How Long Does It Take To Bike 5 Miles – Bicycles In Motion

How Long Does It Take To Bike 5 Miles

How Long Does It Take To Bike 5 Miles

If you’re not used to riding, biking five miles may sound daunting, but almost anyone, regardless of their fitness level, can do it. Those who ride regularly may already be going five miles or more without thinking about it.

Moreover, biking is one of the best and most fun ways to travel. How long does it take to bike five miles?

On average, it takes a casual bike rider 30 minutes to bike 5 miles going 10 mph. An Advanced rider can bike 5 miles in 15 minutes going 20 mph. This time can vary based on the number of hills, type of bike your riding, size of wheels you have and health of the rider.

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How Long Would It Take To Bike 5 Miles

The average amount of time you can expect it to take a beginning cyclist to bike 5 miles is a lot more than someone with experience.

New riders don’t have the built-up strength and stamina that more practiced bike users have worked for. That said, a mostly inexperienced rider can expect to take 25 to 45 minutes to bike five miles.

Someone who has been riding a while could likely finish the same five-mile ride in around twenty minutes. However, road conditions will affect the ride.

For example, a hilly area or mostly uphill slope will take longer. Likewise, more traffic and stops will extend your ride time.

According to Bike Work Day, “The ordinary, untrained person can pedal a bike at an average of 10 to 14 miles per hour(MPH). A few weeks of training can see this person improve his speed to about 15 to 20 MPH. Give it a few months of intense conditioning, and he can get to within 25 MPH or even 30 MPH.”

How Long Does It Take To Casually Bike 5 Miles

Most people can get on a bike and pedal around ten miles per hour without too much trouble. Keeping up that pace over a long period of time is a matter of having muscle stamina.

Nevertheless, 10 mph is a standard speed for a beginner, and at that speed with no stops, you’d move 5 miles in half an hour on a flat, featureless road.

If you were just slowly pedaling for the fun of it, then you might be moving at a slower speed. For example, biking three miles an hour, which is slow enough that it would be challenging to keep your bicycle upright, would take you about an hour and forty minutes to move five miles.

At 5 miles per hour, it would take you exactly one hour. However, few people move that slowly on a bicycle because it’s easier to maneuver when you’re moving a little faster.

How Long Does It Take To Mountain Bike 5 Miles

The average time of around thirty minutes for biking five miles is based on the idea that the land where you are riding is reasonably flat.

Traffic stops, lots of curves, the wind blowing in your face, and other features naturally slow you down. However, the times are very different for mountain biking because of the incline.

A 20 to 30 ride on flat land will take you more like 45 to 50 minutes mountain biking.

How Long Does It Take To Bike 5 Miles On A Stationary Bike

Most people can bike five miles in twenty to thirty minutes on a stationary bike. However, stationary bikes often have adjustable tension.

Higher tension means it’s harder to pedal, increasing your time. Moreover, some stationary bikes are more advanced and have riding programs that vary the incline and difficulty as you ride, which can also affect your time.

To calculate your speed on a stationary bike, check your average mph. If you are going ten miles per hour, it will take thirty minutes.

At 5 mph, it takes an hour, and at 15, it will only take you around 20 minutes to ride 5 miles.

How To Bike 5 Miles Faster

The best way to bike five miles faster is to do it every day. Building muscle over time will give you more speed and stamina for your rides. However, there are other ways to increase your speed and decrease the time it takes.

  • Go Downhill – Gravity is your friend when you have wheels and need to get somewhere quickly. Choose a bike route that travels mostly downhill, and your time will decrease exponentially.
  • Flatter Is Better – If you can’t go down a hill, then choose a route that has few features. Flat, straight roads without curves or hills take less time to travel on.
  • Lighten Your Load – Another simple way to decrease your travel time and go faster is to opt for a lighter bike. As you pedal, you are pushing yourself and the weight of your bicycle around, so a more lightweight frame or thinner tires make it easier for you to go fast.
  • Get Streamlined – Pro cyclists wear helmets with points in the back and skin-tight clothing for a reason. The more streamlined they are, the less wind resistance they have as they travel. To go faster, you should ditch the baggy clothing and only carry the absolute minimum gear you need, like a water bottle. Even a backpack will slow you down a small amount.

Helpful Tips To Know About How Long It Takes To Bike 5 Miles

Although it takes differing amounts of time to ride 5 miles, there are ways to increase your time. By building muscle or taking advantage of a few ‘tricks,’ you’ll be flying along in no time.

Here are a few helpful tips to know about how long it takes to bike five miles.

  • Mountain biking is an excellent way to build strength and stamina for your 5 mile rides. Since there are slopes to contend with, you will work harder and build muscle faster as a result.
  • Tire diameter matters. A bike with smaller wheels like a BMX or a child bike will take more effort and additional pedaling to travel five miles than a cruiser or mountain bike with bigger tires. Every revolution of the wheel covers as much ground as the outside of that tire. Choose a bike with bigger wheels if you want to minimize exhaustion over a longer distance.
  • Riding into a headwind will slow down your 5 mile ride. Meanwhile, if the breeze is behind you, it can give you a little boost.
  • Unpaced riding or riding an open road without vehicles in front of you will also take longer than riding behind a large moving vehicle. This sort of riding or drafting, called paced riding, takes advantage of the slipstream to move faster than a rider would normally go because it can reduce wind resistance to zero or even create a beneficial (though dangerous) suction effect.

Final Thoughts

How long it takes you to ride five miles will depend on a lot of factors. However, in general, it should take anywhere from twenty to fifty minutes.

With a bit of luck or better preparation, you can decrease the time regardless of the terrain. Riding five miles is something most people can accomplish without too much difficulty, and it’s a great way to stay fit and healthy.

Brian Smith

Brian is the founder of Bicycles In Motion and an avid cyclist for 17 years. On the weekends, he enjoys exploring new bike trails and countryside roads to enjoy the outdoors.

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