Rocket Speed.

[Lovacott]

I’ve seen 53mph on a downhill road. I recall thinking that if was on my motorbike I’d be wearing armoured clothing, boots, gloves, full-face helmet and would have two enormous disc brakes up front. Rather than a layer of Lycra and a teeny single caliper.

The thought of extreme pain and life changing injuries is never far away once I go over 20mph.

It tends to focus the mind.

 

[Hover Fly]

Fastest I have gone is 61kph/38mph last weekend down a fairly steep and fairly winding descent. It was terrifying. How you guys can do 60mph is beyond me. Even a bit of loose gravel/dirt in the wrong place and I could have been off. Perhaps if I find a straight downhill which doesn't immediately end on a corner I can try a little faster.

For me, I was born to it, almost. Raised in a hilly bit of the country by a time-trialling father, it was either keep up or be lost. One of my earliest cycling memories was following dad down a gated road, he was on 531, me on a kid’s roadster type, pa thought he would get ahead to open the gate to let us through without stopping, he managed it, just. I’ve retired from going daft now, but the right bit of road, not too steep- you don’t want to lose control, good sight lines, soft verges with no walls or hedges, and well, er, 😈.
Fastest I’ve gone? Dunno, probably before I had any sort of computer, but passing an express train coming down into Italy on the Bernina pass must be up there.

 

[Drago]

Transonic buffeting hit me at about 680mph. Some kind of weird control reversal phenomenon too. I gamely held on and tried to push for the sound barrier, but the Raleigh Chopper was already beyond the ragged limit and the airframe began to disintegrate. I ejected at high altitude and was lucky to survive, and although the sound barrier remained beyond my grasp I had earned the kudos of the other 7 year olds, and the admiration of the ambulance staff that scraped me off the tarmac.

 

[classic33]

For me, I was born to it, almost. Raised in a hilly bit of the country by a time-trialling father, it was either keep up or be lost. One of my earliest cycling memories was following dad down a gated road, he was on 531, me on a kid’s roadster type, pa thought he would get ahead to open the gate to let us through without stopping, he managed it, just. I’ve retired from going daft now, but the right bit of road, not too steep- you don’t want to lose control, good sight lines, soft verges with no walls or hedges, and well, er, 😈.
Fastest I’ve gone? Dunno, probably before I had any sort of computer, but passing an express train coming down into Italy on the Bernina pass must be up there.

Are there often express trains, or any other type of train, coming down that section of road.

 

[HLaB]

I seem to go one one extreme to the other (well extreme for me). If the road is straight and in good condition I can relax, get aero and get a relatively fast downhill speed. But add a twist, etc I lock up and end up near track standing down a hill. The latter particularly when I am descending on my own.

 

[Hover Fly]

Are there often express trains, or any other type of train, coming down that section of road.

Right next to it for part of the way, at one station the road goes between the station building and the track, over what would normally be platform.

 

[Mr Celine]

Pics or it didn't happen...

 

[tyred]

Pics or it didn't happen...

View attachment 587031

Fitting a magnet to each spoke is cheating

 

[HLaB]

Fitting a magnet to each spoke is cheating

Speaks the voice of experience

I must try that