Wogster

I have yet to hit my oh crap speed, my oh crap moment comes between the bike stopping and my hitting the ground, at 210lbs that usually doesn't take very long.

As for speed, I think there are a couple of factors, the riders age being one, and the bike being another, my MTB stays nice and stable up to 50km/h (30MPH), my age keeps me from finding out if that keeps true for any more then that.

Neil_B

Navigator: 40 MPH, Finland Road, near Souderton, PA.

Trek 7.5 fx:
- loaded with trailer on pavement: 34.04 MPH, Rt. 837, Pittsburgh, PA. I nearly went down in traffic when the trailer began to rock, and the bike began to wobble.
- loaded with trailer on gravel: 16.5 MPH, Frostburg, MD.
- loaded with panniers on pavement: 35 MPH, 4th Street and Williams Street, Bethlehem, PA
- loaded with panniers on gravel: 19 MPH, 12 per cent grade at Spring Mount on the Perkiomen Trail
- unloaded on pavement: 36 MPH, leaving Paoli, PA to Valley Forge Park
- unloaded on gravel: 20 MPH, Perkiomen Trail

And as a postscript, Neil F. once did clock 35 MPH on his late mountain bike.

professorbob

Years ago, it was my goal to top 50mph. I nearly made it once, hitting 49 on a rather rough and winding 2 mile down hill. Then I had a bad crash at about 30mph and since then, I start to get antsy when approaching 40.

f4rrest

About 4 mph I usually think "oh crap, I could be walking faster!"

Flying Merkel

Mid 50's on a steep downhill with a strong tailwind. Speed limit was 45, guy pulled up next to me in his car and yelled "50-something mph!" My old Univega Viva Sport, loved that bike.

I did get nervous going slower than that, I hit a stretch of decomposing asphalt whilst booming down Nohl Ranch road in Orange County. My Univega Super Strada is a bit more skittish at speed than I'm used to.

Iamkar33m

Fastest I ever hit was 42 with my Madone going downhill. It felt pretty sturdy and had plenty of speed to go, however I was a little nervous about the pronounced twitchyness of the Madone's handling at high speed. I also was afraid of hitting a pothole (I didnt know the road very well).

canyonghost

I think you need to make sure that if there are a lot of corners, that you have plenty of time to stop. I ride in the So.Cal mountains, and have been riding Motorcycles and bicycles in the same canyons off and on for nearly 30 years, so i know the roads by memory.
I usually ride the steep downhill portion of a canyon at nearly 40 mph, but that has changed. 2 months ago I was driving through ( in a car ) with my wife on the way back from a hike in malibu canyon and came whipping around the same corner that I usually fly down on my bicycle and saw a bike accident that just happened.

There was a bad motorcycle accident about 2 corners down the road, and all the vehicle traffic was completely stopped while the emergency workers loaded the motorcyclist into an ambulance. Apparently a road biker came around the corner at high speed, and couldn't stop in time and slammed into the rear of a small SUV, shattering the window and falling to the ground still hooked up to his bike. When we drove up a minute or so later, the emergency personnel was just running up to help the cyclist.

Anyway, I now never go faster than I can fully stop. As a motorcycle rider, and a cyclist, you always look ahead for crap in the road, but I never would have thought that the entire road would be blocked around a blind corner.
Sorry to ramble.
Take it slower, unless it is on a straight road, and stay safe.Also watch for deer.

Tabor

I had one of those when a green ford explorer pulled out in front of me (I was doing 25mph). All I could think of was that 1. I couldn't stop in time 2. it was going to be very painful to hit 3. I might bounce into traffic and get ran over. Thankfully he saw me at the last second and stopped.

+1

I routinely hit 35mhp on my commute, but that is on the brakes because I won't over"drive" the corners.

Rural Roadie

Fastest was 52 mph on RAGBRAI in 1989 going down the river valley, Schwinn World Voyager was rock solid even with my chest on the handlebars, too bad I had to walk out because my knee was acting up. Oh crap came earlier on a curving downhill I had never ridden, 40 mph seems fast there.

Keep in mind the pros are riding very curvy roads and trying to recuperate from hammering up the mountian, that and they have far to much surface area for their mass to hit Clyde speeds easily.

keracer

Fastest so far for me was 209 MPH My GPS had a hiccup,and caught up with itself.

Fastest I can say for real was 30.8 mph,and that was the day I went and bought a helmet. And I've ridden with it on everyday since. In almost 36 years,I've become kind of fond of living.

natbla

My top speed ever was 54 mph on a 4 mile decent w/ pitches of 12% on it. It was a blast even with the rough road conditions and twisty roads. I don't have specific it "oh crap" speed. But I have had several "oh crap" high speed switchback experiences where I was glad that there wasn't a car in the oncoming lane to slow me down quickly.

In all cases, those "oh crap" moments came from not committing to a good line in a corner instead of a specific speed. One time I was doing 35 mph into a 90 degree turn (banked road), and ended up all the way on the other side of the road up against the gutter before heading back into my lane. In that case I didn't start my turn wide enough in my lane and then I got fixated on the hillside I would run into if I didn't make the turn. That same turn is a regular turn on my commute and I love taking that turn without a whole lot of problems at between 38-42 mph. The difference is a function of technique. BTW, I'v never been able to get the speed over 25 mph on that same turn in a car.

The second adventurous moment of "oh crap" came on another 90 degree, slightly off camber turn at the bottom of a 500 yard long 12% grade. This time it was at 25 mph and was yet another moment when I was glad there wasn't a car in the oncoming lane. Went around the corner and wasn't committed to a line and went wide as I stared at the guardrail and creek I was going towards. I pulled it together and got back in my lane in time. But, a few months ago I went around that same corner at 24 mph and there was a crack in the pavement w/ minor pot holes specifically placed in line with the best line around the corner. I hit the biggest one and almost lost control completely. This was my third "oh crap!" moment. Now that I know those holes are there, I regularly cruise that same corner at 28-30 mph using a new trajectory that takes me through the corner in an "inside-out" manner but keeps me very safe.

My fastest speed under normal conditions is typically 46-48 mph on a long down hill that is relatively straight. That is a blast generally, though I have to watch for cars that are turning right through my lane as drivers around here don't seem to understand the speeds we roadies hit on our many hills.