I just feel really sceptical about the speed claims in this video. For instance, around 8 minutes he's finished pedalling and is just coasting along in a banned position at 48mph on what appears to be more or less flat.
Or am I just jealous I can't easily do that on my commutes to work and back? I rarely reach half that speed for more than a second on my 26" hybrid!
Im totally confused. What's the point in that video?
He might have explained it at the beginning, but I couldn't understand more than 1/3 of his drunken slurring. Then it just appears to be riding down some beautifully layed tarmac at not very impressive speeds.
Did you actually watch the whole thing?
Can you give us a synopsis
I've hit 55 on a descent before.
can't say it was the most enjoyable thing I ever did. It was fine until i ralised my brakes where madde of rubber... once that thought entered my head there was a lot of scrubbing going on and i vowed never to do it again.
What the point in that video?
Look at me?
Did you actually watch the whole thing?
Hell no!
A vid about speed and all that aero drag from the long girly hair. 😆
Butter smooth tarmac, barely exists around here at all, same for zero traffic. No visuals regarding gradient.
Wasn't the top tube "super tuck" banned by UCI mainly because of the risk of top tube fracture/shear for those of us that weigh more than a typical child, especially if we go over surface imperfections?
Perfect roads, easy, no side streets. Could have achieved a similar speed in a 'normal' aero tuck if he got those elbows in.
I've done 60 mph a few times in my past on 30 year old tech, on UK crap roads.
Nice bike and fast ish riding, although he looked a little unsteady.
My fastest recorded speed was 56mph down Otley Chevin on a 2000 SC Superlight, although it was using a pre GPS Sigma bike computer.
Maybe I should disregard the memory of riding a 120mm FS with fork locked out down a welsh lane near brechfa at 42mph. Felt very sketchy!
he’s finished pedalling and is just coasting along in a banned position at 48mph on what appears to be more or less flat.
Yeah. Lots of those deceptively smooth straight roads in the US. Mate did a coast to coast about 20 years ago and ended up on an arrow straight apparently completely flat road through loads of empty semi desert, freshly tarmaced. Basically rolled about 15 miles at ~40+mph without seeing another soul...
Though I think this guy needs more practice.
I’ve (maybe) done 62mph, down a 14% gradient, on a 90s mtb, wearing tight clothing, with a c30mph tailwind.
Verified by a cateye mity computer (hence the ‘maybe’)
In the uk, on typical b road surfaces.
It felt like i was approaching the speed required for low orbit.
I did that route a number of times in the 90s, only got above 50mph once, it was the massive tailwind that made the difference.
This video doesn’t ‘look’ all that fast, but I believe gopro type wide angle optics can make stuff look slower (and flatter) than it actually is.
65mph at 5 mins 30 secs
That would give me the heebie jeebies for sure. Even around 45mph feels crazy fast on a bike, 65 must be nuts!
I've done mid-60's mph on maybe 3 or 4 occasions on a road bike and it's quite terrifying how fast it is compared to mid 50's.
Once was on Grossglockner Pass in Austria and I think that felt the safest. Stiff modern road bike (although still with rim brakes!), good tyres plus a clear road, good surface and sightlines.
Once was in the Alps and that was sketchy.
And once in the UK on a tailwind assisted descent in the Trough of Bowland that nearly ended in disaster when I had to go around a bend and the tailwind became a sudden crosswind.
There's a descent in Spain which I knew reasonably well and could always get high 50's / low 60's on but I'd always bail as soon as it got to 100kph / 62mph.
Genuinely not sure I'd even try for that speed now. Low 50's is fine. And that video is really dull!
Even around 45mph feels crazy fast on a bike, 65 must be nuts!
There's a section of the descent off Cairngorm where I can hit 80kph/50mph with little effort. The road isn't exactly smooth though and it's definitely butt-clenching. Worst of all, it's normally gusty and the fastest bit is round a right hand bend with the wind usually coming from the left. The consequences of binning it aren't worth thinking about!
Even around 45mph feels crazy fast on a bike, 65 must be nuts!
I’d love to go do that on those smooth roads.
Not watched the vid but ive done 60mph on a downhill descent in the UK according to Strava which is never wrong! have deffo done over 50mph as i passed a mate on a descent and he was doing 50mph in his car lol
I do have a confirmed 300mph from a cateye computer!
