Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

Loaded and Coasting - How Fast?

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

Loaded and Coasting - How Fast?

Old 10-11-19, 07:25 PM
  #1  
KC8QVO
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,173

Bikes: Surly Disk Trucker, 2014 w/Brooks Flyer Special saddle, Tubus racks - Duo front/Logo Evo rear, 2019 Dahon Mariner D8, Both bikes share Ortlieb Packer Plus series panniers, Garmin Edge 1000

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 405 Post(s)
Liked 115 Times in 99 Posts
Loaded and Coasting - How Fast?

Just out of curiosity - when you have been loaded down on a trip and had a down-hill coast for a bit - how fast have you been? At what point do you shave off some speed?

I don't like anything in the upper 20mph range or more on my touring bike, even though I have the gearing to handle that and more. I am not sure what the max speed is I've been (unfortunately I lost my log records I had for several years so I can't check) but I presume well in to the 30's+, if not around 40mph.

On my folding bike I don't do well north of 20mph - its just too much more twitchy than the bigger bike (20" on the folder vs 700c on the touring bike).

On either bike I find a comfortable "fast" pace of 18mph. Depending on road/trail conditions, load, weather, and my stamina at any given point my average pace is around 10-12mph on flat ground. Heavier and more miles and I've been known to drift off to 8-9mph, in fresh shape and smooth pavement and I'm 15mph or so.

I realize down hill is my opportunity to make up for lost time on the climbs and in the flats, but I just don't feel comfortable letting things loose on the down hills.
KC8QVO is offline  
Old 10-11-19, 07:47 PM
  #2  
jamawani 
Hooked on Touring
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 2,854
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 347 Post(s)
Liked 141 Times in 91 Posts
Nevada has airport runway downhill stretches in lots of places with very little traffic.
With my Trek 8000 Aluminum frame - I probably topped 45 mph loaded down.
It was rock solid, 26", used 1.95 tires - - so I was confident.

PS - At that speed you don't want anything flapping - - like laundry on the back.
jamawani is offline  
Likes For jamawani:
Old 10-11-19, 07:52 PM
  #3  
KC8QVO
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,173

Bikes: Surly Disk Trucker, 2014 w/Brooks Flyer Special saddle, Tubus racks - Duo front/Logo Evo rear, 2019 Dahon Mariner D8, Both bikes share Ortlieb Packer Plus series panniers, Garmin Edge 1000

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 405 Post(s)
Liked 115 Times in 99 Posts
Originally Posted by jamawani
Nevada has airport runway downhill stretches in lots of places with very little traffic.
With my Trek 8000 Aluminum frame - I probably topped 45 mph loaded down.
It was rock solid, 26", used 1.95 tires - - so I was confident.
Yea, that's cruizin' for sure.


Originally Posted by jamawani
PS - At that speed you don't want anything flapping - - like laundry on the back.
KC8QVO is offline  
Old 10-11-19, 08:01 PM
  #4  
boomhauer
Senior Member
 
boomhauer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 780
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 226 Post(s)
Liked 45 Times in 32 Posts
Coming down Highway 50 into Carson City, Nevada was the first and last time I'll ever approach 40 mph. My tires were hot by the time I got to the bottom. I realized then that my attempt to cross the country for the first time by bicycle might be brief if I had a blow out.
boomhauer is offline  
Old 10-11-19, 08:05 PM
  #5  
riceowls
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 130

Bikes: Trek FX 7.2, Diamondback Century 2, Trek T2000 tandem, K2 Enemy cyclocross, Bike Friday tandem

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 85 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Tandems are more stable at high speed and even unloaded can gain speed quite fast. On our 700c tandem, I start braking around 37-40 mph. On 20" bike Friday around 32+...
riceowls is offline  
Old 10-11-19, 08:31 PM
  #6  
geoffs
Full Member
 
geoffs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Sydney
Posts: 322

Bikes: Co-Motion Mocha Co-pilot, Habanero custom commuter, Seven Axiom SL, Seven Axiom SLX, Blom Track

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 79 Post(s)
Liked 12 Times in 10 Posts
57mph has been our top speed rolling down a hill on our tandem when we've been on tour with panniers on
geoffs is offline  
Likes For geoffs:
Old 10-11-19, 10:21 PM
  #7  
Doug64
Senior Member
 
Doug64's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,485
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1182 Post(s)
Liked 830 Times in 433 Posts
My wife has pulled away from me on down hills when my computer read 45 mph, which is where I usually grab a little brake. Her touring bike is rock solid when loaded, but she still scares me. She is fearless on downhills.

She is on her road bike in this photo. I don't think she ever gets close to the brakes on the downhill. Note the grin!

