New record speed

[HLaB]

I can usually get up to a good speed 35mph + and with a bit of effort 40mph+, although the fastest I've been is 47.6mph; my excuse is I'm not built for descending but to be truthful, I'm a descending wuss add a bend or some other technicality, I'm reaching for the brakes.

 

[Matthew_T]

I have got a hill near me which I have reached 42.5 on. The steepest part of it is at the top, but there are a few sharp corners up there. The road then widens out and has some long curves.
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Rhuallt-hill

 

[Nebulous]

Although I don't have mapping, I kind of agree with Zacklaws that there can be a value in acquiring information. If my eyesight was as it used to be I would probably have gone for a quick glance.

I know the hill reasonably well though, having driven over it quite a few times, though this was only my second time on a bike.

Here's the hill, although you don't really get an idea of the slope. That's about where I hit my fastest, just before braking down for that corner.

Suie hill

 

[zacklaws]

But a rally driver as you rightly state has a co-driver so he never needs to take his eyes off the road, it's so he doesn't have to sit there with a map in his lap, there'd be many more hedges with holes in if he did. Unless you're on a tandem that analogy doesn't really work.

Do they really give give out information on potholes? I've never looked at them to be honest but that's incredibly impressive if they have that much level of detail.

So how does a driver in a vehicle, check his speed? check his mirrors? check his sat nav? to do so must entail at some point taking your eyes off the road ahead momentarily hopefully when its safe and that is the same as on a bike, quick check ahead to see if its safe followed by a quick glance at the computer, job done

Information on hazards needs to be inputted manually if you can be bothered

 

[zacklaws]

Today, I hit 49 mph according to GTC, but in Sportstracks only 39 mph ? I know at the time I was doing 48 mph at one point and I only let my bike open up halfway down the hill as my eyes where watering to much at the top so I held back a bit..

I'm doing the same hill on Saturday on club ride, so I'll see what the bike will do.

 

[jonbrackenridge]

I did a "fun ride" for charity a few weeks back now and managed to set my fastest speed on the route, sit in the group then accelerated hard 1/3 into a downhill, checked the recording and had max'd out at 61.8mph. Incredible feeling as i had my face in the stem pretty much lol :-)

 

[Hip Priest]

I did a "fun ride" for charity a few weeks back now and managed to set my fastest speed on the route, sit in the group then accelerated hard 1/3 into a downhill, checked the recording and had max'd out at 61.8mph. Incredible feeling as i had my face in the stem pretty much lol :-)

Jon, I'm not being funny mate, but with this and the other thread, I'd say you've either got your computer set up wrong or you need to get on the blower to Dave Brailsford.

 

[gb155]

I did a "fun ride" for charity a few weeks back now and managed to set my fastest speed on the route, sit in the group then accelerated hard 1/3 into a downhill, checked the recording and had max'd out at 61.8mph. Incredible feeling as i had my face in the stem pretty much lol :-)

I'm yet to pass 50 mph on a downhill sprint - 49.9mph I'd my best :-(

You lucky bugger Would like to hear some tips at how I can break that 50mph Mark while only giving ig legs for 1/3 too if you don't mind - I'd love to cross it off my to do list before this winter

 

[Thomk]

I did a "fun ride" for charity a few weeks back now and managed to set my fastest speed on the route, sit in the group then accelerated hard 1/3 into a downhill, checked the recording and had max'd out at 61.8mph. Incredible feeling as i had my face in the stem pretty much lol :-)

Thats astonishing improvement from your best speed earlier this year!

"I hit 46.9mph on "Burley Hill" in Rutland, not a big hill but long and windy. Hoping to break 50mph in coming week or so"

 

[HLaB]

Today, I hit 49 mph according to GTC, but in Sportstracks only 39 mph ? I know at the time I was doing 48 mph at one point and I only let my bike open up halfway down the hill as my eyes where watering to much at the top so I held back a bit..

I'm doing the same hill on Saturday on club ride, so I'll see what the bike will do.

