Originally Posted by
juan162
I detect some skepticism. I didn't say I sustained that speed for very long-it was a steep decent of less than a mile in the fingerlakes in NY state. However, i did do it and regularly do better than 30mph on the local descents. BTW, pros can do way faster than 45mph on decents. If i'm not mistaken, they can sometimes do 60+mph if they are really trying to bomb down a hill. That's how Biloki -I know that's gotta be spelled wrong- completely destroyed himself on a decent when Lance Armstrong had to go offeroad a few years back. I love how people assume that if someone claims to ride faster than what they think feasible, they must be lying.
I, for one, do not doubt you at all. Those speeds are most definitely obtainable. Yes, you are right when you say that pros can achieve 60mph+ going down hill, and that's along roads with multiple curves when coming down some of the mountain roads during the Tour de France, for example. Imagine if they were on a really long declining road. I'm sure 70mph could easily be reached. Not far from home I managed to hit a top speed of 21mph on my Brompton. It was only on a very slight decline. My old legs were pushing it, but I couldn't maintain it but for a short spell. If a younger person with stronger leg power was to try my bike on that same road, I'm sure 30mph could be achieved easily. So going down a steep decline, I'm sure you could very well do the 45mph you mentioned.