# highest speed?



## young Ed (4 Aug 2014)

so what are your highest speeds?
mine was set yesterday, 35.3mph. not all that fast i know but it felt pretty fast considering it was on a hill that got to -16.9% at one point!

also managed to cycle below the sea by 3 feet so i had to dry the bottom bracket out when i got home and the shoes are stuffed with newspaper! 
Cheers Ed


----------



## HovR (4 Aug 2014)

My fastest recorded speed is just a tad over 40mph. If I found a suitable straight road I'd try going for 50, but I just don't trust the corners and road surfaces around here!


----------



## Dave 123 (4 Aug 2014)

Ed,




Use the search facility.......

Just a shade under 50mph. It was fine until a car decided to sit on my rear end, then I didn't like it!


----------



## Dave 123 (4 Aug 2014)

HovR said:


> My fastest recorded speed is just a tad over 40mph. If I found a suitable straight road I'd try going for 50, but I just don't trust the corners and road surfaces around here!





Mine was coming off the moor from Princetown to Yelverton. I was a bit slower on the way up......


----------



## fossala (4 Aug 2014)

51.8mph going down St. Mewan hill heading back in to St. Austell after work a few years ago. I had been trying to do over 50mph for over a month. You need a good straight hill on a big main road to be "safe" at going 50mph+.


----------



## HovR (4 Aug 2014)

Dave 123 said:


> Mine was coming off the moor from Princetown to Yelverton. I was a bit slower on the way up......



I'll have to give it a go! I haven't been down Plymouth way very long, so I still have lots of new cycling routes to explore!


----------



## LarryDuff (4 Aug 2014)

42.5 mph weekend before last. It was a nice straight downhill with no side roads or houses and a good smooth surface. If I had have pedalled I could have gone faster but I hadn't the nerve.


----------



## fossala (4 Aug 2014)

Oh, I have also done over 40mph on my s6l brompton coming down the hill off the bypass in St. Austell. Takes corners at speed surprisingly well!


----------



## MontyVeda (4 Aug 2014)

in the region of 43mph for me... on a rigid MTB with nobblies on, down a big hill with a bigger wind behind me. I no longer have the little computer and as a result, I don't bother trying to break any records or increase my average, so my fastest in the last decade will probably be about the same as Rockymountain's.


----------



## stumpy66 (4 Aug 2014)

44mph on my fully laden tourer


----------



## Fab Foodie (4 Aug 2014)

49.7 on Ventoux.


----------



## cyberknight (4 Aug 2014)

Plenty faster than me , 46 mph on the cannock sportive a couple of years back .


----------



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (4 Aug 2014)

37.3mph (or 60kph) downhill in Sweden somewhere, on a fully laden touring bike. Strangely vehicles stopped overtaking us for that stretch (3km long)...
As for depth - try 212m below sea level...


----------



## sidevalve (4 Aug 2014)

Not sure - had to back off when space time began to warp.


----------



## ianrauk (4 Aug 2014)

The same question/thread has been asked many times. But no harm in a bit of willy waving

49.1mph heading north down Devils Dyke in Sussex.


----------



## ColinJ (4 Aug 2014)

Still the same as it was last time we did this, and the time before ...! 

I am unlikely to beat it in this country because I am not heavy enough now to overcome wind resistance as well as I used to, and my highest gears are too low to pedal at those speeds. A long steep downhill would do it but I am too cautious on that kind of hill.


----------



## uclown2002 (4 Aug 2014)

52mph IIRC


----------



## paul04 (4 Aug 2014)

45mph, Had a mad weekend where I went on more or less every hill in Manchester trying to see how fast I could go.


----------



## Donger (4 Aug 2014)

HovR said:


> ...... If I found a suitable straight road I'd try going for 50, but I just don't trust the corners and road surfaces around here!


 A good point that nobody else seems to have made. I would never even think of going above 30mph unless I _knew_ for certain what the road surface ahead was like. I've done some audaxes and group rides where some of the young alpha male types have just taken off downhill like **** off a shovel. They can't have known what the surface was going to be like, and many of them can't even have known where the road ahead went beyond the next corner or where the next junction or hazard was. Ambulances have been involved. The road up/down my best local hill (Frocester Hill) has just been re-surfaced, and I know it like the back of my hand, so I sometimes do about 33-35mph down there - possibly a little more on the straight bit at the bottom, but I'd be too scared to take my eyes off the road and look at the speedo! If anyone is driving close behind me, though, I slow right down until they have passed me. What could a car driver possibly do if you hit a bump and came off right in front of him? Or had to swerve around a pothole just as he was overtaking you? An interesting thread, but perhaps not the sort of thing that you want to encourage your kids to get up to.


