What is the fastest speed you've reached on a bike?

MancMissile

I have recently got my first road bike and nearly hit 40mhp on a decent and was amazed by the speed.

What is the fastest speeds you guys have reached on your bikes?

anto164

fourty six emmm peee haich!

got it one time i had a large tailwind down a straight short sharp hill.

Without the wind i struggle to hit 40mph down it.

clodep

86.6km/h on my mountain bike... down a hill... on bitumen (not dirt!)... not much wind.... on a nice warm day down here in Australia!

WTF

49 mph downhill with tailwind..
The gearing on most standard setups won`t allow much more than say 45mph.

Simon G

On two separate attempts i've hit 58 and 59 mph respectively down a local mile long hill (Crowcombe Hill in Somserset). The hill is nice and straight once you're around the top bend and it's a solid 25% gradient all the way, so it's just a case of letting the bike roll. I reckon you're only above 50mph for a maximum of 10 seconds though. I wanted to hit 70mph on this hill, but it doesn't seem possible as the hill isn't long enough. I'd be keen to hear of anyone who has managed 70mph anywhere (with a well calibrated bike computer of course!)

Typical speeds for me (and friends) on the local hills around these parts are between 42 and 52mph though.

McTiger

Indicated 57mph on the descent from Lochranza to Sannox, Isle of Arran. On my old cast iron Raleigh Amazon with smooth tyres. I'm sure I'd have burst 60 if I'd taken the panniers & tent off the back. Not brave enough to try that again now I'm, wiser?

Omar Little

57.9 mph going down the string road in arran...perfect conditions, warm, clear skies, no cars and a tailwind. Reckon i could top 60 if i had similar conditions again. Unfortunately never quite managed to get those conditions again since but getting over 50mph is fairly straight forward there.

WTF wrote:

49 mph downhill with tailwind..
The gearing on most standard setups won`t allow much more than say 45mph.

gearing doesn't matter that much - my top speed is higher on my bike with a compact than it is with my double. after about 40mph it is much more about getting aerodynamic than gearing.

MattC59

WTF wrote:

49 mph downhill with tailwind..
The gearing on most standard setups won`t allow much more than say 45mph.

But that depends on how fast you pedal.

The fastest I've managed on road is 48mph, still chasing the elusive 50mph, but the hills around here aren't really long / steep enough. I hit 42mph on Sunday on a short but very steep hill.

Fastest off road was 46mph on a gravel track on the moors outside Sheffield. It scared the sh*t out of me

roger_merriman

As others have said weight and aerodynamics, rather than gearing.

on my single speed i've clocked mid 40's (mph) with it's drops and paniers helping,

getting to 40 mph ish isn't hard.

coming off some the mountains nr my folks place I hate to think what speed I have and could clock up, but I don't normally record my speed.

danowat

Yaaaaay willy waving time

rick_chasey

10mph.

ollyridesfirst

48.7 mph somewhere between pately bridge and grassington in Yaaaarkshire

Steve_F

I've been chasing the 50mph barrier and was gutted to see 49.9 after one descent.

Saw 52+ after Schiellion on the Etape but don't believe I was going that fast. Think the timing mats on the way up might have thrown it out a bit.

sloppyschleckonds

Rick Chasey wrote:

10mph.

As sensible figure for the road beginner to aim for, especially one's who cannot unclip their feet.

graeme_s-2

I just cleared 50mph on a descent in the Peak District during last year's Stoke Tour of Britain Pro Ride. Was quite exciting, and I have the stain on my chamois to prove it!

valerian

Do you want the actual speed, or the "forum answer" speed ?

The former, 39 mph downhill on a town bike bike with panniers and wobbly front suspension. The latter, whatever someone else has said, plus 1 mph.

alwaystoohot

When I was a student I hit 90mph in a 1979 Chevette with the radio on full blast, a couple shagging in the back and me bike on the roof.

Does this count? :shock:

racingcondor

The speed you can achieve depends a lot on the bike, I hit 39 mph on my first road bike and damn near killed myself (front end too flexy) and on my much better carbon machine I hit 52.4 mph at Dragon Ride a couple of years ago and felt completely safe doing it. Just a shame you run out of hill fast at that speed...

ex-pat scot

64 mph per bike computer, coming down from Owler Bar roundabout towards Chatsworth gate house roundabout in the Peak District, during local evening Road Race in 1995. Guys all around me were chatting, some with hands off bars, and I could reach out and touch half a dozen if I'd wanted (although I was too petrified to take my hands off the levers for a second).

The climb out of the other side was equally painful - desparately trying not to get dropped off the back...

estampida

Aberdeen 1995

maxed out my cateye mittyII 55.9 mph

1994 Kona cinder cone ridgid

overtook the car i was slipstreaming down a hill near cults

on cars I have never done 155 on the m6 in the borders - never :roll:

Hoopdriver

I rode around the world once in under ten seconds!

Of course I was at the South Pole when I did it...

(I crossed every line of longitude!)

arthur_scrimshaw

96.6 mph according to my Garmin, although I was sitting on a bed at the time trying to establish my resting heart rate.
Does this count?

Mr752

67mph descending a large rock in the UAE desert called Jebel Hafeet.
Pretty damn scary but a fantastic adrenalin rush!

MancMissile

Wow, some serious chamois staining speeds there!

I'm going off into the peaks tomorrow to try and hit 40mph

martylaa

43.6 mph according to my cateye the other day, not sure i believe it though

ollyridesfirst

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

96.6 mph according to my Garmin, although I was sitting on a bed at the time trying to establish my resting heart rate.
Does this count?

Love it when that happens. I was sat at some lights once with an old computer connected and it was reporting that i was travelliing at 129 mph

I was very impressed with myself!

alwaystoohot

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

96.6 mph according to my Garmin, although I was sitting on a bed at the time trying to establish my resting heart rate.
Does this count?

Want to buy a Chevette ? :P

mbhuw

I hit 41mph yesterday quite comfortably, I'll have to push harder next time

graham.

Went up to Matlock for a ride around on Saturday. According to the Garmin thing I hit 67 mph...but I think I may heve left it switched on on the train home!
Graham.

cwm

48mph for me down a 14% and stained my bibs,but a mates cateye claimed 64.9mph after i had text him my mrs had made chocolate devil sponge cake,yum

CiB

<Waves parts in air...>

I've seen 50 something down the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin a good few years ago, 52mph briefly on the Nottingham ring-road (near the Queen's Med FWIW but didn't need it) when drafting a milk tanker that took an absolute age to build up to speed so I was able to tuck in for longer than normal, 48 on the run into the back of Brighton off the back of Ditchling Beacon on L2B, regular 40+mph blasts down Poundon Hill just outside Bicester, and most satisfying was today, a big kick off the Great Horwood / Nash roundabout on the A421 up the back end of Transit pick-up which promptly dropped me but even so I managed to push to 41mph on the run down that drop before the legs turned to jelly and left me struggling to hit 20 for the next few hundred yards.

I once fell off (once, ha...) and the speedo claimed that I'd done 86mph during the event. That explains a lot.