Road Cycling - Today I broke my max.speed record

47.5mph.going down almost 2000ft over 4-5 miles, good road, minor traffic, no stops
and tailwind of 20mph.
It was not fun at all.I was so damn scared all the time that something will go wrong,
flat tire or anything and I will sure die.Actually I could have gone even faster but I kept braking
all the time.I thought that I didn't pass the 43mph(my prev.record).needless to say I couldnt check my speed while going downso fast b/c I was too nervous and couldnt take my eyes of the road
but when I finished the descend and looked at my speedometer I was shocked.
I cdant say when I reached that speed I think it was somewhere around half way down but Im not sure.anyways Im not going down this road again unless I get good headwind to slow me down.

wooohooooooo whatta rush!
gotta love goin fast (though I hear ya about not checking the speedometer while you were in the midst of the action)
so you're not planning on breaking this record any time soon?

man im hoping i can break my record of 44mph, i would love to see what 50mph feels like... YUM :)

Climb the hill and do it again :D
If you had to break then that meens you can go faster. Theres a hill I've been workin on over the last year. With my new racing bike compared to my old one it is rock solid. I hit 52.7 the other day breaking my record. I don't think I care to go much faster than that thouugh unless perhaps it's the perfect straight beautifully paved and just cleened w/ a street cleaner road :)

I hit 54 back in my original cycling days of '89-91. Best I've done in this era is 42. It's tough to imagine hitting 50 again.

Good job. Next time it will be easier and you will be more relaxed. Unless you are old like me.

55/Rad

wow, thats awesome, with the hills around where i live, ive only done 30 so far. and theres the fact that im a newbie....that too

theres a hill in Austin on Anderson Ln that goes eastbound to freeway 360...

i rode a garbage-found bike and hit 50mph all the way down.. fricking cool... i was exactly side-to-side with a 70s Corvette all the way. It was a convertible, so I sneaked over at his Speedo while his daughter stared at me (no, not that daughter.. its a little girl). My friend with a cyclocomp confirmed the speed at the bottom of the hill

47.5mph.going down almost 2000ft over 4-5 miles, good road, minor traffic, no stops
and tailwind of 20mph.
It was not fun at all.I was so damn scared all the time that something will go wrong,
flat tire or anything and I will sure die.Actually I could have gone even faster but I kept braking
all the time.

I take it your not a kid anymore? (G)

I hit 52 mph once and promised myself that I would never do it again.

I've hit 54mph on the way down into Truckee from Kings Beach (Lake Tahoe). No feeling in the world like speed....

Congrats on breaking your record! Last year on the death ride I hit 57 mph going down the 1st pass then was hovering right around 50 mph the entire length of the 5th pass. Every little bump and shake seems huge going that fast.

HAHA yes redfooj...Spicewood Springs Rd. would be CRAZY going down, infact i havent ever thought about going down it...I have THOUGHT about going up in, but that would be one HELL of a climb!

I have done 50mph on a hill spinning my 52x12 on my old bike..... went down at less than that on my new one but the aerobars were rattling something chronic (flip up arms) so I backed off.... this is with no wind, on a deserted country road with at least half a km of run off at the bottom.

There used to be a race in the hills here where riders would be doing in excess of 70mph! but a few idiots killed themselves and they dont run that one anymore.... but there is a 200km race with similar descents not far away from there

Brendon

it was crazy fun.. just tuck and roll.... i didnt feel that unsafe going down. though this crazy guy i went with was on a POS undersized bike, with only a single front brake... with rock-hard pads that seriously wasnt grabbing well. i wouldnt even ride it on normal streets.

i cant imagine trying to ride back up that hill tho... after the descent we headed southbound on the 360 bridge and those hills just about killed me!

The fastest I had previously gone was 37.7mph and that was scary enough as it was on my old Trek Navigator! I have gotten my Zurich up to 38.1mph and I was just a little fearful. All the things you mentioned, flats, etc., ran through my head, and the thought of road-rash all over my body caused me to slow down.

