[Closed] Top speeds

Best part of 60 mph on the tandem - tucked in and down a long hill

Been into the mid 40s often on the tandem and solo - all with a top gear of 36 /11 - just spin out then wait for gravity to take effect

Yo will reach a terminal velocity which depends on teh angle of the slope and how well you can tuck in.

48 offroad mtb... scarier than i thought it would be.

Yes, I know a few tandem riders who have said you can get some serious speeds going!!!

My highest recorded speed of 43.6 (70kph) was "offroad" (Skyline) on a light weight HT. That felt pretty fast!!

Can't better that with the mtb even on tarmac. The local lanes that I use to join up trail sections just don't have the "run" to them.

Saw 102kmh on a tandem on road before I decided watching where we were going was a priority. Huge buzz.

52mph on a road bike. Down hill. 53/12 gears.
No idea on the mtb.

calling keyboard warriors,

i went 100 mph backwards on a tandem once with a blindfold and cigar

Maxed out my out computer on the road bike at 99kph in the alps once. Nothing to do with gears at that point!

This thread will soon enter the land of fantasy.

52mph on road bike too on a hill out in Northumberland.

53mph down a very steep hill in Bavaria. I could barely ride up it & it was really scary coming back down again......I was pedalling flat-out until I realised how much it would hurt if I came off on the loose gravelly surface....Got to bottom and the computer thingy was showing a max of 53mph. I was well chuffed.

This thread will soon enter the land of fantasy.

Soon?

41.5 mph on a mtb ht.

probably only in the mid thirties. Dont really use a computer so dont know.

Even at those speeds i start to feel like death himself is standing over my shoulder.

84kmh once on an mtb in the alps about 20 years ago. I remember the rim brakes making some fairly horrible noises trying to slow down again.

start to feel like death himself is standing over my shoulder.

Yes - there is a (psychological??) threshold speed of

"I couldn't stop now even if I needed to......."

where even gentle application of the brakes would be unwise 😮 particularly on gravel or wet tarmac

MTB - no idea

Road - 63mph* Holme Moss (towards Woodhead)

*According to the computer, so probably b*ll*x.

Been fast a few times but never cared enough to remember exactly how fast. Probably the fastest will have been in the Alps on the MTB and going down Greenhow Hill between Appletreewick and Pateley Bridge on the road bike - but I have always worn my baggy windproof when I have been on that route and that acts like a parachute.

But I am normally stopped from going any faster by wind drying my contacts out too much and being unable to see.

Maxed out my computer on the tandem going down a massive hill in Narnia. Think Mr Tumnus extra legs is what did it for us.

50mph on a gated reservoir access road (tarmac) in Ogwen Valley on the mtb way way back (canti brakes etc).

48mph on a very steep lane near Lake Vrynwy fully laden with panniers, and with a hairpin at the bottom.

Also used to get 45mph regularly coming down from High Vinnals way back. This kind of thing was easier in the days of 46/11 gearing.

Ed2001 - Member
This thread will soon enter the land of fantasy.

it did on the first reply, to be fair. 😆

On road, I've hit about 100km/h on the road bike in New Zealand.

Annoyingly, on my commute, I only really have one decent long 40mph hill, I seem pretty reliably to be able to get 68km/h, but somehow can't quite pick up the speed for 70km/h (or tuck enough to get it).

Joe

Anyone watch the WC downhill? They hit 60+ mph through the fort bill speed traps! Gotta be scary looking at a dusty corner at 60mph with nothing to protect you except a few bits of foam and plastic......

They hit 60+ [s]mph[/s] kph

No fantasy from me flatboy. Just decent size hills. a couple of dozen witnesses to the 40+ on the solo

38mph off road and 46mph on road (poss higher touring the Pyrenees, did not have speedo on).

I did once go so fast I thought I might fall off and hurt myself a little.

Around the 50mph mark coming down from Drum mountain into Llanfairfechan.

I went past this guy with the GPS.

Scared myself shitless when I hit the brakes.

[img] [/img]

Only getting late 30s on UK roads on the road bike.
Though TBH if I'm not racing I just cruise down on the hoods.

ive hit 110kmh on mt ventoux verified on garmin.
Mtb i never ride with speedo...anyway its how fast you go up..anyone can go down fast.
I got 90kmh in a bunch on a race in near bolton.

Top speed on my old Aldi wireless cycle computer was 78mph, sadly clocked while I was sat stationary at traffic lights. Offroad, the top speed was probably when I fell off and the bike carried on down the hill.

