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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Highspeed

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Old 04-02-05 | 05:10 AM
  #51  
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highspeedcycle: you seem bizarrely determined, so I'll give you some more info for your unusual quest:

Don't wear loose clothes that flap in the wind. Use thin slick (not knobby) tires at the maximum pressure. And don't use a walmart bicycle. Not only are they much slower, they're rarely safe. I certainly wouldn't be confident on one at high speed.

Now tell us, what is your secret plan?
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Old 04-02-05 | 07:50 AM
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A jet engine. I saw a video of someone in Switzerland that got to 260 km/h that way. Is that fast enough?
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Old 04-02-05 | 09:10 AM
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go bent.
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Old 04-02-05 | 09:18 AM
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I've got a hill on both ends of my commute, so matter which way I am going I can start out with a short warm-up then hit a down-hill run that I've gone over 40 mph on several times. Make sure your tires are aired up and everything on the bike is in proper working order and tight. Tight cycling clothes help. Leave the hooded sweat shirts at home. In addition to being too loose, at much over 30 the hood will open up into a nice drag chute, attached to your neck. Survey the hill for road debris before you make your run. If your going to draft, pay close attention to the brake lights. One little lapse and you could be flying down the hill for real. Develop a nice, flat back, aero-tuck. Keep your elbows in and flexed. Don't white-knuckle the grips.

It's not really that hard to do. I do it on a flat bar hybrid in 52-12 and I can hit over 35 pulling a trailer, which may not be the greatest idea, so I don't recommend that.
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Old 04-02-05 | 05:29 PM
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well the big time spriters hit just over 40 mph on the finish line, but they have lead outs. i wonder if it would even be possible to get to that kind of speed on flat land with no draft of any kind.

my geuss would be to try and find a position that keeps you very low and leaned over the bike but still making lots of power. do pros even get out of the sadle on a sprint finishes, or does that create too much drag?
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Old 04-02-05 | 05:31 PM
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From: Might as well be underwater because I make less drag than a torpedoE (no aero bars here though)
Originally Posted by roadgator
well the big time spriters hit just over 40 mph on the finish line, but they have lead outs. i wonder if it would even be possible to get to that kind of speed on flat land with no draft of any kind.

my geuss would be to try and find a position that keeps you very low and leaned over the bike but still making lots of power. do pros even get out of the sadle on a sprint finishes, or does that create too much drag?
The Big sprinters do this after racing for 180 miles. They are tired, but can still pull it off.

I'll bet you some of those guys could go faster on fresh legs.
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Old 04-02-05 | 08:39 PM
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Oh yeah, and if at any time on your run you want to drop some speed while maintaining maximum control just sit upright and stick your elbows out increasing aeordynamic drag. Be very careful using your brakes, especially in curves. I have tried braking in curves on a run like this and can feel the control slipping away the more the brakes are applied. The front doesn't feel so bad, but the rear starts feeling like it wants to slide out. More control can be maintained in curves by putting more weight on your outside pedal in the 6 o'clock position.
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Old 04-02-05 | 11:50 PM
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also, i know i'm not on par with yalls bikes of coruse.
i got a roadmaster hahaha but i'm gonna hit atleast 30
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Old 04-03-05 | 12:01 AM
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From: Might as well be underwater because I make less drag than a torpedoE (no aero bars here though)
Originally Posted by recursive

Don't wear loose clothes that flap in the wind.
Finally someone admits the real reason why tights are worn (they do work well for this....better than any "fancy aero wheels"). Recursive I'm proud of you for owning up to their true purpose.
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Old 04-03-05 | 12:02 AM
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Originally Posted by highspeedcycle
also, i know i'm not on par with yalls bikes of coruse.
i got a roadmaster hahaha but i'm gonna hit atleast 30
You don't need a super-duper cool boy carbon bike to go fast down a hill . Just a decent roadbike, I ride a 22 year old Raleigh Supercourse with downtube shifters, and on the little hills on my training route I always hit over 40mph, I've done as high as 51mph in 53-11 while in a full sprint while tucked.

Have fun, and don't skin yourself.
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Old 04-03-05 | 12:08 AM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus
You don't need a super-duper cool boy carbon bike to go fast down a hill . Just a decent roadbike
I've hit close to 40MPH when I was younger on a Huffy "ATB" going down a long steep hill. Gravity doesn't care what kind of bike you have. Stopping that Huffy on the other hand was a little more dicey than stopping my "super-duper cool boy carbon bike".
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Old 04-03-05 | 12:09 AM
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but is it possable to it 30 on a roadmaster walmart thing? lol
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Old 04-03-05 | 12:14 AM
  #63  
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of course it is. Whether you'll live to tell about it is the question.
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Old 04-03-05 | 12:16 AM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by highspeedcycle
but is it possable to it 30 on a roadmaster walmart thing? lol
Yes. However, make sure to check your wheels and brakes to ensure they're in good working order before you attempt things. Having either fail at those speeds is going to ruin your entire day.
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Old 04-03-05 | 12:24 AM
  #65  
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Originally Posted by 55/Rad
Headwind? It's the air blowing through the cavities in your skull. Some people have more of it than others.

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Old 04-03-05 | 12:26 AM
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From: Might as well be underwater because I make less drag than a torpedoE (no aero bars here though)
What sort of gearing is on this bike?

If it's from Walmart I'm guessing 48-14?

The upshot is with short gearing on 26" tires you gonna have to spin it pretty fast. (120 rpm will net almost 32mph)
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Old 04-03-05 | 12:33 AM
  #67  
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Originally Posted by 53-11_alltheway
What sort of gearing is on this bike?

If it's from Walmart I'm guessing 48-14?

The upshot is with short gearing on 26" tires you gonna have to spin it pretty fast. (120 rpm will net almost 32mph)
Leave it to you to figure out such things...
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Old 04-03-05 | 12:47 AM
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well i've just got the bike cuz i needed a bike just because the others got stolen awhile bike and as everyone knows, you must have a bike to ride

But i use to beable to spin pretty damn fast toping out BMXs used to be fun. but i'd do that just coming down my street.
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Old 04-03-05 | 01:30 AM
  #69  
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Originally Posted by highspeedcycle
but is it possable to it 30 on a roadmaster walmart thing? lol
Well, if the bike doesn't hold up, the gravity of the situation will let you know.
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Old 04-03-05 | 03:42 AM
  #70  
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the few thousand dollars in hospital bills would have been better spent on a nice bike.
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Old 04-03-05 | 09:11 AM
  #71  
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Originally Posted by highspeedcycle
well i've just got the bike cuz i needed a bike just because the others got stolen awhile bike and as everyone knows, you must have a bike to ride.
I would check the brakes and tighten up the straps on yer helmet...

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Old 04-03-05 | 03:16 PM
  #72  
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a racing recumbent. 40 on the flats for a short sprint ..........not prolonged............ is possible for many riders on a regular basis. 50 to 60mph + on long downhills.
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Old 04-03-05 | 03:39 PM
  #73  
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You can hit over 120mph going down the side of a volcano. Wiping out will hurt though.
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Old 04-03-05 | 04:51 PM
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especially if the frame snaps at the headtube
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Old 04-03-05 | 11:00 PM
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ah, i need a helmet for sure i guess.

Why would my bike be pron to failing at high-speeds on a smooth road?
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