Is this possible?

Jeff Fox said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly hit
60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not possible unless
it's a super bike and you are Lance Armstrong".

I rode a Sears brand 10 speed, nothing special. I was 16-17 years old at
the the time and rode 10-20 miles a day on a pretty regular basis so I was
in great shape. I had a cheapo speedometer that had a wheel that meshed
with the spokes. I never calibrated the speedometer and never had a car
pace me so I have no idea how accurate the speedometer was.

The bike was stable at top speed and I never crashed on that run. I'd
pedal as hard as I could in top gear and then coast during the end of the
run. The road took a pretty sharp right hand turn and I had to slow a bit
at the bottom to make the turn. Is it possible that I really did hit 60mph
on that crummy bike on that long steep hill?

This is not so much to prove him wrong, it's a silly argument and not
worth winning. I'm just wondering if it's really possible that I was going
that fast. Looking back I did not see it as that extraordinary. Has anyone
else done it and can prove it?

Highly unlikely that you did it.
Highly unlikely that a crummy old bike would be stable at that speed.
Unlikely even that one of those old speedometers with the little gear
wheels would go up to 60.
Likely that your memory is playing tricks on you.

--
My bike blog:
http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/

Jeff Fox said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly hit
60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not possible unless
it's a super bike and you are Lance Armstrong".

The Tour de France riders do/did, indeed, hit downhill speeds in
excess of 60mph. Allegedly, one topped out at over 74mph (true?).

Did you? Maybe. Dunno. Kinda' doubt it, though....

Jeff Fox said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly hit
60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not possible unless
it's a super bike and you are Lance Armstrong".

I rode a Sears brand 10 speed, nothing special. I was 16-17 years old at
the the time and rode 10-20 miles a day on a pretty regular basis so I was
in great shape. I had a cheapo speedometer that had a wheel that meshed
with the spokes. I never calibrated the speedometer and never had a car
pace me so I have no idea how accurate the speedometer was.

The bike was stable at top speed and I never crashed on that run. I'd
pedal as hard as I could in top gear and then coast during the end of the
run. The road took a pretty sharp right hand turn and I had to slow a bit
at the bottom to make the turn. Is it possible that I really did hit 60mph
on that crummy bike on that long steep hill?

This is not so much to prove him wrong, it's a silly argument and not
worth winning. I'm just wondering if it's really possible that I was going
that fast. Looking back I did not see it as that extraordinary. Has anyone
else done it and can prove it?

As others have said, doubt it. I remember the old style speedometer
with the wheel into the spokes and the cable to the readout. IIRC the
top speed on mine was 45MPH or so. In modern times I have done in
the upper 50's (MPH), never broke 60, but I can tell you that when you
get going that fast you will know it. Better have a stable bike. And
even getting near 60 takes a good run, some pedaling in a big gear, no
headwind to speak of, etc.

- rick

Yes. I did on a Schwinn touring bike (see my reply to "top speed" on
this board).

- -

"May you have the winds at your back,
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

Jeff Fox said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly hit
60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not possible unless
it's a super bike and you are Lance Armstrong".

A couple of years ago I followed my son in my car as he rode his bike
down a road that begins in Cedar Breaks National Monument at 10,450' and
ends at 6,000 25 miles later. He was riding a nothing-special Schwinn
MTB, so he was sitting upright. The fastest he could get, even on
long, steep downgrades, was 35 mph. The next day I went riding with him,
also on an MTB. Being considerably heavier, I was able to outdo him by
about 10 mph on long downhills, so I guesstimate I was doing 45 mph.
Again, that's sitting upright.
But as speed increases in a straight line, air resistance goes up
parabolically. IOW, air resistance is directly proportional to the square
of velocity. (If my memory of HS physics serves me, anyway.) So even if
you were on a primo bike, down on the drops, 60 may be a bit much. I seem
to remember a story about Eddie Merckx tooling down the Alps at over 70
mph, and reaching into his pocket for a wrench which he then used to
adjust his seat. Psyching out the competition, no doubt. But you
probably aren't in Eddie's league.
If I were a betting man I'd probably bet you made 50 mph, but 60 sounds
like stretching it a bit. Them cheap speedometers may even have been
"built to flatter" by exaggerating your speed.

