Ever wondering how long does it take to ride a mile with your bike? How the duration of completing a mile change for different riders?
Well, it depends on many things but mostly on the cyclist. Cyclists’ capability, skill, power, and gears all these have a great impact on completing a mile.
Factors that affect the duration
Fitness of the Cyclist
The time to cover any distance significantly depends on the fitness of the cyclist.
A beginner can hardly cover a mile in 10 minutes where a pro can cover it in less than 6 mins. So covering a mile with your bike fully depends on the skill you have. Your leg muscle power, pedaling power, riding style everything has an impact on the time you need to cover a mile. It will also change significantly as you develop your capability and skill.
Types of the Bike
Different types of bikes are meant for a different kind of rides. So, covering a mile could also vary by bike types.
Road Bike
A road bike is the fastest bike there is. The lightweight and aerodynamic design help to gain speed and go faster than any other type of bikes. So covering a mile with a road bike is very much easy but it also depends on the road type. On the dirt track, you might have to push harder on your road bike and take a lot of time to cover a mile.
Gravel Bike
Gravel bikes are meant for traveling. Gravel bikes are not as fast as road bikes but these are pretty much good to ride on any types of road. So no matter how the roads are you can cover a mile with a gravel bike in a average time like 8-10 minutes.
Mountain Bike
Mountain bikes are meant to ride in dirt and country crossroads. These are slower but can be ridden on almost any kind of muddy and dirt track. Thus covering country roads with a mountain bike is good while you want to cover more miles.
BMX Bike
It is a very small bike and used to do stunts. These bikes are never meant to be used for riding. Thus you might find it too hard and tiresome to cover a mile with a BMX.
Bike Types |
Average Speed |
Estimated Miles You can cover |
Road Bike | 20-25 mph | 50-70 miles |
Gravel Bike | 15-18 mph | 40-60 miles |
Mountain Bikes | 13-18 mph | 25-45 miles |
BMX Bikes | 8-10 mph | 20 miles |
Now the 3rd most important thing is
The Gear and Clothing you wear during your ride
The gears and clothing you wear have an impact on the riding time to a specific distance.
Pro bikers usually wear spandex which is lighter and comfortable while riding than wearing jeans and a jacket. These kinds of clothing also reduce air friction which is very helpful to gain some speed.
Also, the helmet increases aerodynamic efficiency by its design. Thus gears can reduce a mile covering time significantly.
Weight Impact
Sometimes the baggage you carry also affects the bike’s weight and as well as your stamina. You might have to spend more energy at the same distance with more baggage.
Even the weight of essential tools you carry will add overall weight and it will definitely slow you down.
Terrain
Terrain or track is one of the important things that need to consider while you try to cover miles.
You might easily cover a mile of plain highway road within minutes but for dirt tracks, you will face a lot of hardship and more time.
Riding in the woods is much more difficult as there are many more obstacles like sticky mud, broken branches, and sometimes narrow spaces and slippery muds. So, terrains like this always require more time to ride.
On the other hand, no matter what kind of terrain it is, if it is downhill, you will find it very comfortable and easy to cover the same distances in less time. It is due to the gravity, that is helping you out while riding downhill.
But it is very opposite while you will be riding uphill because you will be riding against gravity.
Weather
The final thing you need to consider while covering a specific distance is the weather. Weather will always affect your riding and the time you required.
In good weather, you can easily cover many distances but in hot and shiny weather you might feel exhausted covering the same distance. Rain and snow sometimes made the ride very dangerous. Thus riding in any of these, you might need to be very careful as muddy and slippery roads can cause an accident. Slowing down while riding in snow or rain is smarter as time is not more important than life.
FAQs
- Are 10 miles of biking in 30 minutes good?
A skilled cyclist might take 45 minutes to an hour to cover 10 miles. So yeah covering 30 miles in 30 minutes is pretty good.
- Is a mile in 4 minutes good on a bike?
Well, we have discussed the answer above. In a plain road track, it is very usual to cover a mile in 4 minutes though it might vary from cyclists to cyclists.
- How long do 50 miles take on a bike?
It depends on riders. It could almost take an average time of 3 hours and 30 minutes for cyclists. It will change significantly if the terrain changes a bit.
- Is biking 10 miles a lot?
5 miles is enough if you put your heart and soul in it. Thus 10 miles could be more than you need or less.
- How many miles can the average person bike in an hour?
Varies but almost 10-15 miles.
- Is a 100-mile bike ride equivalent to a marathon?
Well, it depends but riding a 100 mile is similar to 30 miles running.
- Is 20 mph on a bike fast?
It is not the fastest but pretty much good speed for an average rider.
- How many miles should I cycle a day to lose weight?
Cycling for 30 minutes is good. If you want the answer in a mile it depends on how much distance you can cover in these 30 minutes of cycling.
Final Words
You know all that need to consider to cover a mile on your bike. Friendly advice is that you shouldn’t be focused too much on covering distances rather than enjoying your ride. If you feel like left over then try to develop your riding skill. It can help you out to cover more miles in less time.