best position for descending

[cyberknight]

Someone done a study and worked out which position is the fastest for descending , turns out froomes position is not the best .
http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/r...-329475?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social

 

[mjr]

"Based on the assumption that all riders either aren’t pedalling while descending or are pedalling with the same amount of power" - so which of the three "faster" than the "Froome" position can you actually pedal in? I'm not sure you can in any of them.

I think even Sagan uses the "Froome" position while pedalling and then pushes back into "Top tube safe" when coasting, as seen here in Richmond:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td9kXwI9_fc

 

[fossyant]

These are tuck positions when you run out of gears. "Back Down" has got me to 60mph. The others are bloody scary.

 

[Rooster1]

back horizontal is fine for me thanks

 

[Hugh Manatee]

I favoured the left hand holding the to of the bars right next to stem. Flat back and the right arm behind the back.

 

[Jody]

When the situation permits I use the Pantani. Difficult on a MTB with nobblies but can still get up to nearly 50. You can tell the difference qith wind resistance as soon as you sit back up. I don't like the look of Froome or top tube "safe". Looks completely the opposite to safe to me.

 

[cyberknight]

These are tuck positions when you run out of gears. "Back Down" has got me to 60mph. The others are bloody scary.

Yup , me too , sometimes i use a variation with the hands on the hooked over the tops ala TT position if its a straight descent .

 

[Welsh wheels]

Three of those positions can't be deemed safe, I personally wouldn't try them unless I had the bike handling skills of a pro.

 

[Tin Pot]

Pfft, call those aero positions?

 

[EatSleepRideRepeat]

If you want aero, you're on the wrong bike......

 

[NorthernDave]

I'm sorry, but I can't look at the "Position Pantani" without thinking that even a modest bump in the road is going to convert it to a high-speed Viz "Clag-Gone" before the rider knows it...

 

[ColinJ]

I'm sorry, but I can't look at the "Position Pantani" without thinking that even a modest bump in the road is going to convert it to a high-speed Viz "Clag-Gone" before the rider knows it...

View attachment 351654

More like 'Nads-Gone', I reckon!

 

[smutchin]

Back when I was about 14-15, I had a neat trick which was riding the bike from a position seated on the rear rack. No hands on the bars, of course. I was able to pedal from that position. And steer. Maybe Pantani would have been even faster with a rack on the back of his bike.

I've tried the "Top tube safe" position but it definitely does not feel "safe" to me at speed. My preferred descending position is somewhere between "Back horizontal" and "Back down" depending on how flexible I'm feeling. I try to look where I'm going though, not at my front wheel like the dudes in the illustrations.

 

[HF2300]

...depending on how flexible I'm feeling...

I think for most of us this is a lot more of a consideration than potential minor aerodynamic gains between different positions!

 

[oldfatfool]

These are tuck positions when you run out of gears. "Back Down" has got me to 60mph. The others are bloody scary.

I have hit that speed in 'pantani' were at least your knackers will stop you going head first over the bars