Terminal Velocity | How Fast Can You Actually Descend On A Road Bike?

Рет қаралды 256,241

4 жыл бұрын

Watching the pros descend puts your heart in your mouth. Carving corners at speeds well over 100kph on 25mm tyres is not for the faint hearted. But what's the maximum speed you can actually reach on a road bike going down hill? The answer isn't as simple as you might think so Conor did some science to find out what is the fastest speed you can reach on a road bike.
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What's the fastest speed you've ever reached on a road bike?
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Пікірлер: 884

@gcntech 4 жыл бұрын

What's the fastest speed you've ever reached on a road bike?

@rubee4460 4 жыл бұрын

74km/h ... so far :)

@gagebinz9178 4 жыл бұрын

Hey you responded to my dad's coment The fastest I've gone was 52 mph

@chrisnelson5770 4 жыл бұрын

I'm lucky to get over 40 mph (65 kph) - That's because I live in a place with very few long descents (Minneapolis) ... but mostly because I'm irrationally freaked out about high-speed descending.

@kurtroeder8785 4 жыл бұрын

I did once but it wasn't all me. It was a step and straight descent and I caught the draft of a crappy old VW bus. They weren't going quite that fast but after they passed I was able to accelerate and gain extra speed through the gap before I caught up. That's where I hit 100. I felt like every bump or vibration would send me into the air. It's pretty scary to be in an old VW bus going that fast--i don't know what they thought seeing a bicycle creeping up from behind in their mirrors.

@3yearshardcore1 4 жыл бұрын

about 88 kph

@kf7914 4 жыл бұрын

One thing that should be added is, never try a fast descent without eye protection. If you take a bug or piece of grit in the eye at that speed it can be a disaster.

@GasGrassOrAssetto 4 жыл бұрын

Always ride with eye protection period.

@Zulanderr 4 жыл бұрын

Even with eye protection those are scarey

@frankzijnsofa 4 жыл бұрын

@ He probably means that he likes it hard up the *** probably.

@3yearshardcore1 4 жыл бұрын

never ride without eye protection. Period.

@LeoInterHyenaem 4 жыл бұрын

Good advice. On - I believe My first - cycle tour from Amsterdam to Rome, I, too, got rammed into the eye by either a big fly, a bumblebee or a beetle while descending from a mediaeval town in the mountains some 50km north or northeast of Rome. Managed to maintain balance, but the eye hurt like mad, and took at least a couple of hours (if not much longer) to recover.

@mikemarinojax 4 жыл бұрын

I hit my highest terminal velocity sitting on the top tube. That was before I had completely analyzed the complexities of the insurance deductable.

@RoScFan 3 жыл бұрын

are you an american?

@derekread763 4 жыл бұрын

I remember doing 70.4 kilometres per hour when my terminal velocity was reached when I hit a Ford Siera and rolled through the back window onto the rear seat. The driver was quite surprised for some reason. Stay safe out there.😆😆😆

@steveherring6660 3 жыл бұрын

Derek Read hope you didnt get hurt!!!!! those pesky cars.

@derekread763 3 жыл бұрын

@@steveherring6660 Took the impact on thigh and rear window glass acted as a brake. It was one of those Sieras with a rubber spoiler on the boot lid, which is why I aimed for it. Funny how clearly you can think and how much you can calculate in 2 seconds. It was that or hit the kerb and become airborne with no bike. Take care!

@bigbad253 3 жыл бұрын

As a 20 year old in the early '80s I regularly saw 50mph on the cable driven speedo of my Apollo III down my favourite steep hills.

@cyclenutter2715 4 жыл бұрын

Conor: 'wouldn't recommend top tube descending at home' Me: 'well I'll go do it outside then'

@mrvwbug4423 4 жыл бұрын

meanwhile half the roadies in my area do the top tube tuck on some of our steeper descents haha.

@cyclenutter2715 4 жыл бұрын

@@mrvwbug4423 haha

@yap7656 4 жыл бұрын

To be safe I try the position first on my wahoo climb and zwift

@cyclenutter2715 4 жыл бұрын

@@yap7656 haha tried the same! What's your Zwift name?

@yap7656 4 жыл бұрын

@@cyclenutter2715 T.Tan

@brannmacfinnchad9056 4 жыл бұрын

0:58 ....did he bunny hop the camera while descending?!

@robtk3 4 жыл бұрын

"Always be prepared for anything during a fast descent..." Me preparing for 130 KPH descent on my Cannondale Synapse; Full face motorcycle helmet... check. Leather jacket... check. Heavy boots... check. Gloves, elbow pads, knee pads... check. Diaper... check.

