What's the fastest you've gone on your bike?
03-14-23, 05:22 PM
#51
Senior Member
RCMoeur,
Weird how I can totally picture that....ROTF
It's a darn good thing I don't still live out in Scottsdale. If we went out on a ride together, whoooboy, we'd both be doing things we ought not do.
the front tire let go, looping a few extra revs before halfheartedly trying to jam between the fork and rim. But by that time I was in full Flintstones deceleration mode, which neither my Detto shoes & metal cleats or ADOT's chip seal really appreciated.
It's a darn good thing I don't still live out in Scottsdale. If we went out on a ride together, whoooboy, we'd both be doing things we ought not do.
Likes For drlogik:
03-14-23, 05:37 PM
#52
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Northern CA
Posts: 743
Bikes: Cannondale tandems: '92 Road, '97 Mtn. Mongoose 10.9 Ti, Kelly Deluxe, Tommaso Chorus, Cdale MT2000, Schwinn Deluxe Cruiser, Torker Unicycle, among others.
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 279 Post(s)
Liked 206 Times
in
129 Posts
55mph descending Brockway Summit into King's Beach, Lake Tahoe, on our mountain tandem without really trying.
What DID feel fast was a descent at the Chico Wildflower on the road tandem where we spun out our highest gear (54/12) and tucked. Didn't have a computer, but assume it was in the 65mph range.
A friend was just hit head-on descending Brockway at 40mph. Seriously injured; woke up in ICU in Reno. Terrible. (Oh and Nevada's minimum motor vehicle insurance requirement is a TOTAL JOKE! $35k insurance max on a driver who causes $500,000 in DIRECT injury costs, much more if you sue for pain & suffering. That needs to change!) Recently I just haven't felt as confident as I used to (or maybe it was just "stupid!") hitting these speeds. And on a tandem? Not with someone else's life in your hands. I guess with age comes (a little) maturity?
But the fastest I've gone on a non-motorized "vehicle" was a descent I used to do from a water tower on my Flexy Racer. The Flexy Racer is a head-first sled on wheels with almost zero brakes. It was just so stupid fast. I only did it 3-5 times ever; I would shake from the adrenaline before the ride, and for a while thereafter! My parents' street was on a good hill; my sister's boyfriend clocked me at 45mph on his motorcycle. This was child's play by comparison to the water tower hill; could have done it blindfolded and backwards. Had several friends positioned at the intersections where cars were thought to be a probable issue. So insanely fast. Given how my vision blurred as tears streamed sideways from my eyes, I'm thinking I was pushing 70. Can't believed I lived to tell the tale.
Sure wish I had been clocked on that one!
What DID feel fast was a descent at the Chico Wildflower on the road tandem where we spun out our highest gear (54/12) and tucked. Didn't have a computer, but assume it was in the 65mph range.
A friend was just hit head-on descending Brockway at 40mph. Seriously injured; woke up in ICU in Reno. Terrible. (Oh and Nevada's minimum motor vehicle insurance requirement is a TOTAL JOKE! $35k insurance max on a driver who causes $500,000 in DIRECT injury costs, much more if you sue for pain & suffering. That needs to change!) Recently I just haven't felt as confident as I used to (or maybe it was just "stupid!") hitting these speeds. And on a tandem? Not with someone else's life in your hands. I guess with age comes (a little) maturity?
But the fastest I've gone on a non-motorized "vehicle" was a descent I used to do from a water tower on my Flexy Racer. The Flexy Racer is a head-first sled on wheels with almost zero brakes. It was just so stupid fast. I only did it 3-5 times ever; I would shake from the adrenaline before the ride, and for a while thereafter! My parents' street was on a good hill; my sister's boyfriend clocked me at 45mph on his motorcycle. This was child's play by comparison to the water tower hill; could have done it blindfolded and backwards. Had several friends positioned at the intersections where cars were thought to be a probable issue. So insanely fast. Given how my vision blurred as tears streamed sideways from my eyes, I'm thinking I was pushing 70. Can't believed I lived to tell the tale.
