No gonna do that again
 

So there's a nice 3 mile downhill that I ride regularly at 25-28mph. Today I had a nice tail wind and reached 35mph. Just as i hit a section of washboard ripples, I got hit with a massive crosswind that almost knocked me off the bike.

Needless to say i'll be more careful when I have a tailwind.

Been there,Done that,NOT FUN!!!:eek:

Yeah, but it's hard not to take advantage of the downhill and tailwind.... Glad you came out of it okay and maintained control.

Down here, in the south, your entire scenario would have been prefaced with two statements, 1. Hold my beer, and 2. Hey!,watch this..... :rolleyes:, followed by the posting of a gruesome YouTube vid with poor resolution and lots of background laughing.

Bill

Yeah that'd leave pucker marks on the saddle. Glad you made it through.

Yup, been there. Blasting down a hill with smooth pavement, I glanced down at the speedo, 39.9. I looked up in time to see the the smooth pavement came to a sudden halt with bumps and holes and cracks in much older pavement. Not fun.

Now that I'm older and wiser, ( I hope), there is a growing list of practices I don't do any more.

Racing wheels, aero rims and bladed spokes?? :)

Zipp 303... glad I didn't go for 404s

Bladed spokes are nasty in a crosswind. I love the sound, looks and performance but that sudden puff will make you pay attention.

I have a set of wheels with seriously bladed spokes. Ksyrium something or others. And they catch wind like a sloop in a gale. No bueno.

As far as speed goes, I pretty much limit myself to 35-40 MPH ... and at that, most of my friends pass me right up. I really dig tight, twisty turns ... but pure speed ... not so much.

I reckon the faster you go, the less sense you see. . I didn't even see the kerb coming up till I hit it hard. Must've been right funny for the driver alongside. . . doesn't do wonders for your posterior mind. . .

I have a favorite downhill on my usual weeknight route. It has a curve and I'll regularly hit 33mph. It's very fun.
There is a flattish detour around that hill. If winds have gusts above 20mph or if it's dark, I'm taking the detour.
Normally the gusts happen as I'm going through the curve. I've no desire to have the bike hop sideways at speed.