@ghowell13 4 жыл бұрын

🏆

@RichardMigneron 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, specially the diaper, when full will help with your aerodynamics and allowing you to go faster, which will help you fill it even more, vicious circle :-)

@julianbailey2749 4 жыл бұрын

One thing not mentioned in the video. If the camera bike is in front of you, you descend faster as you have the following draft, I suspect that most 130km/h peaks were in this situation. There have been several events where chasing riders have complained about the camera bikes aiding a breakaway on fast downhills.

@GasGrassOrAssetto 4 жыл бұрын

Great point. 80 mph is pretty insane without a draft, itd have to be stupid steep.

@conordunne219 4 жыл бұрын

Yes good point! But I can honestly say... those descents in Tour de Suisse are crazy fast. At those speeds cars and motorbikes tend to stay out of the way in races.

@markstone722 4 жыл бұрын

One thing you need to take into account when descending is side winds. As can give you a nasty wobble at high speed. Not nice.

@And-rc9yy 4 жыл бұрын

Mr Froome would agree

@3yearshardcore1 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, and feeling like you're about to lift off the ground unless you tuck in. Also scary to touch the brakes at those speeds. You truly know you're alive when you're playing so close to death.

@Terrifier1984 4 жыл бұрын

Specially on mountain passes once you get valley wind gust

@agusglauber 4 жыл бұрын

GCN: How fast can you descend on a road bike? Safa Brian: Yes.

@AlecZier 3 жыл бұрын

There are two cycling channels I occasionally watch on KZfaq that really make me anxious. SAFA Brian & Terry Barentsen. Terry actually did a video with Safa in Mexico City once - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nt6GhKmGud_beYU.html

@notarabbit1752 3 жыл бұрын

@@AlecZier I put Safa in Mexico in the same category as those people you used to see who were like, dangling one handed from skyscrapers and cranes

@noonehere4332 3 жыл бұрын

Alec Zier Have you ever watched Lucas Brunelle?

@PoulHansenDK 4 жыл бұрын

I went down from a pass in the Atlas mountains i Morocco on a mountainbike with 15 kg luggage at 68 km/h. When I got to the bottom, I stopped for a pee and when I turned around my frontwheel was flat. That has scared me so much, that I never descend very fast, even on a roadbike.

@curtbentley 4 жыл бұрын

I have a friend who wrecked going down a steep descent. He's lucky to be alive. I looked at this Strava, and right before he lost control he hit 62 mph (100 kph). Me, I've hit 50 mph before a couple times, and that's more than fast enough for me. I keep it under 45. Stay safe out there.

@D4rkS4v4nt 4 жыл бұрын

45mph is my top speed, plenty fast enough for me

@sebastianjost 4 жыл бұрын

My maximum is 60km/h (~35-40m/h)... If you think about what a tiny piece of dirt or a small insect could do when hitting you in the eye at those speeds you realize you really shouldn't go that fast. I mostly stay below 50km/h.

@trabink2 4 жыл бұрын

Same here, 50mph is good enough really...

@YelCan 4 жыл бұрын

I hit 100 kph racing. Hit a crack in the pavement, looked down at my wheels, and realized they weren't in sync with the road. I was airborne. Eerie. Crashed on a late Sunday training ride at 70 kpm; quick response from a friend, a life-flight, and superb medical treatment kept me alive. Took over a year to recover. Ten years before I got back on a bike. I live in a hilly region. Hard to stay under 65 kpm. Easy to hit 80 kpm on a few local hills. 60 kpm is fast enough if you're not paid.

@davethedogdude 4 жыл бұрын

Same, usually I don't do more then 40mph. I value my skin and bones.

@efeball970 4 жыл бұрын

Having witnessed two of my friends going down at 75 kph(and narrowly missing them), I urge everyone to use extreme caution. Never forget that you're on a public road and it's rife with waste and defects and inattentive drivers.

@cycomiles4225 3 жыл бұрын

Even the attentive drivers. People just dont expect you to be that fast on a bike. Even when im going 25kph car drivers often miscalculate my speed (especially on rotors). Lucky that at that speed i can succesfuly break.

@trevorhayes5414 4 жыл бұрын

Over 30 years ago, flying down Wheelers Hill (FTG Rd) in Melbourne, I nudged (survived!) 90 km/h on a steel Peugeot with 21c Vittoria tyres & heavy Rigida rims. That felt pretty quick!

@dfargey 4 жыл бұрын

My fastest speed was achieved during a gravel event in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. I was riding a Kona Rove with 47c tires on 650b wheels. I was at or near the back each time we climbed the North Mountain, so when we got to the final paved descent I threw away the brakes and hit 84.7kph. Passing some of those skinny dudes felt really good.

@rp6760 4 жыл бұрын

Will only try it on Zwift

@khazza930 4 жыл бұрын

no no no, he specifically said "don't try this at home"!

