The need for speed

[Andydauddwr]

We had a pleasant ride around mid-Wales on our tandem yesterday.  The highlight of which was descending from the top of the Cross Foxes climb heading South from Dolgellau towards Newtown.  There was a bit of a tailwind and relatively light traffic.

We topped out at 90.2 kph  .  I think this is the fastest I've ever been on a bike, in retrospect though, I think we could have gone faster with some better steering through the early corners and less breaking.  Has anybody out there broken the 100kph mark (~63mph)?

AC

[MSeries]

We had a pleasant ride around mid-Wales on our tandem yesterday.  The highlight of which was descending from the top of the Cross Foxes climb heading South from Dolgellau towards Newtown.  There was a bit of a tailwind and relatively light traffic.

We topped out at 90.2 kph  .  I think this is the fastest I've ever been on a bike, in retrospect though, I think we could have gone faster with some better steering through the early corners and less breaking.  Has anybody out there broken the 100kph mark (~63mph)?

AC

Less breaking is always a good thing. Did you mean less braking ?

[Mr Larrington]

We topped out at 90.2 kph  .  I think this is the fastest I've ever been on a bike, in retrospect though, I think we could have gone faster with some better steering through the early corners and less breaking.  Has anybody out there broken the 100kph mark (~63mph)?

64.5 mph on the eastbound descent of Killhope on this:



Edit: I was still doing > 50 mph when I overtook the pair of Little Old Ladies who had overtaken me just before I reached the top of the climb

ISTR it had a front wheel disc at the time as well as the rear one.  The last time I was there the road  was a lot rougher and I only got the Trice up to 82 km/h chiz.

[mattc]

44mph is the fastest I've been since moving into the bike computer age, so I'm strictly non-league in this discussion.

<killjoy mode>
Does anyone else get, err, worried once speeds pass 40mph/65kph, even on straight safe-ish roads?
Obviously we all make risk judgements. but I bet if we looked at the KSI chances for a blowout, (or swallowing a bee, or hitting an errant rabbit) at 60mph compared with 40mph, they'd be VERY different.
Anyway, back to the fun ...
<\killjoy mode>

[David Martin]

44mph is the fastest I've been since moving into the bike computer age, so I'm strictly non-league in this discussion.

<killjoy mode>
Does anyone else get, err, worried once speeds pass 40mph/65kph, even on straight safe-ish roads?
Obviously we all make risk judgements. but I bet if we looked at the KSI chances for a blowout, (or swallowing a bee, or hitting an errant rabbit) at 60mph compared with 40mph, they'd be VERY different.
Anyway, back to the fun ...
<\killjoy mode>

Yes..

Top speed is only in the 70's - once down the A404 towards Marlow (46.5mph) and also on the descent from Colla de la Maddalena  near Turin. High 60's descending from the Basilica di Superga - kept having to stop as my hands were cramping from holding the brakes on.

Hit 70+ coming down from Lochgelly on a windy day.

..d

[Mr Larrington]

Does anyone else get, err, worried once speeds pass 40mph/65kph, even on straight safe-ish roads?

Only when on two wheels   But yes, as I cranked over the top of Killhope and set off down the other side, I do recall saying a small prayer to Our Lady Of Blessed P+nct+r+ Protection.  A rear p+nct+r+ is probably survivable at silly speed - I've seen someone come to a controlled halt from 75 mph with a rear  p+nct+r+.  I've also seen someone slide and/or fly for about 500m after a front p+nct+r+ at ~ 80 mph.  Fortunately he was in this:



so he was undamaged.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Has anybody out there broken the 100kph mark (~63mph)?

Yes and there was too much traffic coming up the hill for the tandem to reach terminal velocity.  We had to overtake a few cars.  The road surface has deteriorated, so over 80 kph is a bit dodgy now.

It was the road from Bald Knob to Landsborough here

[MSeries]

<killjoy mode>
Does anyone else get, err, worried once speeds pass 40mph/65kph, even on straight safe-ish roads?
Obviously we all make risk judgements. but I bet if we looked at the KSI chances for a blowout, (or swallowing a bee, or hitting an errant rabbit) at 60mph compared with 40mph, they'd be VERY different.
Anyway, back to the fun ...
<\killjoy mode>

No, I do speeds in excess of 40mph each time I ride to work.

