What speed do downhillers get up to?

alisdairh

After hearing about some of the TDF riders getting up to speeds of 70 mph it got me wondering what sort of speeds the top downhillers get up to.

Anyone know?

I appreciate that the two aren't that comparable due to the twisty nature of a downhill course but I'm curious all the same

nicklouse

164.95 kph is the record.

http://ridegravity.com/2011/06/markus-s ... omponents/

like you say it all depends on the course.

if you want the races on freecaster they have a speed trap on most and the speeds vary a lot but 60-70Kph is common at one of the more recent races.

bartimaeus

The Speed Trap numbers are here... as Nick says the top riders are clocking 60-70 kph in the measured sections on the faster courses - so high 60's kph in Pietermaritzburg, but only in the low 50s kph in Leogang .

supersonic

Road is fast, but less likely to find a tree, boulder, 20ft drop in the way.

cooldad

Might find a barbed wire fence though

Kaise

and the odd car/falling rider cutting across your path

clanton

alisdairh wrote:

After hearing about some of the TDF riders getting up to speeds of 70 mph it got me wondering what sort of speeds the top downhillers get up to.

Anyone know?

I appreciate that the two aren't that comparable due to the twisty nature of a downhill course but I'm curious all the same

For interest, Sean Kelly's record on a road bike was 81 miles per hour.

mikeyj28

I know that Lance Armstrong Tweeted not so long ago that the fastest he ever got to was 74mph.

Bloody sh*t scary when you consider there is nothing between you and the road at that speed

timpop

Up to 70kph is common in Whistler.

Anonymous

mikeyj28 wrote:

I know that Lance Armstrong Tweeted not so long ago that the fastest he ever got to was 74mph.

Bloody sh*t scary when you consider there is nothing between you and the road at that speed

Ah, but you see, the velocity at which one travels does not vary the existence of any substance, known or unknown, that seperates them from the road.

Good day to you.

Raymondavalon

In "The Collective: Seasons" video, one rider clocks 78.14KM/h on his DH practice course, so that's 48MPH, not too shabby.

Anonymous

Pah, that's nothing. In the Crudcatcher Endomondo challenge, one of us has AVERAGED 3,600Mph, over a whole mile. That's Miles per hour :shock:

Bike Bloke

I only managed to peak at 22mph @ Glentress I suck!

bartimaeus

I managed 58 mph on my way home a couple of months ago.. my GPS sucks.

bails87

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Pah, that's nothing. In the Crudcatcher Endomondo challenge, one of us has AVERAGED 3,600Mph, over a whole mile. That's Miles per hour :shock:

I think that might be me. The GPS turned itself off for some reason, then reconnected a mile down the road, so I did that mile instantly! I'm going to remove the workout as I'd like to know what my actual fastest mile was.

Anonymous

So humble. I say, accept your status as the CC's Speedfreak.
ALL HAIL BAILS

paulbox

clanton wrote:

For interest, Sean Kelly's record on a road bike was 81 miles per hour.

There is a steep dip on my regular road loop where I reach 40mph, that is more scarey than an off-road hill (rough, but no roots/trees) where I used to reach 45mph.

I think it's the stupid narrow tyres that mess with your head... :shock:

Anonymous

My GPS clocked me at 60mph going up Box Hill

MountainMonster

I keep having the problem that above 40kmh, it turns itself off and doesn't register anything. Had a 147km ride on the road bike the other day show up as having done 80km and average speed of 32, even though everyone elses averages were around 41-42kph. I hated that!

captainfly

Bike Bloke wrote:

I only managed to peak at 22mph @ Glentress I suck!

I found putting two more magnets on my front wheel made me crazy fast and tbh I didn't really notice the sensation of speed increase :roll:

Bike Bloke

captainfly wrote:

Bike Bloke wrote:

I only managed to peak at 22mph @ Glentress I suck!

I found putting two more magnets on my front wheel made me crazy fast and tbh I didn't really notice the sensation of speed increase :roll:

:P

Welsh_Tom

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Pah, that's nothing. In the Crudcatcher Endomondo challenge, one of us has AVERAGED 3,600Mph, over a whole mile. That's Miles per hour :shock:

Best I have done on Endomondo is 185 MPH :x

ilovedirt

One of the faster guys i ride with managed 30mph or so i think down one of the not-amazingly-fast tracks near bangor... he's quick!

nomako_man

fastest i ever got downhill was 59mph ....was on my tt bike in full aero gear on way to an evening '10' however.....was gutted couldn't get that last 1 mph, though i was overtaking traffic! :shock:

Shaggy_Dog

supersonic wrote:

Road is fast, but less likely to find a tree, boulder, 20ft drop in the way.

I'm a mountain biker that also rides road bikes and I can promise you that falling off a road bike at speed is MUCH more painful than doing the equivalent off-road. Stacking it on hardtop at 40+mph is my biggest cycling fear.

Anonymous

Shaggy_Dog wrote:

supersonic wrote:

Road is fast, but less likely to find a tree, boulder, 20ft drop in the way.

I'm a mountain biker that also rides road bikes and I can promise you that falling off a road bike at speed is MUCH more painful than doing the equivalent off-road. Stacking it on hardtop at 40+mph is my biggest cycling fear.

Why does that hurt more than stacking it off road at 40mph?

getonyourbike

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Shaggy_Dog wrote:

supersonic wrote:

Road is fast, but less likely to find a tree, boulder, 20ft drop in the way.

I'm a mountain biker that also rides road bikes and I can promise you that falling off a road bike at speed is MUCH more painful than doing the equivalent off-road. Stacking it on hardtop at 40+mph is my biggest cycling fear.

Why does that hurt more than stacking it off road at 40mph?

Plus, off road you've got trees, rocks etc to contend with. On road you might get road rash (I should know, I've done it) but nothing more serious. Off road you'll break bones instead plus the usual grazes

bails87

Tarmac hurts a lot more than hardpack does. Admittedly, pointy rocks are probably worse than tarmac.

As for hitting trees...on road you've got lamposts, metal railings, bollards, kerbs and cars to deal with. Falling off on either isn't a good idea.

Also, road bikes have bigger wheels, so you'll be falling from a slightly higher position....

Shaggy_Dog

Honestly I don't know why it does, just that it bloody well does!

Probably the friction of the tarmac and the fact that it has no give whatsoever, only a thin layer of lycra for protection and the fact that you have absolutely no warning when the bike will go so you can't get into a tuck and roll as easily. Off road crashes seem to happen in slow motion (most of the time) so I tend to roll out of them better.

Maybe I'm just lucky off road but my MTB crashes may look spectacular but rarely cause more than a bruise or graze. That said, my only broken bone was MTBing (thumb hit shifter on a drop) but that hurt nowhere near as bad as my last road crash which took off most of the skin on my shin and lower arm as well as some from my face, hand, shoulder and hip. Ouchy-ba-ba-ba.

homers_double

Back in the day I clocked 56.8 on a rigid GT Tequesta down a waterboard track part way round the MT Loop.

Yes it may have been a hardpack surface but I was riding a mountain bike, on a mountain bike ride on a marked mountain bike trail.

Anonymous

Shaggy_Dog, try telling your road bike crash theory to Josh Bryceland, or Dan atherton, or Myles Rockwell