Mountain Biking - How fast can you get up to on your bike?

Not including racing bikes.

How fast can you get up to on flat pavement?

I can almost get up to 60kmp on flat with 27 speeds. Proabbly can go faster but havn't tryed.

I got up to 34 mph once....I don't know how that converts..

I got to 39 mph on pavement, but downhill. Does that count?

Duh! I just realized you said on flat pavement. I am in my pajamas so I will have to try later. It is a little chilly out.

Does drafting count? When i was younger i was able to draft a bus at 35mph all the way to school :) I dont have much of a spin and top out at ~28mph for short bursts :(

Hmmm, not too sure, I've got pretty good acceleration on the flat, but I think I topped about 28 mph.

My manager managed to get 52 mph downhill, which was pretty impressive! :eek:

Rich

Rode my mtn bike in a paceline once, and during the "county line sprint" I got up to 29 mph, but with some drafting help. No, I didn't win the sprint, the roadies kicked it up to about 33.

I suck on flat ground quite frankly. I did once hit 48km/h going up a slight incline though. No, I wasn't drafting either.

My personal record is 35.5 mph on a two block downhill section of my commute home. Even though the speed limit is 25, I still get passed by cars.

Well, if we're including downhills, mine was 84km/h. It would have been faster, but there is a stupid corner at the bottom of the hill and I had to get the brakes on. With a 22% grade, I prefer riding up it anyway. I'm still working on breaking the 84km/h going up. :o

Please bear in mind that I ride on 24inch (609) wheels. On the flat I have hit 22mph(35kmh) but I can't maintain for more than a half-mile . Downhill, on dry pavement, even in the dark, I hit 30mph(48kph) pretty routinely. In daylight I have hit 34.8mph(56kph). We will not discuss my up-hill speeds.:o

A little over 40 behind other riders, and about 37 by myself w/a tailwind.

velo

I wiped out at 58/kph on my MTB a few years ago and spent 8 days in the hospital with a broken scapula, whiplash, nerve damage which remains to this day in my left arm and a ton of gravel embedded in my skin.

I think that's the fastest I have been on my mountain bike actually off paved roads and I think it was also the quickest stop I have ever made as well.
:D

Mike

Originally posted by Jean Beetham Smith
Please bear in mind that I ride on 24inch (609) wheels. On the flat I have hit 22mph(35kmh) but I can't maintain for more than a half-mile . Downhill, on dry pavement, even in the dark, I hit 30mph(48kph) pretty routinely. In daylight I have hit 34.8mph(56kph). We will not discuss my up-hill speeds.:o
In all honesty, this is similar to my experience, though perhaps I am marginally faster, but maybe not. But Jean, these guys are talking, "all out." I never do that on the flat, 'cuz I don't race. I pace the traffic, I don't try to sprint ahead of it.

Actually, average speed is more important to me, since any speed gains can be lost at the next light. I found that average speed is affected more by uphill speeds than downhill speeds.

I had a racing type fly by me on one of my longer, steeper uphills. I had quad-envy. Hey, but I just have to pace myself, I'm going to work with a pack full of food and clothes, a U-lock, etc.

:D

30mph on a slight downhill, around 22mph on true flat (heavily loaded MTB with semi-slicks). My average speed is well down though due to my appallling inability to cycle up hills :o

Richard

Well, my records here are not as impressive as yours, but on my old little bike with 24" wheels and 10 gears i managed 24MPH on flat and 27MPH downhill, but ive got me new bike now, so who knows!?

59 km/h on a very slight downhill, with a tailwind, thats my all-time high. I hit 45 on flat ground going all out, with no wind.

34 mph is my new downhill record ! I could have squeezed a couple more out if it wasn't for the metal boxes queueing at the bottom the hill :(

Richard

I hit 52km/h on flat ground on my MTB this morning. I think I'd need a bigger chainring to go much faster than that.

33 MPH (about 53 km/h). Not that impressive, but fast enough to keep up with traffic on that one curve...

New high for indoor training...42.2mph... :)

I'm faster than every one of you!!!

Lying through my teeth,

:D

Trekaholic

I have hit something around 27-28 mph on my loaded commuter on the flat with no wind. A few weeks ago I registered 43 on a curvy descent. Terrifyingly exhilarating or maybe exhilaratingly terrifying to a flatlander.

Originally posted by RainmanP
A few weeks ago I registered 43 on a curvy descent.

Wow, Rainman, you were flying! I seem to top out at 35 everytime. Since I have a MTB, I run out of gears in the low 30's. Someday I'll do 43...someday.

52 mph, verified by the computer on the bike behind me. I was actually pulling ahead of him a bit.

Sorry, that was on a racing bike, and it was downhill.
I once managed 32mph on a flat, with a really decent tailwind.

I got a scary one for ya...35.8 downhill on a gravel road in the Flinthills Death Ride last year on a full suspension mtb.

On my other mtb I run about 28-30 on a flat with no wind and not drafting. If I can catch a wheel I can hold about 32-34 for a few miles till my legs explode. This is on a bike with semi slicks and fairly trimmed down, but still with mountain bike gearing.

I am in the process of building my new street warrior now. Its based on a mtb frame with a rigid fork, 1" kevlar beaded slicks and a single 53 tooth front chain ring with a 11-34 cassette on the rear. Should be pretty sweet on the road. Hope to make the maiden voyage by Saturday.

Originally posted by midwestmntnbkr
I got a scary one for ya...35.8 downhill on a gravel road in the Flinthills Death Ride last year on a full suspension mtb.


I did that a couple of weeks ago on the descent of the Border Ranges, except that I had no suspension, slick tyres and a 700 metre cliff on the right of the road :eek:

I managed 52mph downhill at Waterville Valley in NH some time ago. It's been a while since i've done downhill like that.

http://www.waterville.com/