worldtraveller

What is the fastest speed you clocked on your downhills/descents

was it road or on a trail?

describe experience

kenji666

40 mph, road, scary

worldtraveller

I done about 66 km before about 41 to 42 mph, lots of fun, that was on road on road bike

sathor

32 or 33 on my hybrid, downhill in the country. I think I have gotten near 28 on a flat with the same bike though. Once my second bike gets back from the repair shop next week, I think I might have a shot to break my old record. or not.

Flying Merkel

Didn't have a speedo, but I was coming down a steep hill with a strong tailwind. Couldn't spin the cranks any faster. A motorcop caught up with me at the bottom of the hill and let me know my conduct was unacceptable. Speed limit was 45, I was passing cars.

kenji666

I only do fast descents if I am thoroughly familiar with the road, the turns, the surface condition, and if it is dry.

kenji666

It would be awesome if I got a speeding ticket doing over 45 on a bike. I'd frame that ticket.

Shimagnolo

54.5mph. Going down The Wall of the Morgul Bismark with a hellacious tailwind.

MNBikeCommuter

Regularly up to 43 on my morning commute, hoping the light at the bottom doesn't turn red. :-) 45 on the tandem on the same hill, still accelerating when we hit the bottom. 46 on the tandem is the max, descending into the Missouri River valley in western North Dakota. I think my max overall has been around 50 on a hill in the north unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota. My mechanical speedometer of the day was printed only to 40 mph, so the 50 was an extrapolation on how far past 40 the needle went.

theblackbullet

57.8mph on a 1987 Panasonic dx4000. no helmet. brake pads that had been on the bike since new. There's a stop light at the bottom of the hill so you have to brake with about 100 yards left to the bottom. Man, that was dumb, but what a rush!

Next time I make it over to that hill I'm going to shoot for 60.

petrolhead

48.5mph (78km/h) down a short, steep descent, bit hairy as it's a quick blast to 45mph-plus, then hard on the brakes for a sharp left hand corner. Could go faster, but I'm not brave/confident enough.

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/60326509

Northwestrider

57mph on a recumbent on a very steep, short hill. I don't think I'll do it again. The ride down was fine however.

Burton

About 10 years ago 72mph in a downhill sweeper on a road machine. In theory could have gone faster but the wheels were barely in touch with the ground so I backed off.
This year to date 65kph on a mountain bike with oversized road tires. Now the issue is gearing, not stability and I'll be installing a larger chainring. The suspension and tires make the bike dead stable and 100kph+ should be a snap.

Machka 

80 km/h on the back of a tandem with my father in the Canadian Rockies.

I was terrified.

Looigi

47 mph on a bicycle and 155 mph on a motorcycle.

billyymc

Could've gone faster but 1, had just got the bike, and 2 was on a road with too many driveways.

On my morning commute I hit 41-42 mph just coasting down the hill I live on. Coming home always sux.

fietsbob

the one I broke my collar bone, crashing on, was fast enough .

Looigi

How fast was that, 10 mph?

Steve B.

54mph twice, in Santa Fe, NM. Once on the north side of Bishops Lodge Rd., where you have to be hustling over the top at 18 or so to gain the speed as the DH is maybe a mile long. The second in Interstate 25 SE of Santa Fe heading east from Rtr285 there's a long DH. Good road surface in both cases. Both times on my tourer running 25mm tires, so stable bike.

I can only get it up to 42 around the Long Island, NY area, hills aren't steep or long enough, which is OK by me as a fellow club member was killed on a decent last weekend on Rt100 in Ludlow, VT. Going down a hill he had done once or twice per year for 20 years on club trips. The first time he was on this road this year, the pavement was in horrible shape, or so I was told and he lost control with subsequent massive head injuries. Made me re-think going fast downhill.

fishymamba

52mph. Azusa,CA(Crystal Lake).

Fricken scary! This was on a wide sweeping turn downhill. My cheap c**p wheels were vibrating like crazy.

Fastest on flat probably mid 30s max. Both were done on my CAAD 9 on road

dcrowell

47.5 MPH on my LHT on a rough paved road. The bike felt completely stable. I did have to brake a few times for the curves.
45.0 MPH on smooth pavement on my recubment. It would be interesting to ride the 'bent on the same hill I was on the LHT.

Both of those personal records were done in 2009. I seem to watch my speed more now.

contango 

On my current bike (MTB), 38.4mph on a road down a huge hill. Unfortunately the rush didn't last long as the big downhill fed into an equally big uphill, and the momentum took me about 2/3 of the way up before I had to work.

As a teenager I clocked 45mph on a hill near my parents' house, the kind of hill I'd ride up (even if that meant push up) just so I could get into a high gear and pedal like fury on the way down.

On another hill as a teenager I was riding a Grifter (the first bike I had that had gears) and a speedo based on a wheel resting against my front tyre. That clocked me at 35mph when I went off the road onto gravel. I'm still not quite sure how I stayed upright to get back onto the road.

JanMM

Got up to 40mph yesterday downhill on my long wheelbase 'bent. On a paved road, of course.
Have been up near 45 previously a few times. Wheeeee!

CommuterRun

42 + mph. In 53/12 at 120 you will be spinning out at 42 mph. I don't want to go faster than that on a bike. At least not on a public road. Really I don't want to go that fast anymore. If something goes wrong it's going to happen too fast to do anything about ... and it's gonna' hurt.

iheartbenben

It seems to be unless it's 60mph plus, you better have pics and prepare to be legend.

Otherwise, it's silly. Bigger hill = bigger speed = bigger balls/lady parts.

Really, we should all be competing against the downhill glacier/volcano cyclists.