How Fast Can You Go?

[Sherm]

I regularly hit 44-50mph on downhills around Philly. Belmont avenue is the best. Easy 50mph. I'm trying to get my caihones up to go faster. It can be done with strong cranking and a tight tuck, but...momma....I'm scared! Little 700x20s at 140psi...aiye aiye aiye!!! If y'all know about "the wall" in Manayunk for the USPro Championships...that is a sick puppy to ride down. Only problem is that it's narrow and twisty...and it's in Philly where people are already un-insured and poor drivers to begin with. I won't max much past 38-40mph on that. Too scarry.

 

[lesliegee]

I've gone over 40 mph going downhill on a tandem - but am probably more thrilled when I go 28 on the flats. I'm a 49 year old woman, and think I'm doing pretty good to hang with the guys at that speed.

 

[Weisse Luft]

I guess I am a speed freak. I have gone 40+ MPH in packs and one time during a downhill run in a tandem pack (I was on a single), we had a huge tailwind and got up to 55 MPH. We were on the shoulder and got passed by a Mack truck towing a trailer with a huge mining truck on the back. The A-H honked as he passed. We hopped on and motor-paced to the bottom.

The next fall, I hit 70 MPH (112 km/h) on a descent in the mountains. I was scared to look down at the computer and even more afraid to use the brakes.

Just last night I was doing 35 on the flats in a pack.

 

[ricktoon]

Had a wonderful downhill run about 6 weeks back on a highway near West Yellowstone. This was a 9-mile downhill run from a pass with the wind at my back. Not steep but steady and straight. Basically hit 37-38 for top speed, but cruised for the entire 9 miles at about 35 mph. What a fun run. Better than real fast, just long and fast.

 

[moet]

I think the simplest conversion for mph to km is to multiply by 8/5 and for km to mph multiply by 5/8.
I did 43mph on my mountain bike once and loved it. It didn't last long though and I didn't have time to think about the consequences and get scared.

 

[Ky Wildcat]

40 mph here in ky near the ky river. What a rush!

 

[maarten]

the upper range off the poll is a little to tight.

Have done 69km an hour(43mph) on the flats. done 90km an hour(56mph) on the flats paced by a truck. Have done 114k/h(70,5mph) on a downhill, its only 1k of downhill but has a 400m 20% stretch in it.

 

[TechJD]

well down hill in the 30's
for convertions I have a free program on my site
http://techjd.ekn.net/Software
look for ConvUs-Metric
does several type of convertions and both ways

 

[grampy bone]

I am always amazed at how 'fast' 30+ mph feels on my bike....am I a wimp or just getting older...?

I live in Southern Indiana right in the middle of the Hoosier National Forest. I'm somewhat new to cycling and decided to take my brand new bike out. After about 20 minutes of a long uphill grind (which about gave me a heart attack), I crested the hill and stopped. In front of me was a very steep 1/2 mile down hill. I'd travelled it many times in a car, but it looks different when your on a bike. I started down the hill, coasting the whole way, and got as low as I could. At the bottom, I had to make a mild turn, during which I almost went off the road. After supressing my urge to scream like a little girl, I looked at my Speedo which showed 47mph max.

 

[wildearth2001]

36mph on flat with no wind and on junior gears (52x14) (but I have only had a computer for a few weeks, so not to many sprints yet)

 

[mike7382]

my max speed was 40.7 down a giant hill that took my cousin and i forever to climb. on a flat i can do about 30.

 

[kenright]

49 mph down a hill in Clermont, Florida about 10 years ago. I think it was "Tour of Sugarloaf".

34 mph sprinting on the flats when I was 17 in NY.

 

[velomanct]

fastest speed ever on my road bike was drafting my friends car down a big long straight hill. 70mph or 112km/hr for about 10 seconds, then i couldn't keep up anymore as he accelerated. i was doing 200rpms in my 53x12.

fastest speed without drafting a car is 60mph down a different hill, which is steeper but a lot more dangerous (25mph speed limit, residential road)

i am 100% truthful, not lying. AND my speedometer is correct.

 

[SilentGTboy]

No mountains in Florida but I was able to get up to 40 (voted 41) on a hill that last for 5 seconds. I've gotten up to 40 on flats before following sulfer trucks.

 

[Telegram Sam]

Got up to 32mph in washboard hills (small ripples) today...peddling at a cadence of about 90+. It was the greatest thing I have ever felt, but it ****** my wife off and hurt my knee bad
Cheers

 

[Craig Walsh]

I live in Southern Indiana right in the middle of the Hoosier National Forest. I'm somewhat new to cycling and decided to take my brand new bike out. After about 20 minutes of a long uphill grind (which about gave me a heart attack), I crested the hill and stopped. In front of me was a very steep 1/2 mile down hill. I'd travelled it many times in a car, but it looks different when your on a bike. I started down the hill, coasting the whole way, and got as low as I could. At the bottom, I had to make a mild turn, during which I almost went off the road. After supressing my urge to scream like a little girl, I looked at my Speedo which showed 47mph max.

The fastest I have gone at is 59.4 kph, it is such a speed thrill going at that speed, but you have to be so careful not to crash or otherwise you may end up like Fabio Castarelli.

 

[Yippie Kye Ay]

Thats my average speed going down an average size hill. I pedal coming down.

My max on flats and sprinting is proably about 32

 

[Lonnie Utah]

52-53 mph on the bike. (GPS and Speedo) I've been over 60mph on my skis. That's fun.

On the flats it's 34-35. Avg 19-21.

 

[amaddeus]

I got reminded the other day that road speed limits apply to bikes aswell as cars etc.. its funny that ive done one hill locally 10s of times breaking the speed limit by upto 10mph+, and its never crossed my mind that im breaking the law. Now its has crossed my mind, ive come to the conclusion that im not that bothered and will carry on breaking the law.

When I was in Jr. High, I lived in Austin, Nevada, which is in a canyon with the main road being the highway. In town, the speed limit it 25mph (40kph) with a 7% grade. I always passed cars. There were three cops in town (small town) and they each pulled me over once for passing on the right. Two of them asked the question in a low, slow, gravely voice, "Do youuuu want to be a hooooood ornament?" Which I thought was strange.

Anyway, at the time, I fancied myself as a Greg Lemon in the making (even had a poster on my wall), so I would ride to the next town every Sunday. That meant going up and down two mountains, where I would regularly pass slower cars and semi trucks when I could see ahead a safe distance. I was never brave enough to do it until I got stuck behind a cattle truck, and every time they went around a sharp corner, they sloshed cow **** onto the road. I didn't ever have a bike computer back then, (mid eighties) don't even know if they had them. But in order to pass cars, I had to be going pretty quick. I remember it rained on me once when I was going down hill, and I thought it was hailing it hurt so bad, but when I slowed, it was just rain hitting me very hard.

 

[limerickman]

The question is too broad.

The fastest speed descending that I have ever hit is 63 mph on a descent of the Tourmalet in France.
(pretty hair raising !).

The fastest speed that I have hit on the flat is 41.3mph in a bunch gallop
in a race back in the early 1990's.