@ghowell13 4 жыл бұрын

@@khazza930 yeah, but you're anywhere you want to be, like MasterCard, in Zwift👍😂

@mithral999 4 жыл бұрын

You can even get a badge. Better than a hospital visit

@sebastianjost 4 жыл бұрын

Good decision! Getting hurt and not being able to ride for 6+ weeks really is horrible. After two injuries last year, I've learned my lesson. And never try to jump no-handed at 30km/h; it hurts xD

@ritid69 4 жыл бұрын

Why... go hard or go home

@RudiDwiHartanto 4 жыл бұрын

Love this kind of well researched pro rider video. Connor been nailing it ✋

@ramdynebix 4 жыл бұрын

On a touring holiday with panniers and stuff, I regularly encounter my own terminal velocity for that day/wind. Usually somewhere between 50 and 60km/h

@tobortine 4 жыл бұрын

75 kph descending in the alps. At the time I thought it was fun, afterwards I realised how badly that could have gone for me.

@randomrandom316 3 жыл бұрын

At least you realized after the fact quite a few don't, stay safe man.

@brannmacfinnchad9056 4 жыл бұрын

That was actually a rather good video. I mean, the takeaway was nothing new, but I enjoy Connor's everyman, chatting in a pub, form of presenting.

@jochem1986 4 жыл бұрын

I descended with 91.1 km/h last fall, on a Swiss mountain road... I'm still on the fence whether that was awesome or stupid.. But my BMC Roadmachine was a trooper. No drama, just speed. Will aerodynamic advancements lift the terminal velocity on a bike? Well yes, obviously if you lower your drag, you go faster. However, the faster you want to go, the more the air tries to hold you back. It's like a low-desity soup. So if you can lower your drag by 10%, you won't gain 10% extra speed. Less than that.

@D4rkS4v4nt 4 жыл бұрын

I'd be interested to know what tyres people are using at these speeds? Would be disastrous to get a blowout...

@jochem1986 4 жыл бұрын

@@D4rkS4v4nt GP5000s with tubes.

@cyclenutter2715 4 жыл бұрын

Jochem that explains it!

@davidmarshall2399 4 жыл бұрын

Drag force goes up with speed squared.

@davidmarshall2399 4 жыл бұрын

Though i see he explained this later in the vid. Depends what you mean by drag, the force, the coefficient, or the area. But generally if you want to go 10% faster (1.1), you need 21% more force (1.1x1.1 = 1.21) if the other factors remain constant.

@mnbv5555cxz 4 жыл бұрын

Lovin' the content!

@kevcroft2815 4 жыл бұрын

Downhill's the only time i'm faster than my son. The only good thing about a middle age spread!

@AndrewBlucher 4 жыл бұрын

Gravity assist!

@LEGALIZEROADRAGE 4 жыл бұрын

104km/h going down terry's hill in the dandenongs...lucky no cars were driving up

@12chrismi 3 жыл бұрын

This summer I ascended the Mont Ventoux in France. A lot op people climb that mountain of course, and not a lot of cars drive there, and when they do, they keep the cyclists in mind. After an agonizing climb, I finally made it. I am an amateur cyclist from The Netherlands, so go figure I never climbed before. We went with a small group of friends, and more often than I'd like to admit, I thought by myself: ''Why am I doing this?'' But after 3 hours I finally made it, and then came the fun part: the descend. That was one of the most amazing feelings ever. Sore legs, but firing down that mountain at 70 km/h. The maximum I achieved was 81 km/h. After that I went on some more climbs, and when I was climbing, I thought to myself: ''Every meter I climb, I can descend, and that was what kept me going.''

@wetfart756 4 жыл бұрын

I was freaking out at 60kph

@AndrewBlucher 4 жыл бұрын

Sprinting?

@wetfart756 4 жыл бұрын

@@AndrewBlucher no just going down hill. granted I have only really been cycling for 3 moths and I live in perth where there isent that many hills

@LeoInterHyenaem 4 жыл бұрын

You get increasingly used to fast descents. On My first bike tour to Rome (riding a folder with 20" wheels and carrying a tad under 30kg. of luggage in My Arcteryx Naos rucksack) I'd get a bit of an adrenalin rush descending at 40-45km/h in Germany. By the time I reached Italy, to get the same amount of thrill, I'd have to reach 55-60km/h. Three years later, I recorded a descent (with panniers and all) of 83km/h descending on a bike tour to Delphi, from which I derived maybe only a smidgen more adrenaline rush than I did three years earlier from 45km/h.

@nezarshtewe9850 3 жыл бұрын

59km/h and im happy with that 😂

@markkelly5752 4 жыл бұрын

Great video, great presenter!

