Flatballer

I meant straight ahead, on dry pavement, using all your contact patch for braking only. If you can get WAY behind the seat, then you're fine. I've never been able to actually pull that off, I can't reach the bars from that far back.

Romans8:28

Thanks for explaining things!

I suppose what I was trying to covey to the OP was that braking is difficult on a road bicycle in comparison to say an automobile, primarily because of stability issues (like flipping as you point out) and that’s where the two wheels verses four wheels and narrow tires come into play.

Perhaps it’s the road surfaces I have been on in conjunction with my tire compound, but I have definitely locked up my front tire (on numerous occasions) without going over the bars or lifting the rear tire. Granted my weight was shifted as far back as I could place it, but none the less it was a front wheel skid. That is where a wider tire would tend to “flip you” as opposed to skidding thanks to the extra friction.

Again all my point is that bike brakes require skilled user input to stop quickly in any situation, and this is especially true on a steep descent. I wanted the OP to know that he/she should be cautious at first because the faster you go the better you need to be able to stop and that can be a big issue on downhill due to the physics involved.

Dheorl

Go down more hills.

Wait until you get to hills where you're going down them at a fair lick, and hit a weird rolling hump where you can feel everything go weightless. They spooked me out, got used to it pretty quickly when I started doing hill repeats on a hill with one.

sijray21

there's nothing wrong with riding the brakes as you mentioned before to control your decent speed. someone please psot here if they have had a prior experience with brake fade, though - i have not had any experiences with brake fade.

it just takes practice. i would use both brakes dynamically. if you're sitting back i would use a good amount of rear brake because sliding the rear is a lot less dangerous then sliding the front. coming from a moto back-ground typically you would want to use the rear brake to stabilize the bike prior to braking hard, but for bicycles since there is little compression of the front it's ok to use more rear brake.

another thing to mention is just to look VERY far in front of you on decents and anticipate any cars that may turn, pedestrians that may cross, etc. that way you can react accordingly without an overreaction that could leave you on the ground. it'll take some practice if you're uncomfortable with it, so start off with lower grades and shorter decents and work your way up (or down...whatever)

merlinextraligh

You most definitely do not want to ride the brakes on a long downhill.

Two reasons: One, the rims can heat up to the point that Tires pop off rims, and rims fail. This can be a sudden catastrophic failure, and one you do not want to experience.

Two, the pads can heat to the point they actually off gas and you lose substantial amounts of braking force.

I've heated brake pads to the point they were hissing with the off gassing coming down Brasstown on a tandem. Now descending a twisty 21% grade on a tandem is an extreme example. But if you ride the brakes down a steep mountain on a single bike, you can definitely overheat the brakes to the point of failure.

The proper technique to controlling speed downhill is to brake with some force, reduce speed, let the speed run up again, repeat. This allows the brake pads and rims to cool. You can also alternate front and back brake to give some more cooling time.

mmmdonuts

Go that way, really fast - If something gets in your way, turn.

JoshTheSkier

Scared of going downhill? Drink a little courage!

docjoe

LMAO! Classic! This is the best post I've seen in a while! Great job mmmdonuts!

DenisMenchov

Practice riding down hill.

DenisMenchov

Oh and then watch this video: you'll realize how easy your descents are: 138mph, ouch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLRDRzMWIsg

mayukawa

One thing that OP can try to make downhill a bit easier is to lower the saddle (so when you're bombing down, it doesn't seem that steep). Also change out to larger tires (and don't max out the tire pressure...pump them up just enough for your weight), such as 700x25 or 700x28; the larger tires should feel more stable.

jasony0423

There's a hill I went down, that was steep, very steep. I was worried about it, because at the bottom of the hill was a traffic light, and your choice was left, right, or into the Scioto River. By the bottom of the hill, I was stopped, and quite alive. I've done the hill every day since. Still stop, still alive, only now I pedal on my way down, and don't ride the brakes. 'Tis fun.

cshell

cotatrials

I think the best thing you can do is just ride your bike more and develop the needed skills.......... My guess is your afraid of the big one (crash) and your fear is partly because you do not trust your equipment and/or lack the necessary skills to trust yourself on a fast decent. The only way I know to overcome both comes with experience and skills that can only be obtained by spending time in the saddle.

As far as the equipment part goes, many others on here have already given you good advise. One can never overstate the importance of making sure everything is in the proper working order, and anything that is worn out or questionable has been replaced..... (Your LBS is the best place to make sure everything is working properly)........but you still need to put time riding in order to learn how to trust your equipment.

