Descending.
 

Being 50+, we, presumably, have developed some prudence while, hopefully, retaining the need for speed.

Given this balance between caution and enthusiasm that has allowed us to reach this age, my question is, how do you descend, and how fast do you descend?

How do: I assume everyone gets in a tuck. Do you have your hands on the hoods, in the drops/hooks, or close together on the tops (more aero, and no pesky brake levers within reach)? Do you tuck in your knees and elbows? Bring your chin to the stem? Do you sit on the top tube and rest your chest on the bars?

How fast: My sense of self preservation kicks in at 50 mph, yes I'm a wuss. If you go faster, how do you convince yourself it is safe (enough)?

My sense kicks in at 30 mph. If you're a wuss, I'm an uber wuss.

For myself, descending speed is an "in the moment" decision. Depending on road and weather conditions along with the company I'm riding with will determine how fast I go. 40mph+ is just chilling, 50mph+ getting serious.

To me it's all about the zen moment. If you shut down your brain a bit and let your instincts guide you, they'll tell you how fast you can go with some margin for safety. There are too many variables to pick out a specific speed over which I won't go. As long as I'm having fun, I'm good.

I love me a fast descent. Tuck in knees and elbows, in the drops and chin down level with the bars. So far, 47.4mph. Someday I'll do 50 just because.

Just be careful if you do it on a vintage Trek . . . ;)

That 760 is too nice for that. Nah, the '88 Canondale Criterium Series flies!

Pretty much where I'm at too. One thing that seriously influences me is group riding. I do not trust other riders and try to stay away from them. I should note there are a few riders in my club who are ex-racers and I have no problem with them.

My high speed for Tuesday evening's ride was 40 mph and the biggest climb on the route was the bridge over the freeway. I don't usually stop pedaling until I'm out of gears, at around 45 mph.

Calm confident descending is a requirement for preserving hard earned momentum for the inevitable next climb in the Hill Country.
The back roads are chip seal with tight off camber decreasing radius blind corners and eroded "low water crossings" at the bottom of many descents.

Getting it wrong can result in encountering an F-150 head on, flying off into a deep limestone ditch & barbed wire fence or stalling from lack of momentum on the exit to the next climb.
Here's how one should be positioned: On the drops, calm, relaxed, elbows bent and looking through the corner:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=460645

Ride your own pace.

-Bandera

I hit 50+ descending Cottonwood Pass last week. Just tuck in, relax and let it roll. Not much you can do once you reach those speeds so just ride it out and enjoy the moment. But do make sure your tires are in descent shape before heading out!!!

I let it all hang out on hills I am familiar with, but back off a lot on hills I am not. My max a few years ago was 59 mph on the back of a tandem,
a hill I have hit 50 with a singleton. Having the experience of going down at 38 mph due to a front flat on a curve 6-8 yrs ago, I am more
circumspect (and fragile) now. Since my neck is stiffer than it used to be a fully tucked position is no longer possible so I have a built in
airbrake that I used to not have. There are very few hills in my area that allow much over 45 mph, steep ones are too short, longer ones
too gentle.

I hit 49.7 on a downhill when I was 34. Brakes were not up to that speed, had to Flintstone it at the end. Sold the bike. Since then 40mph has been the limit. On my flat-bar MTB-based commuter I used to tuck down, now it has an aero bar. On my two drop bar bikes, I just use the drops. I try to keep my head up to see traffic.

A couple of months ago I hit 55; wasn't really planning on it, but the downhill was wide open, with no traffic, fairly decent surface, and plenty steep enough (parts of this road exceed 13%). I was in a tuck, knees and elbows in, hands on the hoods (I think). I can't say that will be my maximum speed in the future, but I won't rule out exceeding the "double nickel"; just depends how I'm feeling (a couple of weeks ago on the same descent I barely broke 50) and of course the conditions.

Lol ... add me to the uberwussie list. Here are my rambling thoughts (blame the Cipro):

Frankly, I love curvy, twisty (I guess that's what people call "technical") descents. But I am not a fan of "straight down the hill" high speed descents.

I honestly try to keep my descending speed at 35 or less. Why?

I've crashed at 25+ MPH (blown tire). It sucks. Uber road rash, broken ribs, broken collarbone, and it could have been worse. I'm sure most of you know this, but the physics of the situation is that the severity of the impact increases with the square of your speed. So a crash at 35 MPH would involve almost twice the severity (energy dissipation) as a crash at 25 MPH, which, as I said ... sucks!

Even so, I found myself hitting 53 on a recent descent up in the Sierra without even realizing it ... we had a huge tailwind.

I should say this too. I had an epiphany about my descending technique about a year ago, and that epiphany has made me both faster and safer in my descending at the same time. I'm now confident that I can do mid-turn course changes ... something that was not formerly in my repertoire.

So I dunno. I guess it's all a matter of your experience, what you are comfortable with, what your skills support, and how much you are willing to give up to the possibility of the unexpected (mechanical problem, wildlife, errant motorists).

I love speed! You can't go tooooooo fast.... just relax and enjoy!

Fastest I've ever descended was 53 mph while on a 2-day, 250 mi. trip from Sebago Lake in ME to home in CT.

I like to stop at the top of hills , better if I bring Picnic Lunch.

Ha - ha! The advantages of living metrically. I go at least 50kph (aka 30mph) though I'll occasionally let 'er roll up to 60 kph.

Like Biker395 I've crashed at speed (dog attack) and have the titanium plates to prove it. I figure any more and it'll be hard to get through airport security! So I'm a little cautious...

Any takers?

http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com//20...n33026_670.jpg

Sure, on a smooth long non-technical descent after running out top gear that's excellent style for high speed descending if one is highly experienced.
In heavy traffic on lousy surfaces not so much.

-Bandera

Depends on the road, how I feel, traffic, etc. According to my cumulative Garmin data my max speed at one point was 49.7 mph. I know where I was when I hit this, I was not looking at my Garmin but focused on riding. Road was excellent, no cars, I was on the drops and let 'er roll. But I don't plan to make a habit of this. I'm pretty comfortable with mid to upper 30s. I will hit low 40s fairly regularly, but that's about it. I sometimes intentionally stay on the hoods to help control my speed with wind resistance.

Speed alone is kind of a misleading metric. Visiblity, cleanness of the road, traffic, turns all influence a lot. My only thought reading this is that I've had a couple of crashes in past decades in the ditch from failing to do what our team Zed photo instructs us - Look WAY ahead in those turns.

Another uber wuss here. Don't think I've done a decent descent, pun intended, in years tho.

I have friends who descend like that. Not for me, thanx.

Just curious ... how does that riding position affect your ability to steer/brake around a deer or other wildlife should they suddenly appear?