Tackling down hill surprises

[Hacienda71]

Pick your line early. When going straight if you see a pothole or similar obstacle you aren't going to avoid bunny hop. If you have never ridden the hill before be more cautious than usual, riding round a bend and finding the corner tightens and is gravel strewn is not fun and can potentially be life threatening it is not worth the risk. I am a reasonable descender and there are some hills near me where I won't try to go fast as I know the road surface is poor.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

If you don't know the hill watch for the vanishing point on the corners (the point where the road comes together) if it is moving away from you then the corner is opening up, if it is moving towards you then it is tightening, the quicker this is happening. The more severe it is. Give yourself some room with respect to other vehicles and ride out so you can use the road, if you're going quick enough to worry about the hill you're going plenty fast enough to be given space by cars coming up behind you. It's much easier to go fast on a hill you know, but don't lose respect for it and push things too hard, having said that modern bikes and tyres are very forgiving.

 

[coffeejo]

For me, the most important thing is to expect the unexpected. Never assume you've got the road to yourself or that the surface is smooth, even if it was last time and the time before. The trick, I think, is balancing this with confidence.

 

[ColinJ]

For me, the most important thing is to expect the unexpected. Never assume you've got the road to yourself or that the surface is smooth, even if it was last time and the time before. The trick, I think, is balancing this with confidence.

By not slowing down for a downhill blind bend once, I nearly ended up with my head inserted in a horse's anus, and it tried to kick me to death for scaring it!

 

[coffeejo]

By not slowing down for a downhill blind bend once, I nearly ended up with my head inserted in a horse's anus, and it tried to kick me to death for scaring it!

Can't say I blame it!

 

[ColinJ]

Can't say I blame it!

I admit that the telling off from its rider was justified, and I thought that the horse made its feelings clear too!

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Hello,

My first Question here. I have been riding a few months now on my road bike, but I have problems relaxing and enjoying downhill cycling. The problem is road surfaces e.g. pot holes, ruts, general rough surfaces and trying to spot them before I cycle over them. Even the small rough patch feels so dramatic on a road bike.
I see other cyclists riding downhill at reasonable speed without any concern about been thrown off.
I'm not wanting to achieve Tour De France speeds but I seem to be Braking heavily every time I approach hills in fear of smashing my front wheel in, followed by my face

Whilst there is some good advice above I would also add that different people make different assessments to risk.

Go down the hill as fast as you are happy with and if someone goes down faster than you then, well........the sun will still come up in the morning.

 

[Sauce pot]

I have the same fear.
I've only just started cycling and going downhill puts instant fear into every part of my body. In my first Sportive last weekend I thought I'd I'd broken the land speed world record.....I went downhill at 27 mph. Ok not fast to some but all I kept thinking about was - what will break first me or the bike when I come of? Will I live to tell the tale if I come off?
I just cannot get past the fear of going down hills fast and yet on the flat I can reach quite fast pace, more than I do going down hills.

How do we all get past that fear?

 

[w00hoo_kent]

A huge amount of it is mental and it's either faith in your ability and kit, or lack of understanding about how close the edge is. When I used to race Motocross, you'd notice that even some of the good guys were sketchy on hills (for low values of good guys, I never did very well) and being able to let the bike go and speed the downhills was a specific skill that got you quicker lap times.

On my Chatham commute, right at the beginning I did a major road down the North Downs heading home and would always see how fast I could go, specifically coming off the hill my 'challenge' was how fast could I take the long sweeping cambered downhill left hander (it just seemed like the best marker, plus diving in to the bend sped you up that little bit more.) I believe I managed 45mph and was looking to go faster. But that was fine for me. I trusted the bike and the tyres to be better than me. They always are.

I've mentioned up thread, you can read the corners and it's easier to do hills you know. Modern technology is a wonderful thing, your bike is almost definitely more capable than you are. Don't do anything to upset it, keep it in good condition and enjoy the free speed. Remember, what goes down, must go up.

 

[lee1980sim]

I'm another that's not keen on descents, flat and climbs no problems downhill it's braking time, I have to agree though it's mental and comes with confidence, got my fastest decent yesterday 38mph

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

For me it's a case of looking and planning well ahead. There's no requirement to be certain distances from the kerb so where road is available use it. If you're downhilling round bends you don't want Wayne in his Corsa passing an inch away anyway.
My fastest drop was 49mph. Then I realised how crap my Carlton's 1980s brakes can be.

 

[Kestevan]

Relax and move with the bike. The bike will handle pretty much anything without problem. Small bumps may shake the bike but shouldn't have you off unless you have a death grip on the bars and a very stiff riding position.

As an aside, I've found that riding a mountain bike offroad gives you a much better idea of what extreme levels of stupid a bike will actually tolerate - and helps to promote a relaxed and responsive riding style ( and you get to practice falling off at comparatively low speed, with no traffic).

The only things you need to watch out for are hugely deep potholes and loose gravel on bends. In both cases you should be able to see the danger well in advance, and slow down enough to negate it - Personally I'd never take a blind bend at a speed I wasn't capable of shedding in hurry..... as per @ColinJ upthread you never know what hazard is waiting, and I don't fancy becoming a horse enema

 

[Jody]

Pick your line early. When going straight if you see a pothole or similar obstacle you aren't going to avoid bunny hop. .

I was going to suggest a bunny hop but didn't know if a road bike would take it? Must be pretty easy with the weight and being clipped in.

 

[Sittingduck]

Confidence is key. Always be a bit cautious though, if you have not riddeen that particular descent before. Especially with bendy stuff. If you want more speed and (imho) better control and powerful braking I would suggest you practice using the drops - a lot.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Agreed on descending on the drops. Bunny hops, have you not see the occasional pros clearing cattle grids as the peloton goes across them, I believe it's a Sagan speciality.