Longjohn ★ Posted January 9 Share #1 Posted January 9 I always tried to hit the speed limit on my way to work before entering the tunnel on my way to work. This guy takes it to a whole new level. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead ★ Posted January 9 Share #2 Posted January 9 I thought it was Dh 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted January 9 Share #3 Posted January 9 The problem with 50mph IN to work is that it means under 10mph on the ride home from work That 10 minute commute in is almost an hour home!!!! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentonMakes Posted January 9 Share #4 Posted January 9 Given that you posted this, @Longjohn, I expected to see Pittsburgh when he emerged from the first tunnel.... though I don't remember any of PGH's tunnels having steep grades like those must me. I don't think I ever had it in me to try something like that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted January 9 Author Share #5 Posted January 9 7 minutes ago, Razors Edge said: The problem with 50mph IN to work is that it means under 10mph on the ride home from work That 10 minute commute in is almost an hour home!!!! My ride home always took me over an hour. I bought a better headlight to try to increase my speed going home. Not a good idea, three deer jumped out in front of me and I hit them. The headlight didn’t show the deer running towards the road across the field. Lots of broken bones. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted January 9 Share #6 Posted January 9 1 minute ago, Longjohn said: My ride home always took me over an hour. I bought a better headlight to try to increase my speed going home. Not a good idea, three deer jumped out in front of me and I hit them. The headlight didn’t show the deer running towards the road across the field. Lots of broken bones. Tunnels are HORRIBLE for me. That dude going in and out of tunnels is, to me, a recipe for disaster. My eyes can't adjust fast enough from bright to dark to bright, and a pothole at the wrong moment would be worse that deer since the cars would likely add to the mess too! Scary shit. That ride is for the youngsters, and not me anymore. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted January 9 Author Share #7 Posted January 9 4 minutes ago, TrentonMakes said: Given that you posted this, @Longjohn, I expected to see Pittsburgh when he emerged from the first tunnel.... though I don't remember any of PGH's tunnels having steep grades like those must me. I don't think I ever had it in me to try something like that. Fort Pitt tunnel is at the bottom of a long hill but it would be suicide to try that on a bicycle. On my New Years ride I crossed all three rivers but didn’t do any tunnels. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeman564™ Posted January 9 Share #8 Posted January 9 dang 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeman564™ Posted January 9 Share #9 Posted January 9 29 minutes ago, Longjohn said: Fort Pitt tunnel is at the bottom of a long hill but it would be suicide to try that on a bicycle. On my New Years ride I crossed all three rivers but didn’t do any tunnels. being passed by a bike 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Kosciuszko Posted January 9 Share #10 Posted January 9 That was worth the 3:38! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kzoo Posted January 9 Share #11 Posted January 9 I think that guy wants to die young and ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parr8hed Posted January 9 Share #12 Posted January 9 There is a nice long, curvy descent coming out of Floyds Knobs into New Albany. Can't pass cars on it, but can generally draft them pretty good and do the speed limit plus a little. 30-35 mph relatively easy. I always get a few stares when I used to draft cars down it. But that was 35, not 50! Big difference. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted January 9 Share #13 Posted January 9 40 minutes ago, Parr8hed said: But that was 35, not 50! Big difference. 100%. I feel fine at 35. I feel fine but take it serious at 40+. 50+ is where I really need straight, well-maintained, and traffic-free roads ahead of me. IOW - a RARE opportunity. Physically, it takes a heckuva grade to get me to 50 mph. And, my compact gearing makes it a spin fest if there isn't a long stretch of that steep grade. Heck, looking at my rides, I haven't gone faster than 46.5 for many years. And that stretch where I hit the 46 is a medium length steep descent that I generally spin out on. I need some bigger gears 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted January 9 Author Share #14 Posted January 9 3 minutes ago, Razors Edge said: I need some bigger gears Save the little gears you take off for when you get old you can put them back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted January 9 Share #15 Posted January 9 1 minute ago, Longjohn said: for when you get old That train has left the station! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parr8hed Posted January 9 Share #16 Posted January 9 5 minutes ago, Razors Edge said: 100%. I feel fine at 35. I feel fine but take it serious at 40+. 