Lost my bottle!!

gregster10217
gregster10217 Posts: 469
edited July 2010 in Road beginners
Have recently found that when faced with a reasonable downhill decent, I don't want to go as fast as I know I can/could. All I can think about are the consequences of what it would be like if it all went wrong and it makes me back off. The length of decent I do, won't be enough to dramatically alter my overall times, but it's nice to scroll through the computer and see the numbers higher than previously.
Any advice for dealing with the lack of bottle?
Thanks
Limited Edition Boardman Team Carbon No. 448
Boardman MTB Team

Comments

  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Just keep doing the same descent, each time a little faster, you'll gradually build confidence.
  • peanut1978
    peanut1978 Posts: 1,031
    in the same boat at the moment after a bad crash

    will be good to see responses
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    James Hunt (F1 World Champ of some repute) used to belittle drivers who didn't give it everything, on the basis that crashing at 90% max speed would hurt just as much as crashing at 100%. Same applies to us all on here - how much different will the outcome be if you lose it at 36mph, or 42mph? And realistically, you can ride a bike, nothing's gonna happen anyway.

    MTFU is the Commute response to wittering like this. Get on with it.
  • sods_law
    sods_law Posts: 161
    Practice, get used to the bike, make sure everything is set up right before you head out, and trust it.

    I see you have a Ltd Ed Boardman, which means you've only had it a few months. I have one too, and i was also hesitant when I first got on it, as it feels very different to my alu bike, but upgrade the brake pads so you can stop in a hurry if needed, and just practice. It is quite a 'lively' bike with the short stem and striaght fork, so the key is to get used to keeping movements slow and smooth to keep it all stable. Once you have learnt to trust what the bike will do and how it will react in any situation, your 'bottle' limit will increase.

    It is a great bike for descending, get in a good tuck on a long decent, and you'll get 45-50mph easy :)

    Is worth nothing that everyone has 'what if' thoughts at times, and this is sensible on a bike, as it stops you being reckless when you are not comfortable doing something.
  • skyd0g
    skyd0g Posts: 2,540
    Take it steady - learn the roads you're descending on - a 'lump' or 'dip' in the road can easily throw you off-course at speed. Also get used to how quickly you can shed speed (if necessary) and how quickly you can take any bends on the decent.

    There's no point in taking a decent at a record speed only to find you're on the opposite side of the road or in a ditch! :wink:

    Maybe try putting a piece of tape over your speedo & go by 'feel' - then check back afterwards to see how fast you went, rather than staring at the speedo (rather than looking where you should be going) and the speedo numbers frightening you.
    Cycling weakly
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    how about trying a bit of mountain biking? then you will laugh at cobbles, kerbs, roundabouts and 'steep' descents on tarmac.
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • Philby
    Philby Posts: 328
    One of the things I did was to follow some more experienced riders down hills and look at the lines that they took. I was also amazed at the amount they could lean over on bends, and this gave me the confidence to lean the bike over further than I used to do. Suggest also doing the same descents and aiming to go either a bit faster each time and /or use the brakes less.
  • Ands
    Ands Posts: 1,437
    I asked the same questions a couple of weeks ago.

    First up, I took speed off the computer display when I was descending. That way, I wasn't getting distracted by trying to see how fast I was going, nor was I freaking out when I saw the numbers.

    Confidence comes with practice, and it doesn't take too long to build up the confidence. I'm finding now that I am braking less and pushing a little bit more each time. I'm coming down some hills 10-20% faster than I was 6 weeks ago (ones that I am familiar with).
    Cannondale Six Carbon
  • rbirkett
    rbirkett Posts: 65
    Boardman carbons are the worst for descending. Scarily 'lively' over 30mph even on the flat!
  • ravey1981
    ravey1981 Posts: 1,111
    rbirkett wrote:
    Boardman carbons are the worst for descending. Scarily 'lively' over 30mph even on the flat!

    Interesting... I would think a penny farthing would be worse than a Boardman...but if you say Boardmans are the worst then....
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    It never leaves the back of your mind.