[Charlotte]

Jesus, Mary and Joseph?   

Over 60mph onna bike?

Having gone tarmac-surfing one too many times on a motorcycle, I think I'd want my leather and kevlar for those sort of shennanigans.

ISTR one particular occasion where my jeans gave way on the slide down the road, leaving me with cheese-grated, suppurating buttocks for a number of months.  Short skirts were not any kind of an option that summer...

[Adam]

<killjoy mode>
Does anyone else get, err, worried once speeds pass 40mph/65kph, even on straight safe-ish roads?
Obviously we all make risk judgements. but I bet if we looked at the KSI chances for a blowout, (or swallowing a bee, or hitting an errant rabbit) at 60mph compared with 40mph, they'd be VERY different.
Anyway, back to the fun ...
<\killjoy mode>

Yes - since 2 little incidents in the last year, one of which involved me hitting and then somersaulting over a crash barrier, I'm much more cautious.  On a fast downhill, I won't go beyond 35 mph anymore.

[mattc]

...leaving me with cheese-grated, suppurating buttocks for a number of months.  Short skirts were not any kind of an option that summer...

You have skirts too short to be worn with uninjured buttocks? <boggle>

But seriously, the comparison with motorbiking safety was in my mind too - 'bikers talk about how fast you lose skin if you slide at 60mph (to explain the need for 3mm of leather protection), yet there are people here riding in just lycra at those speeds.
Still, you only live once, make it fun.

[nuttycyclist]

I think the big difference between bicycle sliding and motorcycle cycling is that there's a very high possibility of a leg being stuck under the bike whilst sliding.


A motorbike weighs a bit more than a bicycle (other than when I have the panniers on ).  The chances of cheese gratery skin is therefore much higher on a motorbike.



As for me, I'm really annoyed.   On my souped up MTB I was determined to exceed 50mph (in the flatlands of Essex).  47.9mph was my best, having wheel sucked a mate and then gone for it on a downhill.  I ran out of hill, felt fine, and would have got a bit more speed had I overtaken him earlier.

I then met Mrs Nutty and my speed attempts dwindled rapidly

Last year, on rushing to the station to collect Mrs Nutty, I only just managed to get above 35mph on that same downhill on the Audax bike (which has a pretty high top gear and 700C wheels instead of 26")

[Frenchie]

I like riding fast too. On the flat. To push my bike and myself as much as I can. i don't like a pootle so much... 

Fastest downhill (fixed) is in the high 30s Mi/h for me though. These HPVs and tandems are rather fast!!

[Jacomus]

Jesus, Mary and Joseph?   

Over 60mph onna bike?

Having gone tarmac-surfing one too many times on a motorcycle, I think I'd want my leather and kevlar for those sort of shennanigans.

ISTR one particular occasion where my jeans gave way on the slide down the road, leaving me with cheese-grated, suppurating buttocks for a number of months.  Short skirts were not any kind of an option that summer...

I've seen the results of a 50mph rider-road interface with him in jeans. They never found his kneecap. 

I've walked (well, crawled a bit then hobbled) away from an 80mph slither down the tarmac at a track day. £1500 worth of kit, er, and the bike, went in the bin, and all I suffered was a couple of burns on my right bumcheek and thigh and bruised ribs.

I replaced with a very different bike, which I now love more, but has much less hooligan potential. I bought the same leathers and helmet again, so now I get accused of being a poweranger wannabe on a streetbike. Bah. They are just jealous I can still feel my nads after an hour.

Mattc - trapped under the bike is the worst case scenario, but skin dissapears just under bodyweight.

[Andydauddwr]

My max as a teenager was 53mph, but that was a lot higher on the stupidity scale (Winsley hill near Bradford on Avon if any of you know it).  Not exactly straight and the point of terminal velocity comes just when rounding a blind bend and approaching a hump-backed bridge.

Saturday wasn't like that though, it was smooth and controlled and there was no shake or wobble...  The bike fealt like it had a lot more to give.

Point taken on blow-outs though.  Maybe I'll replace the hamsterskins before we try again  

AC

[Wendy]

I'd be a lot happier to go superfast in Lee's velomobile!!

[andygates]

Holy Fat Uncle Bob, that's fast.  90?  My bowels have turned to water in your honour.

