Descending - Tips appreciated.

[nickyboy]

How to descend more quickly is such a subjective matter. There are inevitably many factors at play.

There are some technical things you can do to make your position on the bike better. Try to take some weight off the saddle and a bit more weight on the pedals. Try to push your weight back a bit in the saddle. Try not to hold the bars too tightly. And of course if you've got a really good sightline then get as aero as you feel comfortable with

You do need to be looking ahead for hazards in the road such as potholes, speedbumps, loose chippings etc

Don't overdo it on narrow, twisting descents. You need to be going slow enough so that if you meet a tractor coming the other way you can stop in time. But wide, open descents with good sight lines, just try to relax, tuck down and providing there isn't traffic trying to overtake, take the racing line through corners

 

[Kajjal]

Make sure your bike is well maintained so you are confident in it. Next get good brakes setup the way that suits you as well as having the right tyres as well. My new bike has hydraulic discs and on the first 5 attempts on a long downhill near home I broke my best time without any real effort each time.

The ride position or setup of the bike also helps. My new bike fits me a lot better than my old bike as well , which was fine but you do notice the difference in the balance and handling.

I also do a lot of mountain biking in the drier months and on one downhill broke it into sections to experiment to see the best lines, gears, power and when to simply get low and aero on the bike. This meant I went from having an average time to setting the second fastest time for the downhill.

Make sure you enjoy it and don't take any dangerous risks by becoming stravaman

 

[mjr]

You can lose quite a bit of speed by sitting up if you feel you are going a bit quick, also remember to look where you want the bike to go instead of looking at obstacles/walls etc.

Probably best to keep on the drops (or wherever your primary levers are) so you can brake more effectively. You can often take the "sitting up" further by sticking elbows and knees out a bit. One of my older bikes struggles to stop me on some Norfolk downhills without doing that (sidepulls on steel rims, yay!) and we don't go beyond 10% gradient for long around here (but we do have nice soft-looking verges by them )

 

[S-Express]

It's mostly aimed at looking after the brakes.

They are less likely to overheat if used firmly for short bursts, rather than used lightly for long periods.

They are unlikely to overheat in either circumstance.

 

[nickyboy]

Oh...one really good tip I forgot

Having taken a bit of your weight out of the saddle, try gently clamping the top tube with your knees. Not a death-squeeze, more to give another point of contact between you and the bike. It should help stability and help prevent the dreaded speed wobble

 

[Jody]

They are unlikely to overheat in either circumstance.

Depnding what weight the rider and circumstances used you can easily cook a set of disc brakes by dragging them for long distances.

 

[martint235]

You're almost certainly going faster down hill than I do so just make sure you're comfortable; if you're in a group of riders, hang around the back of the group so as not to get in the way of the speedsters; enjoy climbing the next hill faster than them

 

[ColinJ]

The roads are built for cars, a car would take that corner or bend at 40mph minimum. Is it really going to have a death trap hidden from view?

What ... seriously?

In the space of just a couple of years of riding I nearly ended up inserting my head up the rectum of a large horse, impaling myself on the back of a spike sticking out of a slow-moving tractor, and slamming into the back of a stationary van which was held up in traffic congestion. I take blind bends a bit more cautiously now!

I have also been overtaken on the wrong side of the road on blind bends by impatient drivers, one of whom ended up with their car embedded in an oncoming van as a result - that van could just as easily have been a cyclist!

Oh...one really good tip I forgot

Having taken a bit of your weight out of the saddle, try gently clamping the top tube with your knees. Not a death-squeeze, more to give another point of contact between you and the bike. It should help stability and help prevent the dreaded speed wobble

I agree - it is something that you do definitely do NOT want to experience!

In gusty conditions, watch out for gusts from the side which can blow you across the road or off it. Even if the wind is steady from the side, artificial gusts can be created by descending past large buildings which briefly offer shelter, or when being overtaken by large vehicles.