50+ is where I really need straight, well-maintained, and traffic-free roads ahead of me. IOW - a RARE opportunity. Physically, it takes a heckuva grade to get me to 50 mph. And, my compact gearing makes it a spin fest if there isn't a long stretch of that steep grade. Heck, looking at my rides, I haven't gone faster than 46.5 for many years. And that stretch where I hit the 46 is a medium length steep descent that I generally spin out on. I need some bigger gears I caught myself wondering what gear he was spinning out of at 53 mph. Prob a 53/11 or something along those lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parr8hed Posted January 9 Share #17 Posted January 9 6 minutes ago, Razors Edge said: 100%. I feel fine at 35. I feel fine but take it serious at 40+. 50+ is where I really need straight, well-maintained, and traffic-free roads ahead of me. IOW - a RARE opportunity. Physically, it takes a heckuva grade to get me to 50 mph. And, my compact gearing makes it a spin fest if there isn't a long stretch of that steep grade. Heck, looking at my rides, I haven't gone faster than 46.5 for many years. And that stretch where I hit the 46 is a medium length steep descent that I generally spin out on. I need some bigger gears And yea, it is amazing how much difference there is in 34 and 40 mph. Anything over 40 really takes some focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted January 9 Author Share #18 Posted January 9 3 minutes ago, Parr8hed said: Anything over 40 really takes some focus. I would have thought you could easily go downhill over 40. What kind of hills do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtyhip Posted January 9 Share #19 Posted January 9 59 is my top speed ever and it was done on a hill that had plenty of room and very little traffic. Still, totally dangerous and insane. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentonMakes Posted January 9 Share #20 Posted January 9 3 hours ago, Longjohn said: Fort Pitt tunnel is at the bottom of a long hill but it would be suicide to try that on a bicycle. On my New Years ride I crossed all three rivers but didn’t do any tunnels. Yes, Fort Pitt being an interstate and all... I know I went through some smaller tunnels out there but I can't remember how many there are. My friends and I overtook a car once coming down Mt Greylock in Massachusetts (on our mountain bikes). The speed limit is 20? and we might have been doing 35 there. That was fun but I was maybe 30 years old at the time. ... no, if I had the opportunity I'd do that again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted January 9 Share #21 Posted January 9 4 minutes ago, Longjohn said: I would have thought you could easily go downhill over 40. What kind of hills do you have? Ones you have to get up FIRST to get down later! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parr8hed Posted January 9 Share #22 Posted January 9 53 minutes ago, Longjohn said: I would have thought you could easily go downhill over 40. What kind of hills do you have? There are a few 40+ mph hills around me but not many. We don't have many long straight climbs. Lots of little short, steep hills. Some 18-21% grades but all of those have some curvature that makes them a little spicy when trying to go fast. We usually only gain about 500-700 feet in elevation on our bigger hills. There are lots of them around, just not big ones. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parr8hed Posted January 9 Share #23 Posted January 9 1 hour ago, Dirtyhip said: 59 is my top speed ever and it was done on a hill that had plenty of room and very little traffic. Still, totally dangerous and insane. That was one dirt, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtyhip Posted January 9 Share #24 Posted January 9 58 minutes ago, Parr8hed said: That was one dirt, right? Nope. mid 40's was my top dirt speed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted January 9 Share #25 Posted January 9 6 hours ago, Longjohn said: My ride home always took me over an hour. I bought a better headlight to try to increase my speed going home. Not a good idea, three deer jumped out in front of me and I hit them. The headlight didn’t show the deer running towards the road across the field. Lots of broken bones. We need deers to have side reflectors like on trucks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted January 9 Share #26 Posted January 9 I live in relatively hilly country. It's not big mountains but lots of rollers up and down and up and down. Some of the downs are Bonafide 50 mph rides coasting. One of my 15 mile rides was 1500 ft net climbing and at the highest point I entered a downhill s-curving run into town. I think the speed limit is 30/35 mph and when I start into that run I take the lane because no one is going to pass me and I often have to brake for cars in front of me. It's an interesting ride because there are small caps sticking up in the road that look like threaded caps for water pipe. There are 4 or 5 of them in a half mile section and you have to see and identify them when at speed so as not to hit one. As with all fast downhills you have to be careful setting up your line because on the fastest left hander if you start to push the front end you are going over the side where there is no guardrail and the drop will be a pretty good wipe out. I'm getting old now and more cautious but I used to love fast downhills. These days I just think about how long the hospital stay will be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikeguy Posted January 10 Share #27 Posted January 10 3 hours ago, maddmaxx said: I'm getting old now and more cautious but I used to love fast downhills. These days I just think about how long the hospital stay will be. This... 35 is the fastest I'll go now down the few hills I have. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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