mconlonx

There's this one hill on my former commute steep and long enough where I could get some decent speed going on. Posted speed is 35mph, and when my computer registered north of that -- I think 45 was my record -- the Judas Priest song "Breaking the Law" would cue up in my mental jukebox. There were a couple times I passed slower cars on the left, just because. Speed is fun.

billyymc

Ride down hills at whatever speed is appropriate at the time. I live at the top of a ~ 1 mile climb. If I coast down that hill without brakes (which I almost always do), I will hit 38 to 43 mph depending on if I tuck or stay upright. Occasionally - like in the dark, if it's foggy, if I see cars turning out from the side streets, etc. I will go slower than that, but rarely under 30.

I also have a hill on one of my commute routes where I can either coast down it and hit about 42 sitting up, or hammer down it and have hit 53. It's short, steep, and there are frequently deer grazing right by the side of the road. If I see them I'll yell to try to get them to freeze in place. They worry me more than rocks. Rocks don't run out in front of you.

Conditions + situation + skills = speed at which I'm comfortable. One thing that makes me slow down is shadows - lots of shadows on the road, interspersed with bright sunlight, makes it very difficult to see hazards like potholes. And large rocks I guess.

Yellowbeard

They're equally nonsensical because they both "thank god."

baron von trail 

GravelMN

So what's the point? I've always said that the most important piece of safety equipment is between your ears, but riding like you have a brain in your head and wearing a helmet to protect it are not mutually exclusive. The "most" sensible would probably be

3: "I rode down a hill at a reasonable speed for the conditions, while wearing my helmet in case of a crash caused by human error or unforeseen circumstances!"

Matariki

I'd rather go uphill at 40 mph, but unfortunately I can only manage 30 mph. I'd blame this on my helmet, but I really can't in good faith.

AlmostTrick

Or acts of god.

Chris516

40mph on a straightaway, is no problem. 40mph going down an unknown hill is suicide.

curbtender

What rock? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBwf-e1WkxM

imi

Bombing down hills can be great fun!

Life happens

ItsJustMe

Those two statements are non-sequiturs. They don't belong in an argument with one another.

Trying to mash them into an argument, I suppose the one side figures you can be as reckless as you want as long as you're wearing a helmet, while the other side assumes that if you are careful enough you can never get into an accident?

Both sides are dead wrong.

Tundra_Man 

I don't know if I got sensible as much as I got old enough that I didn't heal so quick.

Looigi

I'm still alive having it done it many many times. Safety vs risk isn't binary. It's continuum and you decide what's reasonable and what's comfortable based on the circumstances and many personal factors.

GravelMN

Nobody with a brain in their head ever said that helmets prevent all head injury. They are designed to reduce the severity of the most common head injuries at typical cycling speeds. There are always some (myself included) who will bomb down a hill at 40 mph, but if you took all of the miles traveled by bicycle in a year in the USA, I think you'd find the average speed to be more like 10 to 15 mph with more than half of the riders never exceeding 25 mph.

I have no idea where you got your figures but there is no way to say that a helmet reduces effect of an impact from Speed X to that of Speed Y as deceleration is only one of the mitigating effects of a helmet. There is also redistribution of force, resistance to penetration and abrasion. Well designed helmets are a good idea but they are not magic. If you crash head first into a solid object at 40 mph, even the best helmet will not likely be enough to save your cranium. Even if it could, you could still die from neck, chest or other injuries.

As far as "as studies have shown" I say show me the study. I call BS on this one and am willing to bet that I can poke numerous large holes in the methodology of any "study" showing that cyclists ride faster when they wear a helmet than when they don't. I've seen observational pieces where somebody with a predisposed bias has supposedly observed unhelmeted cyclists riding at lower average speeds than helmeted cyclists but sample sizes were small, conditions uncontrolled, the parameters ill-defined or non-existant, and all failed to show any significant correlation much less causation. Anyone can go down to the local MUP and record the speed of 30 helmetless riders in sneakers and carpis on beach cruisers, then record the speeds of 30 members of the local A-group club ride where everyone is required to wear a helmet and say "See, cyclists with helmets ride faster". Instead of "helmets make cyclists ride faster" the more likely reality is "experienced riders who choose to ride faster are more likely to wear a helmet". Saying that cyclists without helmets are just as safe as cyclists with helmets because they ride more carefully is akin to saying that cars without airbags and seatbelts are just as safe as cars with them because drivers will be more careful and less likely to speed. There were cyclists bombing down hills as fast as possible many years before the advent of modern helmets.

JoeyBike

This one please...


FYI...I am never doing 30 down a hill if I can do 40. Mule deer beware.

GP

Why are you looking at your computer when you are descending? Get in the drops and concentrate on riding. And if you're comfortable riding at 40 mph, you should have enough skill to look forward and focus on where you want to go, not what's in front of you.

CliffordK

Crashing at 40 MPH...
The helmet may save the noggin.
But have no doubt there will be additional carnage. Broken bones, hospital trip, etc.

I can hit about 40 MPH on my driveway... with a long flat stretch to slam on the brakes before the T intersection with the street.

If I crash at 40 MPH, there are plenty of blackberries to cushion the fall

JoeyBike

What computer? I am judging my speed by the posted speed limit and the cars I am passing on the way down. If the speed limit is 50mph and the cars are not overtaking me, I assume I am doing 50+.

Chris516

On an UNKNOWN hill?

KD5NRH

Because this is A&S, not Living Rock Free.