# Max speed on a trike?



## PaulM (20 Sep 2008)

For the first time in my life I now possess a cycle computer, a Cateye Mity 8. So I no longer have to guess my speeds and distances. It turns out my guesses were pretty accurate though. Anyway, I managed to find a slope yesterday that got me up to 38.5 mph before I ran out of road. I would hate to have to do an emergency stop at that speed. 

I believe Ian Fardoe has reached 72mph, I've no intention of trying to beat that record!


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## Auntie Helen (20 Sep 2008)

I've reached 42.5mph down a local hill which isn't particularly steep but does go on quite smoothly for about a quarter of a mile. And it ends in a roundabout which is dead annoying - but the brakes do work!

It's great fun but it makes my eyes water, even with sunglasses on!


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## byegad (20 Sep 2008)

48.1mph down a good hill with a tail wind. Usually I only hit 44/45mph at that spot


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## tdr1nka (20 Sep 2008)

Alas, I've yet to stick a computer on my KMX to find out tho I'm sure I've been above 40mph on some hills!

Standard rule of thumb, if your eyes are watering and you can't see, you are probably going 35mph +.


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## Auntie Helen (20 Sep 2008)

Someone told me you would go faster if you're heavier? Is this true?

I think my husband goes a bit faster downhill. He's lighter than me but he also has a narrow track Trice Q which presumably has less wind resistance.


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## tdr1nka (20 Sep 2008)

Quite possibly, there'll be some science involved no doubt.

The KMX is heavy enough on its own!


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## Riding in Circles (20 Sep 2008)

I have topped 60mph on the Expedition.


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## PaulM (20 Sep 2008)

*The heavier the better*



Auntie Helen said:


> Someone told me you would go faster if you're heavier? Is this true?


I'm pretty sure that's true, the heavier you are the more kinetic energy you possess whereas air resistance is proportional to frontal area and drag coefficient but not mass.


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## BentMikey (20 Sep 2008)

I believe it's called cross-sectional density. Ian has more cross-sectional density than I do.


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## Auntie Helen (20 Sep 2008)

Catrike UK said:


> I have topped 60mph on the Expedition.


Doesn't it feel rather scary going that fast? Presumably your eyes are streaming loads unless you've got decent glasses on.


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## Riding in Circles (20 Sep 2008)

Auntie Helen said:


> Doesn't it feel rather scary going that fast? Presumably your eyes are streaming loads unless you've got decent glasses on.



I use wrap around shades, scary? Not really but then my bench mark for fear will be significantly different from yours, good fun.


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## Auntie Helen (20 Sep 2008)

Yes, I'm a real wimp and very risk averse. It shows how safe I feel on a trike that I'll ride one though! And I enjoy it at 40mph rather than feeling scared too.

I now have my train ticket for tomorrow's Freewheel event, including a ticket for my trike, so hopefully I should at least be able to get to London. Whether I can get back to Colchester is another thing


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## Riding in Circles (20 Sep 2008)

I don't think I will be going, I seem to have come down with some bug that is going around.


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## CopperBrompton (20 Sep 2008)

54mph is my record so far, which felt perfectly stable. Braked down to 30mph for a bend without any drama too.

Ben


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## ufkacbln (20 Sep 2008)

Personally I have topped out at 48................

However It depends on where I am and the conditions, weather and my confidence.

There are a couple of hills on the Isle of Wight that I have done this speed as they are straight , good surfaces and I can slow down at the end.

On the other hand, the previous hill is faster, but as ther is a sharp curve at the end, and an uneven surface I tend to be slower.

I have every confidence in my Catrike (Expedition), but it is important to be within your own comfort zone at these speeds.


