My quest to hit that elusive number draws closer but remains tantalisingly out of reach. Today's effort - 47.2 mph.
Yes I'm a big kid I know!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
50 mph
(82 posts)-
Posted 7 years ago #
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I only did it once, around 1994. The descent from what is now The Vu to Bathgate will get you there. I've never had the urge to go that speed on a bike since, I thought I was going to die!
Posted 7 years ago # -
I thought I was going to die!
I used to try to set the Comiston Road speed camera off and that felt quite hairy enough.
On to the ded gois all estatis,
Princis, prelotis, and potestatis,
Baith riche and pur of al degre;
Timor mortis conturbat me.Posted 7 years ago # -
This fals world is but transitory
However I once topped 44mph on the flat above Currie without pedalling
Descent from Bathgate Alps can be swift, also down to whiteadder reservoir from top of resdstone rig
Posted 7 years ago # -
48.1 coming down the string on Arran - not a feeling I want again, especially coming up to the bumpy 90 degree right turn over the bridge at the end of the straight. The guy I was with hit 52.1, but it cost him his bottom bracket...
Posted 7 years ago # -
Today's effort - 47.2 mph.
Where did you manage that? The Stow-Lauder road seems like a good spot for maximising speed, but you need to get yourself to the top first!
Posted 7 years ago # -
Glad to see fellow nutters alive and kicking!
Posted 7 years ago # -
Frenchy - last bit of descent off Windydoors just before Ferniehirst. I think the Lauder one is steeper but I don't tend to go that way often as I like the roads to the west more. Need to explore further east a bit more.
Posted 7 years ago # -
49 & a bit. Few years ago down south (Bucks), then I bottled it. The other two managed to get the 50 and remind me of it regularly.
Never been brave enough since.
Think I'd try again if the right piece of road was available.
Posted 7 years ago # -
51.5mph coming over Glenshee. Don't think I'll try that again. 40 is enough
Posted 7 years ago # -
Here's the only one I have GPS data for (49.7mph):
https://www.strava.com/activities/318908651/analysis
You'll have to take my word on the 51.5 / Glenshee
Posted 7 years ago # -
45mph down the pass from the Silent Valley reservoir in the Mournes. On the Pino. Fully laden. With a hairpin approaching. And a silent wife on the front...
Don't think I'll repeat that, although others have reported 50+mph in the Lake District on a Pino! I think their brake discs were cooked by the end of the descent...
Robert
Posted 7 years ago # -
50+ coming down the braemar side of Glenshee. Not a pleasant experience as a motorbike went past and I got a speed wobble. Thought I was going to come off and leave the majority of my skin on the tarmac. Somehow got bike (and bowels) under control but was terrifying. Never come quite so close again but been high 40's and felt comfortable.
Posted 7 years ago # -
@roibeard, a great part of the world near my grandparents. Sadly never ridden it though. A future project...
Posted 7 years ago # -
50+ coming down the braemar side of Glenshee. Not a pleasant experience as a motorbike went past and I got a speed wobble.
That's my third favourite road on a motorbicycle. Sorry about that.
Posted 7 years ago # -
My fastest was allegedly 56+mph* descending on thr A470 from Cross Foxes in mid Wales. I remember chasing the rider in front during a sportive to be ready to share the work on the valley road up to Bwlch y Groes so was hammering on the pedals.
It included overtaking a couple of braking cars (which shocks me a to think back at it) and more alarmingly my Garmin beeping at me that I had gone off course*
*this temporary GPS gremlin almost certainly puts the speed under serious doubt.
On the 3 Pistes sportive, the rider notes warn you to keep below the national speed limit descending the Lecht. Disappointingly I never got above 45mph.
Posted 7 years ago # -
So in a nutshell, I have recorded the fastest speed on the flat without pedalling? The rest are all downhill speeds?
My computer was stolen from my bike maybe ten years Ago and I gave up recording speeds or distances. Strava I can see the data is interesting but does not work on my phone. I appear to be an analogue person
Posted 7 years ago # -
So @gembo what is your secret? Were you bolted to the roof of a car?
Posted 7 years ago # -
Aye the descent from Redstane Rigg is a good opportunity to get speed up. Somewhat hampered by the cattle grid though.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Boffof claims 60mph down an Alpine pass. When he was a teenager and therefore immortal in the way that teenage males are.
He says it is probably just as well he never got in to motorbikes...
I get scared over about 30. He often has to wait longer for me at the bottom of a hill than at the top! (Though coming down the Alston side of the Hartside Pass, which is a good straight descent, I managed to keep up with him and gave him a surprise when he looked round and found me still behind him; so I'm obviously improving.)
