How fast?

[leftieant]

[twitch]

Tangential gravedig - but what goes through YOUR head when you're barrelling down a hill at ludicrous velocity?

I've spent the last couple of weeks staying with my folks, who live at the top of a 2.5km, 12% hill. I've barrelled down it more than once in this trip, on the roadie and on the MTB, and I've had a few fairly unsettling thoughts whilst doing it:

1/ is that ghetto tubeless conversion ok, or is is going to catastrophically fail?
2/ should I have changed those brake pads or are they still ok?
3/ is that brake I can smell?
4/ I don't remember a crack / split / pothole in the road there?

And on and on it goes. Maybe I'm getting older, or less stupid, but the thrill I used to get from bombing something as quick as I could has been replaced by thoughts of 'I wonder if my health insurance will cover this...'

[/twitch]

 

[akashra]

Was coming down The Wall on Tuesday, and at the point I hit around 62-63km/h, the bike just started becoming ridiculously unstable and wobbling all over the place (confirmed by the people behind me, it got them worried).

The next interesting experience during that same descent was being passed, on the inside, at 65km/h.

Not something I'm eager to repeat.

It would seem with my body weight I top out at about 65km/h on the road bike.

 

[gixer7]

[twitch]
Tangential gravedig - but what goes through YOUR head when you're barrelling down a hill at ludicrous velocity?
[/twitch]

5/ Did I tighten those quick releases properly?

 

[akashra]

5/ Did I tighten those quick releases properly?

6. Err... did I actually put more air in these tyres, or did the gauge just show 65psi?

 

[Rambler]

I pinch flatted at the Audax Alpine Classic on the roadie on the weekend coming down Mt Buffalo at 65km/ph. Front wheel started sliding around all over the place with a rather deep gorge 1 metre to my left. Got it under control although my knicks turned from blue to brown.

 

[charltons]

I can back you up with that one. You are talking about Magpie hollow hill.

Out the back of Lithgow, coming into Lake Lyell from the Tarana/ Rydal road intersection, with a HUGE tailwind. It's not the smoothest road in the world, either! Pretty f**king scary to be honest.

I can back you up with that one. You are talking about Magpie hollow hill. A mate of mine has gone well over 100KPH on a roadie. I think fear is really the only limitation with that hill - when you do apply the brakes you can't see anything because your whole bike is shaking that much!

 

[Stevob]

Well done everyone. I have little desire to challenge any of these crazy downhill speeds. I will challenge the uphill ones however.

 

[Elbo]

My top speed is 84km/h on a road bike down Burrows Road in Albury, a short, but steep, 200m long hill. I was pedalling the whole way down and I had speed wobbles and watery eyes and I don't think i'll do it again Not pedalling flat out like that anyway. I think without pedalling the speed wobbles would arrive at a faster speed, but you have to pedal to get up to speed on a short hill.

 

[harmonix1234]

My top speed is 84km/h on a road bike down Burrows Road in Albury, a short, but steep, 200m long hill. I was pedalling the whole way down and I had speed wobbles and watery eyes and I don't think i'll do it again Not pedalling flat out like that anyway. I think without pedalling the speed wobbles would arrive at a faster speed, but you have to pedal to get up to speed on a short hill.

I just squeezed the top tube really tight with my knees and held on! Seemed to do the trick.

This guy dosn't seem to get the wobbles though...? I want one of these for the front of my commuter
(Check out the massive chairing)

[video=youtube;Py94okBKDU0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py94okBKDU0[/video]

 

[bikeyoulongtime]

84kph on an MTB with slicks coming down Black Mountain road, Canberra... only just pulled up at the t-intersection at the bottom [back in v-brake days], 72kph on a straight fire road, somewhere out near the cotter dam on the way back from mt franklin. give or take a bit for speedo calibration

I was ten years younger, don't think I'll go that fast ever again - scary back then...

awesome hanging in there power, everyone who's gone faster than that! yeeow

 

[derek's dont run]

found a nice hill up in the dandenongs (melbourne) a few weeks back - came down holding the brakes having not ridden it before, felt pretty quick. had a glance at the speedo, 99.7km/h then nearly ragged it as a kid on a 16" rolled out of his driveway across the road in front of me and a car coming the other way.

will have to go back soon, 120 isn't out of the question i don't think. i told a mate about it who took a bunch out there, one hit 117.

and you wonder why car drivers hate road bike riders up there.

i hope the cops bust you doin 120 too as im guessing the limit is 60. dick head

 

[harmonix1234]

How about 210.4kph on an intense dually? In the snow!

[video=youtube;L5LaINY1EIE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5LaINY1EIE[/video]

 

[thecat]

I can back you up with that one. You are talking about Magpie hollow hill. A mate of mine has gone well over 100KPH on a roadie. I think fear is really the only limitation with that hill - when you do apply the brakes you can't see anything because your whole bike is shaking that much!

When I was young and stupid we use to hit that on the fixies, strapped in, no brakes. the only bike I hated down hill more than up.

But swing up to the left near the bottom, martins lane... Dirt, a little higher and almost as steep in places.

 

[casnell]

I pinch flatted at the Audax Alpine Classic on the roadie on the weekend coming down Mt Buffalo at 65km/ph. Front wheel started sliding around all over the place with a rather deep gorge 1 metre to my left. Got it under control although my knicks turned from blue to brown.

I was a bit worried coming down there on my tubeless setup, wasn't worried about pinch flats but was worried about peeling the tyres off on those sticky corners where the asphalt had melted , glad it was you not me!

 

[adaib]

haha!! 126.8km/h in a HPV. down white hill road inn red hill. Only 46.8km/h over the speed limit.

But, 78.2km/h on the mtb, same hill...

 

[outtacontrol]

I hit 87km/hr going down the Devils Tail on the Flight Centre Epic in Toowoomba. It's a sealed section that turns into dirt at the bottom. Luckily it was a nice and smooth transition.

Passed a guy who said later he was doing 25km/hr near the bottom and he said that the shock wave nearly knocked him over.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Well done everyone. I have little desire to challenge any of these crazy downhill speeds. I will challenge the uphill ones however.

Isn`t there a roadie race UP Mt Buller each year? I have a vague memory of someone averaging over 25kph. Thats gotta burn!

 

[HerdingCats]

Curse this thread ...

All I could think about this morning on my commute as I belted down Livingston Ave @ Pymble was *bike part failure* - brakes, tubes, tyres, spokes ...

I've not been concerned about it until this thread popped up ...

*sigh*

 

[beansd]

Hit 97kph in Adelaide hills, ride was 24km long average of 23mph... was pretty stoked about my average!!

 

[hennez]

80 down mt alexander a few years back on an old mongoose mountain bike.... burnt my finger on the front rotor when i got to the bottom (dont try and see how hot your rotors are after riding @ 80km/h... especially if you've got promax mechanical brakes)