tinrobot

If it gets above 40, my knuckles still turn white.

zac

There are a couple of ski racers here, but crashing going 73mph (through the timing trap) on the Haynes (Jay Peak) is no fun. When you are airborne long enough to actually have time to think how much it's going to hurt (and what parts are going to break) when you finally touch down again, then you are going too fast

That said, going 45mph on a bike with smooth roads is a piece of cake.

zac

Talewinds

I'm surprised why this is of any interest to anyone, at all. How fast you went under your own power for X amount of time on level ground, or up a hill or mountains, that's cool. Descending has no value to me. I've seen 40-50 something certainly, but never for a moment thought it would be worthwhile to submit it to memory. That being said, I did still just take the time and effort to post this.... Tool.

umd

I dunno, I do a lot of descending. Being comfortable doing it has a lot of value to me. This thread was a result of the thread about the woman that was uncomfortable on a descent of 75kmh. It sparked the question of how fast people are comfortable going, vs. being freaked out.

Beaker

You're kidding right? I can see what you mean in terms of "my number is bigger than your number" but in terms of the descent itself, you're missing out on a lot if you haven't really got into the challenge of trying to nail a really good descent. There's something deeply satisfying at taking a corner just so, finding your line, getting your lean just right etc.

Avalanche325

I regularly hit 42 - 43 MPH. I have been over 50 a couple times which starts to get a little scarey.

waterrockets 

Yeah, saying "50mph" would have been faster

zac

I agree about the recalling how fast, I don't think I have committed it to memory either, and I know I have been north of 50 at least a few times (but it's not fun going that fast). But it is interesting to know what your body is comfortable with, as was the OP's point. I posted about skiing as that is the fastest I have gone on my own (certainly gravity assisted). Most people have absolutely no idea how fast WC downhill racers go and what it feels like. High 80s to low 90s on parts of some courses. Hell even the top finishers at Jay are in the low 80s (and those are amateur skiers). I'll tell you, it is otherworldly to experience those speeds, even in the 60s is very uncomfortable. It amuses me he hear how fast people think they go when they free ski (most would be surprised to learn that tops for most experienced skiers (not racing) is about 35-45mph, even though they feel they are in the 50s and 60s). Same with biking. Now 80mph in a car doesn't seem so scary on the freeway, however on a bicycle 50 can be downright frightening. The sensation of being so close to the ground, or having that undampered connection with the ground and feeling the push of the wind is what makes it so real.

Maybe lacking the survival instinct also helps to go downhill faster too!

On a side note, I loved the commercials on Versus during this years TDF about what it feels like to crash on a bike. Strip down to your underwear and jump out of a car going 50 on the highway. Those guys really are nuts.

zac

Psimet2001 

This is about comfort....not ability or conditions.

Hickeydog

I hit 50 once in my life and I loved it. The wind was roaring past me, my chin was riding about an inch off the stem, I was flying past other riders, and all I could think was "I WANNA GO BACK TO PHILMONT!!!"

powstash

I like this description. I've notched 55mph earlier this summer and topped 50 a few times. Thoughts of squished me on the road had me sitting up to slow it down to 40ish.

banerjek

You shouldn't worry about being squished unless a semi was following you. More likely, you'd just be bloodied and broken to pieces.

Wested

I like to keep it to a modest 50mph on flats, but I'll crank it up on the downhills.

By the way, I'm going to have to wave the BS flag on some people's answers here.....

SKYLAB

"There's something deeply satisfying at taking a corner just so, finding your line, getting your lean just right etc. "
Hallelujah brother. Its what keeps me coming back to the descents., I've actually progressed much more quickly as a climber than a descender.
And PLEASE!! PLEASE !!! no more stories about losing your teeth or turning into Two Face from a crash. those images don't help me descend. As far as that goes I doubt that 40 hurts any more than 50. I crashed at 30 ealier this year and it was bad enough.
Its like the CF exploding posts....most of us are riding some CF on our bikes....some more than others...and you have to trust your gear to ride it ....uhh....valiantly?? with vigor?Whatever......

Wested

Like they say how there are no atheists in foxholes... well there aren't any on 50mph descents.

SKYLAB

well there aren't any on 50mph descents.
you made me laugh here.....i could do so much better descending, I believe, if i could shut off the brain. I don't know if i have to believe in god as miuch as i do in myse3f however. But then again, aren't we all god?

banerjek

Descending is definitely a "live in the moment" type of experience. The trick to relaxing is to not think about anything that's not happening to you at that instant. Just relax (but be alert), follow the road, and enjoy the rush.

SKYLAB

Descending is definitely a "live in the moment" type of experience. The trick to relaxing is to not think about anything that's not happening to you at that instant. Just relax (but be alert), follow the road, and enjoy the rush.
Banner - no doubt dude. But....all these stories...I think about them....when I'm pushing 50......maybe I need to start doing weed (ingested not smoked) before I ride.......I mean...REALLY!! ...BF has started to negatively affect my riding. That's not right!

Wested

One day I will on being the exception to the rule. Foxholes are a different story.

SKYLAB

ohhh and water rockets....
sick sick sick.....god bless you....and your descendants....but....sick sick sick......can i take out an insurance policy on you? wih myself as beneficiary

Richard_Rides

I can tolerate 40 downhill, but at 41 I start fixating on all the things that can go wrong and how awful it would be to fall off the bike at that speed. Falling off a bike at 13 mph is an unpleasant experience, 40+ would be fairly noteworthy.

grafsk8er

i've hit 55.5 downhill. can't say that i was scared, cause i was...but only after when i got to the bottom did it occur to me "what if i fell?" but mid 40's i feel perfectly fine. no problems

ehidle

Yeah, but the closer you get to that speed, the more massive your bike gets. Wouldn't that be against the gram-counting code of conduct? Willfully increasing the mass of your bike?

urbanknight

I had actually figured that there might be an advantage to that, allowing you enough time to assume a better position. Not that you would come out unscathed, but it might reduce the injuries if you were able to decide if you needed to tuck or throw some part of your body first or something. Or is it still only enough time to think "oh $hit" but not enough time to react?

Iamkar33m

Our conscious (awake) mind can process anywhere from 18-30 thoughts per second... which is more than enough to contemplate the consequences of a fall during sustained "hang-time". However the ability for our physical body to react to those thoughts is not fast enough to assume a "damage mitigating" position.