Descending

slackydave

I've never been a good descender, last summer at 30mph i hit a pothole on a corner and got thrown into a wall and knocked myself out! wasn't what i'd called a fun experience, and other this easter at 40mph on a descent i got speed wobble which scared me more than hitting the wall!.

And yesterday on a group ride on a descent we went down a road and one member of the group hit 52mph and i was incredibly scared and on the brakes and still hit 41mph, the road wasn't exactly smooth tarmac either.

Does anyone have any tips on descending? other than just get out and do it, i do live on the edge of the peak district so i have plenty of opportunity to practice, I would ideally like to get more confident, rather than better as i've entered the peak district punisher on the 20th of July and would like to enjoy it abit more :P

Thanks for any advice.

okgo

Does it really matter?

If you're not racing and don't need to keep the wheel in front then why do you need to go 50 mph rather than 40?

davidof

Bad roads are a problem, as are exiting cars, peds walking out in front of you, landslides, rocks, gravel on corners etc. You need to be very aware, at 50mph things come up very quickly, especially oncoming cars. A motorbiker would be in full leathers to ride at those speeds.

Here is vid I took yesterday of my local descent

http://youtu.be/ko1Bw79WV3g

You need to use all the road if you can but remember the roads are open to all traffic. Every mph you lose braking on corners you have to regain on the exit so learn to corner well - the YouTube videos all seem to assume perfect tarmac whereas in reality you can come round a bend to find the road has subsided, or has gravel on it. You need to accelerate out of corners. Riding on the drops is a given, make sure you can reach your brake levers. On the straight sections get flat on the bike, even down off the saddle and onto the top tube.

and yes, I have crashed on descents



oh, if you are going to crash, shave your legs!

phreak

okgo wrote:

Does it really matter?

If you're not racing and don't need to keep the wheel in front then why do you need to go 50 mph rather than 40?

Exactly. The pros need to descend because they race, plus of course they often do so on newly resurfaced roads that are closed to traffic.

Neither of those are the case for most of us on our training rides. With the state of our roads plus the poor driving skills that are often on display I much prefer to play it safe on a descent.

buckles

No harm in increasing skills though

Try this http://forum.errl.org.uk/entry.php?349-Cornering

slackydave

okgo wrote:

Does it really matter?

If you're not racing and don't need to keep the wheel in front then why do you need to go 50 mph rather than 40?

of course it matters, i don't wanna fall off on a descent and ruin my sportive or summer? i'm not saying i want to do 50mph downhill i just want to be more confident in descending.

phreak

I suspect being relaxed is a big thing, so why not just go at a speed you're comfortable with? You're assuming that most tumbles are down to bad descending skill rather than external factors like cars pulling out in front of you or poor road surfaces.

The other half works in ICU and sees too many cyclists coming in after falling off. Is it really worth it?

If you have closed roads then for sure, but in this country I'm just not sure it's worth the risk trying to go flat out on a descent.

davidof

Buckles wrote:

No harm in increasing skills though

Try this http://forum.errl.org.uk/entry.php?349-Cornering

Some good points. Brake before you enter the bend, like when driving a car or motorbike. You can use the vanishing point to judge how tight a bend is, apparently.

On hairpin or tight bends I prefer to take the entrance late and tight and have a shallow exit to accelerate out of rather than the perfect circle method. Right hand hairpins (Euro roads) are often easier to take fast as you can check for traffic looking down before you enter.

barrybridges

I believe this is a good article which is commonly referenced when it comes to descending:

http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_fac ... escend.htm

barrybridges

I should say though that as somone weighing 83kgs (and previously more than that) the advice given in many articles is great 'in theory', but more difficult for larger cylists.

I found in the Alps particularly that on long, quite steep descents, my extra weight made descending more hazardous than usual.

Apart from the fact you pick up more speed more quickly, you also have the added complication of great centrepetal force when you corner, meaning it's more difficult to keep tight.

racingcondor

Worth trying to address that speed wobble too. It's not going to be easy to relax into a long descent if you know that's coming at 38mph...

It is caused by many things but I'd start by asking yourself how relaxed you are on the bike when descending, try to keep your grip light and your weight well centered (weight mostly on the pedals or outside pedal if you're cornering. Hands on the drops) and if you are doing this and getting speed wobble I'd start to look at the bike (stem length, frame and fork stiffness, wheels etc. The problem is that most things from you to the bike play a part).

I had it on my first road bike (which had a pretty flexy front end) but not on anything I've ridden since. If you do get it it's worth clamping your top tube with your thighs, that usually helps (getting the bike upright and slowing down is Plan A though).

hasbeen

okgo wrote:

Does it really matter?

If you're not racing and don't need to keep the wheel in front then why do you need to go 50 mph rather than 40?