@richaw6689 4 жыл бұрын

Conor does science! Fantastic stuff.. those roads in Ireland look fab.. fav decent is the Cat and Fiddle near Macclesfield in the Peak District. It's local, a good long climb but a wicked decent! Moo!!

@Walking_Death 4 жыл бұрын

I've just topped 80kmh a handful of times, scary stuff when you remember you're protected by Lycra and a polystyrene helmet. By far the most sketchy run ever was 79.9kmh (I know right?) measured on my Garmin descending the Lindis Pass in New Zealand... touring, with luggage on a Giant Cross City 0 Disc.

@terrencebranscombe3257 3 жыл бұрын

I've always ridden analog only, so the only time I was clocked on a downhill was by a trailing support vehicle. The descent was heading south from the Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park. This was back in the late '80s and the bike was loaded down with a full touring kit of six bags and all the camping gear/food I could carry. We did 85 kph, but on those bikes, under that load, the fright factor was through the roof. Oh yeah, it was snowing too. Great fun.

@1958vintage 4 жыл бұрын

I clocked 60mph descending Winnats Pass 4 years ago, but, in the current Corona-virus concern climate I won't be trying it again anytime soon. Safety is more important, especially now. On a lighter note, it seems like GCN have found a challenger for Tom Last for the Presenter face-gurning competition. Good work, Conor.

@guidospanoghe8896 4 жыл бұрын

89.9 km/h on the Mont Ventoux. Should have waited a second longer before hitting the brakes reaching the following turn. Hold your hands in the drops when toptubedescending ! ( as shown by Chris F and other proriders ). And keep your eyes on the road Conor please! If you're able to gain speed by pedalling you're not going fast enough to need the toptube position imo.

@julianallen515 4 жыл бұрын

Loving the GCDN, Global Conor Dunne Network. First cobbles then descending and science! A welcome change from the Global Wine I did the hour record Network. ;-)

@gcntech 4 жыл бұрын

Haha thanks Julian

@stephanbrunker 3 жыл бұрын

Practically, it depends on the gradient, the weight and the amount of curves. There is also the diaper factor of the road conditions. I maxed out on the Nufenenpass at 80 km/h which seems the fastest my 62 kg at the time will go because that one is really steep and straight and I felt pretty safe. The Fedaia in the Dolomites is another candidate for top speeds (straight and 11% gradient), but when I was there, I hit the brakes because the road was way to bumpy to my liking. If it is bumpy, the same speed feels very, very different.

@slateization 4 жыл бұрын

Hurray! I bit of physics on GCN. I appreciate seeing a bit of the simple physics that makes us go on the channel. Keep up the good work

@gcntech 4 жыл бұрын

You are very welcome

@greggenna 4 жыл бұрын

I do love it when GCN talks real science.

@prestachuck2867 4 жыл бұрын

Greg Genna It’s definitely a rare occurrence.

@andrewreimann5203 4 жыл бұрын

I once descended at 88mph, near the Twin Pines Mall

@DaveShawMusic 4 жыл бұрын

6:31 “This simple table or graph will show you...” Displays bonkers diagram that is neither simple, a table, or a graph... 😅😂

@tanOcotO 4 жыл бұрын

It reminds high school lol

@PavltheRobot 3 жыл бұрын

But this is simple...

@headlesshorseman7077 3 жыл бұрын

@@PavltheRobot hard to make it simpler at least

@saifjalal3841 3 жыл бұрын

TheDarkFighterek is the equation sin(theta) *9.81?

@timwalker3987 4 жыл бұрын

Really interesting video done during difficult circumstances.

@markdee6689 4 жыл бұрын

Nice bit of research, enlightening.

@ElonMuckX 4 жыл бұрын

Was not expecting it, but went down a street on my Mountain Bike at 45 mph (72 kph) without a helmet on. Never concentrated so hard, to keep my handle bars straight! Always wanted to go back with my road bike, AND A HELMET, but today I'm older & wiser:)

@tubbytoast2 4 жыл бұрын

Great vid , those pros are something else , Mohoric is especially unbelievable I am sure in an interview with one of the Yates brothers it was lashing down with rain on some big decent in Switzerland and they were doing like 80 k/h and he thought this is crazy ,,then Mohoric Came past like they were standing still

@gcntech 4 жыл бұрын

It is refreshing to hear pros talking about their fears at high speeds when we are so accustomed to watching them race down descents

@ZaydDepaor Жыл бұрын

As soon as you get to any high speed on a bike, the wind resistance if the most obvious obstacle...it is like riding through water or custard. As for a fast descent on a public road even if you are only doing 50mph....the feeling is "I can die any second now..." as you are waiting for a dangerous motorist, an unexpected traffic light, bend in the road, bump, pot hole, animal etc...and that feeling of anxiety becomes exacerbated if you are in an aerodynamic position which isn't conducive to stopping or controlling the bike...even worse on a hybrid if you are holding the centre of the handlebars.