Nobrakes, you have a recumbent, don't you? How many wheels does it have?
Posted 7 years ago # -
fimm yes it's a Nazca Fuego - 2 wheels, 26" back wheel, 20" front wheel. Not an outright speed machine, more of a fast tourer and fairly heavy, but because it's a lowracer profile you get to fly down the hills. I do get a little bit nervous at high speed with the small front wheel, but the aero advantage is undeniable. When winter's over I will strip off the chunky tyres, mirror, rack and bag etc, put the seat right back as far as it goes and see how fast I can get then!
Posted 7 years ago # -
@gembo - not exactly the same place, but I managed 40mph+ without pedalling on the flat road going east from Dalmahoy Road south of Ratho to Gogar Bank for presumably the same reasons. I think I averaged about 7mph going in the opposite direction....
Posted 7 years ago # -
Too fast coming off the Lecht heading for Tomintoul on fully loaded mtb, knobbly tyres, camping gear the lot. Sooooo glad of the 203mm discs, there is a slight dip in the road just before it turns and the only reason I didn't fire off the side of the road was the skid marks from cars at that exact spot making the same mistake. Not sure how fast I got to on that but my brakes were pinging in protest.
Fastest not coming off a stupid steep hill was come back from Harperrig I had to brake to avoid overtaking a tractor such was the force of the wind, I'd just ground up the road in my granny gear.
Posted 7 years ago # -
I unintentionally achieved 50mph here just north of Rothbury and Cragside House. It's a nice long straight descent with a decent road surface.
Chasing a friend who was 100m ahead, I'd spun out and had to get into an aero tuck to keep up. I then looked down at my Garmin as saw "81.0kmh" on the screen and swallowed something hard and jagged...
Imagine my surprise when, looking up, I saw an HGV cross the road about 750m ahead, indicating that we were coming up to a T-junction where we had to give way.
Touching the brakes there was a real squeaky moment as the first dab led to something of a wobble...
Of course, once loaded up to Strava, it showed my max speed as something like 49.5mph. >:-(
Posted 7 years ago # -
I've had my little sparkly purple recumbent up to about 45mph. In the torpedo, I've done 54mph a couple of times but ran out of hill and gears.
I think it would be fairly easy to get the torpedo up to 60mph going down Queen's Drive with a slightly bigger gear, but the speed bump painted things would make it quite dangerous unless you were using a four wheeled torpedo or had very well tuned rear suspension.
According to my GPS, I once cycled across the FRB at 3250mph.
@PS, whoever built that crossroads and gave the A697 priority is a complete rotter.
Posted 7 years ago # -
I must have hit incredible speeds when once, apparently fed up of cycling solo into a headwind in Ardnamurchan, I took an unscheduled diversion to Canada.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Redstone Rigg is my PB. Sadly just short though at 47mph, it was raining though as it often is up there so I think I should get extra foolish points. At that speed the cattlegrid isn't a problem if you can hop your bike, a bad landing could be a real problem though.
According to Strava my descent of Alpe D'Huez was limited to just 30mph, although I was following a bus with a smoking brakes most of the way so didn't really have much option to open up the speed. Plus it was winter.
Is there an easy way to search rides for maximum speed in Strava without having to open all the best candidates?
Posted 7 years ago # -
@IWRATS Not your or any motorcyclists fault! I just wasn't quite ready for the sudden noise as the harley type group sped past - they gave plenty of space but my head movement at the shock of the sound caused the wobble!
The guy following me down said afterwards that he wasn't sure how I got it back under control, and that he was just trying to figure out which way to bet on so that he had the best chance of not hitting me when I went down!
Posted 7 years ago # -
@nobrakes, Algo has given the old Beaufort explanation from a low flat road going in the same general direction. So to be clear I foolishly went out for a cycle on a very windy day. I mean Kansas to Oz style wind.
@ps the road down to crag side from Alnwick is a beauty, not sure if that is exactly where you mean as Google streets was a bit grey. We stay d in the bothy inside cragside which means you have it to yourself from 5.30pm onwards. Took some chairs out to terrace above lake and drank wine. Lovely. Next day up early had entire garden to ourselves, saw the kingfishers fly under the bridge, had all our pictures taken for national trust magazine but not sure that ever came about, the bothy is a bit of a secret as sleeps eight or more and is very cheap. Plastic mattresses and a shower block so not huge luxury.
Posted 7 years ago # -
49.0, coming down the big hill on Arran.
https://veloviewer.com/activities/315036921
50 was there for the taking, but for the unfortunate presence of a car...
Posted 7 years ago #
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