Hope to hit a recorded 50MPH this season and I'm sure it will come with time. There was a great descent on the Tour of Pembrokeshire last season which would have been perfect. Too many bends or poor quality surfaces on the descents around Mid Wales to really hit those speeds though.
You could try the descent coming towards Mach from Dylife. With a tailwind that is really fast and also easy to see ahead. Or if you come further south, then the descent from the Epynt to Trecastle. It is a double single carriageway (if that makes sense?) so you can be pretty sure nothing will come the other way.
Fastest I've hit was 55mph, but that was on a speedo and I don't think it was 100% accurate but it did feel quick. That was coming down the Bwlch in S.Wales.
Often get over 50mph, but would love to see 62mph (100kph). Didn't even manage it on the Galibier during the Etape on closed roads despite going pretty balls out. Lack of weight and lack of tailwind probably didn't help.
Dubious of that video actually being 77mph. The guy in front isn't even tucked and is wearing a camelbak. Must be kph.
My ODO is here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemj/6394759533/in/photostream
It does seem to think it's doing 2.8mph while sat on the table, which may make its accuracy a bit suspect 😉
I don't know why people always cry bullshit whenever high speeds come up
Physics.
Drag goes as square of speed, so power needed to overcome it goes as speed cubed. Doubling your top speed needs 8 times the power output. 50ish mph is many riders maximum speed, and is governed more by conditions than rider power. The pros in the TdeF (Thor H's solo descent springs to mind) were hitting 100kph (60+mph) and that hit the headlines, so recreational riders hitting 77mph is frankly laughable.
Physics.Drag goes as square of speed, so power needed to overcome it goes as speed cubed. Doubling your top speed needs 8 times the power output. 50ish mph is many riders maximum speed, and is governed more by conditions than rider power. The pros in the TdeF (Thor H's solo descent springs to mind) were hitting 100kph (60+mph) and that hit the headlines, so recreational riders hitting 77mph is frankly laughable.
I'm dubious of the 77 too - but people often don't believe the 50mph-ish claims either, as if it's some sort of heroic feat - those were the ones I was defending really. In my experience it's pretty easy to hit 50mph in the right place - I do it quite regularly on a short dip on my commute - sprint over the top and tuck down and gravity does the rest as long as it's not windy. This is only for a second or so of course - but it's maximum speeds we're talking about. I wouldn't want to go much faster on my traditional light steel framed machine I don't think, but on our stiff touring tandem 50+ doesn't feel so dangerous, and we did let it pick up to near 60 once back in our pre-responsibility days.
EDIT: But not for long - I think that's the important part.
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I go really fast everywhere 8)
the first time I did 50ish was on a long downhill into grange over sands in the lakes as a teenager. A jag passed me, then slowed down and "paced" at the side of me and gave me a massive thumbs up. I'm an MTB masher not a roadie spinner and I've spun out and used my power by then so for me its all about hill and tailwind.
Like you its getting from 50 to 77 that I'm calling BS on, most learner legal 125 motorbikes wont break 77 and they put out 11kW. The Tour sprinters apparently hit 1600w.
One of the early NWD videos has some cool high speed manualing on a road descent, totally spoiled by a screen caption claiming he's doing 70mph. He puts some pedal turns in to keep the wheel up FFS 🙄
@ Mike Harris - think you need to go out & see what a verified true 50mph down a hill is like before you start believing your £14.99 worth of technology & the 77mph claim.
actually more like 7.99, from maplins
This entire thread stinks of bovine faeces! Aside from a dozen or so sensible posts... it is full of utter bullshit!
Well go on then, name names. 🙂
Have the courage of your convictions:
If you're going to call someone a liar you might as well do it properly.
...well, 51mph through a speed gun on the Kamikaze in Mammoth. But that was followed by the grease from my hubs splattering itself all over my rims. Considering i was using 'Canti's' back then, it was the stopping i was concentrating on, not the speeding up.
Even so, not really wanted to go faster than that again. It is in part just a vertical gravel motorway though, so i dont believe it was a tricky feat, just a silly one. Thats what happens when you're 20, and being pursued by Dave Cullinan. After he finished drafting me, he simply bolted past about 100 meters from the finish tho'
45.2 road into Bewdley from the Wyre Forest.
I've posted before and I'll do it again
(bit shaky - you try riding one handed at that speed)
[url= http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4024/4475474333_dec716dbd5_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/23823661@N05/4475474333/ ]mines the biggest[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/23823661@N05/ ]scaredypants[/url], on Flickr
54mph downhill on a road bike. And then it started wobbling...I have never been so scared for my life before.
around 155mph on my ZRX
razor... Handbags at dawn...
I once did The Kessel Run in 17 parsecs ! True
60 on road down Dunmail Raise towards Grassmere, with a tail wind and could`nt pedal any more.
39 off road (can`t say where! :wink:)and not on a fire road! 😉
49mph down Sutherbruff Rigg (I think its called) in Dalby Forest behind Low Dalby. It was my standard route before all the built trails were put in and I tried it a couple of times but couldn't hit 50. Steep fireroad with a bit of a run out and still sketchy on my 2001 Enduro.