    I came off last year at 44mph and ended up a right mess with 3 breaks to my right leg.

    You just have to keep riding and it will come without thinking consciously about wanting to go faster.

    It takes a long time, at first I was slower downhill than on the flats!

    I did 55.2 last weekend on a descent in the peaks (not that I knew it at the time...).
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    rbirkett wrote:
    Boardman carbons are the worst for descending. Scarily 'lively' over 30mph even on the flat!
    Didn't find mine much of a problem at 50 on a bumpy road
  • chrisirving
    chrisirving Posts: 20
    im quite surprised by this. and i dont mean to sound nasty or anything but everytime im on a decent and i see the numbers get higher and higher it just buzzes me up to try harder.

    my theory on everything is you only live once so go for it!!!
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    chrisirving wrote:
    im quite surprised by this. and i dont mean to sound nasty or anything but everytime im on a decent and i see the numbers get higher and higher it just buzzes me up to try harder.

    my theory on everything is you only live once so go for it!!!

    Wait until you crash at high speed...
  • twotyred
    twotyred Posts: 822
    Like cee said try a bit of mountainbiking then any road descent will barely register on your adrenal gland.
  • gregster10217
    gregster10217 Posts: 469
    Thanks everyone, will just try to keep doing the downhills a bit quicker than the last time. I have got some Koolstop pads so I know it'll stop quickly enough if needed!!

    Appreciate the 'only live once' post and I was like this when I was younger, but also got a wife, little boy and no. 2 on the way as well so would like to be able to try it and get home to them in one piece.
    Limited Edition Boardman Team Carbon No. 448
    Boardman MTB Team
  • jonmack
    jonmack Posts: 522
    bompington wrote:
    rbirkett wrote:
    Boardman carbons are the worst for descending. Scarily 'lively' over 30mph even on the flat!
    Didn't find mine much of a problem at 50 on a bumpy road

    Both of mine have been up to about 40, and they still feel alright to me, even the pro carbon rp which weighs about 14lbs!
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    I'd suggest that you need to develop a real feel for your bike so that you really know what it is capable of.

    On slower descents that you are comfortable with and when the conditions (traffic)permit, weave around a bit on the bike, adjust your position through turns, hang off the back of the saddle, get your chin on the stem ( not simultaneously), stand up, sit down and see how the bike responds. Brake late, brake early, learn its limits and get a feel for which body position enables you to power through turns more confidently. Descending is entirely a confidence game and that confidence stems from good body position.

    If you can throw the bike around confidently at 25 mph you'll feel comfortable at 35, if you can throw it around at 35, you'll be comfortable at 45 etc, etc.

    If you do 95% of your riding following the route of the road at somewhere between 15 and 25 mph you're not going to develop handling skills to feel confident at 40+

    That's my two penneth anyhow.
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    Philby wrote:
    One of the things I did was to follow some more experienced riders down hills and look at the lines that they took.

    I went Go Karting once and there was a guy winning every race by a country mile. In one race I was in pole and he was starting in 2nd. My plan was to simply follow him once he got in front to learn his line. After two corners the exercise was a moot one as he was long gone. Turned out he was a pro driver.
  • steveinthepeaks
    steveinthepeaks Posts: 102
    another + for giving mountain biking a go. I did a lot of mtb'ing in my younger days and i'm convinced that's given me an advantage on the decents. All about choice of line and the biggy 'confidence'.

    Also another + for getting use to how you bike handles, I'm more at home decending on one bike than the other.
    http://twitter.com/steveinthepeaks
    http://www.virtual-canvas.co.uk
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    This thread got me concentrating on what I do when I'm descending and tonight I discovered the following.

    On fast descents I grab the drops, lift my arse a couple of inches off the saddle and hold the nose of the saddle between my thighs. This gives me really good bike control and I can easily weave the bike around underneath me whilst my centre of gravity takes a more direct route straight down the hill.