No, I'm serious.

47 mph on an old Marin full susser, from the Cat and Fiddle Pub back down towards the Derbyshire Bridge Car Park on the tarmac - very frightening.

here is my willy, watch me wave it.

ive seen bike computers and gps units give very dodgy readings

mastiles_fanylion - Member

But I am normally stopped from going any faster by wind drying my contacts out too much and being unable to see.

Just close your eyes - you'll be fine!

I once hit 12mph on a hill, I got scared and backed off. 😆

I once went so fast on my Raleigh Chipper that I wore out the heels of my Clarks school shoes trying to foot brake down Aspin Park Road!!!
😯

here is my willy, watch me wave it.

ive seen bike computers and gps units give very dodgy readings

Original post wasn't intended as willy waving - just seeing if mid 40s was some sort of cap based on mtb gearing etc.

... and yes, I've seen some pretty unrealistic data on bike computers, especially wireless ones subject to interference.

On the other hand, most of the replies here are in the same ball park (for "normal" conditions) - ie mid to high 40s

MTB - 34mph (on a road)
Road bike - 41mph

Both felt pretty shakey and I was convinced something (fox/cat/squirrel/rabbit) would jump out and make me fall off.

To me, 20mph feels pretty quick fully off road on technical stuff!

I'd prefer sustaining a fair average speed than going hell for leather.

The descent into Hawes off Fleet Moss is a good one, but always loose my bottle and touch the brakes - hitting a sheep at that speed would be very painful...

Well then re the OP - I used to find 45mph fairly easy, but hardly ever any more. This is because 42/11 is not as high as 46/11, and nowadays I couldn't bear the thought of wasting all my climbing by tearing down a fire-road like I used to 🙂

pretty sure I've breached 100km/hr (just) on a road bike (though, as folk say, bike computers aren't the most accurate speedos!), coming down Mt Stuart back home in Townsville, Australia... it's a great ride, 9km or so up hill (in two sections) and an absolute hoot to come back down, there's one 500m section with around a 30% gradient (you hit it after you're already doing 60km/hr or so, feels like the road disappears beneath you, much like a rollercoaster actually!), you can tuck right in and just let it rip... and yes, you do freak out when you suddenly remember just how badly it could all go wrong with nothing but lycra to protect you from the bitumen! Best not to think really...

I've recorded 51mph going down buster hill nr Petersfield. Nice long steep grassy slope with a slight tailwind, how could i fail?
Bearing in mind im 6'5" and 17st so gravity was certainly helping me that day!

Time for you guys to MTFU. I do 50mph track standing. On my BMX.

On a serious note, I did hit 71.3mph on my unicycle once.

here is my willy, watch me wave it.

ive seen bike computers and gps units give very dodgy readings

Yeah, OK..... 🙄

My last bike computer routinely displayed 400mph+ (even when stationary) which I generally dis-regarded and took off the bike not long after.
But the computer that recorded 53mph was fairly consistent and tallied well with speeds achieved when commuting. Undoubtedly some error in it's readings but probably no more than +/-10%.

If I went by my GPS the fastest I've been off road is 100.2MPH in Woburn.

I can't recall the speed exactly, but I remember racing when the early computers came out. I remember the riders gathering around to read the fantastics speeds after the race. I thought it was 39 it might have been 49 MPH.
I don't think I've ever been down a hill that was steep as well as straight?

I rode downhill under some power lines and my computer read 740kmh - which is pretty quick I think you'll all agree.

Do I win?

I once did an inverted negative-g pushover with a Mig.

I just worry that something might fall off over a certain speed (30ish) - it never has but it's always in my mind - not useful.

Happy to do 40++ on a waterski, snow skis and the like - for some reason they feel safer (?!). A very nasty MTB crash a while back doesn't help.

I've "calibrated" my bike computers by measuring the exact distance to an object a mile away so they should be pretty accurate.

fastest i have gone is 48 on my road bike legs wouldnt go fast enough to go any faster,

think we need to start some other willy waving topic, maybe who has jumped the furthest. i once jumped so far i went all the way round the world!

Happy to do 40++ on a waterski, snow skis and the like

Never had any idea about how fast on skis, but have always been interested.

It generally feels much faster than mountain biking...

My top speed down Radford Bank is nearly as fast as the average speed in the Tour de France.

I don't think I've ever been down a hill that was steep as well as straight?

