What's the fastest you've gone on your bike?

[mrdunk]

I finally took my bike out for the first time in weeks yesterday as the terrible weather we've been having has finally cleared up.
a few weeks ago i put a new rear tyre on and this was the first real chance i had to take it out, on the old tyre my bike would roll at about 9mph before i had to put any effort in to go faster,now it seems my rolling speed is 17mph before i have to put the pressure on.
after riding for a about 2 miles i came to a shallow but long hill so i thought id put some real pressure on so i shifted into top gear and started pedaling like crazy,after about 20 seconds i hit 30 mph (a first for me on this bike) and a few seconds later i was at 35 and fast approaching a tight bend so i had to slam on the brakes because i was about to turn my trousers brown.
i think i might be able to push it to 50+ if i can find the right hill and for a big and very heavy full suspension mountain bike i think this is quite good but im just wondering if its a good idea or not?
anyway just out of general nosiness im wondering what top speeds everyone has hit and yes i know the road bikers are gonna laugh at my pitifull 35mph.

[JohnV]

Not is not pitiful at all, especially for a heavy mountain bike. Actually, that is pretty darn good. Depending on where I ride and how much headwind I get, my average speed for going on flat ground with a mild to no wind is between 18 and 22 mph, normally 19 mph. However, after 8 or 10 miles, of that I drop down and do between 14 and 17 mph being as I am not as young as I used to be.

We don't have HILLS here in Florida, but what we do call hills are not that big (especially in my part of the state), even though they can be a chore getting to the top if you are not used to riding on them. Going down one of our hills, the most I have done on my road bike is 31 mph without pedaling, so you got me by a few miles an hour. And, like you, the younger riders will find my 31 mph a joke. However, anything I do better this time than the last is to impress myself, not anyone else.

[mrdunk]

i live in the north east of england and your more likely to find a hill that flat ground around here also im on the coast so its normally very windy.
im not in the best shape ive ever been in after spending the last 3 years working nights and sleeping all day with no real exercise in between i have a fair amount of weight to lose,i did 10 miles in about 50 mins yesterday and i could barely move when i got home.
i need to motivate myself to get on my bike daily as i want to do the coast to coast ride next year just to see bits of the country i would never normally get to see.

[JohnV]

Quote:,i did 10 miles in about 50 mins yesterday and i could barely move when i got home.

When my wife bought my first bike for my birthday, almost two years ago, it was a steel frame comfort bike (Giant Sedona ST). I was close to 180 lbs and hadn't ridden a bike in 20 years or so and took it out the day I got it. I rode in the neighborhood and did just at 1 mile. My legs felt like jelly and I was sore for two days after.

I got up to two or three miles before our winter hit and it was one of the coldest on record since back in the 60's, so I didn't ride again until mid April of last year. Tried to pick up where I left off ... no such luck. I had to start from square one. But I did make a commitment to ride every day and stuck with it. This past winter, I bought a trainer for my road bike and was able to continue riding even when it got cold outside. I'm now down to 155 lbs (I'm 5' 8") and I really feel great. Still ride every day (about 15 to 20 miles) and try to get in at least 30 to 40 mile rides on the weekends.

Yes .... I have been consumed with cycling and would rather be doing that then pretty much anything else. After meeting an extraordinary women at the park I ride in, I can honestly say that, "You are never to old to ride." You may have read my post about the 80 year old woman who crashed her Felt Tri bike last year and is now riding a Moots road bike. She has inspired me to keep on riding until my legs no longer work.

[AL_BUNDY]

I have a steep long hill about a mile from my house. About 10 years ago the computer on my Raleigh R-300 said I was going over 80 mph.
But I kinda cheated. 2 magnets on the wheel.

[doctordee]

(06-09-2011, 12:53 AM)AL_BUNDY Wrote:  I have a steep long hill about a mile from my house. About 10 years ago the computer on my Raleigh R-300 said I was going over 80 mph.
But I kinda cheated. 2 magnets on the wheel.

LOL, very good. If you look at google earth, you will see that Northern Ireland is not flat, at all. On the main dual carriageway with a head wnd I managed to pedal to 38mph and was really proud of myself until I turned off the carriageway into a side street, still going hammer and tongs until I heard and seen the blues and twos. I was pulled over for doing 37mph in a 30 zone. The officer took one look at me, (I was 24stone at the time, the state of my bike, a raleigh held together with rust and duct tape), had a quiet snigger to himself and let me go.

Ironically about a week later, I was a Marshall with the Northern Ireland Motorcycle club on a charity ride and over the radio, I was told, there was a rider speeding, so I pulled him over, it was the officer that stopped me. Out of respect I didnt snigger at his bike, a 250cc....... but at every opportunity, I did overtake him on my bike and wave.

[Dbier94]

The other day I was riding through the ravine here Edmonton,Alberta Canada and seen a nice..LONG hill. I gear mashed through all 21Gears and at the top of the hill alone I was holding a steady 42km/H I rode down the hill pedaling like a mad man and at about the bottom of the hill I hit 147km/H. I regularly hit 70-90km/H but that was an exception.