TC gives me some funny readings, it reports erroneous top speeds from time to time (Its had me at 288.88mph, etc) and short rides where I've averaged 17.8mph total for 18 miles yet the first 10miles was at 17.8mph and the second 8 mile lap at 4.3mph. Garmin Connect seems to sort out these bugs, try uploading it there.

 

[jonbrackenridge]

Thats astonishing improvement from your best speed earlier this year!

"I hit 46.9mph on "Burley Hill" in Rutland, not a big hill but long and windy. Hoping to break 50mph in coming week or so"

Dont know how well you know the area mate but on the other side of Rutland water there is a couple of big hills Mainly Manton Hill and Uppingham Hill if you use google maps search for - Manton, Oakham, Leicestershire LE15, UK and when your looking at Manton on the map look for where it meets the A6003 thats the top point of the hill either way going left or right, giving it legs for the first part of the hill then just tuck small its very easy to get high speeds out of it.

I used the road (A6003) going from Manton to Oakham on the map.

 

[jonbrackenridge]

Jon, I'm not being funny mate, but with this and the other thread, I'd say you've either got your computer set up wrong or you need to get on the blower to Dave Brailsford.

I dont rely on just one computer, i use 2 comps a sat nav and my iphone app.

 

[zexel]

When in unfamiliar territory and your going like the clappers from hell and all of a sudden a bend appears in front of you then you've got problems if you've failed to follow the map, by a quick glance down at the Garmin map display I can see what is coming up fast upon me. Likewise I can see by a downloaded profile if I am at the top of a hill or is it just a false brow. Its simple, same as I use my car GPS, I can see what's coming up ahead and out of sight. Its technology to be used for such purposes. Do rally drivers, co-drivers not give out info of what is coming up in a rally, or does he just sit there like a dummy whilst the driver just drives with no situational awarness of what is coming up ahead.

If it was a case of just looking ahead and never failing to make a bend because you will always see it, explain why we see so many holes in hedges and fences etc where others have made the same mistake

And as for telling me about potholes etc coming up, yes, I can input that information of known hazards on my route, like I do with the start of climbs and feed stations etc if I am that concerned and I will get a warning when I approach it.

Why do you think the Garmin "Edge" is called so, I'll give you a clue the answers in the name. And when your out racing and fast group rides, any "Edge" you can get, helps.

I think I agree with what you're saying apart from the comparison with motor vehicles.

In a car for example you could look 500m down the road and know that any possible potholes (that have appeared since you were last there) are not going to make you crash as opposed to on a bike where if one was going 50mph an unseen pothole could to mess you and your bike up.

As for "... I can see what's coming up ahead and out of sight..." come on! Surely an oxymoron. I'm not sure but I don't think Garmin can tell you about that cow standing in the road round the corner .

Just my opinion, at those sort of speeds on a bike one can't afford glances at anything other than the road. I'm just trying to be helpful by mentioning these hard lessons learnt. Of course some people will always want to learn the hard way (not meant at you zacklaws)

 

[zacklaws]

TC gives me some funny readings, it reports erroneous top speeds from time to time (Its had me at 288.88mph, etc) and short rides where I've averaged 17.8mph total for 18 miles yet the first 10miles was at 17.8mph and the second 8 mile lap at 4.3mph. Garmin Connect seems to sort out these bugs, try uploading it there.

GTC may have faults but it is giving the correct speed along with WKO, Golden Cheetah 2 and Golden Cheetah 3 which I also use and is also confirmed on my VDO computer as my max speed.

It is Sportstracks which is wrong and it is down to the "smoothing" it uses, by just adjusting a slider, I can increase or decrease my max speed, but there is no position on the slider to get it perfect, ie I was doing 68mph with the smoothing removed or only 38mph with the slider on the next notch. It is a well known bug in sportstracks which I had forgoten about till yesterday and is well documented and it affects all readings, its a case of finding the best settings.

 

[Fnaar]

I equalled my fastest ever of 43.5mph last Sat. Same stretch of road, too (a long straight traffic free downhill in the middle of nowhere.) The first time I did it was on an mtb with one loaded pannier, this time was on my roadie.