Sure wish I had been clocked on that one!
03-14-23, 05:40 PM
#53
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 128
Bikes: Trek Domane SLR 2019, Trek Trek Madone 5.1 (2011), Trek 1400 (1991)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 47 Post(s)
Liked 74 Times
in
33 Posts
55mph for about 7 miles. It was SW Wisconsin heading down towards the Mississippi River with 50 lbs of gear on my Holdsworth. Got down into a crouch. This was in the 1980’s when I had no fear and no brains. Luckily I lived to tell the story.
Likes For Buzzkill53120:
03-14-23, 06:23 PM
#54
Advocatus Diaboli
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Wherever I am
Posts: 8,631
Bikes: Merlin Cyrene, Nashbar steel CX
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4729 Post(s)
Liked 1,531 Times
in
1,002 Posts
03-14-23, 06:40 PM
#55
Senior Member
Thread Starter
So, that ride I did I hit 36 according to the Velo. I've done that same ride before I got the Velo and I've gone faster. I can't tell how much faster, but I can say I was going fast enough I could no longer pedal fast enough to keep up with my wheel speed. 40 maybe? I had a pretty good tailwind then so maybe I'll be able to duplicate it this spring when it gets windy again.
This is me right here. I have too many body parts that remind me daily I'm not in my 20s anymore. And the thing is, I used to be somewhat fearless when I was younger. Speed, heights. Didn't matter. I was all good. I still like speed, and I still like heights. But I like the idea of not having someone scrape me off the pavement too.
Look, I rode motorcycles for a while too, and they're not even in the same league. Comparing motorcycle speed to bike speed is like comparing a fighter jet with a Cessna.
I think this is the part that scares me the most about any potential crash. I can just picture that in my mind. I think most other crashes, I really can't picture, so I'm not as afraid of them. The front tire going flat and wadding up in the forks, I can see that, and I can see all the pain, blood and physical therapy that would happen after that.
160mph honda blackbird. over 150mph multiple times on other bikes but the topping out the XX was fast. The bike itself was reputed to go172 mph and at the time was the fastest production bike. I think the speedo was showing around 166 but there was some speedo error. (all on secret training grounds) I know some will say what does this have to do with bicycles...once you routinely go over 100 mph anything below 50mph on a bike feels pretty casual. I am 64yoa and almost every ride I hit 35-38mph (no matter which way I go I have a steep hill). my record is 62mph coming down McDonald pass near Helena MT. routinely would hit 50mph coming down Evaro hill near Missoula. I can't go that fast now tho as I am riding a different style bike. Those fast speeds where on a Ritchey road bike and Specialized road bike. My Handsome XOXO with 26" wheels and 1x11 and mustache bars I run out of spin and I can't get aero enough, still feels good tho. Several years ago their was a cyclist coming down the pass by Butte MT. when they found him they thought he was hit by a vehicle but they later determined there was no vehicle involved just high speed and guardrail.
About 40 years ago, on my Raleigh Pro Mk IV, on a long 8% descent coming back from the end of the pavement on AZ 88 back toward Tortilla Flat with a decent tailwind, I was in a full tuck riding with a teammate and hit a solid 60 mph.
And that's when the front sewup flatted.
It's amazing how motivated one can be to reduce speed when you can't really use the front brake. I sat up, bled off speed as best I could with the rear brake, and hoped the front tire wouldn't roll. Of course, the front tire sensed this and began to loosen and wobble despite the thorough glue job (how long ago did I glue it...?)
I got it down to less than 15 mph before the front tire let go, looping a few extra revs before halfheartedly trying to jam between the fork and rim. But by that time I was in full Flintstones deceleration mode, which neither my Detto shoes & metal cleats or ADOT's chip seal really appreciated.
Stopped just as the front tire jammed. My teammate is looking at me with shock, and could only mutter "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
Replaced the tire and we made it back with no subsequent problems. But not at 60 mph.
Since then, I've hit 50 on my recumbent on AZ 87 on a steep grade on the way to Payson, but haven't seen 60 since. And now that I pay for my own insurance, I typically keep it below 40 on most current descents.
