Originally Posted by SDRider
Going down steep hills helps a lot with top speed. I can do high 20s for short distances on perfectly flat ground pedalling for all I'm worth but I can't maintain that speed for very long. I can do low 20s on flat ground and maintain that for 5-6 miles with no wind. I don't think I've ever reached 30mph on the flats but then I'm more of a distance rider so I've never actually tried. I have a nice long straight downhill run on my commute that I like to pedal pretty hard and keep my speed at about 33-35mph. The hill isn't very steep so I actually have to get my heartrate up to keep that pace. It's part of my commute that I really enjoy.
Exactly, all hail long, steep, gradients!
On the flats, when I was 19 with my Al Cannondale, I could get up to about 32 and my heart would explode. Now, on my Salsa, all out I'm good for the mid 20's, but cruise at ~18.