerodynamics and gives “+2 to speed.”

Speaking of cadence, there is a popular misconception that the more “speeds” (stars), the “faster” the bike. The words of the seller in the store “look, the bike has 21 speeds” or “the bike has 30 speeds!” are in no way related to the speed qualities of a particular device. Although this is a topic for another discussion.

It is rightfully considered one of the most convenient, simple, environmentally friendly and quick remedies movement. Since about the same time, numerous enthusiasts have been trying to determine what the average and maximum speed of two-wheeled horses is. Let's try to understand this issue too.

Average speeds

The speed of movement on a bicycle depends on many factors: from physical training, road surface, wind, conditions. For example, in a busy city you can drive at an average speed 10-15 kilometers per hour solely due to the abundance of obstacles, traffic lights and reasonable restrictions.

On a flat road, a trained (but not athlete) man can reach speed 30-50 kilometers per hour. At the same time, on the way up the mountain the pace will drop to 30 km/h and below, and on the descent it will increase. up to 60 km/h.

On average, mountain bikers on downhill in pits and bumps accelerate to 50 kilometers per hour. Participants of the Tour de France “squeeze out” the same speed on the flat sections of the route. On cycling tracks, athletes accelerate on average to 90-100 km/h.

Records

The recorded world speed record for a bicycle is 268 kilometers per hour. It was installed in 1995 by 50-year-old Fred Rompelberg, originally from the Netherlands. To achieve such an impressive result, the cyclist chose the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah (USA), whose thin air provided less resistance when moving. Another assistant to the record holder was an air bell from the racing car in front. Excellent preparation and accurate calculations are the key to maximum cycling speed.

Downhill world record in 212 kilometers per hour installed in the same 1995 by the Frenchman Christian Taillefer. The surface was a well-worn ice ski slope in France. A special flat futuristic frame with a flat handlebar, an integrated saddle and a speed-reducing fork helped reduce air resistance.

The speed record for a mountain bike is 130 kilometers per hour. It was also installed by a Frenchman, Eric Baron, on the slopes of an extinct volcano in Nicaragua.

The speed and endurance record was set by the athlete Francesco Moser. In 1984 he was able maintain a speed of 50 km/h for an hour without slowing down for a second. To this day, the record is considered the height of human capabilities.

What speed do you accelerate to on your bike?

Due to the fact that when riding a bicycle there is no heavy steel body under the cyclist, as on a motorcycle, and he is not surrounded by an iron box, as on a car, the speed is felt as fully as possible.

The average speed of a bicycle in such conditions is often overestimated, since it seems that you are flying above the ground, and you also feel the headwind currents especially strongly.

How fast is the bike going?

If previously large and not entirely reliable mechanical speedometers for measuring speed were installed on bicycles, today miniature ones are available electronic computers for bicycles. They are convenient because they can show not only the current speed, but also the maximum and average speed, travel time, length of the route traveled, pace per minute, and even calorie consumption and heart rate.

Novice cyclists, noticing the numbers 25-30 km/h on the speedometer, may think that this is the average speed at which they move all the time. In fact, only an experienced cyclist can maintain such speed, and ordinary person, as a rule, moves at a speed of about 15-20 km/h.

The speed of movement also depends on the model of the bicycle. For example, on a straight paved road on a road bike, the average cyclist can travel 20-25 km/h, covering 10 km in 25 minutes. On a mountain bike the speed will be 18-20 km/h. If you install an electric motor on a bicycle, the speed will increase significantly.

Since in the city when riding a bicycle you have to stop at intersections, go around stopped cars and public transport, slow down in front of pedestrians and on turns, then the average speed will be 5-10 km/h lower than on the highway. Note that the average cyclist rides approximately 1-2 hours a day.

What factors influence the speed of a bicycle?