And that's when the front sewup flatted.
It's amazing how motivated one can be to reduce speed when you can't really use the front brake. I sat up, bled off speed as best I could with the rear brake, and hoped the front tire wouldn't roll. Of course, the front tire sensed this and began to loosen and wobble despite the thorough glue job (how long ago did I glue it...?)
I got it down to less than 15 mph before the front tire let go, looping a few extra revs before halfheartedly trying to jam between the fork and rim. But by that time I was in full Flintstones deceleration mode, which neither my Detto shoes & metal cleats or ADOT's chip seal really appreciated.
Stopped just as the front tire jammed. My teammate is looking at me with shock, and could only mutter "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
Replaced the tire and we made it back with no subsequent problems. But not at 60 mph.
Since then, I've hit 50 on my recumbent on AZ 87 on a steep grade on the way to Payson, but haven't seen 60 since. And now that I pay for my own insurance, I typically keep it below 40 on most current descents.
03-14-23, 06:44 PM
#56
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2022
Location: USA - Southwest PA
Posts: 3,053
Bikes: Cannondale - Gary Fisher - Giant - Litespeed - Schwinn Paramount - Schwinn (lugged steel) - Trek OCLV
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1392 Post(s)
Liked 1,853 Times
in
1,067 Posts
only go as fast as you are willing to fall
Likes For t2p:
03-14-23, 06:49 PM
#57
velo-dilettante
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: insane diego, california
Posts: 8,315
Bikes: 85 pinarello treviso steel, 88 nishiki olympic steel. 95 look kg 131 carbon, 11 trek madone 5.2 carbon
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1627 Post(s)
Liked 3,113 Times
in
1,683 Posts
62.5 mph going down tram road in palm springs before the upper part got closed off to cyclists and the entire road got repaved. never ever again. don't even like glimpsing 40 mph these days.
Likes For diphthong:
03-14-23, 07:18 PM
#58
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2022
Location: Missoula MT
Posts: 1,764
Bikes: Handsome xoxo, Serotta atx, Canyon Endurace CF8
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 904 Post(s)
Liked 1,882 Times
in
843 Posts
.
Look, I rode motorcycles for a while too, and they're not even in the same league. Comparing motorcycle speed to bike speed is like comparing a fighter jet with a Cessna.
I think this is the part that scares me the most about any potential crash. I can just picture that in my mind. I think most other crashes, I really can't picture, so I'm not as afraid of them. The front tire going flat and wadding up in the forks, I can see that, and I can see all the pain, blood and physical therapy that would happen after that.
Look, I rode motorcycles for a while too, and they're not even in the same league. Comparing motorcycle speed to bike speed is like comparing a fighter jet with a Cessna.
I think this is the part that scares me the most about any potential crash. I can just picture that in my mind. I think most other crashes, I really can't picture, so I'm not as afraid of them. The front tire going flat and wadding up in the forks, I can see that, and I can see all the pain, blood and physical therapy that would happen after that.
but I also know the likelyhood of crashing is very minimal so I still like hitting some higher velocities.
03-14-23, 07:20 PM
#59
Habitual User
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Altadena, CA
Posts: 7,962
Bikes: 2023 Niner RLT 9 RDO, 2018 Trek Procaliber 9.9 RSL, 2018 Storck Fascenario.3 Platinum, 2003 Time VX Special Pro, 2001 Colnago VIP, 1999 Trek 9900 singlespeed, 1977 Nishiki ONP
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4930 Post(s)
Liked 8,062 Times
in
3,811 Posts
03-14-23, 08:01 PM
#60
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 7,851
Mentioned: 38 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6945 Post(s)
Liked 10,945 Times
in
4,677 Posts
I know, right? Seems unbelievable. I just checked ridewithgps, and it looks like that grade hits a little over 11% - which doesn't seem steep enough. I recall pedaling hard over the top and down the start of the descent until I was spun out, then hitting a little shallow spot that allowed me to pedal a bit more, and then it just...dropped. And that's where I tucked and really flew.