@MOSloan 4 жыл бұрын

My favourite descent is San Jose/Soquel coming down off Summit in Santa Cruz County, CA. You can pedal down all the way. It's a no braking delight! You would love the riding here. Come over for Sea Otter and I'll show you around, Big Man!

@kristofferdean8844 4 жыл бұрын

I was doing the top tube decent while racing in college in 2011. I'm 6'4 220 and it was my only way to try to catch back on after climbs. I did 72mph down Mt Charleston outside Las Vegas.

@charliedrummond5356 4 жыл бұрын

I’ve done 100kmh / 62mph. A few times. It’s always mental, but I do remember the first time - on a steel MTB with cantilever brakes, stomach on saddle, hands under the bars.

@mmwrn 4 жыл бұрын

Came down my local hill on a technical descent 2-3 weeks ago and almost ran into a cyclist coming up the hill when my momentum around the corner carried me to his side of the road and had to bail off road after locking up my brakes and fishtailing. Couldn't see him through the trees. According to Strava, I went from 32 mph to zero very quickly. Broke my fall with my face but at least I didn't break any bones and my bike was OK - still rode it home. Learned a HUGE lesson that day!

@kacperwieczorek384 4 жыл бұрын

I once descended 95 kmph on a 200€ road/gravel bike with bikepacking bags on it on 20% descend > 1 km later had a crash :)

@Kaiserfa 4 жыл бұрын

Great video! I once did around 80 kph on a local downhill section, I definitely don't want to go any faster... Also, the bike can make a huge difference: My older, not-so-budget aluminium frame road bike used to become really wobbely at around 65 kph - THAT was terrifying! Have you guys tried to estimate the terminal velocity of Connor? You should have some drag coefficient numbers from previous wind tunnel testing, and estimating the frontal area shouldn't be too difficult...

@tweeterby 3 жыл бұрын

Once hit 56mph descending Garrett County Fondo but no other riders ahead on one short steep descent section. Almost hit a bear last year on Skyline Drive, Virginia doing just 30mph, so now safety first!

@lwittrock1 4 жыл бұрын

Great video

@robertytoop 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Connor, a really great video! One question though - why in your calculations did you not take into consideration rolling resistance from the wheels on the road?

@autarko Жыл бұрын

Rolling resistance is a fairly constant force, independent of velocity, whereas wind resistance varies as the square of the velocity. This means that the fadter you go, the more negligible the rolling resistance becomes.

@michaelalatorre5208 2 жыл бұрын

During the '80s , I recall coming down the northbound lane of Hawthorne Blvd in the Palos Verdes peninsula of Los Angeles, California. As it felt quite fast, I (briefly) glanced down to my bike computer and witnessed it change from 54 to 55 mph (88 kph). At that point, self-preservation kicked in and I began to gently brake. BTW, the posted legal limit there is supposed to be 45 mph (72 kph). All of this came to memory earlier this year as this is the same section of road Tiger Woods lost control of his Genesis GV80 SUV and crashed in April. He was going an estimated 87 mph (140 kph) at the time.

@MegaF1guy 4 жыл бұрын

Great video as usual! Need a question answered.... Can i swap my Shimano 105 (5800 series) crankset with a new Shimano 105 (7000 series) crankset? WOuld I have to change anything else to swap last gen 105 crankset with new gen 105 crankset? I am riding a 2018 Trek Emonda ALR 5. Sorry, I know its off-topic.

@johntrentanove4111 4 жыл бұрын

I went 84 kph on the final paved descent of a Gravel race in Nellysford Virginia on my Specialized Diverge with 38mm knobby gravel tires. For most of the 100 km race a rider, 30 years younger, on the same bike would pass me on the gravel descents and I would pass him on the climbs. Five miles from the finish on the last gravel climb I again passed him and knew the road was paved to the finish. I went all out and finished several minutes ahead. Later I was amazed when I saw my speed and how well the bike felt on the descent.

@GorhamP 4 жыл бұрын

~65km/h in Mallorca, from the Gorg Blau (reservoir next to Puog Major) down to Port de Soller. Second descent of my life, after the route 40 in Argentina's Patagonia. Could've probably hit 70/75 easily had I sat on the top tube, but I'd never been on that stretch of road before so no way jose...I did notice that sometimes I had to pull my ass back behind the seat a bit on the sharper pinheads as I got the impression that I could go over the bars from the force of the braking. I probably suck at descending as well... but the adrenaline was such that I lost nearly all of my voice from all the euphoric screaming. Amazing day

@dredprus 3 жыл бұрын

Having read through many of the comments, if you are scared, at any speed, you are going too fast. Fear is the biggest enemy you face. You can't react properly when you are rigid with fear. Slow down to the speed that creates enjoyment...but never let your guard down. Ever.