----------



## Donger (4 Aug 2014)

young Ed said:


> also managed to cycle below the sea by 3 feet so i had to dry the bottom bracket out when i got home and the shoes are stuffed with newspaper!
> Cheers Ed


 Did you cycle off the end of a pier?


----------



## mrvandango (4 Aug 2014)

A mere 44.1 here, but it got a tad bumpy so I stopped trying. I hit 35+ a couple of times a day, as my commute is up and over a fairly steep hill both ways.


----------



## fossala (4 Aug 2014)

mrvandango said:


> A mere 44.1 here, but it got a tad bumpy so I stopped trying. I hit 35+ a couple of times a day, as my commute is up and over a fairly steep hill both ways.


Same here, I hit 40mph+ everyday but that's just how you roll  if you live in Cornwall.


----------



## HovR (4 Aug 2014)

Donger said:


> The road up/down my best local hill (Frocester Hill) has just been re-surfaced, and I know it like the back of my hand, so I sometimes do about 33-35mph down there - possibly a little more on the straight bit at the bottom, but I'd be too scared to take my eyes off the road and look at the speedo!



You make a good point about looking at the speedo. I took mine off as I found it was distracting at higher speeds. I'd much rather concentrate on staying on the bike whilst I'm out riding, and worry about max speeds looking at Strava when I home!


----------



## raleighnut (4 Aug 2014)

Try googling Guy Martin at Pendine sands


----------



## G3CWI (4 Aug 2014)

Ahh this old chestnut again.


----------



## Dave 123 (4 Aug 2014)

ianrauk said:


> The same question/thread has been asked many times. But no harm in a bit of willy waving
> 
> 49.1mph heading north down Devils Dyke in Sussex.




There's no need for that, put it away!


----------



## Dave 123 (4 Aug 2014)

Fab Foodie said:


> 49.7 on Ventoux.




Up or down?


----------



## stephec (4 Aug 2014)

54mph down Winnats Pass about 15 years ago, it's unlikely I'll ever beat it.


----------



## fossyant (4 Aug 2014)

ianrauk said:


> The same question/thread has been asked many times. But no harm in a bit of willy waving
> 
> 49.1mph heading north down Devils Dyke in Sussex.



Slow coach. A smidgeon over 60 mph descending past Swallow Falls in N. Wales about 5 of us together. Similar speeds coming off Snae Fell on the IOM Mountain TT. 55mph more locally off Woodhead.


----------



## fossyant (4 Aug 2014)

stephec said:


> 54mph down Winnats Pass about 15 years ago, it's unlikely I'll ever beat it.



That's nuts. It's like a gravity hole !!


----------



## RWright (4 Aug 2014)

45 mph coming down the hill in my neighborhood, on my 20 inch sears spyder bicycle with high handlebars and banana seat, standing on the pedals, with my neighbor riding on the seat...at least that was the reading on my old analog speedometer.  

A little more recent, just over 40 mph. I get more of a workout going downhill than up sometimes.


----------



## ianrauk (4 Aug 2014)

fossyant said:


> Slow coach. A smidgeon over 60 mph descending past Swallow Falls in N. Wales about 5 of us together. Similar speeds coming off Snae Fell on the IOM Mountain TT. 55mph more locally off Woodhead.




You said the same the list time a similar thread raised it's ugly head.


----------



## Doyleyburger (4 Aug 2014)

Hit 55.9 mph on a club ride in May.


----------



## uclown2002 (4 Aug 2014)

uclown2002 said:


> 52mph IIRC


No hands too.


----------



## Fab Foodie (4 Aug 2014)

Dave 123 said:


> Up or down?


If only .....


----------



## raleighnut (4 Aug 2014)

stephec said:


> 54mph down Winnats Pass about 15 years ago, it's unlikely I'll ever beat it.