At the end of the race, my computer showed a max speed of 75.7 mph. I suppose that could've been a glitch, but I'd never had any problems with that computer. And earlier in the race, we went down a descent that I rode regularly, and on which I would always hit 60-62 mph...And the one coming off Horsetooth Reservoir definitely felt faster. So, I'm going with the stated speed.
And back OT: for better or worse, that kind of speed doesn't scare me, as long as it's in a straight line. I've hit 50+ in a few races during the last few years, and it always puts a smile on my face.
At the end of the race, my computer showed a max speed of 75.7 mph. I suppose that could've been a glitch, but I'd never had any problems with that computer. And earlier in the race, we went down a descent that I rode regularly, and on which I would always hit 60-62 mph...And the one coming off Horsetooth Reservoir definitely felt faster. So, I'm going with the stated speed.
And back OT: for better or worse, that kind of speed doesn't scare me, as long as it's in a straight line. I've hit 50+ in a few races during the last few years, and it always puts a smile on my face.
Likes For Koyote:
03-14-23, 08:10 PM
#61
Habitual User
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Altadena, CA
Posts: 7,962
Bikes: 2023 Niner RLT 9 RDO, 2018 Trek Procaliber 9.9 RSL, 2018 Storck Fascenario.3 Platinum, 2003 Time VX Special Pro, 2001 Colnago VIP, 1999 Trek 9900 singlespeed, 1977 Nishiki ONP
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4930 Post(s)
Liked 8,062 Times
in
3,811 Posts
I know, right? Seems unbelievable. I just checked ridewithgps, and it looks like that grade hits a little over 11% - which doesn't seem steep enough. I recall pedaling hard over the top and down the start of the descent until I was spun out, then hitting a little shallow spot that allowed me to pedal a bit more, and then it just...dropped. And that's where I tucked and really flew.
At the end of the race, my computer showed a max speed of 75.7 mph. I suppose that could've been a glitch, but I'd never had any problems with that computer. And earlier in the race, we went down a descent that I rode regularly, and on which I would always hit 60-62 mph...And the one coming off Horsetooth Reservoir definitely felt faster. So, I'm going with the stated speed.
And back OT: for better or worse, that kind of speed doesn't scare me, as long as it's in a straight line. I've hit 50+ in a few races during the last few years, and it always puts a smile on my face.
At the end of the race, my computer showed a max speed of 75.7 mph. I suppose that could've been a glitch, but I'd never had any problems with that computer. And earlier in the race, we went down a descent that I rode regularly, and on which I would always hit 60-62 mph...And the one coming off Horsetooth Reservoir definitely felt faster. So, I'm going with the stated speed.
And back OT: for better or worse, that kind of speed doesn't scare me, as long as it's in a straight line. I've hit 50+ in a few races during the last few years, and it always puts a smile on my face.
__________________
"Swedish fish. They're protein shaped." - livedarklions
"Swedish fish. They're protein shaped." - livedarklions
03-14-23, 08:13 PM
#62
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 7,851
Mentioned: 38 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6945 Post(s)
Liked 10,945 Times
in
4,677 Posts
Likes For Koyote:
03-14-23, 08:38 PM
#63
Rider. Wanderer. Creator.
Join Date: May 2007
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 764
Bikes: Bike Friday Pocket Rocket, Cinelli Hobootleg, Zizzo Liberte
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 389 Post(s)
Liked 769 Times
in
373 Posts
my point is if you get used to going fast and I mean really fast on a motorcycle (I made a living riding for over 10 years) a bicycle will feel a lot more casual when you are going 40-50mph and 35 mph will feel pretty mundane. biggest issue I think is when a person is not used to going super fast they get tunnel vision and are looking just beyond their front wheel. When you are used to going well over a 100mph you are looking way down the road. same for bicycles look further down the road and don't lock in on anything (remember if you look at something you will probably hit it) and things are a lot less shaky or sketchy. Also I know at 64yoa I won't heal like I did when I was in my 40's but I also know the likelyhood of crashing is very minimal so I still like hitting some higher velocities.