We used this:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=269240&Y=361350&A=Y&Z=120

Had to ride up first and open a few gates.. plus there's a main road and a stone wall at the bottom so you have to brake ON the hill.

This one is where we got 48mph laden:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=291000&Y=321995&A=Y&Z=120

Must be one of the highest density of chevrons anywhere on the OS maps?

I once rode so fast I caught up with time itself and appeared to be standing still. Then I fell over.

Sam Hill says he does [url= http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5vwvp_mtb-sam-hill-vs-subaru-impreza-wrc_auto ]80-90km/h[/url]

That's because I was travelling both faster and slower than you, got there 1st or possible never arrived and then pushed you over both before and after you had arrived.

Time travel is fun.

Never had any idea about how fast on skis, but have always been interested.

With waterskis - usually mono at 30+ knots boat speed. Flinging yourself across the wake as fast as possible adds a lot to this number. It hurts if you fall in but you never break anything. I find speed over water usually feels quicker - 40 knots in our boat (just over 40mph) feels like about 90 in a car!

For snow skis - done timed runs on ski slopes of a known distance then worked it out (did a race once too) - I'm not a great skiier but easily reach 40++mph.

48.9 twice on the same bit of hill (Pendle Hill Clitheroe side). Once on a lightweight HT with knobblies and once on a converted hardtail with 1.5 slicks. Both recorded with a Cateye Strada Wireless (which is very reliable and one of the least prone to interference) backed up by a slight lower reading from a GPS (GPS always seems to read lower).

I think at these speeds it is everything to do with drag, wind resistance, length of run and weight and has very little to do with fitness or gearing.

It does seem high forties is the max realistic speed for standard two wjeel bike, higher on a tandem makes sense as there is more weight for relatively less drag, therefore greater acceleration.

[img] [/img]

That's because I was travelling both faster and slower than you, got there 1st or possible never arrived and then pushed you over both before and after you had arrived.

(GPS always seems to read lower).

Don't GPS measure your horizontal speed? Therefore, down a hill, the GPS would measure lower then a wheel magnet computer.

Sorry to jump this thread with a serious question but shouldn't 29ers have a higher (theoretical) top speed?

stumpyjohn - on the tandem with 4 sets of panniers we topped out at under 40 mph on glencoe road. You could just feel it hitting a wall of wind resistance. The panniers acting as air brakes effectivly.

What goes faster, a monster truck or a f1 car?

I think at these speeds it is everything to do with drag, wind resistance, length of run and weight and has very little to do with fitness or gearing.

Weight is like 80%. Getting aero is 15%. Type of bike 5% perhaps.

111MPH http://connect.garmin.com/activity/37649713

or more realistically when I moved from iPhone to Garmin Edge 500 for GPS

42.7MPH on Sunday http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40077854

I'm now very much looking forward to getting my old road bike up and running again...

53/39 on the front. The 20mm Conti GP tyres always felt quite skittish at speed though.

Did a very short test ride at the w/e and all seemed to work, although it was a very useful ride to tweak positions on bars / saddle etc. Hasn't got a working speedo at the mo. Waiting for delivery of a spare mount so I can use my mtb speedo on it.

I told you it would

Weight is like 80%. Getting aero is 15%. Type of bike 5% perhaps

That feels like it's all the wrong way around...!?

Certainly weight has a big impact on initial acceleration when you first point downhill. At 15-15.5st I really notice this, especially when skiing. I can easily out accelerate far better skiiers from start, and carry momentum easier / further across flat sections (if I get right down on the skis).

Type of bike and air resistance will be more important for sustained speed, surely?

40 on the mountain bike, on a straight road hill going into High Wycombe (some-one else's computer, which must be the dodgiest claim ever)

high 40/ low50 ish on the road bike, on a very long gentle slope (pedal like mad) followed by a short sweeping drop into a village, keep off the brakes, take it wide, hope no cars are coming the other way. It's a rush...

@nickc - Which hill into HW, assume it must have been Amersham hill or Marlow hill? Used to-do Amersham hill on a regular basis (ride into work) on my old early 90's rockhoper with canti brakes. But was always concerned about some twonk opening a door or turning right across me to go too fast.

I managed 49.9mph on a mtb down Old Wyche Road in Malvern once; I was gutted that I couldn't manage just 0.1mph faster. Normally it was somewhere in the region of 40-45mph down that road.