Do they do new underpants in Castleton.
Fossyant- 55-60 off Snaefell is brilliant ain't it plus they've got braking markers


----------



## bpsmith (4 Aug 2014)

Hit 43.4mph today down Cefn Bryn at The Gower. Not sure if it's my fastest. Was free wheeling most of the way watching for Sheep and Horses at the edge of the road.


----------



## fossyant (4 Aug 2014)

ianrauk said:


> You said the same the list time a similar thread raised it's ugly head.



Rubbing it in !!!


----------



## fossyant (4 Aug 2014)

raleighnut said:


> Do they do new underpants in Castleton.
> Fossyant- 55-60 off Snaefell is brilliant ain't it plus they've got braking markers



The sharp bend markers aren't that 'sharp' at pushbike speeds, might be at 150mph.


----------



## stephec (4 Aug 2014)

fossyant said:


> That's nuts. It's like a gravity hole !!





raleighnut said:


> Do they do new underpants in Castleton.



I didn't have any kids then. 

I didn't know it had a cattle grid at the bottom either.


----------



## raleighnut (4 Aug 2014)

fossyant said:


> The sharp bend markers aren't that 'sharp' at pushbike speeds, might be at 150mph.


Useful at 60 in low cloud though
EDIT 150? try over 200 like they do


----------



## NorvernRob (4 Aug 2014)

49.5mph, I hit 40+ on every ride but that's Sheffield and the Peak District hills for you. 

@stephec 54mph down Winnats is crazy! I'm a fearless descender usually but it's so steep and with the cattle grids at the bottom it's the one descent I've stayed well below 40mph on. Well that and the hairpins on Ewden bank!


----------



## BrynCP (4 Aug 2014)

43.6mph yesterday. Downhill on the B1206 between Brigg Road and Deepdale in North Lincolnshire. Nice and straight with a gradual descent to built up speed before a sudden descent.


----------



## classic33 (4 Aug 2014)

Fast enough to set the speed cameras off, coming down from Junction 24, M62(Ainley Top) down to Elland on this


----------



## Accy cyclist (5 Aug 2014)

50 mph for about 3 seconds down here. http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.u...c_cycling_champion_was_discovered_in_Rishton/ many years ago. I was heavier then i had a heavier bike to make it possible, and i was younger and less concerned about my welfare.


----------



## fossyant (5 Aug 2014)

stephec said:


> I didn't have any kids then.
> 
> I didn't know it had a cattle grid at the bottom either.



I'm glad you have kids now. Hitting the cattle grid at speed won't do the family jewels any good !!


----------



## fossyant (5 Aug 2014)

raleighnut said:


> Useful at 60 in low cloud though
> EDIT 150? try over 200 like they do



The biggest issue was the just after the start in Douglas. We were off at about 6ish in the morning, so there were a few locals wandering over the roads to collect papers from the newsagent. I'd rolled off the start ramp, but it's a 40mph plus descent to the first turn.. Cue the local wandering over the 'closed' road... Oi oi...... whoosh !!!


----------



## hopless500 (5 Aug 2014)

42mph coming down a BIIIGGGG hill in Asia


----------



## Poacher (5 Aug 2014)

BrynCP said:


> 43.6mph yesterday. Downhill on the B1206 between Brigg Road and Deepdale in North Lincolnshire. Nice and straight with a gradual descent to built up speed before a sudden descent.


A hill in Lincolnshire? Come off it - Lincolnshire's flat as a pancake, everyone knows that!


----------



## robjh (5 Aug 2014)

About 47mph in Wales on a forum ride. But I got a nasty case of speed wobble/shimmy in the Cotswolds at 42mph last year and that has made me more cautious about fast descents since.


----------



## marcusjb (5 Aug 2014)

No matter how fast you think you're going - nothing compared to the pros (they do have the advantage off being able to use the full road and know there's not cars etc.). My fastest ever was on Tourmalet and is still around 20kph slower than the pros can go down mountains.


----------



## young Ed (5 Aug 2014)

marcusjb said:


> No matter how fast you think you're going - nothing compared to the pros (they do have the advantage off being able to use the full road and know there's not cars etc.). My fastest ever was on Tourmalet and is still around 20kph slower than the pros can go down mountains.


how fast do the pros go?
i reckon my flat bar hybrid has the edge downhill as it is heavier! 
bet wiggins, froome etc go faster uphill than me down hill 
Cheers Ed


----------



## vernon (5 Aug 2014)

Poacher said:


> A hill in Lincolnshire? Come off it - Lincolnshire's flat as a pancake, everyone knows that!