but I also know the likelyhood of crashing is very minimal so I still like hitting some higher velocities.Yeah, 35mph is pretty mundane, but 40mph+ is context dependent. Out west without traffic and wide open sightlines? No problem. But back east bombing down a narrow, tree-lined two-laner with tar snakes and potholes and driveways and unseen creatures in the forest? I'm on high alert because my stopping distance is much longer than on a motorcycle thanks to the miniscule contact patches. And my wool jersey isn't abrasion resistant, my helmet doesn't protect my chin (the most common injury location on the head), and I'm not wearing my leather gauntlet gloves, ankle-protecting boots, or airbag vest.
Likes For john m flores:
03-14-23, 08:58 PM
#64
Henderson, NV
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Henderson/Las Vegas NV
Posts: 529
Bikes: Trek Alpha 3700, GT STS DH, Raleigh Grand Prix, Fisher Montare, Fisher CR-7, Fisher Aquila, Diamondback Sorrento, The Bike Beat Revolution, KHS XC 504R
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 319 Post(s)
Liked 589 Times
in
285 Posts
From one of my all time favorite movies. Something my friends and I always tried to emulate but always at a slower rate.
Likes For Desert Ryder:
03-14-23, 09:47 PM
#65
Cantilever believer
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 1,545
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 529 Post(s)
Liked 1,809 Times
in
820 Posts
I think this is the part that scares me the most about any potential crash. I can just picture that in my mind. I think most other crashes, I really can't picture, so I'm not as afraid of them. The front tire going flat and wadding up in the forks, I can see that, and I can see all the pain, blood and physical therapy that would happen after that.
Narrator: This is unlikely, as he didn't have enough money at the time for two sets of wheels for the Pro. Also, he would have ridden the tubulars anyway given he would need all his advantages to stay with his teammate on such a challenging ride.
Narrator #2: Would you just let him do the hypothetical wheel swap already?
Narrator: Sorry.
OK, let's say the Pro has clinchers now, We're going 60, and the front tire flats.
Good news: The tire isn't going to roll off the rim.
Bad news (as all the experienced tubular folks nod their heads in unison): the flat clincher wheel has far less lateral stability than the flat tubular wheel. The rim and tire shape on a tubular provide a somewhat-manageable cross-section for very-short-term travel, whereas the clincher rim with its raised sidewalls and thin tire dropping into the gap provides a much less predictable ride or contact patch. So it's much more likely the sequence of events would have involved me ending up horizontal as the pavement did its Mr. Cheese Grater thing against my exposed epidermis.
So in hindsight, it was probably best I was on sewups, even if it did do the wedgie thing just as I was coming to a complete stop.
__________________
Richard C. Moeur, PE - Phoenix AZ, USA
https://www.richardcmoeur.com/bikestuf.html
Richard C. Moeur, PE - Phoenix AZ, USA
https://www.richardcmoeur.com/bikestuf.html
03-14-23, 10:01 PM
#66
Cantilever believer
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 1,545
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 529 Post(s)
Liked 1,809 Times
in
820 Posts
Another plummeting story:
When we bought our Santana, my dear wife said that I should rightly have all the rim brake and shifting controls in the capn's position, but that she would control the drum brake. No negotiation of this issue was permitted.
And all in all it would work out fine. I would occasionally call "drum brake" when we needed some gradual deceleration on descents without heating up the rims. But the way it usually worked was we'd top the crest, start the descent, start coasting after spinout, and I would assume a tuck to increase aerodynamics - which gave my wife an even more expansive view of the scenery whizzing by faster and faster (she's taller than me, so she always has a partial view). And I would look at the numbers on the Avocet - 37, 38, 39... 38, 37, 36... And I'd glance back and see her with that innocent smile on her face and her right hand firmly grabbing the drum lever to, as she put it, "bring us back to reasonable speeds". Dagnabbit - but we're still married and didn't crash, so there's that.
When we bought our Santana, my dear wife said that I should rightly have all the rim brake and shifting controls in the capn's position, but that she would control the drum brake. No negotiation of this issue was permitted.