Bill

__o | I used to think that I was cool, running around on fossil fuel
_`\(,_ | Until I saw what I was doing was driving down the road to ruin.
(_)/ (_) | - James Taylor

<[email hidden]> wrote >
I seem

Quoted message said:

to remember a story about Eddie Merckx tooling down the Alps at over 70
mph, and reaching into his pocket for a wrench which he then used to
adjust his seat. Psyching out the competition, no doubt. But you
probably aren't in Eddie's league.
If I were a betting man I'd probably bet you made 50 mph, but 60 sounds
like stretching it a bit. Them cheap speedometers may even have been
"built to flatter" by exaggerating your speed.

Bill

I dimly remember the story, the version I heard had him on a gravel road,
adjusting his rear derailleur w/ a screw driver. I would believe the story
if it was 70 kilometers an hour (43.5 mph), but not miles.

IME, 50 mph takes a smooth steep road, a good aerodynamic position, and
usually a fair bit of pedaling in a pretty high (53x13 or 53x12) gear. The
rolling resistance of the hub bearings and tires on a cheap 10 speed make 50
mph pretty unlikely unless it was a really steep hill with really smooth
pavement.
--
mark

Jeff Fox said:

The road took a pretty sharp right hand turn and I had to slow a bit
at the bottom to make the turn. Is it possible that I really did hit 60mph
on that crummy bike on that long steep hill?

I think so. I can easily hit 55 on a 15 year old MTB (with MTB tires at
35psi) on a steep hill near my house. If it was straight I could easily
go faster, as I actually brake to keep the speed down.

Rich

Jeff Fox said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly
hit 60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not possible
unless it's a super bike and you are Lance Armstrong".

I rode a Sears brand 10 speed, nothing special. I was 16-17 years old
at the the time and rode 10-20 miles a day on a pretty regular basis
so I was in great shape. I had a cheapo speedometer that had a wheel
that meshed with the spokes. I never calibrated the speedometer and
never had a car pace me so I have no idea how accurate the
speedometer was.

The bike was stable at top speed and I never crashed on that run. I'd
pedal as hard as I could in top gear and then coast during the end of
the run. The road took a pretty sharp right hand turn and I had to
slow a bit at the bottom to make the turn. Is it possible that I
really did hit 60mph on that crummy bike on that long steep hill?

Only if your name is Bill Baka. <rotfl>

Bill "50 /maybe/" S.

Rich said:

I think so. I can easily hit 55 on a 15 year old MTB (with MTB tires at
35psi) on a steep hill near my house. If it was straight I could easily
go faster, as I actually brake to keep the speed down.

I imagine that if we put your speedometer on my road bike I'd hit 100.

Jeff Fox said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly hit
60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not possible unless

-----Clip----

Quoted message said:

This is not so much to prove him wrong, it's a silly argument and not
worth winning. I'm just wondering if it's really possible that I was going
that fast. Looking back I did not see it as that extraordinary. Has anyone
else done it and can prove it?

I have done 80km/hr down a hill and could have gone faster but I did
not know the road and chickened out. I was riding a light touring bike.
The tandem I was with passed me and latter reported 100km/hr. I don't
see any problem with you hitting 60mph.

A second-hand story from a friend in NY state was that a high school
student was ticketed for going 60 in a 50mph zone. Knowing the road I
can believe it.
John Kane
Kingston ON

Quoted message said:

Jeff Fox said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly hit
60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not possible unless
it's a super bike and you are Lance Armstrong".

Quoted message said:

A couple of years ago I followed my son in my car as he rode his bike
down a road that begins in Cedar Breaks National Monument at 10,450' and
ends at 6,000 25 miles later. He was riding a nothing-special Schwinn
MTB, so he was sitting upright. The fastest he could get, even on
long, steep downgrades, was 35 mph. The next day I went riding with him,
also on an MTB. Being considerably heavier, I was able to outdo him by
about 10 mph on long downhills, so I guesstimate I was doing 45 mph.
Again, that's sitting upright.