I know a member of the Lincolnshire Mountain Rescue Team.


----------



## JoeyB (5 Aug 2014)

76kph down hill....returning to Calais from Boulogne


----------



## young Ed (5 Aug 2014)

vernon said:


> I know a member of the Lincolnshire Mountain Rescue Team.


he drinks lots of tea doesn't he? sorry, only joking
Cheers Ed


----------



## speccy1 (5 Aug 2014)

Dave 123 said:


> Mine was coming off the moor from Princetown to Yelverton. I was a bit slower on the way up......


52 doing that one. I live close to there so do it on a regular basis, it`s a great downhill stretch!


----------



## Poacher (5 Aug 2014)

vernon said:


> I know a member of the Lincolnshire Mountain Rescue Team.



I once helped someone with their application to join the Lincoln Mountaineering Club. Part of the proof of suitability was a 30 mile walk in the hilly bits of Derbyshire. I haven't walked that far since! (Came close with an epic ramble in Madeira a couple of years ago, though. Managed 54 miles in just under 18 hours when I was 20, which is now unthinkable.)


----------



## Kestevan (5 Aug 2014)

classic33 said:


> Fast enough to set the speed cameras off, coming down from Junction 24, M62(Ainley Top) down to Elland....



Do that descent nearly every day. Still haven't managed to set the camera off.... fastest I've clocked is 53.7 - but that's on a "proper" bike


----------



## KneesUp (5 Aug 2014)

41 mph drafting a bus in to Sheffield from Castleton, many years ago. A singularly foolish thing to do given the road is narrow and twisty and I was only a few feet away. I remember braking so as not to get even closer. I was young, and survived.

Since I started cycling again, 32mph. My gears run out there, and so did the hill. The computer recorded a max of 90-something yesterday, so someone must have borrowed my bike and returned it whilst I was at work.


----------



## Sharky (5 Aug 2014)

I clocked 64mph going down Wrotham Hill on my commute to work!

But before you say wow!

The previous week, my computer refused to work, so on two of my commutes, I did not record any miles. So when I worked out what was wrong, it niggled me that I was missing 60 miles from my annual log. So for two days, I rode with an extra wheel magnet to catch up.

Keith


----------



## Dave 123 (5 Aug 2014)

speccy1 said:


> 52 doing that one. I live close to there so do it on a regular basis, it`s a great downhill stretch!




I've only done it once, and that was after getting up there! I'm down there next month... you never know!


----------



## marcusjb (5 Aug 2014)

young Ed said:


> how fast do the pros go?
> i reckon my flat bar hybrid has the edge downhill as it is heavier!
> bet wiggins, froome etc go faster uphill than me down hill
> Cheers Ed



Pros are regularly seen doing 110 and more kph on the mountains.

They have a number of advantages - they can use the whole road, they know it will (should) be clear, their team should have fully recce'd the course and made notes on the descents. They often have a motorbike ahead of them that they will watch to see any deviation from expected lines etc. (though when it's very twisty, the motorbikes can't descend as fast as the bikes). 

They have balls of steel and their livelihoods depend on getting down the hill faster than everyone else (and staying upright). 

There are very few roads in the UK that have decent enough surfaces and sightlines to safely go much above 80 - a few in Scotland and Wales that I've experienced so far. But in the big mountains, there are lots of big, well-surfaced descents that you can ride at those speeds with less concerns.

Oh and weight will only get you so far - aero is everything - hence the crazy tucks they adopt.


----------



## Foghat (5 Aug 2014)

marcusjb said:


> No matter how fast you think you're going - nothing compared to the pros (they do have the advantage off being able to use the full road and know there's not cars etc.). My fastest ever was on Tourmalet and is still around 20kph slower than the pros can go down mountains.


 
This seems a rather odd assertion to make - that non-pros cannot achieve the same high maximum speeds as the pros. I've ridden extensively in the French Alps, and know very well that it is perfectly easy to attain the same high speeds as pros if you've got the right qualities. These high maximum speeds are dependent on:

long straightish stretches of steeper road
reasonable or better road surface
wind not against
having the balls to 'let the bike go' - admittedly doing this on open roads takes more balls and concentration than on closed roads, but the full racing line is frequently possible on open roads, and even the pros don't achieve their highest speeds on sections where the sightlines aren't good
good judgment and ability to assess risk (if you want to survive the exploit without crashing)
None of this is dependent on being a professional, or even a racing cyclist. The rider qualities needed may be honed slightly by a professional career, but they tend to be innate in the people who are fast.