It would also help to find a local club that has group rides in your area and pick a group ride geared to your level........most, if not all clubs will have experienced riders leading these groups who are always glad to share their knowledge with new riders, and besides that, you can make new friends and meet people to ride with away from the group. Keep in mind these things will help accelerate your learning curve a little, but there is no substitute for saddle time. Until you develop the necessary skills (and you will with time) just descend at a pace that is comfortable for you.

Personally I love fast descents ..There is nothing more fun than flying down a mountain on a bicycle (road or trail)......... but then again, I am a firm believer in the school that says..."if you don't scare yourself, your not having any fun"........... Unfortunately, living on the gulf coast, the closest thing I have to a hill is riding over one of the two bridges in the area and/or the constant 15 knot headwind that makes every ride seem like it's up hill.............which is why I look forward to trips to the mountains in TN and NC.

Just stay at a speed your comfortable and enjoy the ride..........life is too short to worry about how fast your going..........and its all good on a bike

Brazos

I have a little fear to. My one big hill I desend is a big time deer crossing. It is wooded to the edge of the road with a little bend. My biggest fear is a herd of deer darting out in front of me. Where I live they have a monthly publication and this past month I read where a cyclist had a big time spill due to deer at this very location which resulted in a hospital visit. Reading this confirmed my fear.

Ygduf

I have a little fear as well. Not everyone enjoys putting their life in unnecessary danger by descending beyond their abilities.

My real issue started on a ride where I locked up/skidded the back wheel in a few corners. I know what I did wrong, but it was frightening and I still worry about it.

Avalanche325

https://www.neuticles.com/

docjoe

LOL! Just looking on that web site is funny because they talk about your pet's poor self esteem from getting snipped.

BarryJo

68 replies and about 10 of them were actually helpful.
I don't know if people are serious or trying to be funny with their HTFU responses - the term is as over used on this forum as much as the Pickard face palm plant.

I sometimes have this problem, I can't explain why but from time to time I get panic attacks going down any long steep decents. There's no rhyme or reason, it comes and it goes, it seems the fitter I am and the more dedicated I am to my training the less it happens. Some of it is definately the fear of losing control, some of it seems to be vertigo setting in, especially when there are big tress lining the decent and I see them in my peripheral vision.
But it definately sucks when you're pushing 40mph and the panic sets in.
I agree with others who suggested gradually increasing your speed on the decents.
Another thing that helped me, especially when cross winds would cause my bike to shimmy is pressing my right knee against the top tube to help maintain control.
Keep at it, hopefully you'll overcome the fear.

BTW - if you use the search, you'll see you're not alone, there are some other threads on the same subject.

litlfetcher

Wow, almost every cyclist favorite part of the journey ahead is the tailwinds, the descents, and the scenery. All I can say is "practice makes perfect". Doesnt every guy want speed for bragging rights?

BarryJo

Downhill speed is crap, to some extent anyway - it does seem to be an equalizer in racing though.
Uphill speed and the ability to sprint fast on the flats is where it's at! IMHO of course.

chriscook42

i had this problem too when i started biking, and not too long ago. One day i was on like a 25 miler or something and about to go downhill, looked behind to make sure no one would follow me down, and before i knew it i was off the shoulder in the ditch at like 22ish mph.
It didnt hurt too bad, mainly because i hit grass, but I know it will not be my last time down to the ground.
My knees also wobble sometimes when im going downhill.
happens to everyone at one time or another.
But i would recommend against giving up biking because of this fear. A good idea would be to work up gradually to larger descents, starting with the stuff close to home, in case something perchance does happen.
ANd always have a phone with you or something.

robncircus

I didn't read all the responses but here are my thoughts. I suck at descending. I climb like a mountain goat and descend like a snail. A big part of my problems concern cornering. Recently, I did my first crit. I was forced by default to take corners at a high rate of speed if I didn't want to be dropped (which I was anyway but that's another thread). I learned more about cornering in one race than I had in years of riding. So my suggestion - do a race. Learn. Repeat.

Cheers

Rob

walter231

Try letting go of the brake levers completely near the bottom of a descent. Next time let go from a little higher up. Etc. Get comfortable free-wheeling @ 15 mph, then 20 mph, then 25... The fear gradually diminishes with experience.

taricha

Here's a video of Cancellara's amazing descent in stage 7 after replacing a back tire. He makes up a huge gap on the peloton with a combination of technique and gutsy riding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_wEG2RNMJc

It's Cancellara in the TDF, so it might not apply *exactly* to your situation, but I suspect we could all learn something.

Disclaimer: Those cars are obviously part of the tour and MUCH friendlier than vehicles you will encounter on the road.