alans
black belt lounge lizard
- Location
- Staffordshire
I descend as fast as road conditions/construction allow.I don't get terrified.
I'll get a second opinion from my stoker
I'll get a second opinion from my stoker
Downhill at speed... is it normal to be terrified?
- Thread starter Boo
- Start date
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ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
As I mentioned above, there are times when I am happy to do over 50 mph, but there are descents where I might limit myself to 40 mph, 30 mph, or even 20 mph if what I see ahead worries me.
On one of my forum rides in the Yorkshire Dales, we were descending the 'coal road' over from Dent towards Garsdale Head. It is a narrow road with dry stone walls either side, and undulations up and down, left and right. Most of us were descending pretty quickly, but holding back a bit because it doesn't look like a 50 mph type descent. Suddenly, a couple on a tandem went shooting past doing what must have been well over 50 mph. It caught me out because I thought I was at the safe limit. They just disappeared into the distance and were waiting at the end of the road with big grins on their faces. I spoke to many of the other riders after the descent and they had been as shocked as I was!
On one of my forum rides in the Yorkshire Dales, we were descending the 'coal road' over from Dent towards Garsdale Head. It is a narrow road with dry stone walls either side, and undulations up and down, left and right. Most of us were descending pretty quickly, but holding back a bit because it doesn't look like a 50 mph type descent. Suddenly, a couple on a tandem went shooting past doing what must have been well over 50 mph. It caught me out because I thought I was at the safe limit. They just disappeared into the distance and were waiting at the end of the road with big grins on their faces. I spoke to many of the other riders after the descent and they had been as shocked as I was!
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
On a half descent road with good sight lines, I'm pretty happy up to 50mph. The Holdsworth is getting a bit of a shake on over 45 but the old Alu TCR is solid as a rock and I'd gladly find a road I can best 50.
I love descending!
I love descending!
I like Skol
A Minging Manc...
- Location
- Sunny Ashton-under-Lyne
Some of us descend quicker than others for 'natural' reasons 
w00hoo_kent
One of the 64K
- Location
- Maidstone or Greenwich
It's road conditions and sight lines for me every time. On a good road I'll just go flat out, but if it's a bit narrow, twists you can't see through, or the surface is loose then I'll ease off to what feels safe. I don't look at the speedo on the way down and was surprised to see a recent ride saw me hitting 52mph on one descent. I'm afraid I really can't empathise with people who find them a bit scary.
One word of advice though, if you are riding discs (hydraulics really) then don't go for the constant dragging method that you might on rim brakes. Choose braking spots and slow a bit harder at them to get back to your comfort speed (shoulder checking to make sure you've not got a rider directly behind you naturally) its possible, particularly on very long descents, to generate more heat than the disks can comfortably dissipate. I'm not sure if people have suffered with mechanical disks glazing the pads (probably not) but hydraulic systems have definitely suffered with boiling the fluid.
One word of advice though, if you are riding discs (hydraulics really) then don't go for the constant dragging method that you might on rim brakes. Choose braking spots and slow a bit harder at them to get back to your comfort speed (shoulder checking to make sure you've not got a rider directly behind you naturally) its possible, particularly on very long descents, to generate more heat than the disks can comfortably dissipate. I'm not sure if people have suffered with mechanical disks glazing the pads (probably not) but hydraulic systems have definitely suffered with boiling the fluid.
Louch
105% knowledge on 105
- Location
- Kingdom of Kinnard
My first time on a road, I don't do much above 25. Been working my descending this year, have often as high as 39mph, but that took a lot of effort, as I'm not very aero shaped
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
You need an 'aerobelly'
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
I think if you're "terrified" it suggests that you not sure if you are riding within your abilities, and it's time to slow down.
Me, I don't go very fast: Go down too fast and you cut your rest period short! You'll be going uphill again soon enough. Make the most of it.
Me, I don't go very fast: Go down too fast and you cut your rest period short! You'll be going uphill again soon enough. Make the most of it.