Last edited by Doug64; 10-12-19 at 10:31 AM.
Doug64 is offline  
Likes For Doug64:
Old 10-11-19, 10:32 PM
  #8  
Happy Feet
Senior Member
 
Happy Feet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Left Coast, Canada
Posts: 5,126
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2236 Post(s)
Liked 1,313 Times in 706 Posts
Loaded on my fat bike I hit 50kph, which sounds better than 30mph.

Unloaded my buddy clocked 72kph down from the Coquihalla summit. 1:16 of this video

Happy Feet is offline  
Old 10-11-19, 10:43 PM
  #9  
BikeWonder
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Calgary
Posts: 327
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 160 Post(s)
Liked 75 Times in 52 Posts
Originally Posted by Happy Feet
Loaded on my fat bike I hit 50kph, which sounds better than 30mph.

Unloaded my buddy clocked 72kph down from the Coquihalla summit. 1:16 of this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTG3cOseO3E
You just brought back a good memory for me from this summer. Boy was that descent something.
BikeWonder is offline  
Old 10-11-19, 11:12 PM
  #10  
ricrunner
Senior Member
 
ricrunner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: New England Australia
Posts: 165

Bikes: Malvern Star Oppy S1 Gravel

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 58 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times in 8 Posts
The fastest I have travelled down a hill loaded with out my dog, was 47mph. with the dog and trailer, I don't go over 25mph, but I was once chased down a long steep hill by a truck, because their was nowhere safe for me to get off, I was unloaded, no dog, no trailer, the speed was 87kph, maybe 53mph.
ricrunner is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 05:46 AM
  #11  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,062
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,299 Times in 7,231 Posts
49.5 heading into Ticonderoga, NY. Hit almost 43 a few years ago on the descent east into Ennis, MT.
indyfabz is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 06:11 AM
  #12  
Awl
Senior Member
 
Awl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: St Paul MN
Posts: 55

Bikes: Schwinn Collegiate, Schwinn LeTour

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
I've thusfar managed 35mph on a bike with shorter chainstays and it felt just fine loaded, the weight and 38mm tyres definitely help I think. No computer, but I take an educated guess as I bottomed out my gearing and I've been measured on radar at 35mph on lowest gear.
Awl is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 07:30 AM
  #13  
raybo
Bike touring webrarian
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 2,069

Bikes: I tour on a Waterford Adventurecycle. It is a fabulous touring bike.

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 120 Post(s)
Liked 91 Times in 50 Posts
On my "normal" diamond frame touring (Waterford) bike carrying 4 panniers and a tent on the rack, I was riding into Nevada from Carson Pass with a tail wind and hit 45 MPH without even knowing it as the wind noise was nil. I looked down, saw my odometer and immediately slowed down a bit.

On my Bike Friday folder, just a couple months ago, I was coasting down the Grossglockner Pass with its miles of downhill and many switchbacks. On one empty straightaway between turns, I went all out just to hit 40 MPH, if only for a moment, on the Bike Friday. I was carrying 2 rear panniers and a front bag on it.

When fully loaded, the Waterford is very stable and going 40 on it is not all that scary. The Bike Friday rarely feels stable and I would never go that fast on it again.
raybo is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 07:44 AM
  #14  
andrewclaus
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Golden, CO and Tucson, AZ
Posts: 2,822

Bikes: 2016 Fuji Tread, 1983 Trek 520

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 669 Post(s)
Liked 725 Times in 422 Posts
I often exceed 40 mph on descents. My personal maximum was when drafting behind an RV coming down Fremont Pass in CO, going 50+. I didn't quite have the nerve to pass.

Riding the California coast, a day biker passed me and my wife near the top of one of the headlands. We then blew by him on the descent. When he caught up again on the next hill, we described the ride as a runaway freight train.
andrewclaus is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 08:08 AM
  #15  
stardognine
Partially Sane.
 
stardognine's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Sunny Sacramento.
Posts: 3,562

Bikes: Soma Saga, pre-disc

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 972 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 643 Times in 468 Posts
I didn't have a speedometer/cycle computer to verify my actual speed, but I know I got going pretty quick a few times, on the old Cannondale. Especially coming down the mountain, from Golden Valley, AZ to Bullhead City, AZ, which I call 12-mile hill. 😁 That has a few areas where the grade levels out some, but never level like flat ground, it's all downhill. 😎

I've never even tried riding up, but I've seen a guy do it, on a road bike. He was way stronger than I am, like a pro athlete.
stardognine is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 08:27 AM
  #16  
Miele Man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 4,655

Bikes: iele Latina, Miele Suprema, Miele Uno LS, Miele Miele Beta, MMTB, Bianchi Model Unknown, Fiori Venezia, Fiori Napoli, VeloSport Adamas AX

Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1324 Post(s)
Liked 927 Times in 640 Posts
Originally Posted by Doug64
My wife has pulled away from me on down hills when my computer read 45 mph, which is where I usually grab a little brake. Her touring bike is rock solid when loaded, but she still scares me. She is fearless on downhills.