@gtranquilla 2 жыл бұрын

There was a joke about a whistling sound as a Mexican cyclist ripped by.....something about not closing his mouth after eating a burrito containing habernero peppers.....wish i could find it again...I nearly died laughing!

@Agent-vj3ns 4 жыл бұрын

The pilot/insructor said terminal velocity when free falling is around 115mph when we last went skydiving. There's NOTHING like jumping out of a tiny, rickety seatless Cessna then going from over 100mph to 15mph with a simple pull. Go on a clear day and the float down is amazing; the expansive landscape reminds me of the Grand Canyon.

@funocguy24 4 жыл бұрын

I did 94.95 kph/ 59 mph on Nohl Ranch Rd., Anaheim Hills, CA. USA

@LoscoeLad 4 жыл бұрын

When I was 15 I gave my mate a 'backy' (him sat on the seat, me standing) on my massive mountain bike. The dodgy 'speedo' said we hit 60km/hr, and while maybe not exact, it must have been close. Both of us had to sit on the floor after due to wobbly legs 😁

@grobson4 4 жыл бұрын

My Strava record says I did 108 kmh on The Foxhole, the biggest descent on the Nurburgring. There is an event each year called Rad Am Ring, in which they close the track to cars, allow cyclists only, and you can go for it. 52 big ring, 500 Watts as long as I could, then tuck! Previous attempts topped 90 kmh (went around it 10 times) but on one of the attempts I had a tail wind, which explains the speed spike.

@BlaqRaq 3 жыл бұрын

I have gotten to 75 MPH on Mount Rosser (Jamaica). I had to limit my speed because I was getting a handle bar wobble. Equipment was a mix carbon fiber FELT road bike. It was fun doing the cross island ride (South Coast).

@rek32805 4 жыл бұрын

Reached 100+ at the Nordschleife of the Nuerburgring during Rad am Ring Race. I did it several times and especially in the night a very special experience...

@brianbinz1381 4 жыл бұрын

I definitely recommend mt baker, artist point decent. 10 miles up, then, 10 miles down! Strava says i averaged 35 mph on the decent with a max of 52 mph. But no cheating! Gotta earn that downhill! Cool video guys!

@gcntech 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Brian, and that sounds like a fast descent

@robofish43 4 жыл бұрын

I reached 80 kph in the peaks and that was scary (breaks where on lots), luckily a straight road, but not sure i would want to do that again

@secretagent86 3 жыл бұрын

La Rivere Manitoba Canada. 1972 junior provincial road race. two of us descending together. no speedometers in those days, but a car with race officials came beside us and yelled we did 60 mph. Those leather strip helmets would not have helped too much lol. This year hit 72 kph on a short steep (and relatively safe!! road). Yesterday i had a black bear run across the road 100 m in front of me... that was a first!!!

@jdoe836 3 жыл бұрын

My highest ever was 95.11 kph (59.1 mph) and have the picture to prove it. It was on a 1999 Trek 1000 Alpha Series. It was in the first leg of the Garrett County Gran Fondo near Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland, USA. I remember the group I was in, picking up some serious speed, yet I was accelerating faster than everyone and had to ride "salmon" to avoid a collision. The only other ride coming close is Highland School Road near Fredrick, MD. I can easily hit 88.2 kph (55 mph). BEST DESCENT, Skyline Drive Shenandoah National Park, Mile 21-24. Great scenery.

@marcinswidzinski 4 жыл бұрын

I once reached 60kmh on my fixed gear. It was not a steep descent, but a descent nonetheless. I still don't know how my legs managed to keep up with the cranks ;)

@velislavbach4192 3 жыл бұрын

They had to.

@klaasdeboer8106 2 жыл бұрын

Did you have brakes?

@marcinswidzinski 2 жыл бұрын

@@klaasdeboer8106 nope, just my legs and nothing else

@carllange3950 4 жыл бұрын

Back in the 90’s (pre-Strava), I had a reading of 63 mph on my bike computer on a 1/4 mile long 12% grade hill. (Chickened out and came out of my tuck early.) I was pretty particular about calibrating that computer, so I felt confident in the reading. I do not live in that area anymore, but with Strava I can see what some of my friends have posted. A 140 lb friend posted 50 mph, so I am sure that I was going at least 55 mph (and maybe 63 mph) with my 220 lbs. On the gentler hills where I live now, I hit 40+ mph all the time.