That sounds plausible enough. I'm using a 20 year old Centurion touring
bike, and have a very basic Cateye Velo 5 computer on it. My town is in
a valley, so I have a 2 mile climb to get out, and I usually roll back
down it. The last drop is the longest, probably about 1 mile, and the
highest speed I've recorded was about 36mph...of course, I've got to
stop
for a stop sign at the very bottom of the hill, so I can't just let it
roll
out max, but the speed usually stabilizes before the bottom. I could be
in a somewhat more aerodynamic position, and I suppose I could add a
little
by peddling in my highest gear.

Rob Dean

"Jeff Fox" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly hit
60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not possible unless
it's a super bike and you are Lance Armstrong".

First of all, being Canadian, I would check to see if the speedo reads in
Kms or MPH. 60Mph is highly unlikely. 60Kph is quite do-able on a long
downhill. My hybrid is "nothin' special" and I regularily crack 70Kph on
the Alex Fraser Bridge....kinda scary, actually, now that I think of it :-{

Jeff Fox said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly
hit 60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not
possible unless it's a super bike and you are Lance Armstrong".

Quoted message said:

I rode a Sears brand 10 speed, nothing special. I was 16-17 years
old at the the time and rode 10-20 miles a day on a pretty regular
basis so I was in great shape. I had a cheapo speedometer that had
a wheel that meshed with the spokes. I never calibrated the
speedometer and never had a car pace me so I have no idea how
accurate the speedometer was.

Quoted message said:

The bike was stable at top speed and I never crashed on that run.
I'd pedal as hard as I could in top gear and then coast during the
end of the run. The road took a pretty sharp right hand turn and I
had to slow a bit at the bottom to make the turn. Is it possible
that I really did hit 60mph on that crummy bike on that long steep
hill?

Quoted message said:

This is not so much to prove him wrong, it's a silly argument and
not worth winning. I'm just wondering if it's really possible that
I was going that fast. Looking back I did not see it as that
extraordinary. Has anyone else done it and can prove it?

How did you determine you were going 60mph? When I first raced, we
had a guy in a Corvette follow the race who assured us we descended at
60mph, something that with the advent of accurate bicycle speedometers
turned out to be grossly false. That hill was worth 45mph at best.
Reaching 60mph on rare occasions (never passing up an opportunity when
it occurred) assured me that without a tailwind, or taking a flyer off
a 50- or more mph camper truck required at least a 13% grade... one
that is straight and smooth.

Typically, Sonora pass with its 20+% grades barely gets one up to
50mph because there are no straight steep sections. In general there
are so few straight steep roads that speeds over 50mph occur rarely.
My first such experience was on the Pso Rombo/Timmelsjoch pass from
Italy into Austria (?tztal). This is a classic Austrian steepy and it
has a convenient uphill runout after the chute just after he summit.

Tioga pass is not a fast descent, it having little more than an 8%
grade, but on the right day, with the right wind, and camper trucks it
can yield over 60mph. In all the years I have descended to Lee
Vining, such conditions occurred twice for me.

Bob Roll, professional racer, said he topped 60 two or three times in
his racing career.

Jobst Brandt

Neil Brooks said:

Quoted message said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly
hit 60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not
possible unless it's a super bike and you are Lance Armstrong".

Quoted message said:

The Tour de France riders do/did, indeed, hit downhill speeds in
excess of 60mph. Allegedly, one topped out at over 74mph (true?).

I don't believe a word of it. TdF racers are definitely not heavier
than I and my downhill friends are and we have never gotten over 50mph
on the roads to which Phil Ligget has attributed such high speeds.
Professional racers will tell you that there is no benefit in
getting to the bottom of a descent first (and alone) although there is
a large loss of safety trying to do so in a race.

