Too Fast?

sfichele

So I've had a bit of criticism or raised eyebrows from non-cyclists and friends about going 40+ mph on a bike.
A lot of people seem to think this is too fast on a public road for someone who isn't clad in armour and has rim brakes etc. Incredibly had responses like "surely, a bike isn't designed to go that fast" :shock:

Thoughts?

rick_chasey

Tell them to strap on a pair.

t.m.h.n.e.t

If 40mph on a bike that is more than capable of it is too fast,then is 70mph on a motorway in a modern car capable of 110+

These sound like the kind of people who would put suncream on before opening the fridge.

Aggieboy

sfichele wrote:

So I've had a bit of criticism or raised eyebrows from non-cyclists and friends about going 40+ mph on a bike.
A lot of people seem to think this is too fast on a public road for someone who isn't clad in armour and has rim brakes etc. Incredibly had responses like "surely, a bike isn't designed to go that fast" :shock:

Thoughts?

Are they definitely asking from the perspective of the bikes capability or concerned as to what you'd do if, say, you had a blow-out?

bompington

Aggieboy wrote:

sfichele wrote:

So I've had a bit of criticism or raised eyebrows from non-cyclists and friends about going 40+ mph on a bike.
A lot of people seem to think this is too fast on a public road for someone who isn't clad in armour and has rim brakes etc. Incredibly had responses like "surely, a bike isn't designed to go that fast" :shock:

Thoughts?

Are they definitely asking from the perspective of the bikes capability or concerned as to what you'd do if, say, you had a blow-out?

I don't know, but I should point that I have had a front wheel blow-out descending at 50mph. For a fraction of a second I really thought I'd had it, but I just braked smoothly in a straight line and came to a halt without drama - just a slightly dented rim: I was able to change the tube and ride (slowly!) the 5 miles home.

More on-topic, how many bike crashes are caused by absolute speed as opposed to speed that is a bit too fast for the situation?

ddraver

Well, it's a case of time and place is nt it. 40mph down a straight road where you can see for 5 miles ahead then fine - 40mph past a school gate at home time, or around a blind bend you don't know, not.

The bike is surely capable of it, the question is more about the rider and the road. It sounds liek they don't know much about road racing so Iwould nt worry about it unduly...

sfichele

The criticism is from descending the Snake Pass at 40+ mph, whilst riding primary so I that I wouldn't be bullied/side-lined by cars behind me. I was behind a line of cars, and keeping up with them. I'd left a reasonable amount of room in front and was in full control of the bike, but despite that still got bullied out of the way by motorbikes.

So is 40 mph too fast in that situation? Would you sit up, and hold left and just left the traffic go past?

CambsNewbie

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

These sound like the kind of people who would put suncream on before opening the fridge.

Of topic I know.. No-one told me you had to put suncream on before opening the fridge! What factor? Face only or all exposed flesh? All the times I've gone for a glass of milk in the middle of the night.. Naked! I need to lay down.. Too much to get my head round. :shock:

sfichele

CambsNewbie wrote:

All the times I've gone for a glass of milk in the middle of the night.. Naked!

Oh god, need to remove mental image from my brain. Remember, careful not to slam the door, could be painful

t.m.h.n.e.t

CambsNewbie wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

These sound like the kind of people who would put suncream on before opening the fridge.

Of topic I know.. No-one told me you had to put suncream on before opening the fridge! What factor? Face only or all exposed flesh? All the times I've gone for a glass of milk in the middle of the night.. Naked! I need to lay down.. Too much to get my head round. :shock:

jgsi

sfichele wrote:

The criticism is from descending the Snake Pass at 40+ mph, whilst riding primary so I that I wouldn't be bullied/side-lined by cars behind me. I was behind a line of cars, and keeping up with them. I'd left a reasonable amount of room in front and was in full control of the bike, but despite that still got bullied out of the way by motorbikes.