@jimbobeire 4 жыл бұрын

Not road, bikes, but a friend and I were lucky enough to come across a new road that had just been completed, but was closed off with rock barrier as it was a couple of weeks away from official opening. We just had to take it (it was also shorter than the old road, but the lack of traffic and the perfect smooth tarmac was the main attraction). There was one long descent, in a valley shielded from wind, where we briefly hit 100kph on our touring bikes. That's a speed which I would never go near on a road where there might be traffic, but in this case we were out in the middle of the road, and had the full width of the lanes for taking our turns. I've had some choice words for people treating one of my local climbs the same way, even though it's a public road, not closed to traffic.

@ianhuckle8101 4 жыл бұрын

I've always been a pretty good descender on technical not super quick courses but crapped myself at just over 90kph in the Dolomites. 130kph is insane. Once got told a story by a guy in his first Vuelta. Descending at 100+kph he was utterly terrified. Sean Kelly came past him, riding one handed.... eating a banana !

@IcemanYVR 4 жыл бұрын

108km/h, Mt. Washington, BC Canada before they put that damn sealtop coating on the road

@secretagent86 3 жыл бұрын

I live here, no way i would race down it!!!

@carbonmafiaracewheels 4 жыл бұрын

99km/h as a skinny 17 year old in 1995 near Baccus Marsh, Australia. Multiple times over 90km/h on my tri bike and road bike down Noosa Hill in the last 10 years as an overweight adult. Even jagged 80 down the same hill on my mountain bike. (Sealed road)

@thenamesADRIAN1 4 жыл бұрын

I got 56.8 mph (91.4 kph) yesterday on my Canyon Aeroad. Did not sit on my top tube on this descent. Will try on the next ride to hopefully get 60mph (96.6 kph)!

@41bbc26e0a 4 жыл бұрын

80 km/h on MTB. 26", 44 front and 11 at cassette. Like a hamster. When I was young and stupid :)

@JibbaJabber 4 жыл бұрын

Terminal Velocity can indeed be very personal, but is super simple to calculate: Go as fast as you can until you reach terminal velocity. It is at this moment you will sh*t your bibs, lose control and be terminated!! Once this occurs, get your mate (or next of kin) to rapidly recover your Garmin, Wahoo or other chosen votive offering (grave good). Upon pressing stop, not only will they be able to call TOD, they will also discover your max speed (amongst other interesting metrics). If you are a typical cyclist (see bell-curve), one can still discover this unaided. Simply, enable auto upload on your preferred KIA device. Moreover, if you also enable SOS, you have the added benefit of Search & Rescue (SAR) assistance. However, if you do properly "SEND IT", your device may be found but you remains may not - resulting in a small MIA shrine. P.S. At the moment of termination, try to keep the bike straight. Any change in direction, will result in a change in velocity (terminal) => acceleration!

@gcntech 4 жыл бұрын

That is the equation used if everything goes wrong 😬

@redjalapeno5714 4 жыл бұрын

57 mph descending Wintergreen Mountain in Virginia. I was terrified. Since then, 47 mph is my max zipping around the foothills of Appalachia and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

@alewis5836 4 жыл бұрын

Hit 75km/h on a tandem with my dad on a 1 or 2% downgrade. It interesting to make sure you both stop pedaling at the same time at that clip!

@rasmuswi 4 жыл бұрын

The fastest I've ever descended was in the 1995 Telemark Tours sportive in Norway, and I have no wish to ever go that fast on a bicycle again. I had no bike computer at the time, but I overtook loads of riders by simply braking less in the corners than they did, riders who talked about seeing 75 km/h on their head units. The bearings in the front wheel made strange noises I never heard them make either before or after that descent, and the brand new tires I had bought just before the event were completely worn out when I hit the finish line, the inner tube was poking out through several holes in the rear tire. Afterwards, my brother pointed out that mopeds aren't allowed to go faster than 30 km/h because their suspension wasn't made to handle higher speeds than that, and that my road bike had no suspension whatsoever. Nowadays I usually try to keep my descent speeds in check and use the brakes rather liberally.

@Ffish69 4 жыл бұрын

99kph going down the other side of Ditchling Beacon on the London to Brighton, in 2014. Closed roads, so (relatively) safe. I remember thinking as I was doing it "if anything happens now, I'm simply going to die." Comparing Garmins with the others in the cafe afterwards, quite a few of my mates hit over 100kph.

