How can I go faster

[firemansimon]

Hello

Just a general open question, "how can I go faster??".

I rode down a hill yesterday with my little legs doing 16 to the dozen in my top gear and got just shy of 37mph.

I know it sounds silly but I take it I need a steeper hill but my pedals were already at max.

Thanks
Simon

 

[pinkkaz]

skinnier tyres to decrease friction which slows you down

pump your tyres up

more aerodynamic position on the bike

decrease weight on your bike

school physics coming back to me!

 

[Joe24]

Stop peddling, and took down.
Shift your arse back, move your hands in closer and get your head down low, oh and keep your knees in.
Much more aero the trying to keep peddling.
However, on my fixed i do sit up, but thats because i find it hard to took down when my legs really are spinning, but on a freewheeled bike its took right down.
Oh, and the points above. Make sure your tyres are hard, more weight if your going down a hill, but that will slow you down up the hill.

 

[marinyork]

Some people are better at descending than others. Taking more speed into the hill makes a big difference.

 

[fossyant]

Putting your brain in the back pocket also helps.....

 

[jimboalee]

skinnier tyres to decrease friction which slows you down

pump your tyres up

more aerodynamic position on the bike

decrease weight on your bike

school physics coming back to me!

You're school physics is failing you.

Force = mass x acceleration. You can't change gravity, but you can change mass.

Its called "Fat boy's advantage".

On Tour de France mountain stages of years gone by, helpful assistants would hand the riders bottles of lead shot as they started a descent.
This was eventually stopped when TV coverage became commonplace.

 

[Landslide]

Some people are better at descending than others. Taking more speed into the hill makes a big difference.

Should read "have eaten far more pies, and the resultant extra mass is of more benefit to descending than any extra wind resistance due to an increase in frontal area".
My mate always gets his revenge on the uphills though...

 

[firemansimon]

All taken on board, I have Fulcrum 5's and Pro3 skinny tyres, I think I've made it as light as I can, right next time go in faster and free wheel, knees in head down more, check

Thanks again
Simon

 

[firemansimon]

Putting your brain in the back pocket also helps.....

That helps too!!

 

[Landslide]

...head down more...

...but not so far down that you can't see where you're going, natch.

 

[jimboalee]

Some people are better at descending than others. Taking more speed into the hill makes a big difference.

Yes, MarinYork's school physics is sound.

Greater initial velocity, greater terminal velocity.

 

[Joe24]

...but not so far down that you can't see where you're going, natch.

Theres a guy in the cycle club im in who does TT's. Hes very fast and takes it very seriously and does anything he can with his position to go faster and make him more aero.
Anyway, on a TT a few weeks ago he crashed into a caravan that had slowed down, but moved over so the person in the club could go past him.
Person doing TT hit the caravan with his shoulder and went into a ditch.
He was riding like he normaly does, looking down at his back wheel because it makes him more aero

 

[grhm]

No one else has mentioned it, but remove losse flapping clothes - probably best to replace with tight clothes i.e. lycra. I'm always amazed at how much hard it is to maintain a speed with a long sleeve falpping in the breeze than with a short sleeve that doesn't flap.

 

[pinkkaz]

You're school physics is failing you.

Force = mass x acceleration. You can't change gravity, but you can change mass.

Doh! You know what I meant - people always say weight when they mean mass... Anyway, he can decrease the weight, by decreasing the mass. And since g is the same all over the planet it's essentially the same thing.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Theres a guy in the cycle club im in who does TT's. Hes very fast and takes it very seriously and does anything he can with his position to go faster and make him more aero.
Anyway, on a TT a few weeks ago he crashed into a caravan that had slowed down, but moved over so the person in the club could go past him.
Person doing TT hit the caravan with his shoulder and went into a ditch.
He was riding like he normaly does, looking down at his back wheel because it makes him more aero

i thought that was against the rules?