29"er Speed

General
1

Hi guys I was just wondering what a good 29"er speed is and also how to record my speed.

Currently I have been using Strava. Is that accurate? It says I have achieved 24.6mph on my 29" hatchet and don’t know if that is believable.

Thanks,

John

2

I would trust average speeds from Strava, top speeds not so much. Sometimes the top speed reading is in a reasonable range, but other times it spits out clearly unreasonable speeds :woozy_face:

For live speed readings on my 36er I use a relatively inexpensive magnet-style cycle computer (I use a Bontrager GOtime to be specific). As long as you’re fairly accurate with measuring the wheel circumference the readings should be pretty close to actual speed. As for where to put the computer on the uni, before I had bars on the 36er I just put it just under the saddle on the seat post. Couldn’t see the readings obviously, but I could check average speed and mileage after the ride was done.

1 Like
3

Thanks that’s really helpful I’ll look into the computer.

4

that seems incredibly fast! I use a $30 cycplus gps speedo on my touring bar in conjunction with my garmin watch. the speedo is very accurate and gives me the info I need at a glace. my watch is not visible with my wrist guards on but provides me with all the data I’m interested in to review after my ride on my phone

5

see here

6

Those are quite high speeds. I generally only do 13-14kph on my 29". I prolly ride like a grandpa :smiley:
With the 36" Im around 17 kph on average, but I don’t care much for high speeds to be honest.

1 Like
7

A few years ago when I was riding my UDC trainer with 125 cranks and the 700 c x 52 innova tire I was hitting 10 mph but averaging 8.5 mph. These days I’m a bit slower in spite of upgrading my equipment significantly. I am a bit older I’m sure that has something to do with it . I’m going to have to throw that innova tire back on the old UDC trainer one of these days and give it a rip and see how fast I can go. These days I go for comfort more than speed.

1 Like
8

A few years ago I had a 29" with carbon rim, 100/75 cranks, lightweight everything, and did fast paved and gravel road unipacking.

I could get up to 20 kph under 10km in the city but found my average was about 16-18kmh after years of practice with it.

It’s the only uni I’ve done a metric century on, but can do 15kmh on my 20" with a similar set up. You can go fast on a 29, and I found 100mm cranks to be the sweet spot if you dont live in a super hilly area. Multi hole cranks are also a good option for long distance becuase the ability to swap them out gives you more versatility.

As others have mentioned, strava and most phone tracking app are good for your average speed, but something on the uni itself will be the most accurate.

1 Like
9

24.6 mph is possible on a 29er but Strava GPS can sometimes give random speed spikes. A wheel sensor or bike computer will usually be more accurate.

1 Like
10

Thanks a friend has a b!ke computer he might lend me so I’ll see what speeds I’m hitting