How fast have you gone on a downhill descent
08-14-14, 07:02 AM
#76
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51 mph and it did not require any bravery. Just spin out, crawl under the paint on the toptube and enjoy the ride.
08-14-14, 07:16 AM
#77
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The first day I had my road bike, I went out for a ride with my friend and he took me down this long winding descent and we hit 42, and the entire way down I was thinking, "If I crash I'm f***ed, If I crash......", as I had very bad control and no confidence.
Just about a week ago, so almost exactly a year after this incident, I hit 48 or so on a smaller (but not shorter) downhill, but was doing a sprint and didn't know there was a long downhill at the end, so I decided to just do it. I didn't feel scared of crashing because the road was awesome! It had just been repaved and I don't think there was a bump anywhere in it (except for one drain).
Just about a week ago, so almost exactly a year after this incident, I hit 48 or so on a smaller (but not shorter) downhill, but was doing a sprint and didn't know there was a long downhill at the end, so I decided to just do it. I didn't feel scared of crashing because the road was awesome! It had just been repaved and I don't think there was a bump anywhere in it (except for one drain).
08-14-14, 07:41 AM
#78
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I hit 50 on a standard road bike. The only criteria I met was the excess fat. I believe you know the hill. I was coming down the north face of San Elijo/Twin Peaks. To my credit, I did get my fat a$$ up the South face.
08-14-14, 08:43 AM
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Only folks with iPhones would see their Strava speeds be wrong. A computer with a cadence sensor is going to reliably record speed and distance data. Strava doesn't do anything with the files other than import them and parse the data. So you'd see the same mph and distance readings on any other site that can import data as well, not just Strava.
08-14-14, 09:01 AM
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[QUOTE=hamster;17034996]6'6 and 230 lbs is more than 30 lbs overweight (BMI 21.5 would put you at about 185 lbs). But it's possible that being that tall makes it easier for you because weight scales faster than aerodynamic drag.
You must be a doctor or maybe just slept at a Holiday Inn last night.... 185? Jeez maybe after I'm dead and buried for a few months.
You might google BMI based on frame size. Enter 6'6, male and large frame...see what you get. I get anywhere from 225 to 230 lbs as ideal. Even a Medium frame is 215-220.
Now go eat a Snickers bar to bulk up. See you at the bottom of the hill, we'll wait up for you. Then wait for me at the top of the next hill.
You must be a doctor or maybe just slept at a Holiday Inn last night.... 185? Jeez maybe after I'm dead and buried for a few months.
You might google BMI based on frame size. Enter 6'6, male and large frame...see what you get. I get anywhere from 225 to 230 lbs as ideal. Even a Medium frame is 215-220.
Now go eat a Snickers bar to bulk up. See you at the bottom of the hill, we'll wait up for you. Then wait for me at the top of the next hill.
08-14-14, 09:04 AM
#83
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I've gone a full 8 mph over official Fred-woo-hoo-hoo speed. I did then look down and reflect on the fact that I was roaring down a giant belt sander in clothing that was about as protective as underwear, causing me to wonder whether it was a wise plan.
08-14-14, 09:30 AM
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I've only been around 45 mph however.
08-14-14, 09:39 AM
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Only folks with iPhones would see their Strava speeds be wrong. A computer with a cadence sensor is going to reliably record speed and distance data. Strava doesn't do anything with the files other than import them and parse the data. So you'd see the same mph and distance readings on any other site that can import data as well, not just Strava.
08-14-14, 09:47 AM
#86
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My fastest descents have always been in races.
41.2mph on a Mountain bike in Leadville last saturday.
62 mph in a road race in West Virginia a number of years ago.
65mph on the tandem in Everest Challenge.
These days I descend pretty slow, unless in a race situation where it matters to the outcome.
41.2mph on a Mountain bike in Leadville last saturday.
62 mph in a road race in West Virginia a number of years ago.
65mph on the tandem in Everest Challenge.
These days I descend pretty slow, unless in a race situation where it matters to the outcome.
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08-14-14, 09:52 AM
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Out in Carbon Canyon, CA, I hit 42.5 on a dirt road in my mountain bike. I'm glad the rangers weren't out there that day. I heard they ticketed bikers for going too fast down the fire roads. Now I am much older and more careful.
08-14-14, 09:52 AM
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08-14-14, 09:56 AM
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6'6 and 230 lbs is more than 30 lbs overweight (BMI 21.5 would put you at about 185 lbs). But it's possible that being that tall makes it easier for you because weight scales faster than aerodynamic drag.
This is California, and, unless you ride in the middle of the night, you can assume that there's wind. You won't feel it when you're rolling dowhill at 45-50 mph, and you may not even feel it when you're going up, but it will still be there. Checking that specific hill on that day, I see a number of people breaking 50, so it's likely that the wind was downhill. Notice that, on the following day, you had some good downhills in 7-8% range you couldn't even get to 40.
Here's a comparable local hill around here (disregard Strava elevation profile - it's actually straight downhill and somewhere around 8% for the most part): Strava Segment | TOVR Speed Trap Here's a random attempt from this week: Bike Ride Profile | This Ride sounded WAY better last night?Cooked, Toasted, Burnt and Fried (me and Coronado Hills) near Carlsbad | Times and Records | Strava This person tops out at 42 mph and it's clearly not because the hill is too short (she sits at 40-42 for 30 seconds).
This is California, and, unless you ride in the middle of the night, you can assume that there's wind. You won't feel it when you're rolling dowhill at 45-50 mph, and you may not even feel it when you're going up, but it will still be there. Checking that specific hill on that day, I see a number of people breaking 50, so it's likely that the wind was downhill. Notice that, on the following day, you had some good downhills in 7-8% range you couldn't even get to 40.
