The Next Challenge

A million miles of cycling in numbers

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by

Tim Moss
in

A couple of weeks ago we launched Long Distance Cycle Journeys (LDCJ), an online resource of bicycle journeys over 6,000 miles (10,000km).

We’ve had a huge response already (see below) and are pleased to be able to launch the accompanying Summary Stats page: everything from how far cycle tourists travel in an average month, to what type of bike/wheel size is most popular and how cyclists carry their luggage.

More stats will follow soon (in particular, average costs per month and kilometre, and cheapest/fastest/slowest trips). For now, browse some numbers below and visit Long Distance Cycle Journeys for more.

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Number of journeys registered:

62

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Total time spent on road by LDCJ members:

108 years

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Total distance travelled by LDCJ members:

1,716,112km

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Information current on January 9th 2014. For up to the minute info, visit Long Distance Cycle Journeys – Summary Stats.

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Trips registered at Long Distance Cycle Journeys

  • Number of trips registered: 62
  • …of which completed: 44
  • …of which ongoing: 18
  • Number of cyclists registered: 84

How long does it take to cycle around the world?

  • Average trip duration: 1 year 11 months
  • Shortest trip: 4 months
  • Longest trip: 7 yrs 9 months

Distances travelled

  • Mean trip distance: 28,133km
  • Longest single trip: 143,550km
  • Mean monthly distance: 1,680km
  • Longest average distance travelled in a month: 5,812km

What type of bikes do cycle tourists use?

  • Touring bike: 74%
  • Mountain bike: 13%
  • Road/racing: 3%
  • Recumbent: 5%
  • Other: 5%

Cycle touring bikes

What handlebars are on bikes used for touring?

  • Straight (mountain bike style): 52%
  • Drop bars (racing style): 23%
  • Butterfly: 18%
  • Other: 8%

Cycle touring handlebars

How many cycle tourists use internal (hub) gears vs external?

  • Internal (hub) 38%
  • External 62%

Cycle touring gears

How many cycle tourists use 700c wheels vs 26″?

  • 700c 27%
  • 26-inch 72%
  • Other 2%

Cycle touring wheel size

How many cycle tourists use disc brakes vs rim?

  • Rim 81%
  • Disc 19%

Cycle touring brakes

What means do cycle tourists use to carry their luggage?

  • Front rack 82%
  • Back rack 94%
  • Trailer 10%

Cycle touring luggage

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 Long Distance Cycle Journeys

Comments

2 responses to “A million miles of cycling in numbers”

  1. Tom Allen avatar
    Tom Allen

    Interesting. What I like about this is that it’s not just an exposé of what’s popular — it’s evidence that what isn’t popular still works just as well. I.e. none of these areas of differentiation *really* matter too much…

    Reply
    1. Tim Moss avatar
      Tim Moss

      Absolutely. It’s inherently interesting stuff but, at the end of the day, a long way from being the most important aspect of cycle touring.

      Reply

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