How fast did you go this year?
 

I broke 42 mph yesterday on my Jamis Aurora.

How heavy a load were you carrying?

Just me; I weigh about 200#

Well, I'm sure I can easily reach 50+ mph on my fully loaded mtb down a steep descent but I'm not that crazy.

I had the thrill of my life last June when I hit 86.4 kmh (53.7 mph) on a 1 km-long 14% descent in Lanaudière, Québec, on my Giant OCR Touring, despite the 700x32 tires. I'm rather heavy (220 lb) and I had a few things with me in a pannier. I particularly appreciated the disk brakes at the end of this crazy exercise... Since then, I hit 80 kmh several times, but I never broke my personal record...

I find 50 km/h (30 mph) pretty scary...
A strong wind gust, and you're down...

I'm not a daredevil. Such a speed cannot be tempted if ALL conditions are not perfect: no wind (in either direction), new asphalt, no intersection, nobody else on the road, excellent visibility, everything securely attached on the bike, not too many insects flying around (a mosquito at this speed is like a rock), new and well inflated tires...

77 km/h in Gaspesie, with about 20 kg of gear. There were some good hills there. This one must have been a 15% or something. It was long and strait, so I just went down without touching the brakes. Quite a rush!

My record thus far is 44 mph down a 0.7-mile-long hill. 52/12 gear ratio, and I basically pedaled until I was spinning, then tucked down and enjoyed the ride. Actually, I was slightly terrified.

86km/hr down Col de la Madeleine toward Albertville, France. That was this August (2004) on a tandem with a BOB trailer loaded for camping for a month. We were near the top above treeline on one of the few straight stretches. The tandem has wide tires and no disc brakes.

Yesterday I took said tandem down Magnolia Rd. in Boulder, Colorado and hit 80 km/hr with no gear.

Did 75mph once.

(IN the back of a pickup) haha

I work at a computer every day; why would I want one on my bike when I am on holiday?

For those of us who don't have -- or don't want -- a bike computer, I would like to suggest that we express the idea of speed through metaphor, analogy, and other poetic/linguistic devices.

I DROVE SO FAST THAT...

* June bugs splattered on my grinning teeth.

* When I finally applied the brakes, the heat generated on the surface of the brake pads transformed carbon into diamonds.

* I experienced the effects of Einstienian relativity: at the end of the run, I had aged 3 months more than my companion who roded down the hill slowly.

* I could feel the angel of death breathing hotly on the back of my neck.

I did 42.5mph friday on my unloaded Le Tour(with fenders) they did a very poor job on the drains and sewer lids on that hill, good asphalt but it is a full 1" higher than the drain grates (which are in the middle of the road, on a hill :confused::mad: ) good thing I have 1 1/4"(32mm) tires on 36 spoke wheels(clang bump clang bump :)didn't miss a beat). I usually only manage 38 down that hill and would have seen the grates if the shadows weren't all screwy that time of day. Tied my PB.

"86km/hr down Col de la Madeleine toward Albertville, France. That was this August (2004) on a tandem with a BOB trailer loaded for camping for a month. We were near the top above treeline on one of the few straight stretches. The tandem has wide tires and no disc brakes."

While touring I generally keep it below 60kmh on descents as there is no need to risk anything for nothing. I have been descending down a hill at around 60kmh when a huge 18 wheeler came by and the wind he created had me and my BOB trailer swaying crazily. That has taught me to err on the side of caution.
While out training one day in Alberqurque on a straight 10%-12% gradient and with a wicked tailwind I hit 100kmh. Thats sans BOB and with a racing bike.
From all my years racing (12) I have never matched that speed again. Hitting around 85kmh is impressive. To do that fully loaded and with a BOB? Down col de la Madeleine? I have raced that climb and know it a little. That is really impressive!!
Or crazy.... :-D

Going that fast down Col de la Madeleine may be a bit crazy, but actually it didn't feel too fast. The road was perfectly smooth, there was no traffic at all, the road was straight, and we could see very well - no cars, no people, no animals. 60 km/hr or less further down Col de la Madeleine (or indeed many other descents I've done) can feel much, much faster because of the curves, poor visibility because of trees, or traffic. I agree that I wouldn't want to be passed by an 18 wheeler while travelling so fast, but I also agree maybe I'm a bit crazy.

The craziest descent I've personally witnessed was watching my wife on her fully loaded bike barreling down a pass in Syria passing 18 wheelers. I stayed behind, too nervous to pass the big trucks. She, of course, felt very stable and in control...

I think a bit over 50 mph. Have done it multiple times really. A couple times just out on a stoll and I just decided to see how fast I could push, and then my favorite- 2 miles worth of pedal pumping action while zooming down a mountain. Fun fun fun!!!

This was on the final steep decline on 101 in ore.

Fastest I know I have gone it 47.5 mph (unloaded bike) with a well calibrated cyclometer (measured, loaded wheel circumference)(the calibration charts all give unloaded wheel circumference [which will differ between tire brands for the same size and new or worn tires], thus registering a slightly higher speed that you are actually going, 1-2%, maybe).

Try as I might, I am just heavy enough to go faster down the 1/2 mile stretch of 8-12% grade coming down from the local ski area. I spin out at around 37 mph with the gearing I use, tucking and coasting gives me the rest, but no more. I should try it without fenders, but usually keep the fenders on because of our rainy climate. I suspect I've hit 50 a few times in other times and places (once, as reported to me by a car riding next to me -- on a four lane road), but with no accurate measuring device, I don't know. Riding a loaded tandem down some of those 7-8% grades in southern British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies, I'd be surprised if we didn't exceed 50 mph.

Mike

My roomate hit just over 50 MPH on our trans-Colorado tour this summer. I got up to 48.9, I believe. I wasn't terribly comfortable going that fast.

On a 1 mile long downhill with slicks on my mountain bike I hit 42.5mph, with just me.

50-53 on my commute 7% grade, about a mile long. Good thing for that 53-12. :) My top speed on a bike was last year coming out of the mountains on the Rosarita - Enseneda ride, 63mph. This is a lugged Waterford built Paramount, rock solid handling, just don't think about going down.

Fastest on tour: 88.6kmh [just over 55mph] on my MTB towing a fully laden BOBYak ... Central Otago, New Zealand ... I passed 3 cars [they were being held up by the front one].

Fastest on tour [panniers]: 75kmh Myponga, S Australia 2001; Great Dividing Range, Vic, Australia 2003
Fastest on dirt: 104kmh [63mph] Pikes Peak, Colorado
Fastest on road: 102kmh [61.5mph] Pine Hill Road, Dunedin, New Zealand [speed limit was 50kmh]

Yesterday coming down Sugarloaf Rd. above Boulder, Colorado, we got to 97 kmph on an unloaded tandem. This is the fastest I've ever gone when I had a computer on the bike. I haven't ridden Sugarloaf too many times. I rode it on my road bike last fall and thought "wow, the tandem could really fly here." It's steep, smooth, rather straight with great visibility. Yesterday there wasn't a car in sight, and we had a slight tailwind. We could have hit 100 if the stoker had tucked...

My palms are sweating thinking about it, but it felt comfortable at the time.

I regularly reach 80-85kph on this lil doozy, about 3 miles from my door...

http://img333.imageshack.us/img333/7...hill8ny.th.jpg
(It's a lot of fun to climb, fully loaded too ;-)