Biking is a great form of exercise, and it’s also a great way to get around. If you’re thinking about biking 4 miles, you might be wondering, how long is that going to take?
That depends on a lot of factors, including your fitness level, the terrain, and the weather. But generally speaking, you can expect to bike 4 miles in about 25 minutes.
In this post, we’ll explore some of the factors that can influence how long does it take to bike 4 miles along with average time taken for different speeds.
How Long Does it Take to Bike 4 Miles?
Assuming you’re in reasonable shape and you’re not pedaling uphill the whole way, you can probably expect to bike 4 miles in about 18 – 25 minutes.
How long it takes to bike 4 miles greatly depends on the average speed of the rider. You have probably heard of the speed = distance/time formula right? Let’s apply it and take a look at how the time it takes to ride 4 miles varies with your speed.
Also read: Difference between men’s and women’s bikes
If you’re biking at a moderate speed of 12 mph, it would take you approximately 20 minutes to bike 4 miles. That’s not too bad!
But if you’re biking at a leisurely pace of 6 miles per hour, it would take you approximately 40 minutes to bike 4 miles.
| Speed (miles per hour) | Time Taken (minutes) |
| 6mph | 40 minutes |
| 8mph | 30 minutes |
| 10mph | 24 minutes |
| 12mph | 20 minutes |
| 14mph | 17 minutes |
| 16mph | 15 minutes |
| 18mph | 13 minutes |
| 20mph | 12 minutes |
Factors that Effects
Several factors affect how long does it take to bike 4 miles, which are all taken into account in our main time prediction. Let’s look at some of these here:
Mountainous Road
The longer and steeper the mountain, the longer it takes to bike 4 miles.
Because of the hills its more difficult to pedal and you will burn more energy. Your speed will reduce too and in turn increase travel time.
If you have a mountain bike with low gears and short chainrings, then you might find yourself struggling with hills when biking for 4 miles.
Downhill Road
If you ride downhill, you will be able to bike 4 miles much faster.
This is because your speed is lower when going uphill BUT higher when going downhill.
Flat Road
You will be able to ride faster on a flat road than on a steeper road but slower than on a downhill road.
Curves
Curves in the road make you work harder because they require more effort from your muscles, which means they take longer to complete.
Wind
Wind resistance can slow you down, especially if the wind is blowing at your back or side.
Wind resistance increases with increasing speed or headwinds.
Climate
For example, if it’s cold outside then it will take longer to reach your destination because you’ll have to put on more layers of clothing.
On the other hand, if it’s hot outside then you’ll burn more calories while biking and you’ll be able to travel further per mile than someone who rides in cooler temperatures.
Fitness Level
The faster you can ride, the faster you can go.
If you have a fast pace for the first few minutes of your journey, then you will be able to keep up with the rest of the group at a higher speed than if you’re struggling to keep up and feeling exhausted after 4 miles.
Bike Type
Different bikes handle differently and have different characteristics which affect how fast you can go and how far you can go on a given terrain.
Also read: Shimano Tiagra vs 105
For example, some bikes are designed for flat roads while others are designed for mountainous roads or downhill roads.
Traffic
It’s pretty obvious that traffic has a major impact on the time it takes to bike 4 miles.
If there’s little to no traffic you could do 4 miles way faster while with traffic it takes longer as you would have to ride slowly.
How Long Does it Take to Bike 4 miles Casually?
Estimating the amount of time needed to bike 4 miles at a casual pace is slightly more difficult.
It depends on how fast you usually ride “causally”. Most I think would have a average speed of around 5 – 6 mph if they are riding causally at a leisurely pace, so it takes around 40 – 50 minutes to bike 4 miles causally.
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