Whats the fastest youve been??????

Nigel Heels said:

what's the fastest you guys have been on a regular road bike?? on a normal road

The fastest I've ever been was in the low 40's downhill with the wind behind me.

Generally, I cruise on the flat (not that there is much of that around here) at between 18 - 22 mph.

I've heard inexperienced riders make claims that they've done 50 and 60 mph but I don't believe
them, though I gather professionals can and do reach those speeds.

--

Michael Calwell

Nigel Heels said:

what's the fastest you guys have been on a regular road bike?? on a normal road

Not me, but my brother-in-law once got pulled over by the police for speeding - on a 40mph limit
road. I have a feeling it was a by-pass

We were all a lot younger and fitter then
--
Tina Eager

Nigel Heels said:

what's the fastest you guys have been on a regular road bike?? on a normal road

since I got back in the saddle a few months back, my personal best is
37.8mph and I could have nudged over 40 if it wasn't for a roundabout.

That's on a full sus MTB with 2" tyres and a lardy [censored] rider.

--
Dnc

Quoted message said:

Generally, I cruise on the flat (not that there is much of that around here) at between 18
- 22 mph.

I've heard inexperienced riders make claims that they've done 50 and 60 mph but I don't believe
them, though I gather professionals can and do reach those speeds.

well, i havent hit 50 but this inexperienced rider many years ago hit the high 40's, must have been
very close to 50, i really didnt care to look at the time 😉

mucklows hill, halesowen, w mids, was the descent ... used to go down it pretty much most days

Quoted message said:

what's the fastest you guys have been on a regular road bike?? on a normal road

30mph according to the computer. Mind you, it was on a longish downhill with a tailwind, and no
doubt my huge ar*e was acting as a sail. It was scary for me. I am a wimp.

I have found out the *incentive effect* of having a BMW on your tail on an uphill on a narrow,
single width country lane, with no place to pull over to let the car by. I got up it at 18mph and
when the road widened at the top and I stopped, it not only allowed the car to get by, but it
allowed me to pick my lungs up from the tarmac ;-) I do believe my face was a sort of lobster
red/puce coloration too.

Cheers, helen s

~~~~~~~~~~
This is sent from a redundant email Mail sent to it is dumped My correct one can be gleaned from
h$**$*$el$**e$n$**$d$**$o$*$t**$$s$**$im$mo$ns*@a$**o$l.c$$*o$*m*$ by getting rid of the
overdependence on money and fame
~~~~~~~~~~

"Nigel Heels" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

what's the fastest you guys have been on a regular road bike?? on a normal road

49mph downhill of course !

Graham

Michael Calwell said:

I've heard inexperienced riders make claims that they've done 50 and 60 mph but I don't believe
them ....

I've hit 49.5mph on a mountain bike, going downhill on the A26 from Boars Head to Eridge. Mind you,
I had slick tyres, tri bars and I wasn't an inexperienced rider.

--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( juggler.netdannyOpen ↗ ) Recumbent cycle page:
speedy5.freeserve.co.ukrecumbentsOpen ↗ "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." -
Thomas Paine

Michael Calwell said:

I've heard inexperienced riders make claims that they've done 50 and 60 mph but I don't believe
them, though I gather professionals can and do reach those speeds.

Inexperienced riders on a normal bike could easily top 50 if the road is long and steep enough and
they are heavy enough. An aero "tuck" position also helps a lot. Special equipment and experience is
not essential for this. Just bravery/stupidity (delete as appropriate).

60mph is a different matter - I'm also skeptical. I think it's rare for even the pros reach 60,
despite what TV commenators say.

The fastest I've ever done down hill (with a computer) is 44mph. No *long* hills where I ride and
being tall and relatively light for my height doesn't help :-(

Higher speeds are possible when slipstreaming vehicles. I have done 50mph on the flat and 55mph
downhill behind lorries. Never again!!

~PB

I regularly hit 47 down a dip, but with 53/13 gearing, I spin out. I have pipped 50 with 53/12, but
I was trying hard to do so.

4 of us also managed about 50, years ago, down the "stepped" hill into High Wycombe, but was
younger then.