[David Martin]

Jesus, Mary and Joseph?   

Over 60mph onna bike?

Having gone tarmac-surfing one too many times on a motorcycle, I think I'd want my leather and kevlar for those sort of shennanigans.

ISTR one particular occasion where my jeans gave way on the slide down the road, leaving me with cheese-grated, suppurating buttocks for a number of months.  Short skirts were not any kind of an option that summer...

I've seen the results of a 50mph rider-road interface with him in jeans. They never found his kneecap. 

I've walked (well, crawled a bit then hobbled) away from an 80mph slither down the tarmac at a track day. £1500 worth of kit, er, and the bike, went in the bin, and all I suffered was a couple of burns on my right bumcheek and thigh and bruised ribs.

I replaced with a very different bike, which I now love more, but has much less hooligan potential. I bought the same leathers and helmet again, so now I get accused of being a poweranger wannabe on a streetbike. Bah. They are just jealous I can still feel my nads after an hour.

Mattc - trapped under the bike is the worst case scenario, but skin dissapears just under bodyweight.

Two chaps at the local CC have refused to get crotch rockets, purely because they  don't think they would be sensible enough when riding them (and they are already regular mc riders). Both are in their late 40s/50s so are prime examples of 'some grow up, others just grow old'.

..d

[marcus]

Bloody hell - 90 kph!

I've always been a nervous descender and am even more so now given my recent propensity for falling off and breaking bits of me and/or the bike.

On a long, straight descent I'm reasonably happy to get up to 60 kph but anything more than that would just be too scary.

[nicknack]

There aren't many useful hills round here. Most seem to end in a right angle bend that's covered in gravel. Best I've managed is 41.5mph down Hollingbourne Hill.

[scampi]

I am a complete scaredycat on the descents ... but still managed 50mph/80kph on Dartmoor, with a tailwind. You need a long, straight road with a gradient of say 1:10 - too steep and caution rules the day.

The descent from the Trundle (W.Sussex) is a good one but I always seem to run out of road...

What's the fastest you've gone on the flat? Mine's 44mph, again Dartmoor, again a tailwind.

OK, there may have been a tiny element of downhill - everyone knows there's no flat on Dartmoor...

[RainOrShine]

<killjoy mode>
Does anyone else get, err, worried once speeds pass 40mph/65kph, even on straight safe-ish roads?
Obviously we all make risk judgements. but I bet if we looked at the KSI chances for a blowout, (or swallowing a bee, or hitting an errant rabbit) at 60mph compared with 40mph, they'd be VERY different.
Anyway, back to the fun ...
<\killjoy mode>

Yes - since 2 little incidents in the last year, one of which involved me hitting and then somersaulting over a crash barrier, I'm much more cautious.  On a fast downhill, I won't go beyond 35 mph anymore.

My best offer is only 41.  But oddly enough I found that things felt a bit uncertain and wobbly as I passed through 35 but once I hit 40 I felt much more comfortable.

[tonyh]

...53mph, but that was a lot higher on the stupidity scale (Winsley hill near Bradford on Avon if any of you know it).  Not exactly straight and the point of terminal velocity comes just when rounding a blind bend and approaching a hump-backed bridge.

... often with a queue of traffic hidden there too, to add interest! Very quiet at the moment while the A36 is closed. But I'm still sufficiently scared at a mere 40mph.
 
Winsley Hill has about the same gradient as L'Alpe d'Huez, which has 11 times more climb, and up which a Mr Armstrong was able to go at 14mph at the end of a long Stage. (If I try hard I can climb little Winsley Hill at a slightly less impressive 6mph.)

(The B3227 Between Great Torrington and Atherington offers some 20% descents leading straight(ish)  into similarly steep ups...)

[andrew w]

I hit 52.9mph (85kph approx) going north off the top of Fleet Moss in the Etape du Dales a couple of years ago.  It was a bit scary because the road, although straight at that point, is fairly bumpy, and there's always the chance of an encounter with an errant sheep!

Andrew

[Simon Galgut]

In one weekend, a couple of years ago, I managed 50mph down Bunsall Cob into the Goyt Valley on the Saturday club run and then 55mph down past The Roaches into Leek on the Sunday. Maybe one day when I'm older I'll be more sensible