And all in all it would work out fine. I would occasionally call "drum brake" when we needed some gradual deceleration on descents without heating up the rims. But the way it usually worked was we'd top the crest, start the descent, start coasting after spinout, and I would assume a tuck to increase aerodynamics - which gave my wife an even more expansive view of the scenery whizzing by faster and faster (she's taller than me, so she always has a partial view). And I would look at the numbers on the Avocet - 37, 38, 39... 38, 37, 36... And I'd glance back and see her with that innocent smile on her face and her right hand firmly grabbing the drum lever to, as she put it, "bring us back to reasonable speeds". Dagnabbit - but we're still married and didn't crash, so there's that.
__________________
Richard C. Moeur, PE - Phoenix AZ, USA
https://www.richardcmoeur.com/bikestuf.html
Richard C. Moeur, PE - Phoenix AZ, USA
https://www.richardcmoeur.com/bikestuf.html
Likes For RCMoeur:
03-14-23, 10:07 PM
#67
Cantilever believer
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 1,545
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 529 Post(s)
Liked 1,809 Times
in
820 Posts
I'm nowhere near as fast I used to be then (as I'm painfully reminded every Thanksgiving morning). That does not mean I'm encased in bubble wrap, though. Coming down Yarnell or from TV Towers still involves speedy gravity-enhanced maneuvering, even if the climb takes considerably longer than it did mumblesomething years ago.
__________________
Richard C. Moeur, PE - Phoenix AZ, USA
https://www.richardcmoeur.com/bikestuf.html
Richard C. Moeur, PE - Phoenix AZ, USA
https://www.richardcmoeur.com/bikestuf.html
Last edited by RCMoeur; 03-14-23 at 10:52 PM.
03-14-23, 10:07 PM
#68
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,342
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6200 Post(s)
Liked 4,204 Times
in
2,358 Posts
45 on dirt with knobbies on a dirt with a mountain bike.
45 on a fully loaded touring bike in a driving rain on the North Carolina side of New Found Gap.
52 on an individual bike (in a 45 mph zone)
55 on a tandem with a 6 year old. She’s still alive.
45 on a fully loaded touring bike in a driving rain on the North Carolina side of New Found Gap.
52 on an individual bike (in a 45 mph zone)
55 on a tandem with a 6 year old. She’s still alive.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Likes For cyccommute:
03-14-23, 10:31 PM
#69
Habitual User
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Altadena, CA
Posts: 7,962
Bikes: 2023 Niner RLT 9 RDO, 2018 Trek Procaliber 9.9 RSL, 2018 Storck Fascenario.3 Platinum, 2003 Time VX Special Pro, 2001 Colnago VIP, 1999 Trek 9900 singlespeed, 1977 Nishiki ONP
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4930 Post(s)
Liked 8,062 Times
in
3,811 Posts
I'm at a point where I have other things in my life that are more important than going as fast as I can downhill on my bike. My older kid has a kid that I really need to spoil...and teach about bikes. My younger kid is a freshman in college. There's a lot to that story that I need to still be around for. Being mildly cautious is my choice.
__________________
"Swedish fish. They're protein shaped." - livedarklions
"Swedish fish. They're protein shaped." - livedarklions
03-14-23, 10:38 PM
#70
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 1,994
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2698 Post(s)
Liked 486 Times
in
351 Posts
You gotta really trust your bike and even then something can go wrong. Is it really worth it?
that being said my top speed is x+5 where x=the largest claimed number in the thread.
that being said my top speed is x+5 where x=the largest claimed number in the thread.
Last edited by LarrySellerz; 03-15-23 at 12:52 AM.
Likes For LarrySellerz:
03-14-23, 11:30 PM
#71
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Kind of my thinking. Especially where I ride, the shoulder is often littered with gravel of various size that can easily blend right in with the color scheme of pavement. Fortunately, it hasn't happened at speed, but I've hit one or two rocks big enough to make me check the rim for bends.
