In very few cases - having ridden street for 22 years and riding a modified 2008 ZX-10 I can assure you there were few cars that could out corner/out brake me unless they were in the supercar range (i.e. Lambo, Ferrari, Corvette Z-06, Heavily modified EVO)

Dunno what my top speed is, but did a hairpin @ 45 mph by accident. It was right after beginning a ride and was already into the turn when I figured out that I hadn't tightened up my front brake quick release. I counter-steered as best I could and crapped a brick while doing my best to keep the bike on the right side of the road. I learned just how far you could push the handling that day. 2 friends behind me were mad impressed when we got to the bottom. I said thanks and then sheepishly tightened up the release.

Going that fast isn't hard especially on mountain descents, but having the confidence in one's ability to handle a bike at those speeds is a whole other can of worms. The most I've done is 51mph and it was pretty scary but exciting at the same time, it also helped that I was younger and not as concerned about the potential consequences. On weekend rides I hit the low 40s on a few of the small descents on 9W but I feel more confident going those speeds because I'm familiar with the road and motorists tend to be aware of cyclists unlike other places.

there is a hill by me you hit 45 coasting.

You also probably wouldn't be wearing a styrofoam coffee cup on your head and spandex on your thighs while on a motorcycle. Riding a bike at 40mph wearing spandex is way scarier than riding a motorcycle at 40mph wearing steel reinforced kevlar clothing, boots, and a metal helmet. World of difference.

A little bit of applied logic... and google will prove you wrong.

https://www.motorcycle-usa.com/100/68...son-Track.aspx
High end trackable "Super Bike" seem to stop in the range of 121-126ft...

https://www.insideline.com/nissan/370...ssan-370z.html
low-mid range sports cars.... 60-0 stopping distance 107-108 ft.

And they are going to take much less skill to stop.

I hit 48mph on a 7-8% grade. Its not that hard.
The guys (girls) who hit 60 mph, now that dangerous.

I'd say that's due to the smaller tire footprint and center of gravity being higher up on a bike.


for what it's worth, when you go down on a bike, you don't have to worry about getting trapped under it or getting squished or pinched against the guard rail supports when it piles into you.
The rider carries the same momentum, but the bike does not, compared to a motorcycle.

It's really not a good idea to go faster than feels right to you -- better to just work your way up to it. Going fast is all about relaxing, and tensing up can cause serious problems.

Things can happen, and some of them will take you down. Bottom line is you should never go faster than you're willing to fall because you might.

Its funny a few weeks ago I posted something about my max speed of 50.2 and people commented like I was full of BS. I even went out and took a pic of my computer to post it but couldn't get my phone to send it to flickr for some reason. I don't think that's really that fast for a decent to be honest. My normally riding partner is an old Cat 2 racer (in his 50s) and normally blows me away on decent threw the mountains. I dontknow how fast he gets (does ride with a comp.) but I'm sure its up there (he was a sprinter). I've still got pics of my computer if someone wants to post them I will gladly email them to you.
Do I think its dangerous to go this fast no not if you are comfortable doing so. It is risky no doubt about it if you not accustomed to higher speeds. So ride whatever speed you feel comfortable with.

Gee, I guess I'm dumb and lucky. I like to ski fast, and my other passion is sports car driving (on the track and on the road).

Riding with a couple of friends (both a little on the crazy side) and my brother (WAY on the crazy side) at the Hilly Hundred in southern Indiana this fall, we were in the high 40's more than a few times and I really didn't worry too much about it other than a passing, "I'm glad I trust these new tires and wheels," thought. The BMC didn't so much a quiver and it felt as though it would happily go much faster. Granted on all but a couple of the descents, there was barely a turn, but even in those, it didn't occur to me to be too concerned about it. Now y'all have me spooked.

Oh, and as to stopping - I could be wrong, but I would be very surprised if there are many riders who could stop their moto from, say 95 mph faster than I can my old 911. It would take a good deal of skill to stay on top of a bike decelerating at that rate. A good bike can out accelerate me no problem and, I'm sure blast me out of most corners, but straight line stopping? Don't think so.

I don't think you are full of BS

50.2 is a good clip but nothing that would deem being called out on - I believe you my friend.

Screw it you are on a BMC (as am I) you're good for more than the 40's

https://gearinches.com/images/misc/aero-tuck-md.jpg

You missed the "lol".

"metal helmet" lol

It's not the speed that scares me. The first turn with gravel/sand strewn about sends my mojo packing though.

Well, the comments were before you clarified that it was downhill. The post you were replying to was about flat land drafting speeds, and you said that you did 50 without drafting.

I'd like to hit 50 but 42 is the best I've managed. I know the good hills now, I'll just need to keep trying, and maybe get better wheels.
Really, I worry more about t-boning cars when I'm doing 20 in the city.

From my experiences in the twisty canyon roads around Denver, I can corner faster than cars can on a bicycle. While they may have a wider stance and wider tire patch, they also have a few thousand pounds that I don't have to deal with. Hairpin corners are particularly fun since they have to really slow down while I can carry much more speed through them. On broad flat corners, a car can do them faster. But if the corners are really tight, cars can't keep up.

And you ain't never experienced speed on a bicycle until you've done ~50 mph on a loaded touring bike! 300 lbs of bike, rider and gear really pulls you down any hill

ok yeah i guess i could see the confusion there my bad.

this is what not to do! you can see the guy crashed where he was looking. thats probably the #1 mistake people make when decending in the mountains with tight turns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JAM1r5t5Dk

Back in the day, 78.9 kmh behind a bus, on an old steel frame training bike.
I thought to myself, " This is not safe"...... old bike, worn tyres....no brain

So fast down hill, I passed myself

Fastest i've gone is 49, i love a good downhill and i'd like to get it past 55 but the downhills here are fairly short and aren't too steep.

I used to always go into a tuck on a long downhill, just as a reflex. One day I was going down a hill in a tuck and realized I was going 60mph. It didn't feel unsafe, but I decided to slow down just because it seemed like a bad idea. I rarely tuck anymore unless there is an uphill right after the descent I'm on.

Looks like I messed up my video link earlier...

Here it is again.