Bodhbh
Guru
My eyes tend to start watering much past 35mph. Which isn't great if the road's not straight. Fatter tyres do tend to make the descents feel slower than they are, which helps a bit. First time I went down 45mph decent on some big apples I thought the speedo was was wrong and I was doing 30.
Cyclist33
Guest
- Location
- Warrington
I doubt I've ever exceeded 40, certainly all the hurtles I've done while computered-up have topped out around 35 mph or less. There aren't many hills round here anyway and I don't like going up them! Also I find there's almost always traffic and this scares me away from going any faster. (Plus, fitness etc.)
Stu
Stu
booze and cake
probably out cycling
@colin J you are one lucky blighter living in Hebden Bridge. I've never ridden in Yorkshire before but was up there for the tour this last weekend and absolutely loved it.
Riding fast down roads you've never ridden before means skirting a fine line between excitement and terror. I absolutely loved the climb out of Hebden Bridge and the descent into Oxonhope, hitting 47mph despite a knackered headset that was juddering underheavy breaking. I had a grin as wide as the valley.
A short while earlier the same day I was scared witless cycling down Stocks Lane into Luddenden, really bumpy surface, steep, narrow in places with some very sharp hairpins that had me wondering 'oh crap am I going to make this?'. I'm not easily scared but that descent did it for me.
After 2 days in Yorkshire I came back to Essex for day 3, while dawdling along the flat very slowly my metal bottle cage totally snapped away from the securing bolts, falling into the road with the full bottle still attached, seemingly having been shaken to breaking point by the state of the UK roads. It made me worry a lot about if it had happened the day before on one of those descents and gone under my back wheel, it could have been very messy.
I can only conclude its best not to think about it, the minute those 'what if' thoughts enter your mind you cease to enjoy it and start descending like Wiggo in the wet. I may well have to be surgically removed from a wall/sign/hedge/fence at some point in the future, and it will be entirely my own fault, but I'd have enjoyed it, up until that point anyway.
Riding fast down roads you've never ridden before means skirting a fine line between excitement and terror. I absolutely loved the climb out of Hebden Bridge and the descent into Oxonhope, hitting 47mph despite a knackered headset that was juddering underheavy breaking. I had a grin as wide as the valley.
A short while earlier the same day I was scared witless cycling down Stocks Lane into Luddenden, really bumpy surface, steep, narrow in places with some very sharp hairpins that had me wondering 'oh crap am I going to make this?'. I'm not easily scared but that descent did it for me.
After 2 days in Yorkshire I came back to Essex for day 3, while dawdling along the flat very slowly my metal bottle cage totally snapped away from the securing bolts, falling into the road with the full bottle still attached, seemingly having been shaken to breaking point by the state of the UK roads. It made me worry a lot about if it had happened the day before on one of those descents and gone under my back wheel, it could have been very messy.
I can only conclude its best not to think about it, the minute those 'what if' thoughts enter your mind you cease to enjoy it and start descending like Wiggo in the wet. I may well have to be surgically removed from a wall/sign/hedge/fence at some point in the future, and it will be entirely my own fault, but I'd have enjoyed it, up until that point anyway.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
It takes practice. I'm happy to do over 50mph on the right hill, and have hit 60. It's probably not clever to try that sort of speed on a hybrid though. You need to be able to trust the bike and my best bike is exceptionally stable at speed, so you do come to trust the kit. Do not tense up, light grip on the bars.
w00hoo_kent
One of the 64K
- Location
- Maidstone or Greenwich
I had a corner on my commute, downhill left my favourite kind, that I could take at 40-ish if I set up for it right. Managed it at 45mph on the Sirrus and was perfectly happy with it. I know it's a hybrid that's supposed to have some race bike design done on it, but nonetheless it's always felt planted for me so far and with the 50/11 going it can do a decent speed. I've always been much more worried about the Synapse getting a head wobble, with the narrower bars it feels like it would be a lot harder to get back in line.