I agree it must need someone special (& bike) to reach 60+ I seem to recall Duffers said 75 was the
highest he'd heard of in the Peloton, nust have been some descent!

Niv

"Nigel Heels" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

what's the fastest you guys have been on a regular road bike?? on a normal road

The pros do not go as fast as the commentators say, as they can't. In fact they have a slight
disadvantage as they're light. They would seldom hit 50 mph.

I've hit 51 mph twice. I've often hit 46 or 47. A friend hit 56 on a long descent in Italy. I hit 51
on that one, it is a long descent which goes through a tunnel to Trentino. I would have done more
except another friend was in front of me and he's light and it just wasn't feasible to overtake him.
I've hit 51 also on a long descent to the Southwest of Pamlplona in Spain. I could have gone faster
but chickened out. To do 60, you need a mile or more of dead straight 13% or more. There are few
places in the world in which it can be done, apparently.

Getting to top speed, you
1. Must be in a tuck with knees in.
2. You must not pedal.
3. Bags, no matter what's in them, will slow you down, the experts say.
4. Check your tyres for bulges and tears before you do it

Final comment.

I'm not in favour of this top speed thing. I've an acquaintance for many years, aged about 60, a
powerful cyclist and a fearless descender. He was almost killed recently in a mysterious crash
(no other vehicle involved) and he cannot remember what happened, except he was descending very
fast. He broke 4 ribs, his shoulder and had to have his hip replaced. Safe cycling is better than
fatal cycling.

My fastest has been 56 mph on the Col Du Tourmalet during Etape du Tour. Last week in the Pyrenees my fastest was 42 mph on the same Col but other side. My fastest in the UK has been 49 mph on the Derbyshire side of Holme Moss. As I get older I take less risks, brake sooner for the corners and go around them more slowly. A little slip or a puncture and you could well be history. Riding past the Fabio Casartelli memorial and the point when he died on the Col de Portet d'Aspet puts things into perspective.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Michael Calwell

BNigel Heels said:

what's the fastest you guys have been on a regular road bike?? on a normal road

The fastest I've ever been was in the low 40's downhill with the wind behind me.

Generally, I cruise on the flat (not that there is much of that around here) at between 18 - 22 mph.

I've heard inexperienced riders make claims that they've done 50 and 60 mph but I don't believe
them, though I gather professionals can and do reach those speeds.

--

Michael Calwell [/B]

Pete Biggs said:

Michael Calwell said:

I've heard inexperienced riders make claims that they've done 50 and 60 mph but I don't believe
them, though I gather professionals can and do reach those speeds.

Inexperienced riders on a normal bike could easily top 50 if the road is long and steep enough and
they are heavy enough. An aero "tuck" position also helps a lot. Special equipment and experience
is not essential for this. Just bravery/stupidity (delete as appropriate).

60mph is a different matter - I'm also skeptical. I think it's rare for even the pros reach 60,
despite what TV commenators say.

The fastest I've ever done down hill (with a computer) is 44mph. No *long* hills where I ride and
being tall and relatively light for my height doesn't help :-(

Higher speeds are possible when slipstreaming vehicles. I have done 50mph on the flat and 55mph
downhill behind lorries. Never again!!

~PB

Not that I wish to sound like an [censored] but I have been over 60mph - once. Twas some years ago when
I was a much fitter person and it was down one hell of a hill.

Can't remember the road - I was on my way from Mildenhall to Borley thru the back roads, cut across
the Bury St Edmunds <> Haverhill route and was a completely unexpected twist in the route.

It started off as a sharpish left hand curve on a medium incline, so I gave it some welly and took
the bend - and damn near filled my shorts! Major run into a valley - steep rise to the left and a
drop to the right into fields so, nowhere to go if I needed to bail except either the hospital or
worse. Fortunately there was no traffic coming so I hammered it down the hill.

Hit 62 mph before the (mechanical) speedo hit the pin - was only numbered to 60 (the manufacturers
weren't expecting anyone to get that far, I'll bet) but marked a few higher. When I got about 3/4 of
the way down, I tucked in and prayed (which ain't bad for an atheist).