But, in the back of my head, I have this little voice that screams "40MPH!!!!" I know when I hit 40, the voice will scream "45MPH!" But, then, the need for speed is consuming!

As a kid (13 and invulnerable as Superman), I remember an old Schwinn three speed I had. Going down a steep hill with the wind, I managed to get my feet on the seat for a few seconds. The speedo said I was doing 45. Was it calibrated correctly? Hell if I know. But I was going fast. I can relate to the kid in the movie who said "I'm King of the world!"

Now, at 54, I wear a helmet and keep my feet on the pedals, never ride no handed and get excited when my average exceeds 13.5 and my top speed breaks 22.

I hit 54 back in my original cycling days of '89-91. Best I've done in this era is 42. It's tough to imagine hitting 50 again.

55/Rad

Seems like you and I are cut from the same cloth.

Back in the day I routinely hit the low 50's. I recall one decent back then that put quite a scare in me. It seems that the headset on my old Bianchi was on it's way out and had become slightly cupped causing a deadspot on center. During 50MPH+ decents I used to routinely tuck my head and hands right up where the stem and handlebar meet and raise my butt in the air. Well on this particular decent, at around 48MPH the bars started to cavitate back and forth. I barely caught them in time before being throw from the bike. From then on it was always two hands firmly on the drops anywhere above 35.

-mark

These days, I"m lucky if I see forty (mainly because of the roads).

Seems like you and I are cut from the same cloth.

Back in the day I routinely hit the low 50's. I recall one decent back then that put quite a scare in me. It seems that the headset on my old Bianchi was on it's way out and had become slightly cupped causing a deadspot on center. During 50MPH+ decents I used to routinely tuck my head and hands right up where the stem and handlebar meet and raise my butt in the air. Well on this particular decent, at around 48MPH the bars started to cavitate back and forth. I barely caught them in time before being throw from the bike. From then on it was always two hands firmly on the drops anywhere above 35.

-mark

These days, I"m lucky if I see forty (mainly because of the roads).
Hi speed shimmy!!!! Scared the crap out of me once too on my old touring bike hitting 50mph. I heard it could be bc it was a large steel frame and not necessarily a head set. Holly cow the bike was shaking all over the road and a car was comming the other way. The trick is to clamp your knees on the top tube there by changing the frequency at which the bike shakes slowing it down.

I hit 22 last week,so!

Hi speed shimmy!!!! Scared the crap out of me once too on my old touring bike hitting 50mph. I heard it could be bc it was a large steel frame and not necessarily a head set. Holly cow the bike was shaking all over the road and a car was comming the other way. The trick is to clamp your knees on the top tube there by changing the frequency at which the bike shakes slowing it down.

You might be right about the steel frame. However, it never happened before I purchased a new (and longer) quill stem during which my LBS screwed up my headset. Scary as hell!!

-mark

hahaha i'm new to road cycling i start stressing out at 40 mph.... i guess you have to get used to the speed. on a mountain bike i try to get as much speed as possible but on road i see the asphalt and i start to get alittle scared :)

what are your fastest speeds pedaled or mainly pedal-assisted? i shot a 35.2 on a very slight downgrade :D

what are your fastest speeds pedaled or mainly pedal-assisted? i shot a 35.2 on a very slight downgrade :D
I usually crap out at about 40mph then just tuck tightly and roll. I need an 11 on my cassette. I have a 12-27 set up now.

Hi speed shimmy!!!! Scared the crap out of me once too on my old touring bike hitting 50mph. I heard it could be bc it was a large steel frame and not necessarily a head set. Holly cow the bike was shaking all over the road and a car was comming the other way. The trick is to clamp your knees on the top tube there by changing the frequency at which the bike shakes slowing it down.