I ride a Raleigh Tora 21 Speed with a memory foam seat and a factory installed spedometer. Is by far the best all terrain bike ive had!

[RobAR]

Oh wow... cool thread!

Here in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, USA, there is a rural hiway also known as Push Mountain Road from the days when it was still unpaved. I'll leave it to your imagination why it's called that.

Back in 1997, a lot of us rode our MTBs to the top and then back to where we had parked - just to say we had climbed it. It was Chip and Seal back then. I was on a '97 DBR WCF 6.1 hardtail with Tioga City Slicker tires, and in the 42 ring and 11 cog coming back down. At 42 mph, I ran out of leg juice. Gravity took over! I got into the best aero-tuck that I could and watched the digits on the computer climb to 48 mph before I started feeling the bike shake from harmonics. Scary Feeling! Feathered those brakes the rest of the way down.

Since, that road has been paved with proper asphalt and is a popular ride on weekends. I've had my Trek 2.3 road bike out on that same stretch and run out of juice at about 48 mph in the 50/11. Gravity still takes over and on a good morning, I can watch the cyclometer hit 57 before the bike starts to shimmy and shake with me tucked in the drops. That's with knees pinching the top-tube, too. Scarey Fast!

[Reklisrydr1]

Hi all. New to this site, my first post, but not new to cycling. My life has been spent in many towns on the West Coast and all have had hills. One day I mashed my way to get to the top of a local hill knowing there was a "T" intersection at the bottom. During my ascent I noted hearing a "pop" as if I ran over a stone, puzzling but I kept going since nothing seemed amiss. Racing in triathlons I learned to gain overall speed you stand in the pedals, head low, butt as high as you can muster so you are a flying wedge. Eager for my descent, I stroked hard to gain max pedal speed. As I approach 50 mph I reckoned public streets are likely to have traffic, and the T intersection was closer now. Applying both brakes brought a shudder to the entire bike, I could barely hold onto the bars, but I managed. Releasing the brakes stopped the shudder, A HA! Quick thinking I tried applying the back brake, shudder returned. Release and applying the front brake, no shudder, the T intersection was busy and getting closer. Oh gawd, I held the front brake tight and hoped not to lubricate my cycling shorts. Phew!

And this is how I learned what the "pop" noise was, I had broken a spoke in the rear wheel.

[1FJEF]

Anytime I break 20mph I remember the tens of thousands of dollars my last major medical bill was & hit the damn brakes! Every time, no exceptions, 20mph max.

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(06-19-2012, 09:39 PM)RobAR Wrote:  on a good morning, I can watch the cyclometer hit 57 before the bike starts to shimmy and shake with me tucked in the drops. That's with knees pinching the top-tube, too. Scarey Fast!

I remember my cousin loaned one of his "old school" road bikes to a young guy. It was a trek 800 or something like that. This guy was going into the mountains & my cousin says to the guy "now when you hit about 50mph you'll start to get a wicked shimmy, just open your fists slightly & it'll smooth out on it's own".
Holy cr*p.

[xerxes]

About 150mph, but it was a motorbike.

On a pushbike, I know for sure I've hit 40 a few times coming down a big hill near where I live on an MTB with semi slick tyres, I've probably been faster on a racer years ago, but didn't have a speedo back then.

[Joe_W]

Last Saturday I reached 80 km/h downhill on my road bike. I didn't pedal but tried to relax my muscles for the rest of the event (half ironman)... but I think that's about the fastest I go. Usually there's some bad turns that you don't want to take with that speed even though I only live close to the hilly area in the centre of Germany (Spessart, Odenwald, Taunus). No long climbs / decents, but some are quite steep...

In the flat with no wind I usually have an average of about 30 km/h when training alone.

[jako]

I think I reach ~50kph or so on my hybrid during my commute to work. Its one of three hills, valleys actually as I head to downtown Toronto. I only guess as that keeps me about even with the traffic.

[RobAR]

Methinks jako is in too much hurry to get to work. I think that maybe tomorrow, I will call in sick and go ride my bike! Who is with me?

[FredS]

On average I go about 15 MPH, with a nice hill I done 38 then the hill runs out of steam.

[nfmisso]

Our (and my) fastest with data is 24.6mph (per Garmin GPS) on level road with our T50; heading north on Bascom from CA 85, aka West Valley freeway. The pavement is very smooth.

Our tandem has 28/44/54 upfront and a 7 speed 12-30 in back, with 37-622 tires.

I don't carry anything to measure speed on my solo bikes.

[tbrowne]

I hit 69 mph rolling down a mountain in the Adirondacks several years ago. It was exhilarating and great fun. Could have gone faster but for the many curves. I should add that I went up the other side a good deal slower!

[Eric 13]

There is a nice downhill run close to where I reside. It's on the way to a local park that is a regular place I visit. Nice bike only lanes.

Anyway this hill is a blast. Have no idea how fast it is I'm going, but it really is a great rush. And a good way to start the day's riding. LOL, it demands your utmost attention!