Biggest hills

Speedmenace
Speedmenace Posts: 97
edited July 2011 in Road beginners
Where are some of the biggest/steepest hills in the UK?

Surely there are some which allow a good rider to reach 50mph+

Comments

  • oldwelshman
    oldwelshman Posts: 4,733
    Yes
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  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    Dunno, I went up the Bwlch-y-Groes on Sunday and I didn't get anywhere near 50mph - more like about 4mph.
  • Pigtail
    Pigtail Posts: 424
    Scotland. The North-East is pretty good. My best so far is 48.6 down the Suie hill.

    http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3073

    I had to back off as its a relatively short run and I became worried about managing to get round the corner.

    On Saturday I climbed the lecht (from the easy side) and had high hopes of getting a good run back down, but I had wind and rain in my face so it wasn't very pleasant at all.
  • ThatBikeGuy
    ThatBikeGuy Posts: 394
    I probably reached 50+ in the moors the other day right before missing a sharp corner and ending up in the ditch. :lol:
    Speedo wasn't functioning properly so couldn't verify actual speed.
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  • Secteur
    Secteur Posts: 1,971
    P_Tucker wrote:
    Dunno, I went up the Bwlch-y-Groes on Sunday and I didn't get anywhere near 50mph - more like about 4mph.

    :lol::lol::lol:
  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    P_Tucker wrote:
    Dunno, I went up the Bwlch-y-Groes on Sunday and I didn't get anywhere near 50mph - more like about 4mph.

    A good rider would have done it at 5mph
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • geoff_ss
    geoff_ss Posts: 1,201
    We've done 50mph on the hill into Ashbourne from the south on the A515. 30 mph descents are very common and we quite often get 40mph on the clock. OTOH our ascending speeds are best not recorded :)
    Old cyclists never die; they just fit smaller chainrings ... and pedal faster
  • PeeDee
    PeeDee Posts: 88
    A good strong tailwind makes more diference than the steepness of the hill.
  • Down the Road
    Down the Road Posts: 949
    50 mph here often

    http://www.bing.com/maps/?FORM=MMREDR#JnE9LnJvc2UlMmJoaWxsJTJiYmlybWluZ2hhbSU3ZXNzdC4wJTdlcGcuMSZiYj01Mi40MTE1ODY5NTEyOTg5JTdlLTEuOTY2NTg3NjAzMDkyMTklN2U1Mi4zOTgxMDMzNjg1NDA3JTdlLTEuOTk1MDQwNDc2MzIyMTc=
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  • MountainMonster
    MountainMonster Posts: 7,423
    Fastest i've gotten to on a descent was about 53mph. 86kmh. Had it had been longer with less turns, I reckon 58 or so would have been possible, but it was on curvy switchbacks in the mountains.

    /willywaving
    My London Road
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    PeeDee wrote:
    A good strong tailwind makes more diference than the steepness of the hill.

    No it doesn't, unless you are cycling in a hurricane.
  • balthazar
    balthazar Posts: 1,565
    Most hilly regions have hills good for 50mph. There are a couple near me in Cornwall, one of which I squeeze into most rides. There's no skill in going downhill fast: it helps to be heavy, and in an aerodynamic tuck. It's the one chance most of us would have to embarrass a top racer, because they're usually very light. 50 is beyond pedalling usefulness, so you only have gravity. Skilled bike handlers are quicker on twisty descents, but that's a slightly different thing.

    Hills steep and long enough for 60mph are a lot rarer in this country. I've never found one, but I'm not well travelled in the Lakes or Wales. In previous threads like this, 60+ has been reported in the UK, I think.
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=A47 ... sz=12&z=12

    This one is good for 60mph
  • niblue
    niblue Posts: 1,387
    According to my Garmin it looks like the top speed I've hit on the road bike is 50.4mph and on the mountain bike it's 43mph.

    I see 40mph+ fairly often as there are a few good short, steep hills near home.
  • RDB66
    RDB66 Posts: 492
    Even here in Suffolk we've got hills where you can do a good run down um.

    Hit 40 odd on most rides.
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  • holker
    holker Posts: 88
    balthazar wrote:
    Skilled bike handlers are quicker on twisty descents, but that's a slightly different thing.

    Hills steep and long enough for 60mph are a lot rarer in this country. I've never found one, but I'm not well travelled in the Lakes or Wales. In previous threads like this, 60+ has been reported in the UK, I think.

    Unlikely in Lakes. Or rather if done will probably be the last thing you do. Most descents involve narrow roads, with sharp bends, pot holes, debris of all sorts, water running of fells, sheep, potential collisions with stone walls or alternatively unguarded drops down rocky fell sides.
  • balthazar
    balthazar Posts: 1,565
    holker wrote:
    Unlikely in Lakes. Or rather if done will probably be the last thing you do. Most descents involve narrow roads, with sharp bends, pot holes, debris of all sorts, water running of fells, sheep, potential collisions with stone walls or alternatively unguarded drops down rocky fell sides.

    There's my image of soaring smooth tarmac shattered! Wales then, as mentioned above. I've cycled a little in Wales and found plenty of steep roads, I'm sure long smooth steep ones are around.

    Scotland is properly mountainous, but in my equally small experience, Scottish roads seem to be sparse enough to go around mountains sensibly rather than straight up them, which spoils our fun. 60 needs steep roads, and you only seem to get those on smallish hills, not mountains.

    PS big url club- Down the Road/P_Tucker- could you edit your mega links? They're making this thread hard to read on a laptop.

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