Wasn’t the top tube “super tuck” banned by UCI mainly because of the risk of top tube fracture/shear for those of us that weigh more than a typical child, especially if we go over surface imperfections?
You ever tried it?
It's ****ing terrifying!
All your weight is now over the front you're physically bunched up all you movement is constrained, the handling of the bike becomes super twitchy...
I think it was banned mainly because as the speed goes up and the ability to react and control the bike goes down...
What the point in that video?
If you have to ask it's probably not pitched at you. But yeah the hipsters and insta-twazzles have long moved on from fixies and now it's all living the #lifestyle on £10k road and gravel bikes in picturesque locations. It's normally best to assume you're being sold something, even when it's not totally clear what...
15.5mph on the ebike.
Above that ?, they would require effort, so not for me thanks.
I’ve one 55mph on in Spain and the Mrs hit 60moh plus in her Dr Dew. It was a 20k descent with very few bends in it. I was on my early Carrea Gyphon with 19mm tyres and really shit brakes absolutely caked myself. I won’t go anywhere near than now. @crazy-legs was it anywhere near Sort, I think that’s where this hill was.
The missus is stupid she has the queen of the mountain for some of the road descents around her us. Which is saying something give m who rides around here. She’s never had a bad off
I did a charity event riding up and down the Tumble once, didn't quite break 60 but have multiple 58s. One of the most fun things I ever did on a bike (the down bits - the up bits, less so).
Strewth. Seems the point has been well and truly missed 🤣
I like sticking a Safa vid on when I’m not properly concentrating on the TV. Lush scenery and actually some interesting guest riders.
He was just looking for a niche for content and has found it with his big speed descent type vids to the extent he’s basically a ‘privateer’ sponsored rider off the back of it. I think he has history as a bike messenger.
Some of the mtb ones are pretty cool!
As for ‘banned position’ 🙄 I don’t think the UCI govern day to day life just yet.
This is quite a nice format for an interview with Payson Mcelveen.
Scared myself silly when I did 55mph on a full rigid MTB, knobbly tyres, many years ago.
Braking at the end made me rethink my choices that day.
Wasn’t the top tube “super tuck” banned by UCI mainly because of the risk of top tube fracture/shear for those of us that weigh more than a typical child, especially if we go over surface imperfections?
It was banned because of the control issues. There was a secondary risk that "normal riders" would copy the pros as well.
It was for similar reasons that the "resting wrists on the bars" riding was banned as well, it had actually got to the point where normal club riders in basic level road races were trying to ride like that and causing crashes.
It's an insane position and there's a risk that as you try and rise up back into the saddle that the back of your jersey or your shorts snags on the nose of the saddle and causes you to fall.
What a road though. Stunning. To be honest though if I lived there I'd fit a dropper. **** that superman position.
Then it just appears to be riding down some beautifully layed tarmac at not very impressive speeds.
What's unimpressive about spending that long over 50mph? He's having to work for it as you can see from the power. That's a first class bit of riding.
@martymac that wasn't down the Dukes Pass into Aberfoyle in '92 or '93 with 3 other riders, was it? If so, I was one of those 3...
Ah, no, it was summer of ‘96, on the A689 from alston, heading east towards bishop auckland, the steepest bit is heading towards the lead mining centre at Nenthead.
I was buzzing after it like.
I travelled that road regularly from ‘96-2002, to visit my grandparents.
Without the assistance of a huge tailwind i never went above 50.
I do have a confirmed 300mph from a cateye computer!
Is that all? I hit around 2000mph on my garmin gps once.
In terms of how fast 65mph would feel I would be curious about a really nice downhill, decent surface and no corners. I suspect my comfortable limit could be increased by a good margin.
would be curious
Indeed, perspective is everything. The road looked absolutely frickin amazing.
There’s a section of the descent off Cairngorm where I can hit 80kph/50mph with little effort.
Oooh, yes, done that a few times.
The String Road on Arran also has a very fast section if you're heading into Brodick - iirc we hit 50mph and my mate was eyeing up the car overtake. With a pannier on. 😎
The other one I've done at that speed but is now terrible tarmac is the descent from Glenshee ski centre. I didn't have speedo / GPS, but it felt flippin fast.