Clamping the knees around the top tube is a great trick that I use on the more dicey descents. It really gives me more stability not to mention more aerodynamic. You'll never see me bombing down the switchbacks with my nose out over the front hub, hands on the flats with my chest on my hands - I don't think I'd be able to see the road what with my life passing before my eyes! ;)

one of the few places I felt safe pouring on the coal was this long downhill bike path. I coudl see the full length and it was clear. I got to about 35 but the path was concrete and the deviding sections caused enough rattle that I swear my eyeballs were rattling and my vision was blurry (G). so I could not go any faster

wooohooooooo whatta rush!
gotta love goin fast (though I hear ya about not checking the speedometer while you were in the midst of the action)
so you're not planning on breaking this record any time soon?

Only with a car :D.
you cant fall off a car can you ?
btw my max speed record with a car is 112mph but I was 18 then and very stupid too.

So far I think my fastest is about 31 mph at the end of a hill. I was braking coming down the slope but when I hit the flats, I shifted and started peddling like mad just to see what would happen. That's about as fast as I want to go anyway!

Sheldon
Giant OCR2

Only with a car :D.
you cant fall off a car can you ?
btw my max speed record with a car is 112mph but I was 18 then and very stupid too.

no, that's when the car falls offa you :D
I've gone about that fast in a car and yeah it's exhilarating if stupid.
got pulled over not too much later, luckily I had slowed down to 85.

on the bike I've done just shy of 40mph mostly because I've only got rollers around where I'm riding right now. there's a good hill/mt. but honestly I've been a bit intimidated by the traffic on it. my favorite descent cruises me up to the high 30's and keeps me in the mid 30's when it flattens to a slight downhill grade with some little ups and downs. it's a long straightaway and it feels like you get to crank it out for days...always end that one with a smile. would go faster there if there weren't graves of potholes and gravel to avoid and the occasional car.

I have a short steep hill on a route that I can't seem to better 43.5 on and it frustrates me! I did hit 48 once on a long descent with my touring bike and could have easily topped 50, but slowed because of unknowns around a bend. I still kick myself for not riding back up that one and trying it again. As my eyes start to water I do have flashbacks from my teens when a friend tried the biggest hill in town with his new 10 spd and speedometer. I still remember approaching the top to see him walking back up dragging his "new" bike with the pretzelled wheels. He hit 42 and his tire blew. In those pre-helmet days, he was lucky to slide across the road when there were no cars, and wind up with only some leg and arm road rash. I sure wish I could have witnessed it as it happened, but then I'd probably never venture much over 30!

Ugh. Badger Biker, you remind me of a ride I had last autumn. I had three flats in 75 miles and thought I was just unlucky with glass. As it turned out, the rim tape one of my wheels had shifted just slightly enough to let the tube bubble into a spoke nipple hole. So the danger wasn't on the road, it was in the wheel itself.

Anyway, on the descent into the American River Canyon I was doing above 40mph and with cars behind me. I still shudder at the thought of a blowout then.

I read somewhere that the speed record for a bicycle is over 170mph! Supposedly, it was drafting a truck. Now, where can you get a truck that goes that fast?

i regularly hit and sustain mid-40s on descents, but i get nervous every time. i'll never forget blowing out my front tire at 25mph and having it wrap around my brake shoe. i barely had time to steer into the grass for a soft(er) landing.

it souded like a shotgun. two people actually heard the blowout and came out of their houses to see what it was.

Like you say, its shocking to see a readout like that after the fact because you didn't look down during the descent. My impression was that I was hitting 35 to 38 tops on a long descent. This was done on my just restored 1971 Raleigh SuperCourse! Everything was brand new except the frame & computer and the frame was thoroughly checked out prior to repainting. I have never even approached this speed since, even on my newer bikes. I try to stay below 30 and haven't been on any really long descents since this experience. PS: I haven't ever let my wife see this photo as It would probably go on my Permanent Record. Don

I read somewhere that the speed record for a bicycle is over 170mph! Supposedly, it was drafting a truck. Now, where can you get a truck that goes that fast?

I tend to believe that this record was done on a trainer if at all.
you cant draft $hit at 170mph.just impossible.
I cant believe that anyone had ever gone beyond 85mph drafting cars counts ,
you just cant get a hold of the bike at such speeds.
even when drafting a truck, your not protected from cross winds which at speeds like that
strike you like a hurricane.

