Terminal Velocity

[Rickshaw Phil]

Even I have got into the low 40's mph (41.7mph or 67.1kph to be exact) and there are plenty of hills locally down which I'd have no trouble exceeding 30mph so your cycling buddy has definitely got something mixed up somewhere.

 

[MrJamie]

Being heavy makes downhills speedy, but makes it feel really unsafe as braking distances get huge so theres not many places i go over 30mph downhill. Fastest ive been is about 43mph which felt horribly scarey

 

[User269]

In the right conditions I regularly hit 50-55mph descending the hill back to my house. It's 18%, and just under a mile long. In the Alps I rarely get above 45mph or so, as the gradient is rarely more than 11% or so even though the descent is long. It's all about the gradient, combined with a good line of sight and no serious bends!

 

[DCLane]

Down off Holme Moss I've hit 55 a couple of times, otherwise it's 45-50.

Beyond that I get scared.

 

[cyberknight]

Once hit 46 mph on the local bendy hills, not sure if i have the swollocks to try it regulary, middle age and kids has tempered my speed.Never been on a long straightish drag downhill as all mine tend to have hairpins , locked the back wheel up twice the other week and nearly hit the kerb the other week round cannock chase .

 

[Gary E]

Britwell Hill in Oxfordshire is very long, very straight and very steep - I pedal like the bejesus until I can't keep up and then tuck in. I've done it 20 odd times now and my speeds are all within quite a small range of 49.5 - 55.5 mph (measured on both my Cateye bike computer and Garmin Edge).

I'm guessing that the slight variations are down to wind direction and other such variables on the day. No matter what I do or how fast I pedal I cannot break 55.5 mph. One of my objectives, if I can't go faster there is to find a steeper hill where I can hit 60 .

It's scary as hell but also one hell of a rush. The Edge measures heart rate and mine is almost as high going down that hill as it is going up!

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

i can do 45mph down bacup rd on my brompton!!

 

[Hawk]

I hit 46mph going down a hill in the dark. I thought I was on the flat and doing maybe 25 at most (it was after a long hill climb). All good til an oncoming van blinded me as I crossed some potholes...

 

[Bodhbh]

I tend to cap out around 35mph on long continental decents on my tourer, but then I'm spinning out with the MTB gears. That is also with stuff flapping and panniers to windbreak. On a road bike I would think it's a different kettle of fish.

Hit the mid-40s coming down Gospel Pass, but that was just f***ing hairy with loose gravel on the road and eyes watering.

 

[TheDoctor]

Sitting bolt upright as the OP describes, my top speed tends to stabilise at 30 mph or so, as I hit a brick wall of aerodynamics.
Down in a tuck it's another story. I'm sure I've hit well over 50 mph before.

 

[ianrauk]

Did a test this morning. From a standing start at the top of Speedgate Hill at Brands Hatch. Reached a speed of 66km/h before I had to put the brakes on for the junction at the bottom.

 

[fuji-stu]

Did 37 off road tonight on me mountain bike

 

[Kiwiavenger]

Fastest for me so far is 45 mph, I regularly near enough hit 40 on my commute before I hit a tight right-left banked chicane! However that has dropped to 20 mph last week fully tucked im with a monster headwind!!!


Sent from my LT15i using Tapatalk 2

 

[buddha]

Going downhill, it seems that I do not have to pedal to keep a reasonable pace. Whereas others have to keep pedalling to keep up

 

[montage]

I'm not sure where I recall this fact from, or how true it is, but I heard that should you crash at 60mph, then you burn through an inch of flesh a second.


.....thought I'd chip in to calm some nerves