How Fast do You Descend?

[Dogtrousers]

No but then neither does he except in CGI

You saying that Pidders isn't real? Say it ain't so.

 

[Donger]

My mate Lennie once went down some of the straighter bits of Mont Ventoux at 60mph because he had been told not to brake too much or the heat of his wheel rims might cause a blow out. He was never entirely certain whether that could actually happen until it did happen to a club mate of mine some years later. (Burned his fingers too when changing the tyre, just for good measure). Forever afterwards I named that clubmate "Shotgun Rob" as all of us who witnessed it thought initially that some idiot had discharged a gun on the other side of a hedge we were resting by at the time. Personally, I once got just over 43mph on one single occasion and chickened out. Being really tall, I have a very high centre of balance and it was starting to feel extremely unsafe. I rarely exceed 30mph by much on a descent these days.

 

[Binky]

For me anything over 40mph I think is fast, I tend to do this on a quite a few rides(downhill though obvs). If I hit 50mph then that is a particularly steep hill and clear road. I'll add and in a straght line, I'm not cornering at those speeds.
It's though a bit like driving fast in a car, any idiot can do it pretty much. Doing it safely is where the skill comes in.

 

[raleighnut]

You saying that Pidders isn't real? Say it ain't so.

He probably is but the footage is Computer Generated/enhanced

 

[Drago]

It's though a bit like driving fast in a car, any idiot can do it pretty much. Doing it safely is where the skill comes in.

Indeedy. Most drivers (and most cyclists, including a fair chunk of amateur racers) don't know the difference between fast driving/riding and fast risk taking.

 

[sungod]

managed 90kph in lanzarote once, absolutely terrifying in crosswind, but i was heavier then, these days 80kph quite often there, but only if the wind is light

regular early morning ride in london before the traffic, i'll still do over 50kph along the bit between chalk farm and camden town, on the tops for some aero braking and better visibility

 

[Dogtrousers]

Scariest bit of pro descending that springs to my mind was someone, I've forgotten who, in Milan - St Remo about 5 years ago. No, not Mohoric, before that (although that was pretty scary). There was one bend in which he was almost horizontal.

 

[gavroche]

Not as fast as I used to as I am now fully aware of my immortality. I now want to get to the bottom in one piece.
I now cringe when I watch those pro riders going down at incredible speed.

 

[Pblakeney]

I rarely exceed 30mph by much on a descent these days.

Given a reasonable tailwind and I'll be doing 30mph on the flat.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

He probably would go back up that route quicker than I'd go down it.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I rarely exceed 30mph by much on a descent these days.

Same here. If I look at my ride history I think I sometimes go wild and get up to 55kmh, which I think is a tad over 30mph.

 

[mustang1]

I prefer to stick around 35-40 but that's so I can enjoy the scenery on the way down; I earned that right on the way up!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

he had been told not to brake too much or the heat of his wheel rims might cause a blow out

That happened on Wrynose Pass on the Fred Whitton in 2012 (year I rode it). Guy left the road, it wasn’t pretty.

 

[iandg]

Take it very easy now but have recorded 50mph+ some years ago.

 

[gbb]

I was always pitiful. No long long downhills here, thank goodness because I think i tense up, several times I had severe shimmy, one I'd only just started a short(1/4 mile perhaps) but steep hill near Morborne and almost immediately got a violent wobble, so bad I had to kinda emergency brake into the verge.
I guess it could have been specifically two of my bikes, but realistically...me