I once did The Kessel Run in 17 parsecs ! True
I've heard of it done in under 12.
175mph on my ZX6-R G1, autobahn between Frankfurt and Munich.
Gawd knows, but I did cover 5 miles in 8 mins last spring. Heading into Durness from the top of Gualin lodge (1000 feet) with a howling wind up my chuff. Some of the guys behind me hit 45mph without pedalling and started to brake(the pussies). A mate apparently hit 147mph on a FZR 1000 on the same stretch, but he is a total headcase, so that doesn't really count.
Wot was it like? - a total rush! Faster mister, faster he said.
indicated I assume dangriff 🙂 Not real speed
56mph indicated down Ingleby Incline a few years ago. I was suspicious until a mate behind me showed 51mph.
25mph on 26"
24mph on 29"
Good thread.
[url= http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/pN7ynq0Ja7M ]gps trace of route[/url]
I have hit 46 going down the Ryals on my Singlespeed. Arse of back, chin on bars. If I had to pedal I'd need to spin at 237rpm (40:16 gearing)
I also did 32 on my anthem doing the K100. Going down the ryals was a lot less scary.
Road; 50mph descending the Crow Rd to Lennoxtown on an Elswick Puma Hi Ten BSO with steel rims and deep drop caliper brakes. Surprisingly stable but had supertanker stopping distance.
Off road; 42mph descending the Kilpatrick Braes from Loch Humphrey on a rigid Specialized Rockhopper with narrow tyres and cantis. Couldn't see a thing and had to check max recorded speed after stopping.
Both occurred in the 80s, older and [s]wiser[/s] more easily frightened now.
56.5mph shown on the computer on the road bike on the London to Brighton in 2005. Clear road, no other rides close by etc. I tried again this year but only got 49. Perhaps the computer was playing up the first time. Felt bloody fast anyway!
I've heard of it done in under 12.
But not on a unicycle
Think I just topped 25mph, on the flat, without pedalling 😯
Just over 100mph and that was on a recumbent
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62 mph on a tandem with canti brakes about 15 years back decending killhope on a short cut on c2c . two tandems clocked 60mph plus. with females on the rear. this was after over shootin a junction after hartside headin for garrigill the T JUNCTION after the right turn off hartside believe me frightening
99.2kp/h on a touring bike fully loaded! 🙄
re 77 mph and other fast claims...
physics... pedalling... 11kw hubs and kit... you all fail to recognise that the key factor in terminal speed here is gradient, mass of the bike/rider system, closely followed by wind resistance - influenced by direction and speed of said gas. yes rob, you have it more or less right, the energy required to accelerate any 'body' is a Cubed function, but in making assumptions and estimations, you need to begin with the two most extreme scenarios possible - in this case either freefall or flat
Imagine if the fall were vertical - ie max possible gradient - the MXS would be approx 125mph you are unaware of gradient, wind resistance, mass of bike/rider system and kit level - ergo, assumptions about max possible speed are (to use your words) frankly laughable. In theory - any speed is at least possible ...
Horse. (proff. Physics M.I.T)
210mph doing a one handed skid whilst smoking a long clay pipe
http://app.strava.com/rides/3149621 - 96.8kph according to Strava - highely unlikely though.
Otherwise, 79.3kph coming down Femes in Lanzarote.
54mph downhill on a road bike. And then it started wobbling...I have never been so scared for my life before.
+1. Oooohhh, when you get the wobble...
Pucker-up time!
Same speed, same wobble, in Dorset near Glastonbury I thoroughly pit my shants at the time.
Just remembered that I once overtook me mate on his TS 50 Suzuki coming downhill from Kincorth in Aberdeen to the big roundabout at the bottom. Thank F@#k there was no cars on it cos my crappy 80's brakes were never going to stop me - fair cacked my pants that day.
Gawd knows, but I did cover 5 miles in 8 mins last spring. Heading into Durness from the top of Gualin lodge (1000 feet) with a howling wind up my chuff.
I'm pretty sceptical of many silly high speed claims, particularly with any claims of accuracy - but having done pretty much exactly what sangobegger describes here shows that wind conditions make a massive difference. This bit of road isn't even remotely steep at any point and despite that can be extraordinarily fast with a tail wind. If you add a bit of steepness to a tail wind, speeds of around 60mph aren't really that fanciful on some UK roads in the right circumstances.
Fastest I've recorded on a computer has been 44mph on my Roadrat on the road from Arreton to Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. Long, straight road that plummets off one down and takes you up on to the next, so if you catch it clear of traffic it's quite a confidence-inspiring road to really go for it on.
Might conceivably have gone faster on long road descents on holiday in the Alps or Sierra Nevada but didn't have computer to record speed. Maybe it just [i]felt[/i] really, really fast.
Got about 25 mph out of a Raleigh Grifter (age 11) coming down Pollards Hill in Sarf London...must be some sort of record surely ?! Admittedly it was in full "wish i had a bmx" spec, mudguards removed and tyre nearly bald from skidding round the local cul de sac....ahhh the 80's.....