    I quickly realised that this makes the movement very much like slalom skiing. Bike moves out side to side while the body remains balanced above. I also think the holding the saddle wih the thighs gives really good contrtol rather than passively bobbling around on top.

    Anyhow, that's just what I've found, may work for you, may not!
  • chrisirving
    chrisirving Posts: 20
    NapoleonD wrote:
    chrisirving wrote:
    im quite surprised by this. and i dont mean to sound nasty or anything but everytime im on a decent and i see the numbers get higher and higher it just buzzes me up to try harder.

    my theory on everything is you only live once so go for it!!!

    Wait until you crash at high speed...

    i have done a few times mate. i butted a trucks wing mirror doing 45 ish. and i came off down a hill in the lake district doing 56. got wiplash on the first one and broke my arm and ankle on the second. i musnt have the part of the brain that controls fear lol. must admit tho i do have to push myself and do insane things to get an adrenelin rush.
  • The_Beast
    The_Beast Posts: 89
    Its the state of the roads which worries me more than the speed, if its smooth tarmac I like to give it more, obviously. Only been riding about 12 weeks but my top speed is creeping up all the time, 35.5mph yesterday.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    chrisirving wrote:
    NapoleonD wrote:
    chrisirving wrote:
    im quite surprised by this. and i dont mean to sound nasty or anything but everytime im on a decent and i see the numbers get higher and higher it just buzzes me up to try harder.

    my theory on everything is you only live once so go for it!!!

    Wait until you crash at high speed...

    i have done a few times mate. i butted a trucks wing mirror doing 45 ish. and i came off down a hill in the lake district doing 56. got wiplash on the first one and broke my arm and ankle on the second. i musnt have the part of the brain that controls fear lol. must admit tho i do have to push myself and do insane things to get an adrenelin rush.

    More fool you then.

    I broke my leg in three places hitting the side of the road at 44mph, if anything had been coming the other way I'd have been killed.

    I have a wife and kids to support which is far more important to me than a speed based adrenaline rush.
  • chrisirving
    chrisirving Posts: 20
    NapoleonD wrote:
    chrisirving wrote:
    NapoleonD wrote:
    chrisirving wrote:
    im quite surprised by this. and i dont mean to sound nasty or anything but everytime im on a decent and i see the numbers get higher and higher it just buzzes me up to try harder.

    my theory on everything is you only live once so go for it!!!

    Wait until you crash at high speed...

    i have done a few times mate. i butted a trucks wing mirror doing 45 ish. and i came off down a hill in the lake district doing 56. got wiplash on the first one and broke my arm and ankle on the second. i musnt have the part of the brain that controls fear lol. must admit tho i do have to push myself and do insane things to get an adrenelin rush.

    More fool you then.

    I broke my leg in three places hitting the side of the road at 44mph, if anything had been coming the other way I'd have been killed.

    I have a wife and kids to support which is far more important to me than a speed based adrenaline rush.

    have to admit it is more fool me!!, i always say i will be safe to the g/f. but the moment there is an oppertunity to go for it i do lol. i might grow up one day hehe
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    You just have to blank out any thought of consequences. After one particular descent down a mountain near me where I was well over 50mph my cycling mate asked me what I would have done if a milk tanker had pulled out of one of the farm entrances - I thanked him and told him it hadn't even crossed my mind. Alternatively move somewhere flat! :wink:
  • gregster10217
    gregster10217 Posts: 469
    Have been out having read the advice with much interest and on Sunday got up to 41 mph on a stretch I know reasonably well, which was quiet and in fairly good condition. It was straight enough so not too much throwing the bike about but felt really good.

    Thanks for all the advice, it helped a lot and I'll be looking and hitting the same stretch again soon and trying to increase speed on other descents as well.
    Limited Edition Boardman Team Carbon No. 448
    Boardman MTB Team
  • spursn17
    spursn17 Posts: 284
    Watch the TDF, some riders descend beter than others. Such is life.

    I'm one of the 'bottlers', scares me stiff going down a steep twisty one!

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