She is on her road bike in this photo. I don't think she ever gets close to the brakes on the downhill. Note the grin!
What photo? LOL

Cheers
Miele Man is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 09:35 AM
  #17  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,115

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
When I am going fast enough that I want to apply the brakes on a downhill, I am going fast enough that I do not want to take my eyes off the road to check to see what my speed is. But I would guess high 20s or low 30s mph when touring, when riding an unloaded bike maybe mid to high 30s.
Tourist in MSN is online now  
Old 10-12-19, 09:57 AM
  #18  
thumpism 
Bikes are okay, I guess.
 
thumpism's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Posts: 9,128

Bikes: Waterford Paramount Touring, Giant CFM-2, Raleigh Sports 3-speeds in M23 & L23, Schwinn Cimarron oddball build, Marin Palisades Trail dropbar conversion, Nishiki Cresta GT

Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2647 Post(s)
Liked 2,445 Times in 1,557 Posts
I don't generally use a cyclometer and have had some loaded touring bikes which shimmy on downhills so I don't try to go fast, but one memorable long descent into Freiburg, (still West at the time) Germany saw me repeatedly passing cars in the tight curves and being passed again on the short straights so probably 40 MPH. Fast enough for me.
thumpism is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 10:33 AM
  #19  
Doug64
Senior Member
 
Doug64's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,485
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1182 Post(s)
Liked 830 Times in 433 Posts
Originally Posted by Miele Man
What photo? LOL

Cheers
Sorry about that. I did not realize how big the file size was. I fixed it. Thanks
Doug64 is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 10:56 AM
  #20  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,115

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
Originally Posted by Doug64
Sorry about that. I did not realize how big the file size was. I fixed it. Thanks
And it looks like you were in front of her by a few feet when you took the photo. Going that fast, I do not take one hand off the bars to take photos.
Tourist in MSN is online now  
Old 10-12-19, 11:08 AM
  #21  
reynoldsarts
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 13
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Cosi

I’m presently in France touring and was in Chablis two weeks ago. Going west out of town I climbed a long hill on freshly paved (D965) with no traffic. Going down I saw a radar alert and it read 68 kph.
salsa marrakesh
reynoldsarts is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 01:18 PM
  #22  
phughes
Senior Member
 
phughes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 3,064
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1020 Post(s)
Liked 1,253 Times in 724 Posts
I have never worried about the speed. I have hit 45mph many times fully loaded with no issues. I did it every day while commuting a few years ago as well, both loaded and lightly loaded. It depends on your bike and how stable it is a speed. Mine is rock solid.
phughes is offline  
Old 10-12-19, 01:19 PM
  #23  
phughes
Senior Member
 
phughes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 3,064
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1020 Post(s)
Liked 1,253 Times in 724 Posts
Originally Posted by Doug64
My wife has pulled away from me on down hills when my computer read 45 mph, which is where I usually grab a little brake. Her touring bike is rock solid when loaded, but she still scares me. She is fearless on downhills.

She is on her road bike in this photo. I don't think she ever gets close to the brakes on the downhill. Note the grin!
Great panning shot.
phughes is offline  
Likes For phughes:
Old 10-12-19, 05:09 PM
  #24  
djb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Montreal Canada
Posts: 13,192
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2732 Post(s)
Liked 955 Times in 785 Posts
Originally Posted by Doug64
My wife has pulled away from me on down hills when my computer read 45 mph, which is where I usually grab a little brake. Her touring bike is rock solid when loaded, but she still scares me. She is fearless on downhills.

She is on her road bike in this photo. I don't think she ever gets close to the brakes on the downhill. Note the grin!
Doug, that is a fantastic shot, I really like it.
I'm a kindred spirit to your wife, so relate to the photo, especially the grin!
djb is offline  
Likes For djb:
Old 10-12-19, 09:37 PM
  #25  
Doug64
Senior Member
 
Doug64's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,485
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1182 Post(s)
Liked 830 Times in 433 Posts
Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
And it looks like you were in front of her by a few feet when you took the photo. Going that fast, I do not take one hand off the bars to take photos.
I was standing on the opposite side of the road. It is a "panned shot". I wouldn't try to take a picture going downhill while on my bike. I have too much scar tissue already.

Originally Posted by djb
Doug, that is a fantastic shot, I really like it.
I'm a kindred spirit to your wife, so relate to the photo, especially the grin!
Yeah, she is a little crazy. Actually, she is just a good rider. We were riding along in some pretty bad conditions. She was riding behind me, and saw that I forgot to turn my tail light on. She said, "hold steady and I'll get it for you." I couldn't see her, but she came up behind me and turned it on while we maintained 12-14 mph

Last edited by Doug64; 10-13-19 at 01:36 PM.
Doug64 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.