Descending

Apology accepted.

CAMPYBOB said:

Apology accepted.

Totally asked for that :P so ...keep legs still and coast it is!

There's always that new invention...brakes. It's the preferred method to control one's speed. Especially when gravity is in the equation.

CAMPYBOB said:

There's always that new invention...brakes. It's the preferred method to control one's speed. Especially when gravity is in the equation.

Be still my heart...written like a true smartass! ❤️

If you desire to go slower than gravity allows downhill, and for some reason don't want to use your brakes, then would suggest you sit up tall and put your elbows and knees out into the airstream as much as possible. On a typical-for-here 10% grade, this might make 5 mph difference in your speed, eg, going 35 instead of 40 mph.

Wearing a big jersey or jacket unzipped can help a lot as well. But like putting a stem extension and streamers on your handlebars, this may be more trouble than you're willing to go to just to go slower on descents.

Don't let CB or other all the other "smartasses" discourage you. Your steps to conserve your brake pads and wheel rims could have a big payoff. Plus by not braking down hills your tires should last longer as well. If you can get a thousands extra miles out of these expensive parts, it will be worth it.

I don't like to brake downhill either. Instead, I like to tuck in and get as low as possible on the bike to delay that sweet-spot where gravity meets aero drag, ie, I try to go faster. This is often the only way I can catch up to my younger and lighter buddies who have just dropped me on the climb.

Why would you want to go slow downhill ? I live in a nice hilly region and love the idea that after climbing I get to throw it into my 52/11 or on my TT bike 54/11 and blast down the hilsl.

If you do want to go slower down hill then by all means sit more upright to help create more drag. A more drastic measure is to run less air in your tires to create more rolling resistance.

dhk2 said:

If you desire to go slower than gravity allows downhill, and for some reason don't want to use your brakes, then would suggest you sit up tall and put your elbows and knees out into the airstream as much as possible. On a typical-for-here 10% grade, this might make 5 mph difference in your speed, eg, going 35 instead of 40 mph.

Wearing a big jersey or jacket unzipped can help a lot as well. But like putting a stem extension and streamers on your handlebars, this may be more trouble than you're willing to go to just to go slower on descents.

Don't let CB or other all the other "smartasses" discourage you. Your steps to conserve your brake pads and wheel rims could have a big payoff. Plus by not braking down hills your tires should last longer as well. If you can get a thousands extra miles out of these expensive parts, it will be worth it.

I don't like to brake downhill either. Instead, I like to tuck in and get as low as possible on the bike to delay that sweet-spot where gravity meets aero drag, ie, I try to go faster. This is often the only way I can catch up to my younger and lighter buddies who have just dropped me on the climb.

THANK YOU!!

zipp2001 said:

Why would you want to go slow downhill ? I live in a nice hilly region and love the idea that after climbing I get to throw it into my 52/11 or on my TT bike 54/11 and blast down the hilsl.

If you do want to go slower down hill then by all means sit more upright to help create more drag. A more drastic measure is to run less air in your tires to create more rolling resistance.

At some point I'm sure I'll love it, but I'm a new rider so I'm still gaining confidence. I hit 30mph on my 2nd ride and scared the hell out of myself!

sbayhylle said:

At some point I'm sure I'll love it, but I'm a new rider so I'm still gaining confidence. I hit 30mph on my 2nd ride and scared the hell out of myself!

I had a old riding partner many years ago and he would get real nervous and be on the brakes once he approached 30 mph. It wasn't until he had a couple months under his belt, and lots of practice that he started to gain confidence in his descending. It just takes time and practice, don't death grip the bars and relax the shoulders, and upper body. Over time you will gain confidence, little steps at a time. Keep posted how you doing.

CAMPYBOB said:

There's always that new invention...brakes. It's the preferred method to control one's speed. Especially when gravity is in the equation.

Yeah, I agree with the brakes. When going downhill your hands are on the brakes for your safety. And I'd say you have to brake a bit to slow down your descent otherwise the gravity may pull you down at a dangerous speed. And I wonder why you mentioned the pedal when going downhill. Anyway, take care in your biking and good luck to the downhill stretches.

Corzhens said:

And I'd say you have to brake a bit to slow down your descent otherwise the gravity may pull you down at a dangerous speed

When descending gravity is my friend, an being a larger rider it help even more. Descending is a matter of confidence and skill level, and it takes time. When I did a lot of club rides your saw a lot of new riders lack the confidence and skill level to descend safely. Some riders pick it up quicker than others, and I know some riders that have been riding for years and still don't know how to descend or don't like going over a set speed. That's what makes this sport so great is we all have different skill levels and it's great when you take a new step in your journey on the bike. I LOVE the idea of blasting down a hill, and am very comfortable descending in an aggressive aero positon. I've topped out at 63 mph on a long steep descent and enjoyed the rush that it gave me. I have a local climb that I descend that I can max out at about 52-54 mph.

zipp2001 said:

When descending gravity is my friend, an being a larger rider it help even more. Descending is a matter of confidence and skill level, and it takes time. When I did a lot of club rides your saw a lot of new riders lack the confidence and skill level to descend safely. Some riders pick it up quicker than others, and I know some riders that have been riding for years and still don't know how to descend or don't like going over a set speed. That's what makes this sport so great is we all have different skill levels and it's great when you take a new step in your journey on the bike. I LOVE the idea of blasting down a hill, and am very comfortable descending in an aggressive aero positon. I've topped out at 63 mph on a long steep descent and enjoyed the rush that it gave me. I have a local climb that I descend that I can max out at about 52-54 mph.

