Why I dont go more than 25 mph, even downhill.

[Dave7]

As we get older several unwanted things happen. Among these are
a) relexes slow down.
b) you dont bounce as well as you used to
This has really been brought home by that accident to Ben Swift of team Sky fame.
Out training he hit a loose stone!! Ruptured spleen and in intensive care.
I am now 72 and just feel very uneasy when I get to my magic figure of 25.
I dont advocate that for others, its just how I feel.

 

[Drago]

Ha! I tweak the nose of fear, and laugh in the face of death.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I'm not as old as the OP and I know I don't bounce well either, and have no desire to tear about at motor vehicle speeds whilst riding a push bike. The fastest speed I've achieved on a level road was 22 mph on a flat bar Raleigh hybrid , and that was only for a short distance and there was no way I was going to be keeping up that pace for any amount of time.
When I read on here about 50 mph descents on public roads open to other traffic, animals, pedestrians etc I can only assume the poster is completely nuts.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Ha! I tweak the nose of fear, and laugh in the face of death.

Is that because you nicked his bike?

 

[classic33]

Ha! I tweak the nose of fear, and laugh in the face of death.

You willing to set the speed cameras off in a 50mph zone?

 

[rugby bloke]

You've got 20 years on me but I agree. Just like when I'm skiing, whenever I'm going fast my primary thought is "This is going to bloody hurt if I pile it".

Respect to those who have the necessary surplus of bravado for a 50 mph descent though !

 

[Ian H]

When I read on here about 50 mph descents on public roads open to other traffic, animals, pedestrians etc I can only assume the poster is completely nuts.

I've never managed more than 58mph. I prefer good sightlines at speed. 50+ years of cycling of all kinds and still alive.

 

[derrick]

As we get older several unwanted things happen. Among these are
a) relexes slow down.
b) you dont bounce as well as you used to
This has really been brought home by that accident to Ben Swift of team Sky fame.
Out training he hit a loose stone!! Ruptured spleen and in intensive care.
I am now 72 and just feel very uneasy when I get to my magic figure of 25.
I dont advocate that for others, its just how I feel.

1. When your time is up thats it. It could be 2mph or 50mph. Live your life. I have always loved speed. Now 67 have no plans to slow down.
2. 
   View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdC3Llo2TCE&feature=youtu.be
   
   
3. We hit 40+mph on that day.

 

[Threevok]

You don't have to go at breakneck speeds - to live dangerously

Just ride a Raleigh Chopper above 12mph

 

[Vantage]

I once hit a smidgin over 50. Yes, I was nuts.
I no longer have the brass monkeys to push the boundaries of how much wind resistance I can overcome.
If the bike coasts to 40, thats OK.
If it coasts to 15, that's ok.
But it'll get there under the weight of gravity, nothing more.

 

[raleighnut]

I've kept up with traffic on the Ashbourne to Derby road whilst pulling a trailer, no speedo but I reckon 45mph+ (downhill with a tailwind)

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Speed in itself isn't what's dangerous. It's perfectly safe to go bombing along at warp speed as long as there are no nasty surprises awaiting you on the road surface, and no people, animals or other vehicles that can suddenly appear from nowhere in your path. Unfortunately, public roads have all those hazards - unlike a closed racing circuit. Yet a lot of cyclists use the roads as though they were on a race track - and are the first to complain about cars being driven in a similar manner! Having good visibility & some common sense goes a long way to staying in one piece, but ultimately if you hit something at 50 mph the results are going to be much more severe than if you are doing 20 - and if you are going slower you have more time to react and stop so a crash is less likely in the first place.
I remember reading somewhere, possibly on here, that in the Netherlands non-helmeted cyclists were rarely hospitalised, whereas a far greater proportion of helmeted ones were. I can only assume the helmeted ones were mainly mad roadies going flat out and the non-helmeted ones were just pootling around at much lower speeds. I'm totally pro-choice as regards helmets, so I have no axe to grind either way, and I don't wear one myself.

 

[NorthernDave]

I've not quite broken the magical 50mph barrier yet, although I've been very close a couple of times.

That may be because of my masterful bike handling skills, my hydraulic disc brakes or that I've simply yet to have a big off?

That said, I've had several low speed offs and a couple of them were quite hurty, so who knows?

 

[Drago]

I managed 670 knots before transonic buffeting caused a compression instability and I fell off.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I managed 670 knots before transonic buffeting caused a compression instability and I fell off.

I don't think stowing away in the landing gear of an aircraft is quite the same as cycling!