@thechumpsbeendumped.7797 3 жыл бұрын

I don’t know my exact speed but 40 years ago I got stopped by a cop in an unmarked car as I overtook his car and several others, going down a short but steep hill near my home. It was a 30mph zone but most cars did at least 40 just by coasting so it was probably close to 50mph. He was pretty good about it, let me off with a warning and said half serious and half joking to be carful who I overtook in future. There was a time I probably exceeded that but it didn’t end well, I ended up being taken to hospital after running out of talent and road on the descent out of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. Apparently it’s quite a common place to catch out the unwary cyclist. It certainly was on that day, coz a couple of mins before the ambulance arrived to take me off to hospital I hear a shout of “LOOK OUT!” from the people that had stopped to help me and crash, bang,wallop! Next thing I know is a bike flew past an it’s rider landed flat on his back within reach of me. The ambulance driver looked most confused when he arrived as he was only expecting one “passenger” for A&E. I got away without any broken bones but in a lot of pain for a couple of weeks with abrasions, sprains and serious bruising, to head, back and pelvis, the other guy had blood coming out of his ears and was unconscious briefly, so possibly a fractured scull.

@gregkane8635 4 жыл бұрын

Connor who is the best decender in the peloton you've raced with? And (prob cant say) but which bike be the best in the pro peloton? Alaphillipe and the tarmac was crazy quick last years tour

@markreams3192 4 жыл бұрын

57 mph twice. The first was Rabbit Ears Pass into Steamboat Springs Colorado and the second was Cottonwood pass into Buena Vista Colorado. Both times were quite scary!

@martinaxe6390 4 жыл бұрын

I hit 50mph on my 1988 Centurion when I was 16 back in 2003. I've come close to since, but I've never gone over. I don't race, and while I trust myself and my bikes, I don't trust the roads, or more importantly, vehicle drivers. Most drivers do not think about bikes going faster than 15 mph, so they're not thinking about safe distances. The gust off of a large 18 wheeler with 10 feet can be intense.

@aishainman 10 ай бұрын

This bike is just fantastic and it was shipped quickly and ready for pickup ...

@Osteoandyogi 4 жыл бұрын

Great video we are posting daily videos on staying fit and will during this time as well....Stay well..

@trroland1248 4 жыл бұрын

Only 82 km/h down some “canyon” (Left Hand or Lee Canyon) back into Boulder, CO. That’s when harmonic resonance from unbalanced Zipp 404s took over. Barely slowed down and gathered it in before crossing centre line in front of some pickup.😨

@AndrewSmith-cd5zf 3 жыл бұрын

I can get to 100 km per hr going down a racetrack called Mt Panorama in Bathurst. But I don’t do that sort of speed on public roads when I may come to a sudden halt. My safe descending speed is around 70 - 80 km per hr. Pretty easy to achieve if you’re over 100 kg and are planted on the top tube.

@jpjipperwong 4 жыл бұрын

Wait has Conor had that Pinarello? I feel like that's new

@danielbum912 4 жыл бұрын

I got terminally fast watching this

@palexander5090 Жыл бұрын

Over 50 mph about ~250 times, over 55 around 50 times, and 60.2 ... twice. I realize these are speeds the 'normal' cyclist should not be "shooting for". However, I absolutely LOVE flying three feet off of the ground. Bio-mech flyers (or bio-mech climber if you're going up) are the greatest treat/creation/invention for little bipedal primates I can possibly imagine. Unfortunately, roads in the US are regulated in a way that limits the gradients for differing reasons. We may not be able to hit those kinds of speeds just due to that.

@CauliflowerEars1 4 жыл бұрын

I love descending and going fast but quoting Juliet - "Don't descend like a bellend!" especially while A&E is busy with other things.

@nikhoward 4 жыл бұрын

I’ve done 74km but quite new to road cycling but I live in Cornwall, UK where most our roads are very bendy. I know I could go fater and keep meaning to try it on a steep straight road

@MrCyclist 4 жыл бұрын

I did 82 km/h on route 58 in Vermont, USA on a steel road bike. It has no major intersections nor switch backs and descends to a flat area needing no brakes to slow down. One and only time,

@GregLanz 4 жыл бұрын

85 KM/h is my peak speed on a windy steep downhill without helmet etc as this was in the 80's when I was a teenager. I tried a couple times after I'd gotten my rx-7 and the fastest I could get was under 80K

@Rafskat 3 жыл бұрын

On MTB i have done ones 92kph, i can done more, but i was scared as hell and brake few times. :D It was done on decent from german borders here on czech side, crazy long hill. On my new singlespeed i done recently 71 in the city :)

@VadersRage 4 жыл бұрын

The fastest I've ever clocked was 57 mph (91.7 kph) on a 3+ mile (5 km) descent in Northern California. It was SO fast (to me at least) that the wind whipped up inside my sunglasses and I teared up, blinding me. This was done on an old '78 Colnago with no helmet (yeah, I know......stupid).

@christaylor6529 4 жыл бұрын

I'm lucky enough to live near Australia's Snowy Mountains, where there are some very good roads for descending. Once managed an average 54km/hr over a 13km stretch. The highest I recorded on the Garmin is 90.2 km/hr.