speed

[Broughtonblue]

reading some of the stories on here of speeds upto 45 mph, why do i feel unsafe at speeds in excess of 30mph? as soon as i hit 25-30 mph i feel the need to hit the brakes, am i being a wuss or just being sensible? next time shall i just shut my eyes and hope for the best?

 

[ianrauk]

You're just being sensible. (with a little wuss thrown in

)

 

[GeoffCapes]

reading some of the stories on here of speeds upto 45 mph, why do i feel unsafe at speeds in excess of 30mph? as soon as i hit 25-30 mph i feel the need to hit the brakes, am i being a wuss or just being sensible? next time shall i just shut my eyes and hope for the best?

Well I hit 46.4mph this aftenoon, and my only concern was the wind getting under my shades!


Horses for courses! Go at whatever speed you feel comfortable with.

 

[Rebel Ian]

One of my regular cycling friends is the same - following her down hills she'll always start appplying brakes whereas I'm usually pedaling furiously!! 48.1mph is my top speed so far which is annoying as I had the objective this year of breaking 50.

 

[Hip Priest]

I'm like you. I tend to freewheel or even dab the brakes on descents. Anything over 30mph is a no-no. I think you've got to have a lot of confidence in your handling to approach 40-50mph, and I ain't there....yet.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

if i hit 28 downhill on my fixie i'm pretty chuffed.

 

[smokeysmoo]

When I used to have a road bike made of a different material it gave me no confidence to exceed 30mph, now I ride a Cannondale CAAD10 and I have no qualms doing what ever speed gravity will allow. The bike just gives me amazing confidence. The recent Cat & Fiddle charity ride saw my highest speed registered as 49.5mph

[EDIT] all the above is based on dry roads Rain still turns me into a wuss

 

[Paulus]

It is just a confidence thing, The more confidence you build, the faster you will find yourself decending.

 

[Broughtonblue]

I'm like you. I tend to freewheel or even dab the brakes on descents. Anything over 30mph is a no-no. I think you've got to have a lot of confidence in your handling to approach 40-50mph, and I ain't there....yet.

thanks, as a mid forties bloke, i think my daring days are behind me!!!

 

[snorri]

thanks, as a mid forties bloke,

Ah! mid forties you say. You will be able to apply the CC Age Correction Factor to any speeds you refer to in posts, but only when your post count exceeds 100.

 

[Tigerbiten]

I feel safe on my recumbent trike, no matter how fast I go.
So I stopped pedaling downhill today at ~43 mph.

 

[Night Train]

I limit my speed to what I can react to within my safe breaking distance. The bikes are more then capable, but I'm not.

I will only go beyond 30mph downhill on my recumbent trike as I can't fall off it.

 

[Broughtonblue]

Ah! mid forties you say. You will be able to apply the CC Age Correction Factor to any speeds you refer to in posts, but only when your post count exceeds 100.

23 to go then

 

[HLaB]

On most rides on the road bikes I'll hit 30mph and sometimes higher, I know one straight (down hill ) where I can usually get to 40mph and the fastest I've done is 47.6mph (down the String Road on Arran) but I'm a descending wuss (as anybody who has ever cycled with me will testify ) add a greasy surface, bend (or vision restriction), or side road junction, etc, I'll always err on the side of caution. And after recent events I'm even more cautious if I have any doubts, which is a pain descending in some groups, I have to drop off and pedal hard to get back on on the uphills

 

[Fab Foodie]

I feel safe on my recumbent trike, no matter how fast I go.
So I stopped pedaling downhill today at ~43 mph.

Yeah, but you are a bonafide superspeedy fruitcake

It's certainly a confidence thing, I can't seem to get past 49 mph!