One other tip that I don't think has been mentioned yet ... To get round tight bends more safely, force the outer pedal down hard. Virtually stand on it. It really helps to control the bike. There are a couple of bends on local descents which nearly caught me out as a novice cyclist. They start off okay but then suddenly tighten up so I always found myself almost hitting the outside kerb on them. I read about that technique of pressing the outer pedal down and the problem was solved. I take those bends at full speed now and don't get anywhere near the kerb. I don't even have to think about it, it is just something that I do from habit.

 

[Kajjal]

Depnding what weight the rider and circumstances used you can easily cook a set of disc brakes by dragging them for long distances.

I am 6ft7 and about 100kg. While disc brakes heat up on long steeper descents i have never "cooked" them to the point they start fading or similar using xt brakes. Same on my road bike with r785 disc brakes both with organic pads. The manufacturers test them on bikes with alot of additional weight on very long descents.

 

[Jody]

I am 6ft7 and about 100kg. While disc brakes heat up on long steeper descents i have never "cooked" them to the point they start fading or similar using xt brakes. Same on my road bike with r785 disc brakes both with organic pads. The manufacturers test them on bikes with alot of additional weight on very long descents.

My mates about the same weight. He ended up well and truly cooking a set of Elixir brakes. The discs went a great shade of blue/purple and had smoke coming off the pads. He still as the discs somewhere.

I ended up getting big fade off the same model brake. One was at nearly 50mph heading towards a 90 degree bend. Swapped them for Shimano and not had any problems since.

I can loan you the set if you want to experience the terror for yourself

 

[Alan O]

Is it really going to have a death trap hidden from view?

I always assume there's a death trap hidden from view, because one day there will be.

 

[raleighnut]

What ... seriously?

In the space of just a couple of years of riding I nearly ended up inserting my head up the rectum of a large horse, impaling myself on the back of a spike sticking out of a slow-moving tractor, and slamming into the back of a stationary van which was held up in traffic congestion. I take blind bends a bit more cautiously now!

I have also been overtaken on the wrong side of the road on blind bends by impatient drivers, one of whom ended up with their car embedded in an oncoming van as a result - that van could just as easily have been a cyclist!


I agree - it is something that you do definitely do NOT want to experience!

In gusty conditions, watch out for gusts from the side which can blow you across the road or off it. Even if the wind is steady from the side, artificial gusts can be created by descending past large buildings which briefly offer shelter, or when being overtaken by large vehicles.

One other tip that I don't think has been mentioned yet ... To get round tight bends more safely, force the outer pedal down hard. Virtually stand on it. It really helps to control the bike. There are a couple of bends on local descents which nearly caught me out as a novice cyclist. They start off okay but then suddenly tighten up so I always found myself almost hitting the outside kerb on them. I read about that technique of pressing the outer pedal down and the problem was solved. I take those bends at full speed now and don't get anywhere near the kerb. I don't even have to think about it, it is just something that I do from habit.

That's one thing I had to 'unlearn' when I started riding the trike. I'd been putting all my weight on the outside pedal for years to the point it was subconscious doing it,
Bad idea on a trike.

 

[Kajjal]

My mates about the same weight. He ended up well and truly cooking a set of Elixir brakes. The discs went a great shade of blue/purple and had smoke coming off the pads. He still as the discs somewhere.

I ended up getting big fade off the same model brake. One was at nearly 50mph heading towards a 90 degree bend. Swapped them for Shimano and not had any problems since.

I can loan you the set if you want to experience the terror for yourself

I used to have elixir brakes, they are deadly

 

[mjr]

In the space of just a couple of years of riding I nearly ended up inserting my head up the rectum of a large horse

You are Lt Harris AICM5P

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

 

[mjr]

If you sit reasonably upright - hands on the hoods or tops and straight arms - you'll stay limited to around 30 mph by wind resistance. This doesn't hold true so much on long and steep hills, but even so. There's no hills near me where I can exceed 35 mph without getting into as aero a crouch as I can.

Is there any theoretical basis to the "around 30mph" limit, or are you summarising your experience?