You made me dizzy with that 50 plus mph of descent. In all honesty, I got a good laugh because my descent may be 20 mph or even slower. It's scary going down, you know, and I wouldn't trust my life with the brakes. What if the brakes fail? That's the reason why I ride slow so I would have the chance to bail out when the bike would go downhill so fast with a failed brake. But I understand that you are a pro when it comes to riding so you have the guts to ride that fast.

Asking about descending and pedalling like that makes me think that you are riding a fixed gear. If not the above mentioned brakes are fine. If you have a fixed gear you probably should cheat and put a front brake on.

About the pedaling... The reason that I asked about that is because I wasn't clear if I'm supposed to keep spinning or actually coast. I know it seems silly but when I read articles they talk about coasting being basically a waste. I just wanted to clear it up and make sure I was riding correctly so that I'm not wasting half my ride.

Do not be misdirected by some people YOU ride as you wish to ride and in my case not only to I mostly coast downhill, often I am going much to fast for pedalling to be possible. And I coast on flat ground after I've sprinted across intersections or up small grades. Develop your own riding style and be satisfied with it unless you're racing. In which case you NEVER stop pedaling except when applying the brakes.

There's an old road bike saying that you can't go up a hill fast enough or down a hill slow enough. It's a bit of an exaggeration, of course, but it contains a very important piece of wisdom.

On a bicycle, heading down hill, you can reach a point of no return with the brakes, meaning that if your speed is high enough and the bike goes into a wobble, hitting the brakes can actually destabilize the bike even more and cause a potentially fatal spill. This, of course, depends on the bike and your skills, but hitting 40 mph and finding your bike is now in a wobble and getting worse, you have no choice but to ride it without access to your brakes. Hitting the brakes can flip you and the bike. You've passed the point of no return with the brakes. I HAVE been there, so believe me when I say this is a terrifying experience.

A high speed wobble can be caused by a number of things. It can be as simple as hitting a rough patch of pavement, a crack in the pavement, a small object on the road. It can be induced by poor riding technique, even the tiniest lapse in concentration. It can be caused by a bike with wheels and frame out of true or balance, a bad tire, bad wheel bearings and so on. These can be merely an annoyance when going uphill or going slower on the flats, but they can get you killed when on a long downhill run, doing 40 mph. Speed magnifies all of these things.

Then there is the issue of reaction time. Imagine yourself doing 40 mph on a downhill run and an animal runs out in front of you, a car backs out onto the road and so on. Get the idea?

There is no set rule as to what is or is not a safe downhill speed on a bicycle other than to say if you're running at a speed where you cannot come safely to a stop, in the time needed to do so, you are going too fast. Take this issue, seriously. It can save your life.

north woods gal said:

There's an old road bike saying that you can't go up a hill fast enough or down a hill slow enough. It's a bit of an exaggeration, of course, but it contains a very important piece of wisdom.

On a bicycle, heading down hill, you can reach a point of no return with the brakes, meaning that if your speed is high enough and the bike goes into a wobble, hitting the brakes can actually destabilize the bike even more and cause a potentially fatal spill. This, of course, depends on the bike and your skills, but hitting 40 mph and finding your bike is now in a wobble and getting worse, you have no choice but to ride it without access to your brakes. Hitting the brakes can flip you and the bike. You've passed the point of no return with the brakes. I HAVE been there, so believe me when I say this is a terrifying experience.

A high speed wobble can be caused by a number of things. It can be as simple as hitting a rough patch of pavement, a crack in the pavement, a small object on the road. It can be induced by poor riding technique, even the tiniest lapse in concentration. It can be caused by a bike with wheels and frame out of true or balance, a bad tire, bad wheel bearings and so on. These can be merely an annoyance when going uphill or going slower on the flats, but they can get you killed when on a long downhill run, doing 40 mph. Speed magnifies all of these things.

Then there is the issue of reaction time. Imagine yourself doing 40 mph on a downhill run and an animal runs out in front of you, a car backs out onto the road and so on. Get the idea?

There is no set rule as to what is or is not a safe downhill speed on a bicycle other than to say if you're running at a speed where you cannot come safely to a stop, in the time needed to do so, you are going too fast. Take this issue, seriously. It can save your life.

I'm in complete agreement. Thank you for sharing this, had I not read this my instinct would be to feather the brakes instead of committing to the ride.

zipp2001 said:

I had a old riding partner many years ago and he would get real nervous and be on the brakes once he approached 30 mph. It wasn't until he had a couple months under his belt, and lots of practice that he started to gain confidence in his descending. It just takes time and practice, don't death grip the bars and relax the shoulders, and upper body. Over time you will gain confidence, little steps at a time. Keep posted how you doing.

I did 16 miles on Saturday full of hills. I'm learning to descend and corner like a champ and not really nervous anymore. I'm anxiously looking forward to cooler weather so I can ride more. At the moment I'm in the gym M-F at 5am training for a Crossfit competition and it's just too hot to ride in the evening so Saturday's are it for me as far as riding is concerned. This Saturday I'm mapping out 20 miles and I can't wait!

sbayhylle said:

I did 16 miles on Saturday full of hills. I'm learning to descend and corner like a champ and not really nervous anymore. I'm anxiously looking forward to cooler weather so I can ride more. At the moment I'm in the gym M-F at 5am training for a Crossfit competition and it's just too hot to ride in the evening so Saturday's are it for me as far as riding is concerned. This Saturday I'm mapping out 20 miles and I can't wait!

Nice job sbayhylle ! Keep it rolling and enjoy your ride Saturday. Remember hills are our friends the more you do the stronger and faster you'll get. I live in a nice hilly part of our state so I can't help but ride hills. I always set at least one day a week where I spend several hours just doing steep hills the whole ride. Embrace your terrain.