However, where the pros do have an advantage is on the slower parts of descents where pedalling effort is required to maintain a fast average speed. Here, the additional strength and fitness of the pros makes a big difference sprinting out of the many hairpins, and on the many shallower or against-the-wind sections. What some people don't realise is that racing hard down a descent in the Alps is bloody knackering too.

Funnily enough, though, in my many trips to the Alps, only a small proportion of riders encountered seemed prepared to put the effort in on descents....most toddled down on the brakes!


----------



## srw (5 Aug 2014)

Foghat said:


> it is perfectly easy to attain the same high speeds as pros if you've got the right qualities.



...the main one (in the absence of closed roads) being a complete disregard for the safety of yourself and others!


----------



## Foghat (5 Aug 2014)

srw said:


> ...the main one (in the absence of closed roads) being a complete disregard for the safety of yourself and others!


 
Wrong. It's quite common to have long deserted sections with long sightlines. And read to the end of the bullet points.


----------



## smokeysmoo (5 Aug 2014)

My max was a shade over 50mph once upon a time, won't be doing it again anytime soon though 

If conditions suit I will go upto 40mph still but I tend to control it now so I don't go past that.

Lets be honest though, if you come off at 40 wearing lycra you're going to hurt for a good while afterwards


----------



## Big Nick (5 Aug 2014)

Fastest on my road bike was 40mph and on my hybrid 37mph

Plenty fast enough for me!!


----------



## ayceejay (5 Aug 2014)

I don't see the point. 
So you dive down a hill/mountain at a scary speed, at the bottom you have to clean your bike and change your shorts, how much time did you gain?
I try to find a route that has no hills in it this way I don't feel fazed by descenders and their dicing with death.


----------



## Tim Hall (5 Aug 2014)

Can't remember, but something north of 45mph on Lonjog when we were going through Rutland. A tandem with well nourished adults goes downhill like a homesick rock, whatever Gallileo might have to say on the matter.


----------



## classic33 (6 Aug 2014)

Kestevan said:


> Do that descent nearly every day. Still haven't managed to set the camera off.... fastest I've clocked is 53.7 - but that's on a "proper" bike


Bike isn't a big enough target for the camera sensor. Thats why I thought I'd see what I'd get out of that one.


----------



## AndyWilliams (6 Aug 2014)

37.63


----------



## steveindenmark (6 Aug 2014)

43mph on this one. But it felt a lot faster and it stops you breathing.





Steve


----------



## bpsmith (6 Aug 2014)

ayceejay said:


> I don't see the point.
> So you dive down a hill/mountain at a scary speed, at the bottom you have to clean your bike and change your shorts, how much time did you gain?
> I try to find a route that has no hills in it this way I don't feel fazed by descenders and their dicing with death.



Descending fast is as much of an attraction to some as Climbing quickly, or time trialling on the flat, or racking up big mileage. Not everyone needs to change their shorts from the experience. That's what makes us all different.


----------



## steveindenmark (6 Aug 2014)

Ayceejay,

I wish I had contacted you before I went to Cornwall last week, you could have planned my route for me. I am going to Soller in Mallorca next month. Do you think you can help?

Steve


----------



## ayceejay (6 Aug 2014)

Sometimes humour doesn't work but if I wanted to avoid the hills in Cornwall or Majorca I would go to Holland.


----------



## thefollen (6 Aug 2014)

The bike hit around 45mph on Sunday's 'Haywards Heath Howler ' by Wiggle. Extremely good fun, but yes it can get a tad hairy in places! The stomach jumps when flying around a corner to the sound of gravel under the wheels.


----------



## classic33 (7 Aug 2014)

thefollen said:


> *The bike hit around 45mph *on Sunday's 'Haywards Heath Howler ' by Wiggle. Extremely good fun, but yes it can get a tad hairy in places! The stomach jumps when flying around a corner to the sound of gravel under the wheels.


Did the rider attain the same speed though?


