Top Speed
Author
Discussion

Mr Gear

Original Poster:

9,416 posts

219 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
I managed to get 40.2mph out of my bicycle last night. Considering how short and bendy the stretch of hill was that I achieved it on, I got wondering what the real top speed might be.

What's showing on your cycle computer?

okgo

42,079 posts

227 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
76 mph.

Mr Gear

Original Poster:

9,416 posts

219 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
okgo said:
76 mph.
Give over. Did you fall off a cliff? hehe

hondafanatic

4,969 posts

230 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
88mph but then i ended up in the future.

anonymous-user

83 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
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I'm sure we had a pointless I can fall down a hill faster than you can thread a couple of months ago.

Mr Gear

Original Poster:

9,416 posts

219 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
OneDs said:
I'm sure we had a pointless I can fall down a hill faster than you can thread a couple of months ago.
Of course, a big part of the equation is how long and steep the hill is. I don't deny that. It's still fun to get big figures though.

ezi

1,734 posts

215 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
Mr Gear said:
okgo said:
76 mph.
Give over. Did you fall off a cliff? hehe
rofl

shakotan

10,862 posts

225 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
ezi said:
Mr Gear said:
okgo said:
76 mph.
Give over. Did you fall off a cliff? hehe
rofl
My best on my new hybrid is 27mph.

Bit crap, but then I'm new to cycling and rather unfit!

DrMekon

2,493 posts

245 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
51mph down the middle of Devils Dyke on a rigid GT Karakoram. No recce, helmet or gloves. Stupid.

anonymous-user

83 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
shakotan said:
ezi said:
Mr Gear said:
okgo said:
76 mph.
Give over. Did you fall off a cliff? hehe
rofl
My best on my new hybrid is 27mph.

Bit crap, but then I'm new to cycling and rather unfit!
No your missing the point, this is nothing to do with how fit you are, it is all about how big your balls are. Find the longest, straightest, steepest stretch you can on or off road and simply create the smallest drag profile you can for as long as your prepared hold on for.

Alternatively just ride up to an electromagnetic and get a max reading of 114mph like I get when I pass the barrier at work, just as meaningless

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 8th July 12:53

Mr Gear

Original Poster:

9,416 posts

219 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
OneDs said:
Alternatively just ride up to an electromagnetic and get a max reading of 114mph like I get when I pass the barrier at work, just as meaningless
Well no, not really. That's far MORE meaningless. At least if you throw yourself down the hill that is a real speed, not some quirk of modern life.

Dudd

963 posts

221 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
I hit jusy over 50mph coming down a hill to Tavistock out of Dartmoor while on my John O'Groats to Lands End Ride. That was with full panniers so I can get more I know.

P-Jay

11,400 posts

220 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
I know Road bikes are quick on Tarmac, but as far as MTB's are concerned, I always wonder why top speeds seem to be all over the shop on these threads. I don't know where this Devils Dyke place is, but I'd think 51mph is a higher speed than any of the world’s top DH'ers managed through any of the World Cup speed traps this year or last, sorry I'm not picking on you personally.

I haven't bothered with a cycle computer in years, but we once saw 35mph coming down Caerphilly Mountain (on Tarmac, hardtail MTB's) going Waaaaaay faster than the gearing would let you improve, and it felt much quicker than doing 150mph on my CBR.

I can only conclude cycle computers are about as accurate as trying to gage your speed by the position of the Sun.

Could be worse though, I go on Bikeradar a lot, this thread would go like this on BR.

Post 1 20mph, Post 2 30mph, Post 3 "oh yeah, well I can do 40mph" Post 4, My 'mate' can do 66mph Post 5 Yeah, well I did 103mph once etc etc etc.

There was a thread once entitled "how big a drop can you do onto a flat landing" Which was just a young rider trying to work out at what point he was going to ether hurt himself or break his bike. By the end there was a veritable glut of Josh Bender's doing 100ft'ers on £300 hardtails - bless.

Fordo

1,572 posts

253 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
P-Jay said:
There was a thread once entitled "how big a drop can you do onto a flat landing" Which was just a young rider trying to work out at what point he was going to ether hurt himself or break his bike. By the end there was a veritable glut of Josh Bender's doing 100ft'ers on £300 hardtails - bless.
...well I once did 150ft, into a headwind, while juggling 3 kittens in my left hand tongue out


I do remember back in the past, setting off a speed camera at the bottom of a very long hill- I was surprised, i thought the shape of me on a bike would be too narrow to be picked upon!

can you be prosecuted for speeding on a bicycle?



curlie467

7,650 posts

230 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
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I got to 30.2mph the other evening, thats plenty for me thanks. I would have to pedal like a maniac to get any faster.

Nardies

1,290 posts

248 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
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I got 28.6 mph on my MTB on Tuesday, it had crossings down the hill so I had to keep slowing frown

Mr E

23,033 posts

288 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
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I think low 30s with top cog spun out down a hill and some monster vibration from the big knobblies I was running....

biggrin

DrMekon

2,493 posts

245 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
P-Jay said:
I know Road bikes are quick on Tarmac, but as far as MTB's are concerned, I always wonder why top speeds seem to be all over the shop on these threads. I don't know where this Devils Dyke place is, but I'd think 51mph is a higher speed than any of the world’s top DH'ers managed through any of the World Cup speed traps this year or last, sorry I'm not picking on you personally.

I haven't bothered with a cycle computer in years,
You are right, it was only as indicated on a bike computer (it was '94, so no bike GPS). However, I regularly hit 37-40mph downhill (sustained reading via GPS) on my road bike, and my recollection is that this felt a lot faster. In that sprinters on the tour have hit 47mph on the flat (according to the answer on last nights TDF coverage), hitting 50ish down a steep hill with a tailwind doesn't seem improbable to me. I suspect World Cup courses are a lot more technical than Devils Dyke.


P-Jay

11,400 posts

220 months

Thursday 8th July 2010
quotequote all
Duh, I never thought of using GPS, I've got a GPS speed/distance logger on my iPhone.

I might stick some worn 2.3's on my Shocker and having another go at Caerphilly Mountain this weekend, lol. I want to see what it'll do now, I'll stick my Motorbike Kit on and give it a go if I get the time.

Or there's Trinity Street in Barry, only a 15 min drive for me, susposedly the steepest street in the UK (and where they film Gavin and Stacey fact fans), I've bedded in some brake pads in down there before, gets a bit dicey with the Div locals and crossroads though.

scubadude

2,619 posts

226 months