Here's a comparable local hill around here (disregard Strava elevation profile - it's actually straight downhill and somewhere around 8% for the most part): Strava Segment | TOVR Speed Trap Here's a random attempt from this week: Bike Ride Profile | This Ride sounded WAY better last night?Cooked, Toasted, Burnt and Fried (me and Coronado Hills) near Carlsbad | Times and Records | Strava This person tops out at 42 mph and it's clearly not because the hill is too short (she sits at 40-42 for 30 seconds).
This is also California; Strava Segment | Oakville Grade Descent (Cambell Ranch rd - Walnut Dr)
I can guarantee you that 99% of the runs down that hill were done with the wind coming up the valley from the right. The terrain provides a little shelter, but you'll certainly never get a tailwind worth a windsock. As you'll see, a 50mph average will just about get you in the top 75. I know a couple of guys in the top 20; they're skinny little climbers who ride road bikes only. The road surface there is as smooth as glass and the corners have good visibility and low traffic, so there's plenty of room to spin out and tuck.
My own best average on it is in the upper-mid-40s, but I've hit a Cateye-confirmed 54 there a couple of times.
08-14-14, 10:04 AM
#90
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55 on a steep descent that VDOT had to redo the curve at the bottom because of all of the car crashes there. I hit the mid to high 40's every year descending the Blue Ridge Parkway on a ride. The pucker moment however, came from a really short, but steep descent into a blind right hand corner. The corner had a 10mph sign. I was doing about 25. Both brakes were on hard, both feet off as outriggers "Fred Flintstoning" doing every I could to stay on the road and out of the left ditch and it's barbwire fence! I went into the ditch but didn't hit the fence. I got it slowed down, back on the road and a big grin came across my face. I had just dodged a bullet!
At 5'8" and 195lbs, I descend like a rocket. And at 5'8" and 195lbs, you know what kind of climber I am also!
At 5'8" and 195lbs, I descend like a rocket. And at 5'8" and 195lbs, you know what kind of climber I am also!
Last edited by seypat; 08-14-14 at 10:10 AM.
08-14-14, 10:06 AM
#91
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I once got to 12 mph with a hugh headwind on a downhill that I normally cruised at 30 mph. That was rough ride on the flat.
08-14-14, 10:09 AM
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55 mph when I was about 40 yrs. old. Now 68 and not doing that anymore.
08-14-14, 11:59 AM
#93
Flyin' under the radar
So this whole topic got me to thinking. Automotive tires have load ratings and speed ratings for safety reasons. For example, if you're going to be driving down the autobahn at 130+ mph, you want a tire with at least a V speed rating. A N-rated tire (87 mph max rating) would be dangerous under those conditions.
Surely when bicycle tire manufacturers make a tire, they make it to some standard of performance. Does anyone know what that speed rating is? In other words, precisely how fast are my tires speed rated to?
Surely when bicycle tire manufacturers make a tire, they make it to some standard of performance. Does anyone know what that speed rating is? In other words, precisely how fast are my tires speed rated to?
08-14-14, 12:37 PM
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So this whole topic got me to thinking. Automotive tires have load ratings and speed ratings for safety reasons. For example, if you're going to be driving down the autobahn at 130+ mph, you want a tire with at least a V speed rating. A N-rated tire (87 mph max rating) would be dangerous under those conditions.
Surely when bicycle tire manufacturers make a tire, they make it to some standard of performance. Does anyone know what that speed rating is? In other words, precisely how fast are my tires speed rated to?
Surely when bicycle tire manufacturers make a tire, they make it to some standard of performance. Does anyone know what that speed rating is? In other words, precisely how fast are my tires speed rated to?
near Gelos | Times and Records | StravaLars Boom touched 70.5 descending the Tourmalet this year. His Vittorias might be better designed for speed than my GP4000s, but I'd say each set is equally durable. Lars probably gets his changed out more frequently than I do, of course.
Also, those car ratings are probably for sustained travel at that speed. The speeds we're talking about on this thread are speeds that we might touch, occasionally, for a brief few seconds.
08-14-14, 12:43 PM
#95
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55mph and got passed by a tandem.
08-14-14, 01:24 PM
#96
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This is also California; Strava Segment | Oakville Grade Descent (Cambell Ranch rd - Walnut Dr)
My own best average on it is in the upper-mid-40s, but I've hit a Cateye-confirmed 54 there a couple of times.
My own best average on it is in the upper-mid-40s, but I've hit a Cateye-confirmed 54 there a couple of times.
Strava Segment | Twin Oaks DH - The Meat of the Segment I'm 583/1932 (46/185 in the 55-64 age group). Strava puts me about 48mph, but my Garmin recorded a max for the ride of 50. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Last edited by CommuteCommando; 08-14-14 at 01:27 PM.
08-14-14, 03:00 PM
#97
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I wonder how many of those really high speeds are actually the garmin still on while riding in the car? There are some around here with 35+mph average that are on a relative flat with stop signs and turns...on mountain bikes. I is skeptical :O
08-14-14, 03:04 PM
#98
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I keep reporting them and got promoted to KOM on one due to that!
08-14-14, 03:31 PM
#99
Portland Fred
Who knows, and who cares. On flats, those speeds are not hard to hold onto if you're drafting. On a lot of hills, you can go faster on a bike than in a car because you can use the entire lane.
08-14-14, 05:42 PM
#100
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I think the first time I did that, was on the back of a tandem with my father in the Canadian Rockies. We were screaming down a hill and he shouted back ... "We hit 80!" I was terrified!
I've done it at least once more on a single bicycle, and again in the Canadian Rockies.
There are some nice long, relatively straight hills where you can really get some speed up.
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