So is 40 mph too fast in that situation? Would you sit up, and hold left and just left the traffic go past?

Not a chance! My descent where I refuse to be bullied by anyone is the sharpish descent down from the Cat towrds Buxton...I've sweated up that climb so I've earned the right to go as fast as fck.

Aggieboy

CambsNewbie wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

These sound like the kind of people who would put suncream on before opening the fridge.

Of topic I know.. No-one told me you had to put suncream on before opening the fridge! What factor? Face only or all exposed flesh? All the times I've gone for a glass of milk in the middle of the night.. Naked! I need to lay down.. Too much to get my head round. :shock:

Are you allowed to put descriptions on here of your milky white naked body, bathed in soft fridge light, seductively bending over to place your hands around the full fat??

The thought police are on way from 'Commuting' as I type...........

rick_chasey

Aggieboy wrote:

CambsNewbie wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

These sound like the kind of people who would put suncream on before opening the fridge.

Of topic I know.. No-one told me you had to put suncream on before opening the fridge! What factor? Face only or all exposed flesh? All the times I've gone for a glass of milk in the middle of the night.. Naked! I need to lay down.. Too much to get my head round. :shock:

Are you allowed to put descriptions on here of your milky white naked body, bathed in soft fridge light, seductively bending over to place your hands around the full fat??

The thought police are on way from 'Commuting' as I type...........

There's a new policeman in town, don't worry...

daviesee

sfichele wrote:

The criticism is from descending the Snake Pass at 40+ mph, whilst riding primary so I that I wouldn't be bullied/side-lined by cars behind me. I was behind a line of cars, and keeping up with them. I'd left a reasonable amount of room in front and was in full control of the bike, but despite that still got bullied out of the way by motorbikes.

So is 40 mph too fast in that situation? Would you sit up, and hold left and just left the traffic go past?

I don't see their logic there.
IIRC that road is too tight for a car to comfortably pass a cyclist while a car is coming the other way. Therefore as they are going to have to cross the white line anyway, what difference would it make if you are in the left or in primary?
If you are keeping up with the traffic then slowing down is only going to lead to more frustration in the following traffic. No?

Getting bullied by weekend warriors is another issue.

Aggieboy

Rick Chasey wrote:

Aggieboy wrote:

CambsNewbie wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

These sound like the kind of people who would put suncream on before opening the fridge.

Of topic I know.. No-one told me you had to put suncream on before opening the fridge! What factor? Face only or all exposed flesh? All the times I've gone for a glass of milk in the middle of the night.. Naked! I need to lay down.. Too much to get my head round. :shock:

Are you allowed to put descriptions on here of your milky white naked body, bathed in soft fridge light, seductively bending over to place your hands around the full fat??

The thought police are on way from 'Commuting' as I type...........

There's a new policeman in town, don't worry...

Oooh, prey tell. You going to 'Mod'? Can we ever mention private schooling again?

CambsNewbie

Aggieboy wrote:

Are you allowed to put descriptions on here of your milky white naked body, bathed in soft fridge light, seductively bending over to place your hands around the full fat??

Was that you hiding in the corner? if I'd know I was being watched I wouldn't have drank out of the bottle!

t.m.h.n.e.t

Aggieboy wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Aggieboy wrote:

CambsNewbie wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

These sound like the kind of people who would put suncream on before opening the fridge.

Of topic I know.. No-one told me you had to put suncream on before opening the fridge! What factor? Face only or all exposed flesh? All the times I've gone for a glass of milk in the middle of the night.. Naked! I need to lay down.. Too much to get my head round. :shock:

Are you allowed to put descriptions on here of your milky white naked body, bathed in soft fridge light, seductively bending over to place your hands around the full fat??

The thought police are on way from 'Commuting' as I type...........

There's a new policeman in town, don't worry...

Oooh, prey tell. You going to 'Mod'? Can we ever mention private schooling again?

