VegasJen

Since I put a Velo on my bike a few weeks back, the fastest I've gone was 36mph (58kph), and that was earlier today going down about a 2% grade. I know I've gone faster for shorter lengths but this section of road is about three miles long where it's fairly easy to maintain that pace. Have to be honest, scares the $#*t out of me. Not so much the going fast part as how very bad a crash could be. I would do 100 on a bike if I knew there was no chance of a crash. But just the "what if" factor really scares me. Because there are a lot of mountains out here, there are certainly some roads/trails where I could potentially go much faster than that, but I honestly don't think I have it in me. Part of getting older is realizing just how much less bendy I am than I used to be.

tomato coupe

You get used to it ...

jaxgtr

Living in a flat area, the only time I get up any real speed is going down tall bridges... that being said, 36. I was fine with the speed, I was less fine with the pile of sand that was at the base of the bridge for some reason and there was lots of traffic.

Steve B.

54 mph, twice, in Santa Fe, NM, late 90's. On a Miyata touring bike used as a road bike. Once on Bishops Lodge Road, a 2nd time on Interstate 25 east of Lamy. Never again,

Koyote

75.7 mph.

VegasJen

You say that, but I think the problem is the older I get the more mortal I feel. I probably wouldn't have blinked at 22mph when I was 16. It probably would have been exhilarating at 32. Fast enough to make me feel alive at 42. Scary as hell today.

mschwett 

on level ground, with a tailwind, around 31mph.

on a descent, sustained for more than a few seconds, 44mph. i do see a lot of spikes in the high 40s, but i’m not sure if those are just GPS jitter or what.

i’m pretty crash averse and won’t do 40+ unless it’s fairly straight, good line of sight, and a road i’ve ridden before with known-good paving.

base2 

I've done 55 & some change on a local hill that averages over 10(?)% It's steep with no means for side/cross traffic & the pavement was in good condition for a few years with a good slightly uphill rollout. Not sure I'd do it now in its current questionable condition.

At some point you are hosed no matter what speed above "safe" you are going. So, it doesn't really matter anymore.

I'd recommend anyone scope out & become familiar with any hazards first. Don't hit any lane divider dots or rough terrain & know proper position (relaxed, hands in the drops, fingers covering the brakes, knees pinching against the top tube) & you ought to be fine. Of course, in the twisties being skilled & confident in proper cornering technique helps.

In almost every case, riding your brakes for speed control is a huge (HUGE) risk. So, it would be in your best interest to learn how to be comfortable at sometimes uncomfortable speeds.

GhostRider62

Did 56 mph in a race back before computers (State Police got us with the radar gun)

Did low 60's on my recumbent and fastest was 66 downwind on a long steep descent while choking on my testicles

t2p

48 - might have been 48.5

tried - but could not hit 50

t2p

Quote:
Originally Posted by VegasJen
Have to be honest, scares the $#*t out of me.


only go as fast as you are willing to fall

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tomato coupe

I'll give up cycling long before I get to that stage.

Russ Roth

70mph one time and only for about a mile, the other three miles were spent in the 60s. At the time I did an out and back ride a couple times a week in which the turn around started with a 55mph descent. Haven't hit above 50 in a decade and probably wouldn't be as comfortable now as I was then.
More nerve wracking then hitting 35mph is watching your 12yo hit 35mph in front of you and hoping they can remain stable.

roadcrankr

I hit 55 a few times. Once as a teen in the 70's (at altitude near Tahoe) and recently a couple times down Angeles Crest Highway thru La Canada.
The older I get, the more frightened the high speeds affect me. Nowadays, I tap the brakes to scrub off some speed.

urbanknight

51mph on a straight, smooth, gentle descent with a tailwind. Not nearly as scary as ~30 mph through twisty switchbacks in my opinion. Like others posting here, my comfort level has diminished greatly as I have aged and no longer heal as quickly or completely.

john m flores 

70 in Colorado in the 90s

ofajen

50 mph is pretty much what happens descending a local slope known as Easley Hill. Last time was on my vintage MTB, and even scrubbing some speed before the fastest part and sitting up as tall as I could I still went at least 47 mph. That’s plenty for me.

Otto

mstateglfr 

I think 46. It was on Ragbrai and I suddenly became very aware that tough I was safely passing most everyone down the long descent, it's ragbrai and there are countless stupid people all around me. I began feathering the brakes and slowing a bit right then.

rsbob 

55 MPH on my road bike and 62 on a tandem while passing an RV on a very long descent from a mountain pass. 30 years later it keep it about 45 max.

Korina

For certain, 30mph on my hybrid on a steepish descent. I probably could've gone faster, but the front wheel started the death shimmy. There are two other times I may have hit that speed or even faster, but one didn't have a computer and the other the pavement was rough enough I couldn't take my eyes off the road to look. I'm the opposite of a speed demon; I was trying to get more comfortable with it. Now I'm older and fatter, and my insurance is worse, so brakes for me.

There was a memorable (to me) descent where I rode the brakes hard the whole way down, keeping it to 15mph. It was the end of January so the road was wet with snow on the edges, tree debris was everywhere, and the pavement was chunky. I figured I'd rather crash at 15 than 30+ (I didn't crash; yay!).

CliffordK

My max on the level is about 30 MPH.

On a descent hill on the outskirts of Eugene I've hit about 54 MPH. The goal was 55 MPH, but didn't quite hit it. I need to try some more, but that hill was on the interface of rural to urban, and there are too many things that could go wrong there.

Mike sgonre

My average daily commute speed is 18-25 kilometers per hour.

CAT7RDR

Only 40 mph down HWY 39 from Crystal Lake in Angeles Natl Forest.
Had 42-12 for my high end gearing so I thought that was pretty good at the time.
I'm color blind with poor depth perception so making out objects to avoid has always been a problem.

BobbyG

In 1997 I hit 49.7mph downhill on a heavy, stable bike, but with inadequate brakes. After that harrowing experience 41 mph on a heavy, stable bike.

I would regularly hit 36mph on three of my bikes downhill on one of my old commute routes until 2020.

Since changing jobs and routes I don't think I've broken 32mph.

Traffic has grown so heavy in Colorado Springs there are few places I would feel comfortable out-riding my brakes. Well, that and my slowing reflexes now that I'm in my 60s.

indyfabz

59 unloaded.

49.5 loaded