Because it's GREAT fun 8) My Garmin said I hit 51.9mph on Saturday in Wales which I'm focusing on rather than the pathetic average speed :oops:

supermurph09

I also live on the edge of the peak district and recently crashed coming down Rowsley Bar on a 20% hairpin. Potentially could have avoided it but another rider was on my inside so had to go straight on into the bushes. Never really had many issues with descending before that but I have lost a bit of confidence now (slowly coming back). Although in fairness I dusted myself off, sorted the chain and and jumped back on at the time. I've now just decided to back off a little and not worry too much, as others have said, afterall its not a race. I know my skills will develop as I have more experience and ride with others.

Setarkos

Get a mountain bike and hit a few trails.

Crashes can happen, don't let it get to you like Wiggo :P

sloppyschleckonds

Having a bike that fits properly helps

caledonian1

hasbeen wrote:

okgo wrote:

Does it really matter?

If you're not racing and don't need to keep the wheel in front then why do you need to go 50 mph rather than 40?

Because it's GREAT fun 8) My Garmin said I hit 51.9mph on Saturday in Wales which I'm focusing on rather than the pathetic average speed :oops:

Afraid I have to agree...it's reckless but incredibly exciting going at speed 9as long as road conditions allow) i am fortunate and the roads i tend to try high speed descents are almost carless and i would only do so if I could see ahead of me (no use on the Lecht last Saturday as it was incredibly thick fog / cloud...however got 51mph the other side of Gairnsheil) I managed 56.4mph last year on the south side of Glenshee and still would like to beat 60mph sometime this year...maybe this Saturdays Snow Roads is not the time to do it as i will be descending Glenshee a punishing 165 odd miles in

keef66

caledonian1 wrote:

hasbeen wrote:

okgo wrote:

Does it really matter?

If you're not racing and don't need to keep the wheel in front then why do you need to go 50 mph rather than 40?

Because it's GREAT fun 8) My Garmin said I hit 51.9mph on Saturday in Wales which I'm focusing on rather than the pathetic average speed :oops:

Afraid I have to agree...it's reckless but incredibly exciting going at speed 9as long as road conditions allow) i am fortunate and the roads i tend to try high speed descents are almost carless and i would only do so if I could see ahead of me (no use on the Lecht last Saturday as it was incredibly thick fog / cloud...however got 51mph the other side of Gairnsheil) I managed 56.4mph last year on the south side of Glenshee and still would like to beat 60mph sometime this year...maybe this Saturdays Snow Roads is not the time to do it as i will be descending Glenshee a punishing 165 odd miles in

+2. I'm 55 now, and I'm not as fast uphill as I used to be, but in my head I'm still 18 and like to go downhill as fast as I possibly can. Traffic and speed cameras have taken all the fun out of driving in this country; cycling is the only way I have found to get a buzz on the road. Life's too short.

Setarkos

caledonian1 wrote:

it's reckless but incredibly exciting going at speed 9as long as road conditions allow)

It's even more exciting if road conditions don't allow

keef66 wrote:

Traffic and speed cameras have taken all the fun out of driving in this country; cycling is the only way I have found to get a buzz on the road. Life's too short.

And speed cameras are all the more fun on the bike.

mrc1

This comes up with at least half of the guests we get on our tours and I often hold little clinics with nervous descenders to help them so this is my experience. I would count myself as a competent descender - I have lots of experience both on and off road and am fully aware of the consequences of a fall, so I ride within my limits (which is faster than some but slower than others) and don't take liberties on roads I don't know.

The major thing is confidence and being relaxed on the bike and that really only comes when you are riding at a speed that you are comfortable with and then gradually you build that speed as you become more confident. A few general tips are:

1. Don't death grip the bars and brakes - try and stay loose so that you are controlling the bike, but not fighting it. One of the things that takes some getting used to is allowing the bike to bobble around underneath you and find its path of least resistence - this is fine as long as you are controlling the parameters of this movement as it allows the bike to stay neutral. One of the most common things I see with nervous descenders is the death grip which prevents the bike moving around. If and when the person hits a stone or bump it inevitably leads to over corrections and things like speed wobbles which can lead to crashes. If you are relaxed then the bike hits the stone or bump, reacts (and you allow it to do so) and then quickly settles back down.

2. It's been said above but get your braking done in a straight line. Asking the tyres to corner and brake at the same time is asking an awful lot from a tiny contact surface so avoid this at all costs. If you do for some reason need to brake mid corner then stay away from the front brake and gentley feather the back brake. If you have a decent angle of lean on and hit the front brake then it will likely wash out from under you and you will hit the deck.

3. If you don't know the road then don't take chances - dodgy surfaces, hidden corners, damp patches etc etc added to excess speed will cause you to crash so it's just not worth taking the chance riding at a speed faster than you could comfortably brake to avoid an obstacle.

4. Make sure your weight is on the outside pedal when you are in a corner.I'm constantly amazed by the number of people I see cornering with their inside pedal down.