He's a mod

nweststeyn

I was descending a local road here at around 40mph (peaked at 46mph, which remains my top speed on a bike). To be honest, when I got to the bottom I gave myself a bit of a telling off because I was pushing it beyond the limits of what is sensible... visibility around the bends wasn't great and I was just hoping and praying there wasn't anything blocking the road around the corners.

So yes, in that situation, I should have probably stuck to 30mph.

Straight road, plenty of visibility, confidence in your own ability? Go as fast as you like. Just make sure you only hurt yourself if it goes wrong and there isn't a problem. People are too quick to judge other peoples enjoyment.

Pross

They are probably asking if I bike is designed to go that slowly downhill and hinting that you should MTFU

sfichele

Pross wrote:

They are probably asking if I bike is designed to go that slowly downhill and hinting that you should MTFU

Yeah, the reason I ask, is because I was worried about the grip on 23's when you cack yourself, and it trickles all over them.

Car in front was holding me up

Aggieboy

bompington wrote:

Aggieboy wrote:

sfichele wrote:

So I've had a bit of criticism or raised eyebrows from non-cyclists and friends about going 40+ mph on a bike.
A lot of people seem to think this is too fast on a public road for someone who isn't clad in armour and has rim brakes etc. Incredibly had responses like "surely, a bike isn't designed to go that fast" :shock:

Thoughts?

Are they definitely asking from the perspective of the bikes capability or concerned as to what you'd do if, say, you had a blow-out?

I don't know, but I should point that I have had a front wheel blow-out descending at 50mph. For a fraction of a second I really thought I'd had it, but I just braked smoothly in a straight line and came to a halt without drama - just a slightly dented rim: I was able to change the tube and ride (slowly!) the 5 miles home.

More on-topic, how many bike crashes are caused by absolute speed as opposed to speed that is a bit too fast for the situation?

Out of interest where you on a straight line when the blow-out happened? I assume had you been leaning, it would have been more serious. I assume these things happen but I've never heard of a fatality because of it.

NWLondoner

At the end of the day once you go over a certain speed (as to what that is will depend on conditions) then any crash is going to hurt :shock: Coming off at 40mph will surly hurt as much as coming off at 60mph :?:

Unless your riding like a complete twat and endangering other road users then it's best to not think about the what if's.

joshr96

Sounds like they are just jealous because they know that if they took up cycling, they wouldn't be able to manage anywhere near 40mph. But as said before, it is definitely a matter of place. Down a clear road is fine, down a road with a lot of cars and pedestrians is not so good at all.

Aggieboy

Josh Harfoot wrote:

Sounds like they are just jealous because they know that if they took up cycling, they wouldn't be able to manage anywhere near 40mph. But as said before, it is definitely a matter of place. Down a clear road is fine, down a road with a lot of cars and pedestrians is not so good at all.

As you only have one route I don't think your view counts.

Johnpsanderson

Seriously - you could probably do plenty of damage to yourself falling off a bike at 15mph, never mind any faster - so it becomes something of a moot point...

As long as you aren't breaking the speed limit, or riding at speeds beyond that which conditions allow (fog/ice/rain) I struggle to see how anyone could say you were going 'too fast'. Speed doesn't cause accidents - inattention, carelessness, mechanical failure and INAPPROPRIATE speed cause accidents...

bompington

Aggieboy wrote:

bompington wrote:

Aggieboy wrote:

sfichele wrote:

So I've had a bit of criticism or raised eyebrows from non-cyclists and friends about going 40+ mph on a bike.
A lot of people seem to think this is too fast on a public road for someone who isn't clad in armour and has rim brakes etc. Incredibly had responses like "surely, a bike isn't designed to go that fast" :shock:

Thoughts?

Are they definitely asking from the perspective of the bikes capability or concerned as to what you'd do if, say, you had a blow-out?