----------



## Shut Up Legs (7 Aug 2014)

I find it more impressive when I hear about someone reaching a high average speed going _uphill_. There's a mountain near where I live (Mt Dandenong) with a 6.75km*** climb with average grade about 4.3%, and apparently someone rode up it averaging 30km/h*** once (although he also apparently hurled when he got to the top! ).

*** I believe that would be 4.2 miles and 18.65mph for you Brits.


----------



## thefollen (7 Aug 2014)

classic33 said:


> Did the rider attain the same speed though?



Thankfully yes! No need for your reaping skills.

Also, I think you should have the Reaper quote from Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey on your posts: 'You might be a king or little street sweeper, but sooner or later you dance with The Reaper!'


----------



## wam68 (29 Nov 2014)

Hit 51mph, boy was it an adrenaline rush.


----------



## Flick of the Elbow (30 Nov 2014)

56mph down Fleet Moss. IIRC I was in the midst of a 600k audax at the time. I equalled that speed on a subsequent trip to the Alps but never faster.


----------



## huwsparky (30 Nov 2014)

47mph. Would love to hit 50mph for some totally pointless mental reason but will probably need to change from a compact to achieve this as despite how hard I try I can't pass 47mph.


----------



## bpsmith (30 Nov 2014)

huwsparky said:


> 47mph. Would live to hit 50mph for some totally pointless mental reason but will probably need to change from a compact to achieve this as despite how hard I try I can't pass 47mph.


That's still impressive. Assuming you have a 50 up front and an 11 at the back, then you wil have a cadence of 132 to get over 47mph. 50mph on the same setup means a cadence of 140. On a 12 at the back this changes to 144 and 153 respectively!


----------



## huwsparky (30 Nov 2014)

bpsmith said:


> That's still impressive. Assuming you have a 50 up front and an 11 at the back, then you wil have a cadence of 132 to get over 47mph. 50mph on the same setup means a cadence of 140. On a 12 at the back this changes to 144 and 153 respectively!



Yep, got a 11 at the back 50 front. I can pedal to about 45mph and gravity takes me the rest of the way!

Thanks for working that out for me as I don't have the balls to look at the Garmin at that speed! I don't know why but I to enjoy going as fast as I can!

Won't go changing the setup though as one of my climbs has a gradient well over 20% for about 50m and I need the granny gear more than I need another 2 - 3mph!


----------



## gazza_d (30 Nov 2014)

61mph descending the "The String" to Brodick on Arran. Regularly used to hit 50mph & often 55mph when touring in Yorkshire Dales & North Pennines. Dropped a Porsche 911 down Hardside Pass one day.

Mainly utility/transport cycling & not much chance on the trips to work & shops.

Fighting gravity & squeezing the last bit out on descents is epic fun though


----------



## nickyboy (30 Nov 2014)

Recently got a new best of 56.2mph down Holme Moss towards Holmfirth. I doubt I could go much faster. I suppose a "Sagan" aero-tuck would help but I don't have the bike handling skills for that I think.

To give an idea of the difference between pros and amateurs have a look at the Strava segment for Holm Moss descent the other way

http://www.strava.com/segments/7611010

This requires a bit of pedalling at the top and the bottom but much of it is hanging on for dear life and hoping you don't hit a sheep. The TdF pros have murdered the best times and they didn't even have a following wind which I am sure all the best amateur times did.


----------



## bpsmith (30 Nov 2014)

huwsparky said:


> Yep, got a 11 at the back 50 front. I can pedal to about 45mph and gravity takes me the rest of the way!
> 
> Thanks for working that out for me as I don't have the balls to look at the Garmin at that speed! I don't know why but I to enjoy going as fast as I can!
> 
> Won't go changing the setup though as one of my climbs has a gradient well over 20% for about 50m and I need the granny gear more than I need another 2 - 3mph!


No worries. I keep telling myself not to look on fast descents, but I can't stop myself, silly as it is. Nothing like enjoying the descents after putting the effort into the climb.

I have been struggling to do any real big climbs, after my motorbike accident. Keeping the legs turning on mainly flats with undulations instead whilst going through physio.


----------



## Mrs M (30 Nov 2014)

33mph, confirmed by the "Slow down 33" on the speed camera as I zooooooomed past 
Not bad for an old, fat bird with a metal back!
In training to beat that, eat my dust!!