  • Level of training of the cyclist. Huge role plays physical strength and endurance of the athlete. If a novice rider travels 10 km at a speed of 18 km/h, then an experienced rider will cover the same distance twice as fast. Even on a mountain bike, a pro will outpace road bike riders while maintaining a higher speed.
  • Oncoming air resistance. It can significantly slow down a cyclist at a speed of 25-27 km/h, and if there is a strong headwind, it is difficult to ride even at a speed of 10-15 km/h. Pulling under the protection of a truck or bus in front will eliminate oncoming air resistance, but you need to be very careful when the vehicle is slowing down or turning.
  • Friction in transmission mechanisms. A dirty or unlubricated chain, as well as worn bushings and bottom bracket will significantly reduce the speed of the bike. Soft shock absorbers reduce the speed of movement on smooth asphalt, but they are simply necessary when driving on roads with small irregularities.
  • Terrain. Rough terrain reduces the speed of the bike. Even professional mountain racers travel at speeds of up to 15 km/h. On descents the speed can reach 90 km/h, on a flat road 50 km/h.
  • Cyclist position. Narrow steering wheel and low rise make movement easier, although in each situation everyone chooses the most comfortable position; there is no universal position. It is important to choose the correct frame height according to your height.
  • Bike parameters. Width, presence of tread and shape of tires - narrow, smooth rubber without a pattern rolls faster on asphalt; on gravel and sand, a wide tire with widely spaced studs is more comfortable. Steering wheel width – it’s easier to ride with a narrow steering wheel. The pressure in the chambers - the higher it is, the better it is to drive on hard surfaces. The lightness of the wheels and their diameter affect the acceleration and speed of the bicycle. The weight of the bike is that it’s easier to ride uphill when it’s light; when going downhill, the heavier the bike, the higher the speed.

Maximum bike speed

Professional marathon cyclists can move at an average speed of 30-35 km/h for several hours, sometimes accelerating up to 40 km/h. Professional athlete Francesco Moser set the record in 1984 - he moved at a speed of 50 km/h for an hour.

The maximum speed in a straight line over a distance of 200 meters was set by Sebastian Bowyer on a bicycle with an aerodynamic fairing - 133.78 km/h.

The absolute speed record on a special bicycle was set by the athlete Fred Rompelberg - 268.83 km/h, he moved in a straight line in an air bag behind a racing car with a large fairing.

The maximum speed when descending the mountain is 222 km/h. This record was set on a mountain bike by the Frenchman Eric Baron in 2000.

The maximum average speed on a road bike is 41.654 km/h. held by American racer Lance Armstrong in 2005. On the descents from the mountains, participants in this competition reach speeds close to 90 km/h.

In general, it is worth saying that it is not necessary to adhere to average, much less maximum, speeds. The main thing is to ride with pleasure at a speed that suits you.

A bicycle is a two-wheeler vehicle, and each vehicle has its own speed. People often ask what speed can you reach on a bicycle? To answer this question, you need to understand that there is an average and maximum speed. Average speed is a speed that is calculated based on the sum of all speeds divided by the number of speed marks. (Suppose you were moving from point A to point B, there are ups and downs along the way, it is clear that the speed will be different during the ascent and descent. In total, your speedometer recorded 5 speed marks 30 km, 20 km, 25 km, 40 km, 10 km, accordingly, you need to add up all the speeds 30 + 20 + 25 + 40 + 10 = 125 and divide by the number of speed marks, we have 5 of them, divide 125 by 5, we get an average speed of 25 km per hour).Maximum speed is the most high point, recorded when driving from point A to point B, in our example it is 40 km.

If we talk about the average speed of an ordinary amateur cyclist, it will be equal to 18-22 km/h, of course, there are many factors that influence this indicator, such as wind direction and speed, road surface conditions, surface topography, distances, etc. also a lot depends on the physical training of the cyclist and of course on the bike.

Professional athletes can ride at an average speed higher than 50 km/h, and above 100 km/h when descending.

Bicycle speed records.

As for maximum speed, there are official records. On at the moment the maximum speed achieved on a bicycle is268 km/h., Fred Rompelberg set this record in 1995, then he was 50 years old. Of course, his bicycle was specially designed to achieve this speed, he was moving behind a sports car to which a canopy was attached, but so far no one has broken this record.

One of the first to officially decide to set a bicycle speed record was a certain Charles M. Murphy on June 30, 1899, he trained for two whole months before this day. As a result, he developed speed 100.2 km/h, he was driving along railway in Long Island behind a train, to which a dome was also attached.

The next record belongs to Albert Marquet, who was in Los Angeles in 1937. State of California. He did not follow a train, but a car, which was equipped with a fabric frame so that the cyclist was inside it. Then he reached his maximum speed139 km/h.

And in 1942 it was installed new record, and also in California. In this case, the car was a racing car, and the bicycle's drive sprocket was so large that it practically touched the ground. Alf Letourne, driving behind a racing car, was able to reach speed 175 km/h.

There are also other speed records set on a bicycle.

French rider Eric Baron set a record while descending from the slopes of a volcano, for which he used. The speed was 130km/h.

Well, the world speed record for descending mountains on bicycles also belongs to the Frenchman Christian Taillerfer. He descended from the ski resort on a special bicycle, which was equipped in such a way that the force of air resistance was greatly reduced. In addition, he had a completely tight suit. In this case the speed was reached 212 km/h.

In order to measure the speed of a bicycle, there are many possibilities and applications for smartphones. The main thing is to be careful on the roads.