I don't know, but I should point that I have had a front wheel blow-out descending at 50mph. For a fraction of a second I really thought I'd had it, but I just braked smoothly in a straight line and came to a halt without drama - just a slightly dented rim: I was able to change the tube and ride (slowly!) the 5 miles home.

More on-topic, how many bike crashes are caused by absolute speed as opposed to speed that is a bit too fast for the situation?

Out of interest where you on a straight line when the blow-out happened? I assume had you been leaning, it would have been more serious. I assume these things happen but I've never heard of a fatality because of it.

Never saw this until the thread just got bumped - the answer, if you're still interested (I am, it was certainly a very interesting experience), is that I was indeed going in a straight line:

200m or so earlier I was rounding the bend by the farm at 40+, I might have gone in one end of the barn and out the other...

NB Nico, was this the road you were talking about? I can tell you from experience that you can see (and brake in time for) a tractor coming up the hill round this bend, but only just :shock:

t.m.h.n.e.t

Johnpsanderson wrote:

Seriously - you could probably do plenty of damage to yourself falling off a bike at 15mph, never mind any faster - so it becomes something of a moot point...

As long as you aren't breaking the speed limit, or riding at speeds beyond that which conditions allow (fog/ice/rain) I struggle to see how anyone could say you were going 'too fast'. Speed doesn't cause accidents - inattention, carelessness, mechanical failure and INAPPROPRIATE speed cause accidents...

Speed limits don't apply to cycles

Johnpsanderson

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Johnpsanderson wrote:

Seriously - you could probably do plenty of damage to yourself falling off a bike at 15mph, never mind any faster - so it becomes something of a moot point...

As long as you aren't breaking the speed limit, or riding at speeds beyond that which conditions allow (fog/ice/rain) I struggle to see how anyone could say you were going 'too fast'. Speed doesn't cause accidents - inattention, carelessness, mechanical failure and INAPPROPRIATE speed cause accidents...

Speed limits don't apply to cycles

Technically no, but i'm sure that a decent legal case could be made that disregarding the legal limits would constitute 'dangerous' cycling - or whatever the relevant law is called - in the same way that not everything in the Highway Code is 'law' but ignoring it can be used as good justification for prosecution under other legislation...

But more to the point, given that speed limits are essentially arbitary anyway, I meant more in the sense that they are broadly accepted by the road using population as a whole as the maximum reasonable speed which can be travelled at on a given piece of road...

nweststeyn

I was stopped and 'advised' by a police car who had sat behind me on a country road (speed limit 60) that because I was cycling over 30mph (on a slightly downhill straight with no trees to obscure the road) I was cycling too fast to allow traffic to overtake safely.

Gobsmacked doesn't say enough. I contacted the local Police Station and was told that this, indeed, is not correct but if I was aware I was blocking traffic I should have pulled over at the first safe opportunity.

rolf_f

nweststeyn wrote:

I was stopped and 'advised' by a police car who had sat behind me on a country road (speed limit 60) that because I was cycling over 30mph (on a slightly downhill straight with no trees to obscure the road) I was cycling too fast to allow traffic to overtake safely.

Gobsmacked doesn't say enough. I contacted the local Police Station and was told that this, indeed, is not correct but if I was aware I was blocking traffic I should have pulled over at the first safe opportunity.

You should have asked the idiot if he was in the habit of pulling over cars travelling at less than the legal limit for the same reason. It would seem that he thinks that there are only two legal speeds to travel at - the speed limit and 'slow enough to overtake safely'.

sfichele

nweststeyn wrote:

I was stopped and 'advised' by a police car who had sat behind me on a country road (speed limit 60) that because I was cycling over 30mph (on a slightly downhill straight with no trees to obscure the road) I was cycling too fast to allow traffic to overtake safely.

WTF and from a cop! Just goes to show the general ignorance and views of non cyclists. Unless you are riding in the gutter and at less than 10 mph, then you are going too fast and are in the way.