I tend to believe that this record was done on a trainer if at all.
you cant draft $hit at 170mph.just impossible.
I cant believe that anyone had ever gone beyond 85mph drafting cars counts ,
you just cant get a hold of the bike at such speeds.
even when drafting a truck, your not protected from cross winds which at speeds like that
strike you like a hurricane.
actually, i just saw pics and read about this last week... some guy on the salt flats with teardrop helmet behind those land-speed rocket cars for draft... its true

actually, i just saw pics and read about this last week... some guy on the salt flats with teardrop helmet behind those land-speed rocket cars for draft... its true

Drafting a rocket car?!? Wow, and I thought the exhaust from city buses is hot...

52 on the road for me. It is pretty scarey.
43 on a MTB.
165 in a car.

I tend to believe that this record was done on a trainer if at all.
you cant draft $hit at 170mph.just impossible.
I cant believe that anyone had ever gone beyond 85mph drafting cars counts ,
you just cant get a hold of the bike at such speeds.
even when drafting a truck, your not protected from cross winds which at speeds like that
strike you like a hurricane.



This picture is almost 20 years old, the rider, John Howard set a reccord for the time at 152.2mph:

http://www.canosoarus.com/08LSRbicycle/Bicycle%20Images/152%20in%20tow.JPG

The current record is 167mph: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/index.asp?id=43641

This picture is almost 20 years old, the rider, John Howard set a reccord for the time at 152.2mph:

http://www.canosoarus.com/08LSRbicycle/Bicycle%20Images/152%20in%20tow.JPG

The current record is 167mph: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/index.asp?id=43641

Incredible photo. That's my new wallpaper!

On a steep, short (less than ¼-mile) hill; 49.7, I have tried several times and I am unable to crank it up fast enough to hit the big 50. At the end, there is a short up hill and then a stop light.
I will keep trying though.
151mph, sustained over several miles, between Shiprock and Gallup, N.M. Hwy 666 on a BMW K1200RS motorcycle, AC/DC Highway to Hell jamming on the walkman and an undercover Navajo cop trying to catch me. It's a long story.

I get 37-39 mph heading out of my driveway on my training ride.....of course, have to climb back up the 11% grade every day to get back home. Best so far this year was 49 mph on a local hill with a slight tailwind that day.

Did some big mountains over in NC last weekend. Plenty of gradient, but really couldn't let it fly due to all the switchback turns. Never exceeded 41 mph. Was able to pull some g's when the turns were clean and banked right, but it's scary when you don't know what's around a blind corner.....could be gravel or dirt in the turn, or more often a screaming crouch rocket hugging the yellow line and coming right at you.

Slightly off topic: We had a recumbent trike start the ride with us in NC. A hoot to ride, they are scary fast downhill. But I don't think they can corner as hard as bikes, and are tricky under braking. It rolled on a hard right-hander about 45 mph while passing us bikes, pitching the rider across the road into a guardrail. Fortunately, only a bad case of roadrash resulted.

I have hit 47mph drafting a moving truck on flat ground. I have also hit 58mph descending a canyon road with a nice tail wind.

Think maybe it's time once again to repost that link to the movie of Eric Barone eating it on his 107MPH downhill MTB run when his frame failed? :)

I once rode a tweaked ZZR1100 at a shade over 175 mph. The rush was amazing. It was nothing compared to the rush I got when I broke 50 mph on my bicycle though :D

I once rode a tweaked ZZR1100 at a shade over 175 mph. The rush was amazing. It was nothing compared to the rush I got when I broke 50 mph on my bicycle though :D

Exactly... it's not about actual speed but perception of speed. Sit in a Boeing 747 crusing at 500kts at 40,000 feet and it feels no different than sitting in your living room. Come flying down a gravel fireroad or downhill ski run on your MTB doing 40MPH and there's quite a different sensation.