----------



## Robeh (1 Dec 2014)

40 MPH and that for me is fast enough on 2 wheels


----------



## Dirk (2 Dec 2014)

I did 39.5 mph down Upcott Hill into Barnstaple yesterday.
That was on my Giant Hybrid with panniers on. 
Miffed I didn't crack 40 mph! 

Did 41mph today on my Focus Cayo.


----------



## Levo-Lon (2 Dec 2014)

35mph but i live in the flat lands....but I found a nice slope to give the roadie a burn..

185 on a motorbike ....everything goes shiny..as heaven beckons...


----------



## Piemaster (2 Dec 2014)

45mph on a back road from Portlethen into Aberdeen. The T-junction at the bottom and cantilever brakes ('Stop.....stop...STOP...STOP YOU BASTARD') discouraged me from trying anything faster.
It's flatter where I ride locally but I have a  on a roadside speed sign.


----------



## Mrs M (2 Dec 2014)

Piemaster said:


> 45mph on a back road from Portlethen into Aberdeen. The T-junction at the bottom and cantilever brakes ('Stop.....stop...STOP...STOP YOU BASTARD') discouraged me from trying anything faster.
> It's flatter where I ride locally but I have a  on a roadside speed sign.


I live in Porty, if you see a fat bird on a silver bike give us a wave


----------



## andyfraser (2 Dec 2014)

Where I live is very flat so the best I've managed is 36 mph on the first proper ride of my Felt. It was a road I wasn't familiar with, so I wasn't pushing it, on a tightish right hand curve. I saw "36" on my Garmin but when I uploaded the ride Garmin Connect said it was something like 34.3 mph and Strava has it slightly lower!


----------



## Piemaster (2 Dec 2014)

Mrs M said:


> I live in Porty, if you see a fat bird on a silver bike give us a wave


Not very likely now. I worked on the industrial estate for 18 months but left nearly 2 years ago. Was a nice ride back behind the golf course at the end of the day. Not so nice climbing the hill in a morning though from the road down the side of the Dee. Was also a pleasant ride on the scenic route down the coast road during the summer. Lots of nice cycling in the area, unfortunately the commute was the best part of the job!


----------



## Mrs M (2 Dec 2014)

Piemaster said:


> Not very likely now. I worked on the industrial estate for 18 months but left nearly 2 years ago. Was a nice ride back behind the golf course at the end of the day. Not so nice climbing the hill in a morning though from the road down the side of the Dee. Was also a pleasant ride on the scenic route down the coast road during the summer. Lots of nice cycling in the area, unfortunately the commute was the best part of the job!



Lots of houses been built behind golf course now, lots more going up.
Still a great place to cycle though


----------



## Brandane (2 Dec 2014)

Fastest on a bicycle was 50 (point something) while on my Tricross loaded with Carradice saddlebag (the weight was an assist) on the Way of the Roses a couple of years ago. It was on a long downhill stretch somewhere near Grassington. Felt perfectly stable and safe, or I would have slowed down.


----------



## bpsmith (2 Dec 2014)

meta lon said:


> 35mph but i live in the flat lands....but I found a nice slope to give the roadie a burn..
> 
> 185 on a motorbike ....everything goes shiny..as heaven beckons...


Most I hit was 158mph on my Yamaha FZ6. Not bad for a 600 without a fairing to tuck behind!

After 80mph it just kept getting smoother and smoother as the downforce increased.


----------



## confusedcyclist (2 Dec 2014)

40.6 mph here, think I could have eeked out another 5-6mph if I had a more aero position and the road surface was smoother


----------



## Stephen C (3 Dec 2014)

42.7mph using the mighty hills of Cambridgeshire, Rivey Hill to be precise!


----------



## Dogtrousers (3 Dec 2014)

Brakes go on as I approach 30mph downhill. The best I can recall maintaining for any time on the flat, under power, was 40km/h (about 25). But I suspect that was wind assisted.