03-14-23, 11:41 PM
#72
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times
in
1,417 Posts
55mph descending Brockway Summit into King's Beach, Lake Tahoe, on our mountain tandem without really trying.
What DID feel fast was a descent at the Chico Wildflower on the road tandem where we spun out our highest gear (54/12) and tucked. Didn't have a computer, but assume it was in the 65mph range.
A friend was just hit head-on descending Brockway at 40mph. Seriously injured; woke up in ICU in Reno. Terrible. (Oh and Nevada's minimum motor vehicle insurance requirement is a TOTAL JOKE! $35k insurance max on a driver who causes $500,000 in DIRECT injury costs, much more if you sue for pain & suffering. That needs to change!) Recently I just haven't felt as confident as I used to (or maybe it was just "stupid!") hitting these speeds. And on a tandem? Not with someone else's life in your hands. I guess with age comes (a little) maturity?
But the fastest I've gone on a non-motorized "vehicle" was a descent I used to do from a water tower on my Flexy Racer. The Flexy Racer is a head-first sled on wheels with almost zero brakes. It was just so stupid fast. I only did it 3-5 times ever; I would shake from the adrenaline before the ride, and for a while thereafter! My parents' street was on a good hill; my sister's boyfriend clocked me at 45mph on his motorcycle. This was child's play by comparison to the water tower hill; could have done it blindfolded and backwards. Had several friends positioned at the intersections where cars were thought to be a probable issue. So insanely fast. Given how my vision blurred as tears streamed sideways from my eyes, I'm thinking I was pushing 70. Can't believed I lived to tell the tale.
Sure wish I had been clocked on that one!
What DID feel fast was a descent at the Chico Wildflower on the road tandem where we spun out our highest gear (54/12) and tucked. Didn't have a computer, but assume it was in the 65mph range.
A friend was just hit head-on descending Brockway at 40mph. Seriously injured; woke up in ICU in Reno. Terrible. (Oh and Nevada's minimum motor vehicle insurance requirement is a TOTAL JOKE! $35k insurance max on a driver who causes $500,000 in DIRECT injury costs, much more if you sue for pain & suffering. That needs to change!) Recently I just haven't felt as confident as I used to (or maybe it was just "stupid!") hitting these speeds. And on a tandem? Not with someone else's life in your hands. I guess with age comes (a little) maturity?
But the fastest I've gone on a non-motorized "vehicle" was a descent I used to do from a water tower on my Flexy Racer. The Flexy Racer is a head-first sled on wheels with almost zero brakes. It was just so stupid fast. I only did it 3-5 times ever; I would shake from the adrenaline before the ride, and for a while thereafter! My parents' street was on a good hill; my sister's boyfriend clocked me at 45mph on his motorcycle. This was child's play by comparison to the water tower hill; could have done it blindfolded and backwards. Had several friends positioned at the intersections where cars were thought to be a probable issue. So insanely fast. Given how my vision blurred as tears streamed sideways from my eyes, I'm thinking I was pushing 70. Can't believed I lived to tell the tale.
Sure wish I had been clocked on that one!
03-15-23, 12:18 AM
#73
Junior Member
Back around ‘73-‘74, with two others on a training ride from west LA to Camarillo and back. We started with a fourth but dropped him on the climb and hit the top of the long downhill to Camarillo with a healthy tailwind. Taking short, hard pulls, we got pulled over by a CHP about 3/4 the way down. He said we were doing over 65 and thought our two man pace line with one always peeling off the front was dangerous. As we were explaining to him what we were doing our dropped buddy rolls by and keeps on going with a smirk on his face.
03-15-23, 12:29 AM
#74
Senior Member
59, on a tandem near Telluride in 1998. Was hoping to pop 60, but it did not happen.
03-15-23, 02:24 AM
#75
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Eugene, Oregon, USA
Posts: 27,547
Mentioned: 217 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18354 Post(s)
Liked 4,502 Times
in
3,346 Posts
From one of my all time favorite movies. Something my friends and I always tried to emulate but always at a slower rate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucXQDtxUloo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucXQDtxUloo
Likes For CliffordK: