I have decided to slow waaaaaaaaaaay down

[Andrew_Culture]

I've been commuting to work every day and popping out for the occasional lunchtime razz for about four months now and I'm starting to get fast (for a fatty). An average clear cruising speed is around 24mph and I can hit 37mph on a good hill (of which there are few in these parts).

But I've now read about so many horrible accidents and seen enough terrifying helmet cam vids that I'm seriously considering deliberately riding a lot slower.

Speed has always been a big motivating factor in my cycling, so I feel a bit sad about not giving it my all, but I've had a fast face-shredding head injury in the past and don't want another.

Any thoughts? Am I missing something obvious here?

 

[Matthew_T]

Something obvious? Erm...How about brakes?

In all seriousness you shouldnt feel that you are going to fast. By what I have read, you are going almost as fast as the traffic around you is. Therefore as long as you take primary where you should and you shoulder check and are aware of your surroundings, then I cannot see no reason why you cannot do those speeds.

With regards to your safety, at those speeds everything needs to be in tip top condition. Your brakes need to be firm but not lock up, and you need to get the balance between them right so that you dont go over the handlebars.
Bearings in numerous parts of the bike like the wheels and stem need to be greased properly and not rubbing. If they are rubbing, this could cause them to fail with the vibrations of going at high speed.

You also need to be a lot more observant of the road ahead to reduce the risk of you missing something. This means looking a lot further down the road. You also need to be aware of side street as you pass them and allow yourself plenty of time to stop at a set of traffic lights if they suddenly change.

 

[derrick]

Have been having the same thoughts lately, there are a few hills i go down reaching 34+ mph, the thought of coming of at this speed into on coming traffic does not bare thinking about, it's seems so hard to slow down you get such a buzz going quickly on a nice warm day or anyday come to that,

 

[Hip Priest]

I go fast in the lanes on the weekend, but I'm too risk averse to do so on my commute. There's a long descent on my route home, but it's narrow with parked cars on either side and a couple of side roads.

I just freewheel down covering the brakes, as I've had people pull out on me before.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Thanks all. I'm checking my brakes and cleaning my chain at least once a fortnight.

I spent most of my rural childhood in the saddle and it took a slide across a junction on my knees and forearms a few weeks ago to instill some self-preservation.

I'm thinking of getting a helmet cam so I can dissect my riding style.

 

[Matthew_T]

I'm thinking of getting a helmet cam so I can dissect my riding style.

If you are trying to work on what you can do better, then this is a good idea. As long as it shows where you are in the road, then you can use it to work out where you need to make changes to your riding style in order to prevent anything from happening.

 

[Matthew_T]

BTW If you have a feeling inside you that something is going to happen then have a little bit to drink. I did this once and then went out for an evening ride. It really changed my perception of what I was doing. I didnt feel tired and was pushing myself a lot more. I wasnt concentrating on what might be coming around the next corner so was going around them flat out.
It is not a good idea though as if I had had a collision with a vehicle, it would have looked bad me being a little bit tipsy.

 

[Ian Cooper]

Going fast is not an issue unless you're going too fast into situations where you need to be going slower. Whizzing at 30mph towards an intersection where a nutter in one of those 3,000lb chunks of steel is slavering at the thought of putting a foot on the accelerator is a bad idea, especially considering the fact that a bicycle's brakes are not all that efficient. So go as fast as you want, as long as you're going slow enough to avoid all the nutcases (and they're all nutcases).

 

[ManiaMuse]

Nothing wrong with cycling fast on the commute, just be sensible:

-Give yourself enough room from the vehicle/cyclist in front, especially if it is wet. Nothing more embarassing than cycling into the back of someone
-Give other cyclists plenty of space when overtaking
-Knock the speed down if you are filtering or visibility is poor because of a bend/parked cars.
-Anticipate further ahead for cars pulling out of side junctions and potholes you need to avoid
-Ride in a stronger position the faster you go. IMO it is often safer to keep up with traffic but some drivers will still try to overtake you regardless which can cause confrontation at pinch points because they misjudge your speed - don't give them the chance.
-Make sure your bike is well maintained and always check your brakes as you set off
-Practice your emergency stops from speed on an empty stretch of road every now and then.

Remember your braking + thinking distance is near enough twice as long at 30mph than at 20mph. At 40mph is is about 4 times as long as at 20mph. So nothing wrong with riding fast, just be careful.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I've been commuting to work every day and popping out for the occasional lunchtime razz for about four months now and I'm starting to get fast (for a fatty). An average clear cruising speed is around 24mph and I can hit 37mph on a good hill (of which there are few in these parts).

But I've now read about so many horrible accidents and seen enough terrifying helmet cam vids that I'm seriously considering deliberately riding a lot slower.

Speed has always been a big motivating factor in my cycling, so I feel a bit sad about not giving it my all, but I've had a fast face-shredding head injury in the past and don't want another.

Any thoughts? Am I missing something obvious here?

If as a self-confessed 'fatty' you're getting a cruising average of 24mph, you are doing very well after only a few months. I used to commute a (fairly lumpy) 21 miles to work a few times a week and thought a 21mph average was excellent - and I was in good shape at the time.

As to speed... I don't see speed itself as a danger. Spinning along rural roads in the mid-20s is of itself not dangerous. Danger may come from fauna rushing into your path, other road users or detritus on the carriageway, but none of those is a function of velocity.

Descending at anything at or over 37-38 is where it starts to feel 'fast', but I'm not sure it's much more dangerous than doing so at 30 and not much safer than doing so at 45. Having said that, there are descents where I ask my younger kids to stay under 20 or under 25 for the time being. Not all descents, but one or two.

In towns and cities, I regulate my speed quite a lot. There are places where I could absolutely hammer it, but do not. This is much the same as the way most people drive cars. The speed limit is a limit, not a target speed.

Do ride more slowly if you want to, but those camera-footage incidents are a lot rarer than you might imagine.

I'm guessing that you might be around forty years old. I recall that caution entered my thinking at that age in a way that it had not previously.

However, experience is a great friend. Everything that's ever happened to you on a bicycle is stored in the hard drive of your noggin. I'd counsel you not to have your thinking informed by YouTube bloodfests, but by what experience has shown you to be capable of doing safely.

What you may find yourself doing is taking everything down to a lower speed and then gradually putting that speed back on as it feels right to do so.

In conclusion:

1. Speed of itself is not dangerous - the location and the surrounding road users may make it so.

2. Cycling is meant to be enjoyable, so ride at the speed you enjoy. Bollocks to speed, it's just a number.

3. Do not feel the need to see slowing down as a permanent thing. If you feel like it, you'll find yourself speeding up again.

 

[CopperBrompton]

The golden rule (cycling or driving) is to be able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear. On the open road, no junctions close by, no hazards around you, go for it. A junction you can't see into, parked cars that might pull out, pedestrians who might wander out, cars that might change lanes, etc, etc, etc, then adjust your speed to be able to stop. That might mean you're doing 50mph in one place and 5mph in another.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

I have decided to speed up.No drugs involved except Bisodol.

 

[Norm]

A policeman wanted a word with me when I was doing a tad over the speed limit.

"Can you imagine what would happen if you came off your bike at 80mph?"
"Pretty much the same that would happen if I came off my bike at 70mph but the stains would be a few metres longer"

Assuming that the "ride within the limits of stopping distance" is a given, I think there's little point in slowing down unless you are coming down to a speed that would cause little to no risk of injury if you were to come off. Of course, at that speed, you are possibly running a higher risk of getting run down by something overtaking you.

 

[gaz]

Thanks all. I'm checking my brakes and cleaning my chain at least once a fortnight.

You should check your brakes before every ride, most important part of your bicycle.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

This is all very reassuring!

I am indeed pretty close to 40, and became a dad nine months ago!