Knowing how hard reaching 60mph is, 74mph is absurd. You'll need to
qualify that to bring it any credibility. On what road under what
circumstances. A sports announcer's word doesn't cut it.

Jobst Brandt

gds said:

Rich said:

I think so. I can easily hit 55 on a 15 year old MTB (with MTB tires at
35psi) on a steep hill near my house. If it was straight I could easily
go faster, as I actually brake to keep the speed down.

I imagine that if we put your speedometer on my road bike I'd hit 100.

If you're implying my speedometer is inaccurate, you're wrong.

gds said:

I imagine that if we put your speedometer on my road bike I'd hit 100.

http://www.gravitybike.com/Gbikes/What.html

Those guys go 90mph. A taller bike and lack of fairing is certainly
going to slow you down somewhat, but I'd bet any off-the-shelf bike can
hit 60mph on a big hill.

And in Colorado, big hills are plentiful.

Rich

Quoted message said:

Knowing how hard reaching 60mph is, 74mph is absurd. You'll need to
qualify that to bring it any credibility. On what road under what
circumstances. A sports announcer's word doesn't cut it.

Particularly one who often mixes up kilometers/hour with miles/hour?

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Neil Brooks said:

Quoted message said:

Today at lunch I was telling a friend about how I used to regularly
hit 60mph on a long downhill stretch of road. He said, "not
possible unless it's a super bike and you are Lance Armstrong".

Quoted message said:

The Tour de France riders do/did, indeed, hit downhill speeds in
excess of 60mph. Allegedly, one topped out at over 74mph (true?).

I don't believe a word of it. TdF racers are definitely not heavier
than I and my downhill friends are and we have never gotten over 50mph
on the roads to which Phil Ligget has attributed such high speeds.
Professional racers will tell you that there is no benefit in
getting to the bottom of a descent first (and alone) although there is
a large loss of safety trying to do so in a race.

Knowing how hard reaching 60mph is, 74mph is absurd. You'll need to
qualify that to bring it any credibility. On what road under what
circumstances. A sports announcer's word doesn't cut it.

Jobst Brandt

Rich said:

Those guys go 90mph. A taller bike and lack of fairing is certainly
going to slow you down somewhat, but I'd bet any off-the-shelf bike can
hit 60mph on a big hill.

And in Colorado, big hills are plentiful.

Well, yes, but suitable roads for 50+ mph descents
are not that plentiful. There are some out there though.
The big Five Oh can be had on Sugarloaf, in Boulder
Canyon, Golden Gate Canyon, the top of Left Hand near
Ward, Sunshine Canyon, the back side of Rist Canyon,
that I know of. It really is not advisable to go for
50 on any of those sections, especially Boulder Canyon.
One of my very few forays into the 60 mph range came
on the back of Rist, an incredibly straight descent
westbound to Stove Prairie. This was some years ago and
the road was a smooth gravel surface, four of us on
mountain bikes loosely drafting hit 60-61 mph.

Robert

Rich A? said:

Quoted message said:

I imagine that if we put your speedometer on my road bike I'd hit 100.

http://www.gravitybike.com/Gbikes/What.html

Quoted message said:

Those guys go 90mph. A taller bike and lack of fairing is certainly
going to slow you down somewhat, but I'd bet any off-the-shelf bike
can hit 60mph on a big hill.

It's not how "big" but how steep. If you consider that bicyclists
sprint to 40mph and the same rider reaches 85mph in a fully faired
streamliner on the salt flats you can see that there is little
comparison between a Schwinn clunk and a fetal position low rider.

Quoted message said:

And in Colorado, big hills are plentiful.

Colorado may have high mountain passes but they are not steep, and the
steep ones are back roads with curves that prevent high speeds.
Classically:

Tennessee Pass (elevation 10,424ft; 6% grade) road.
Tennessee Pass (elevation 10,424ft; 3% grade) RR

Is a typical famous road and railroad.

http://www.angelfire.com/mt/sd40/page6.html

Jobst Brandt