----------



## Dirk (16 Mar 2016)

I hit 50.3 mph yesterday, down hill, on my Ridgeback Voyage touring bike with a pannier on. LOL


----------



## HLaB (16 Mar 2016)

Just 47.6mph down the String Road on Arran, I'm told others can go down there at 60mph. This year I've not even topped 40mph yet (39.4mph max so far) but the hills in Northamptonshire aren't long enough to gain any significant speed, I'll have to wait till I go further afield and dry straight roads


----------



## Karlt (17 Mar 2016)

Strava reckons I managed 52mph on Tuesday on the way home, down the hill from Halfway to Eckington for Sheffield/Derbyshire folks. Not sure I believe it; I saw the Garmin flick above 40odd but after that I was concentrating on how far I could push it before starting to brake for the tight right hander at the bottom. I know I went round the bend above 30 as I was still doing 30+ as I approached the junction freewheeling.


----------



## HLaB (17 Mar 2016)

Karlt said:


> Strava reckons I managed 52mph on Tuesday on the way home, down the hill from Halfway to Eckington for Sheffield/Derbyshire folks. Not sure I believe it; I saw the Garmin flick above 40odd but after that I was concentrating on how far I could push it before starting to brake for the tight right hander at the bottom. I know I went round the bend above 30 as I was still doing 30+ as I approached the junction freewheeling.


GC and Strava have often reported spurious max speed, a quick scan of the recorded speed graph usually proves it; i.e typically the max speed on the graph will be 30mph after a gradual build up and not the 50+mph reported !


----------



## Karlt (18 Mar 2016)

HLaB said:


> GC and Strava have often reported spurious max speed, a quick scan of the recorded speed graph usually proves it; i.e typically the max speed on the graph will be 30mph after a gradual build up and not the 50+mph reported !



Graph shows the same thing - 35, 41, 45 then 52.


----------



## Richard A Thackeray (20 Mar 2016)

Using an accurately set Avocet 40 (presumably some of you remember those), just over 60MPH down East Chevin, with a good, unbroken, approach
That said, it's probably the most scared I've ever been on a bike, with that broken road-surface of the time, & the concealed car-parks joining the road
Plus, the tears streaming from my eyes, despite sunglasses
I was glad to start braking, as I crossed Otley bypass

Last years 'Tour de Yorkshire' climbed it










NorvernRob said:


> 49.5mph, I hit 40+ on every ride but that's Sheffield and the Peak District hills for you.
> 
> @stephec 54mph down Winnats is crazy! I'm a fearless descender usually but it's so steep and with the cattle grids at the bottom it's the one descent I've stayed well below 40mph on. Well that and the hairpins on Ewden bank!


Winnats is scary, going down it

Ewden Bank is a swine too, wasn't it Tom Boonan, who ran out of road a few years ago, on Tour of Britain(?) & had to go onto that farm-track on the hairpin??
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4424894


After passing the farm, which invariably has 'deposits' on the road surface, & passing the 1-in-4 sign (I know it actually reads 25%, but this is Britain), you can see the ascending section of the road, after bridge, through the trees
Whether you cross Mortimer Road, to give it its true name, or 'The Strines' as it's also known (which came first, the naming of the Inn, or the nickname??)



Here I am climbing it, circa 1991-1992
That bike, had a truly horrendous bottom gear (false 'macho pride', of the time) 42 x 21






Slight digression, sorry
With regard to the area, in another sport;
I've ran the 'Bromhead Chase' a couple of times http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=4184 (3.5 miles/800+ feet of ascent - most of it in roughly a mile!)
It turns at the Trig-point on the hill top, & you're looking down at the high-point of the road http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4161804
Before dropping rapidly back down, to cross Ewden Beck, & finishing at Broomhead Hall
I think, my fastest time is just south of 34minutes for that race
To put that terrain into context, my best ParkRun time (3.1 miles) is 21:04, & my best 5 mile (road) time is 35:53 (including going up Wentbridge Cutting)




classic33 said:


> Fast enough to set the speed cameras off, coming down from Junction 24, M62(Ainley Top) down to Elland on this
> View attachment 52470


Again, the 'Autobahn', as I've heard it called is a fast descent, getting sucked along by passing traffic
Coming back up is a drag though


----------



## classic33 (20 Mar 2016)

Richard A Thackeray said:


> Again, the 'Autobahn', as I've heard it called is a fast descent, getting sucked along by passing traffic
> Coming back up is a drag though


Around the second speed camera, I looked back and there's two lanes of traffic behind me. 
Unable to pass due to the speed camera's. 

Now if I could only manage the same up it, I'd be doing well.


----------