I've done that one with bike laden with camping gear...absolutely flying and overtook a couple of construction trucks on way down - they didn't like it and made sure I knew further along the road as the close pass felt like millimetres!
What a buzz on the way down though.
I’ve hit 98 kmph on a 20% descent with the dropper down on my SolarisMax on a commute, verified by a mate chasing me on his road bike.
It’s it particularly scary, I’m concentrating too much!
The KOM on the segment hits 112kmph
There’s a 25% drop on a dirt road locally that I’ve overtaken cars on at 80kmph. Huge buzz.
What’s the point in that video?
Suppose as with all footage you can also take what you want from it? For me (just watched a few minutes) I didn’t read into it just really enjoyed the music, the sounds of the bike and the location. I didn’t occur to me to be sceptical of the motivations/hidden messages/vanity et cetera. Maybe I’m just blind when it comes to cycling - my brain is soothed ‘oooo, bike, nature, sounds’
For some reason and it made me want to go out on my old Audax/Tourer and ride Mortimer Forest-Wigmore-Rolls-Radnor in the sunshine soon again. Nowhere near as glamorous and always sweaty/horsefly-laden climbs - yet punctuated by glorious descents where I can just about outrun them!
For similar reasons the OP video reminded me of Rafael Rincón’s fixed-gear videos (Bogotá), which is nice 🙂
Is that all? I hit around 2000mph on my garmin gps once.
Ahh but thats a GPS error, the Cateye computer was wired one with a magnet on the wheel so no GPS, god knows how it managed to record 300mph
Speed looks about right from my experience of high speed open road descents in the Alps, smooth surface, sweeping corners. 60mph+ is not uncommon. Some high consequence trajectories off the side and potential for dust blowing onto apex's to see you there quicker than would be ideal, so sizeable cajones. I do remember an instance chasing a friend who is a rapid descender down the Galibier, we slipstreamed a coach then overtook it at well over 60mph. He had a thing about proving to cars and motorbikes that we were quicker than them, so we'd overtake things regularly on alpine descents, this once occurred midway through a tunnel..without lights. I realise now, this was not entirely sensible. Am still here, just.
I just feel really sceptical about the speed claims in this video
Well he's not the only one to hit that speed.
https://www.strava.com/segments/24898537?filter=overall
I did hear Sean Kelly say he hit 124kph (77mph) descending off the Joux Plane.
The sensation of speed and actual speed can be very different. My fasters is 49 mph somewhere on the Dartmoor Classic (wired Cateye) and I was surprised - at the time it felt pretty quick but not really fastest-I've-ever-gone quick. But then lots of other times have felt like warp speed but turned out to be like low 40s. Depends on the road and surface I suppose.
Fastest I’ve managed was 53.1 mph on my fungrel below (FU***** Ugly moNGREL) brakes (front disc only) not touched down a local hill “gilroanie” outside kirkcudbright, with a tailwind you can get quite a speed if tucked in, unfortunately it drops very steep right into two corners and a rough road surface so you drift from one side of the narrow road to the other side. All I thought of was puncturing and hitting the recently tarred and chipped surface wearing nothing but lycra shorts/top (nae helmet) and spending 6 months getting skin grafts.
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My 1994 Marin Indian Fire Trail frame, converted to a singlespeed training bike with 54x14 gearing.
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I did hear Sean Kelly say he hit 124kph (77mph) descending off the Joux Plane.
Wasn't 124kph the fastest the original avocet computers would read?
My record is somewhere between 110 and 120 (GPS speed). Didn't drop below 110 or top 120 for about 2.5 or 3 km on a long descent in the alps, don't think it would have been an error, not for that long!
(Once saw a recorded 55mph on a laden touring bike coming down from Tan Hill, wired Avocet, so i don't believe it for one minute!)
Can believe the speeds the guy is going in the video.
When touring through the Black Forest on my slicked HT and Bob Yak trailer I hit 83kmh....trailer got a bit of a wobble on at around 50kmh,but settled down again. Had visions of my front tyre exploding due to the heat I. The rims.
Fastest was 110kmh on Gran Canaria when on our day off we decided to shuttle with the road bikes rather than mtb.
There used to be an Austrian guy posting vids of him hammering down various passes, shooting past cars at 135kmh...!
Latest vid 😯
Is that Cannock chase?