That was the good bit, total thrill for me - the two guys who were with me got left a loooooong way
behind but I was having some much needed fun.

The bad bit was the bottom - a flat right hand curve of maybe 20-30 degrees over a small dried up
ford. Sand & gravel + curve + 60 or more mph. I think I was lucky that day. Got carried up, without
pedalling, to almost the top of the other side before I looked back, my two mates were just about
getting to the bottom - on their brakes. Heh-heh. They had to pedal like buggery in 1st to get most
of the way up and even then, they both got off and walked the last few yards.

All three of us took it slower on the way back - and we all walked about half way up the
other side too.

Looking back on it, it was an incredibly stupid thing to do. No helmet but shorts, T-shirt &
trainers only. If a car had been coming the other way, I'd most likely have been scraped out of the
front of the radiator or something.

At the time of the ride I was going thru a bit of depression - wife off with another man, took
daughter, etc, had to be talked out of the house - so I was kinda not bothered either way. Things
are totally different for me now so nobody could pay me enough to ever do that again, even though it
was great at the time.

Gary

--------------------------------------------------
Reply to gary <at> data <dot> mildenhall <dot> com
--------------------------------------------------

Michael Calwell <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

The fastest I've ever been was in the low 40's downhill with the wind behind me.

Generally, I cruise on the flat (not that there is much of that around here) at between 18
- 22 mph.

About the same (or little less) here.

Quoted message said:

I've heard inexperienced riders make claims that they've done 50 and 60 mph but I don't believe
them, though I gather professionals can and do reach those speeds.

An aquaintance of mine claimed she reached 56 mph downhill on an old mountain bike. (She also claims
to have averaged 19 mph on a route I know I'd only average 15-16 mph - I suspect her computer is
wrongly calibrated, or set for kilometers.)

Toby

--
Remove spamtrap to reply by mail

Michael Calwell must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

I've heard inexperienced riders make claims that they've done 50 and 60 mph but I don't believe
them, though I gather professionals can and do reach those speeds.

--

Michael Calwell

I have done just shy of 60mph down hill, confirmed by Mr. Plod, I was on my recumbent with a
borrowed "Streamer" fairing, I'm not inexperienced, best I ever managed on an upright was about
45mph, followed by walking up the other side of that particular dip, on the recumbent I cruise at
about 20mph on the rare times I find flat roads, I average about that too.

Ian

"Nigel Heels" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

what's the fastest you guys have been on a regular road bike?? on a normal road

54 mph down the Col du Telegraph on a fully loaded tourer. After the YEEHAH!! self preservation got
the better of me.

KC

Nigel Heels said:

what's the fastest you guys have been on a regular road bike?? on a normal road

64.5 mph.

Heading east, here: tinyurl.comjv4vOpen ↗ On this: tinyurl.comjv54Open ↗ (only without
the BoB, obv)

That's the only time over 60, but the same bike has exceeded 50 on numerous occasions on assorted
lumpy pieces of County Durham and Cumbria

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Gearóid Ó Laoi said:

Getting to top speed, you
1. Must be in a tuck with knees in.
2. You must not pedal.
3. Bags, no matter what's in them, will slow you down, the experts say.
4. Check your tyres for bulges and tears before you do it

Or go to the Dark Side. Especially the faired Dark Side. I know a nice man whose done 81 mph on a
level road by these Jedi mind tricks...

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Quoted message said:

I cruise at about 20mph on the rare times I find flat roads, I average

about that too.

I am someone who has never ridden a recumbent. Do you normally average 20mph on an upright?

"Ian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Michael Calwell must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

I've heard inexperienced riders make claims that they've done 50 and 60 mph but I don't believe
them, though I gather professionals can and do reach those speeds.

--

Michael Calwell

I have done just shy of 60mph down hill, confirmed by Mr. Plod, I was on

my

Quoted message said:

recumbent with a borrowed "Streamer" fairing, I'm not inexperienced, best

I

Quoted message said:

ever managed on an upright was about 45mph, followed by walking up the

other

Quoted message said:

side of that particular dip, on the recumbent I cruise at about 20mph on

the

Quoted message said:

rare times I find flat roads, I average about that too.

Ian

What about uphill!