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## Fiona N (22 Sep 2008)

I've had the Windcheetah over 100kmph a few times in Switzerland and Italy - warm air makes a big difference to max speeds. The best was overtaking a Porsche Carerra (top down) descending into Waldshut (on the river Rhein between Switzerland and Germany) from the southern Black Forest. Where I overtook the (probably sleeping) driver, there were 2 descending lanes but within a few hundred metres - i.e. where the Porsche driver woke up and wanted to overtake - the road narrowed to one descent lane for the final couple of kms into the town so he never got past and had the indignity of following of trike into town  The max on that ride was 105kmph which pales compared to a recent descent on the Speedmachine on the A6 from Shap summit on a warm morning with a light NE blowing - 121 kmph  And not at all scary as the down draft glues you to the road and makes the little chicane at Borrowdale feel like flying


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## Andy in Sig (23 Sep 2008)

Those are seriously impressive speeds!

I once hit about 65 kmh on my street machine but something induced a bit of a lateral wobble in the front wheel which caused my bottle to go and made me dab the brakes.

Was that the Wutach valley which you went down into Waldshut? I've been thinking for a while of going down that valley and then up to the Bodensee.


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## Fiona N (23 Sep 2008)

Andy in Sig said:


> Was that the Wutach valley which you went down into Waldshut? I've been thinking for a while of going down that valley and then up to the Bodensee.



No, the road comes down directly from the high ground between Waldshut and St Blasien. It's part of a circuit that I often used to ride when I lived in northern CH: Baden to Waldshut, up to Grafenhausen and Rothaus then around the Schluchsee anticlockwise to St Blasien and Hausern then up the hill to Hoehenschwand. From there, it's a great undulating ride back to the lip of the Rhine valley with the superfast descent directly into Waldshut. It's about 120km with about 2000m of ascent in total so was a nice Sunday morning outing. 
It's a great area for cycling and the (German) drivers are very good on the narrow valley roads like Wutach or the road to Grafenhausen.


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## Andy in Sig (23 Sep 2008)

I'll check that out on the maps then. It sounds like it might be one for a long weekend next summer although I don't know if I'll have the bottle to let rip at those kinds of speeds. Maybe I do need to get a trike after all.


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## fards (19 Oct 2008)

as said I've done 72mph on the old optima trike. 
Done 66mph down the same hill on the catrike, I think I could go faster if I could keep the front wheels on the floor, for silly speeds suspension really does help. If the road was very smooth then it'd be doable. 
I've hit over 45mph coast down on the same road. 

I find I have to wear glasses past 18mph or I can't see anything from streaming eyes. 

there's a couple of vids on yobtoob of me on my local roll down test hill. (not the same as the very fast one at 1/3 steepness and 1/2 the length at 1km, but it's good fun). 
first one from standing start 

View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=osyS54Q8JII

and at warp speed (from about 5min 15) 

View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XlfLvhGoOSk


1km in under 45 seconds ** both done on lowracers.


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## bonj2 (26 Oct 2008)

Auntie Helen said:


> Someone told me you would go faster if you're heavier? Is this true?
> 
> I think my husband goes a bit faster downhill. He's lighter than me but he also has a narrow track Trice Q which presumably has less wind resistance.



i know my mtb rolls a lot faster than my mate's one, it's got the same hubs, same rear tyres, my front tyre's fatter (so should be _slower_), same rear tyre, neither brakes drag, only difference is i'm heavier and my bike's heavier.


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## byegad (27 Oct 2008)

Generally speaking with two riders on equal bikes freewheeling down a hill the heavier rider will pull away from the lighter.


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## BentMikey (27 Oct 2008)

It's called cross-sectional density, normally won by the salad dodgers.


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## Riding in Circles (27 Oct 2008)

I'm big boned thankyou very much!


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## byegad (27 Oct 2008)

I'm fat! Fit enough but fat! And really fast downhill.


Note to all.
I refuse to answer questions about going up the hill on the grounds it could be sizeist!!


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## ufkacbln (27 Oct 2008)

Don't forget the dynamic advantages of an "aerobelly" as it improves airflow and profile!


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## byegad (28 Oct 2008)

Cunobelin said:


> Don't forget the dynamic advantages of an "aerobelly" as it improves airflow and profile!



And makes my sillouette look like Alfred Hitchcock!


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