On the cross bike I seem to have a terminal velocity of about 38mph unless I'm draughting something; I just can't go any faster however much I may try to pedal or crouch. Down the same hills our brick-shaped van will still be accelerating to much higher speeds due to gravity alone, it's not fair!

lowey - Member
Around the 50mph mark coming down from Drum mountain into Llanfairfechan.

I went past this guy with the GPS.

Scared myself shitless when I hit the brakes.

About 55 mph on the road bike and someone overtook me

I managed 50mph in the Peaks once down a gravel farmers track. Wired computer (never had wireless). 50mph on the road bike is much easier. Depends a lot on the wind round here though.

Don't know why people might think 40mph+ must be "fantasy", it's pretty easy in hillier areas without much trouble. I always try to get the maximum though by spinning out top gear. I used to run a 50/12 on the MTB when non compact chainsets were the norm. It was ace!

I feel ashamed... I've not even managed to get the "30 mph zone" sign to tell me that I am going too fast as I enter my village down a decent hill.

If some little scrote hadn't knicked my gps mount, I'd be able to tell you the exact depth of my shame.

Early to mid 30's. But then I *am* honest. I also start to feel like death himself is standing over my shoulder.

Interesting that people are mentioning gear ratios; I find that top speeds normally occur above the speed that you spin-out, so pedalling is irrelevent. 😉

For the record, I've clocked* 53mph three times on three seperate bikes, [url= http://www.multimap.com/s/PV9SxMd6 ]here.[/url]

The 18mm-tyred road bike maxed-out at exactly the same speed as the nobbly-tyred singlespeed - probably because the limiting factor on that road is how late you dare leave the braking for the corner at the bottom, and road brakes are cr@p in comparison to those on MTBs... 😀

I must take the recumbent up there at some point...

* which may or may not be accurate, but the computers used seemed fairly good elsewhere and riding the same route on a motorbike I 'feel' that the speed wasn't wildly inaccurate.

58 mph down East Chevin Road in to Otley, based on my bike computer which is accurate to my car at 30mph. It doesnt really feel that quick to me, but once my sun glasses came off and just stuck to my chest.

PhilO Gearing makes a huge difference. If I was to go down the same hill without peddling like mad on the top section I doubt I would get above 45mph.

You really know when your shifting when you need to start planning ahead in your mind and slight movements catch the air etc etc. On skis 70mph plus gets to be fun!

Got 60.4mph on my wired cycle computer going down the Varaita valley in northern Italy last week.

I'm inclined to believe it, partly because I'd cycled up the valley prior to descending it and partly because my freehub gave up the ghost at some point on the descent. It went from a screeaming wail to screaming silence in a very worrying way and caused me a few moments of distraction whilst I checked the wheel was still rotating - merely a reminder about how badly and how quickly it can all go wrong.

TBH I was more interested in keeping my wheels out of the subsidence cracks in the road than I was about what speed I was going.

Also, I find have difficulty judging what speed I'm going at on a road bike once above 35mph - it's just shades of very fast as far as my brain is concerned.

Interesting that people are mentioning gear ratios; I find that top speeds normally occur above the speed that you spin-out, so pedalling is irrelevent.

On my normal routes I have very little road space between spinning out the gears and having to hit the anchors...

I went so fast in three weeks time that I pedalled back in time to come here and tell you.

Weight is like 80%. Getting aero is 15%. Type of bike 5% perhaps.

Weight makes no difference to downhill speed (or a very very small amount of difference). Type of bike makes a big difference just because you can get more aero on a road bike.

Above about 30mph it is all about aerodynamics. Above about 50mph on the road, on a decent descent it starts to become less efficient to pedal than just to tuck and freewheel, as the turbulence created by your moving legs slows you down more than they are putting in (you've typically spun out so you're not putting in much effort).

With the right hill (long, steepish, not too tight corners), 80km/50mph on a road bike is just about hanging on, there's no real skill or fitness to it. One hill we used to ride when I was in New Zealand was pretty crazy though - very very fast and not too tight for the first 2km or so, then suddenly dropping down, adding extra speed, for about 500m, until a sharp bend (signposted as maximum speed 20km/h). Trying to hit high speeds on that was scary as it basically involved braking for the corner as late as possible - the one and only time I've done a skid at 70km/h (thank goodness I stayed on for that one!).

Joe

Sorry to jump this thread with a serious question but shouldn't 29ers have a higher (theoretical) top speed?

No. Why would they? Once you've gone beyond the top pedalling speed, there is no major difference (rolling resistance maybe, but then that is going to be so small compared to aerodynamics).

Joe