vikz

hello folks! I finally broke the 40 mph speed on my decent today!!I know its probably nothing for most of you but i'm very happy that I finally did it!! before this my top speed was 38.5MPH on a different decent and I told myself I will try and go for 40mph next time..But on the downside I did not make it to the summit of my climb!.
I have done it before and here is the screen shot from strava, i did it 13 days ago.




and today i only reach this point and I just can't go any higher..i was just tired and decided to just enjoy the decent..

..

here is the screen shot of my max speed, no tail wind, it was very nice day to climb i thought but just my legs was not there today..tomorrow I'll try again..i'm hungry now..

Seattle Forrest

How's the scenery on Badger?

I did a ride from L'worth to Confluence SP once, and turned around. Was thinking about heading back that way and riding Entiat River Road.

Oh, to answer your question, somewhere around 45 mph. I start getting a little nervous around 35.

jdfriesen

Max speed on a descent for me so far is 70.2km/h (43.6mph). That's about as fast as I'm comfortable with at this point, and in general, I'm happier to stay in the 60-65km/h range.

vikz

its pretty nice once you passed all the houses, and man the view up the top is just awesome..

b1ker

unfortunately, I didnt have my Garmin last year - I did a charity ride in New Mexico - hit 58mph coming from a plateau...SCARY!

THSdrummer

39.x MPH

It was on about the biggest descent I have here with a long straight run out after. I think I have one which is steeper, but it might be a tad shorter. I know for a fact the steeper one has very bad pavement though. I don't want to attempt anything crazy on bad pavement or on twisty descents.

I was mashing pretty hard to try to get up to speed. I was hurting by the 50x16. I spun down the hill in my neighborhood in the same gears feeling much more fresh - next time I won't throw the chain into the smallest cog and go. I'll reattempt and shoot for 40+.

bianchi10

53.9 mph (And that is with a 52/36X12-28 gearing)

MikeyBoyAz

I would postulate my top descending speed is somewhere around 533 mph (wind speed) while flying (as a passenger) in a 767-300ER, Technically we went up and down many times while flying to Frankfurt.

My fastest bicycling descent speed is 49.5mph; though much less, I did not have the twin engines or the protection of the fuselage.

vikz

Holy smokes!!

Ricanfred

51.7mph @ Barlow Rd. in Cross Plains, WI

gc3

I'm a big fat wuss...44.6 mph down Apple Pie Ridge rd in NE Georgia...bouncing all over the place and sitting up straight while trying to keep my speed down...

simnorm

2 weeks ago I hit 83.5km/h (51.8mph)

dralways

47, took me what seemed like forever to break 40.

chris675D

^^^ It said max speed, not current speed.....

chris675D

mines 47mph so far.

Sixty Fiver

When I was young and dumb and full of ice cream I hit 90kmh on a descent... which is roughly 56mph.

The grade was steep enough to rate runaway lanes for trucks and I was pacing cars on the way down which really freaked out the drivers.

Around here the grades are not quite as steep and you might hit 75-80 before you have to brake for a corner or an intersection... one street is steep enough and long enough that I think you could break 50 pretty easily but it is a one way going up.

The switch in my brain that says "you are going to die" works much better now.

Samfujiabq

Wow!what a coincidence,just today I hit 38.5 mph,I was pretty proud of that.After looking at all of your speeds I think I need to set new goals.Your speeds are awesome,I can't imagine 53 mph,38 was pretty scary for me,lol

caloso

54mph down the Brockway Grade from Kings Beach to Northstar. I really wanted the speed limit, but it just wouldn't happen.

generalkdi

92.8 km/h or 57.7 mph.

I'm aiming at 100kmh this year, there a hill not so far that I could do, but I need to get up there first...

Sixty Fiver

You probably need a heavier bike like an old Schwinn Varsity with some heavy bulletproof tyres...

In my case riding at vehicular speeds on a vintage 21 pound racing bike (that was new then) with wheels that were 700:20 was not one of the brightest things I have ever done... if anything goes wrong you are probably not going to walk away from that and that little something could be nothing more than a chip of glass with your name on it.

chaadster

Somewhere outside Bloomington, IN:

contango 

I went into the high 60s (kph) down a 14% gradient. It worked out something like 42mph.

The second time I rode down the hill I was stuck behind some idiot who overtook me only to swing in front of me and then go down the hill with his brakes on. So I was doing about 60kph and stuck behind a jerk in a BMW.

ETA: Some hills near where I live are quite steep and sustained but are also narrow and winding with hazards like gravel patches and potholes. If they were straighter I'd probably get to similar speeds more often but don't fancy taking a tight corner only to hit gravel or find someone coming up the hill. The closest I ever came to a fast meeting with the road was when I misjudged a turn, dodged some gravel only to go off the edge of the road, and got back onto the road only to hit another patch of gravel. I still don't quite know how I stayed upright through that.

rearviewbeer

I hit 45 a month ago, scared the $%&^ out of me, did not help that the road was a little rough though. Felt the speed wabbles coming and had to slow down. I respect those of you that hit over 50, not something my old body ever wants to experience.

calamarichris

58mph. Been trying to crack 60 for the last 5 years, but there always seems to be a headwind that day.

chaadster

Your comment reminds me that having the right equipment-- quality equipment, equipment that you trust-- is crucial when the speeds start getting up there. Having the right frame, the right geometry, the right tires, and the right brakes make all the difference, and can turn a terrifying experience into the proverbial walk-in-the-park.

I was recently descending from the town of Montescaglioso in southern Italy on a rented bike, one that, on the ride out and up, clearly wasn't in the best nick, by which I mean the shifting wasn't crisp, nor the braking confidence inspiring. Anyway, on the way back down, even though I knew the road from the ride up and felt like I was flying back down to the point of fear, when I got back to the B&B and checked Strava, it returned a pitiful 31.5mph max! And this from an out and back ride of 23 miles that returned more than 2,500ft of gain!

Sheesh, I clock high 30mph around the little rolling hills of Ann Arbor regularly, so the low max from that trip surprised me...until I realized that it was the crummy bike. I didn't trust the tires to grip, the brakes to brake, or even that any of the bolts were sufficiently tightened to prevent a tragedy, so I was afraid and cautious.