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Is anyone else scared of riding down steep hills?
I have decided to start riding my bike to work and to get from my house to the main road is basically 2 miles straight downhill before even getting to the road. I hit like 30 MPH going down it and I always get terrified that I will burn out my brakes or crash that speed.
Even though going up that hill is tough, I like it more than the fear that downhill riding gives me.
the secret is to top bar tuck so you get down them before you start to get scared
>>967112
I hit 47mph today without a real tuck and pedaling down the hill. I guess I'm not too scared of hills but I do make sure I have plenty of space to brake and I dont brake late into corners. I guess you can say I respect hills and the possibilities of dying if I do something stupid.
Unless it's a straight road, I take my time to go down, and even on straight ramps I just go until I top 50km/h, it's a hobby, I'm not getting paid for going faster and if I fall, things can be bad.
>>967112
Your natural inclination is going to be to sit up straight. Don't do that, actually get down into the drops and get your head down (or just get your head down if flat bars). The higher you're sitting up, the higher your center of gravity, the less stable you'll be, so getting down low means you're more stable and safer. So far as your brakes are concerned, for starters 30mph isn't as fast as you think it is. If you're hitting 40+ then you're going damned fast. It doesn't sound like a technical (twisty/bumpy/etc) descent, so if it's really just 'straight down' then you should be able to handle it without braking; try getting into a low position as I said above, and just let the bike roll. Feather your brakes as necessary until you reach the point where you're comfortable just letting the bike run all the way down without braking. If you can, get a buddy who is more experienced/comfortable with descending come along, and follow him down. Psychologically it's easier to do something when you can see that someone else is able to do it right in front of you without any problems.
>>967112
Get down low for stability and stop to let your brakes cool down if you are tapping them for like 10 minutes straight
The real risk is overheating the rims, exploding your tires at 30 mph and turning your skin into liquid
After my first accident going down hill, I was terrified of a steep decent. It took two weeks before I was able to get over it. Now it's the best part of my ride.
I live in a mountainous area and there's lots of good advice in this thread already. I would add though that the most important factor in descending well is to always think ahead - crashes happen when you have to make sudden turns or sudden stops. You should always be positioning yourself to apex your turns, never outride your braking distance when going through blind corners, never brake during a steep turn (feathering is okay but requires practice), pay attention to the road surface and look out for off-camber surfaces and painted lines, and always be ready to shift your weight as far to the rear of the bike as possible in case you need to make an emergency stop.
Descending is fun and speed will come with practice and confidence. And personally, I'll add that I never ride a road at full-out no-brake maximum speed until I've ridden it at moderate speeds at least a few times and know where to anticipate intersections, blind/tight corners, and major potholes, etc.
I've always been a little scared at 30+ mph, but that's because I ride old unreliable pieces of shit. If I rode a newer bike I would feel safer.
>>967112
I always see these dudes on high end road bikes smashing their brakes when they approach anywhere near 25mph on down hill sections
It's super dangerous for other riders in the group if you're in front of them
And it's super dangerous for you the rider as well.
It's better to go ahead and coast down the hill letting your bike build up to speed
>>967188
>tfw when you can break 30mph on flats relatively easily
>>967112
I pretty much had my face pealed off when I was about 4 years old, when I was learning how to ride my bike on my own. I can even remember going over the handlebars and coming to in the hospital with my face over a stainless steel pan with asphalt, dirt and blood falling off my face into the pan.
After that, I pretty much give no fucks and honestly, wish I had a front 55 with a 10 rear so I could peddle while going down hill. I snowboard and skateboard the same way. No fucks, just go for it and be attentive to cars, people, dogs...w/e can lead to a crash and provided your bike is well maintained, you should be fine.
Of course, if this is a busy street, then tone it down a bit so you don't get T-boned by someone pulling out of their driveway in the AM. You'll build confidence as you take that route every day.
>scared
lel, pussies
https://youtu.be/RCV4nU-k0nk
no brakes and I'm worried i might have to yshov my foot in the wheel and ruin my racing tire and shoe heel in one emergency breaking. it has happened before
bmx
>>967244
Whoa, it's almost like bikes have breaks for a reason, you fucking fixie hipster
>>967247
>fixie
https://youtu.be/OH5W1Z23wPg
>>967237
that beard is disgusting.
OP I have the same fear as you and I don't know what to do :(((
>>967112
Cycling was more fun as an ignorant kid before self preservation kicks in. Bombing down hill on a busy road at 70 km/h.
>>967237
lol this fucking tard alost crashes into some other dudes on bikes
>>967118
This is literally the worst advice you could possibly give.
>>967254
Ah, yes...this faggot.
Going downhill on a recumbent is scary shit.
You continually have to brake or you'll just go way over the speed limit.
60mph is the fastest I've gone and it was not fun in the slightest.
Not even at least I got my adrenaline kick fun.
>>967288
>skiing 91mph
red bull youtube with dubstep bgm or it didn't happen
>>967237
>passing a car on a bend
fucking retard
>>967237
What an asshole, he almost crashes into another car for passing that other dude at 1:30.
I don't mind going downhill fast, but leaning to take a curve scares the shit out of me. I've slipped too many times.
>>967340
The run starts around 1:42 in https://vimeo.com/138196623
91mph is at roughly 1:56
>>967756
>freedom call
Goddamn that takes me back
I really enjoy descents. That feeling of wind in your face while travelling at speeds above 80 km/h has that something. Maybe it's adrenaline, maybe it's the feeling of freedom. Whatever it is it makes me feel alive.
I have ridden a lot on a motorbike so cornering and braking come naturally to me so that might help quite a bit. I also like skiing a lot.
>>967286
>One is on the right side of the road
>Two are not
Which is/are
the retard?
>>967188
SIeg, have you ever actually left your house, it seems all you do is shitpost, never with any interesting content either, you used to shitpost /fa/ now you just fuck up /n/ threads, can you go
>>968109
is he the same sieg from /o/ and/or /k/?
>>968112
So it seems.
>>967112
Fastest I've gone according to Gps is about 47mph on my bicycle. 30mph is a really fun speed to, in a relaxing afternoon feel some wind and freedom kind of way. 47mph, is more what I would call exhilarating and a little scary but since I go out of my way just to do it occasionally, coudnt really say I'm "scared" of it. It definitely is worthy of respect, 30 mph is fast enough to be fatal if you hit the wrong thing.
Lastly on phone sorry for any typos.
>>967211
Flat ground, still air, I've literally hit 29.9mph twice and cannot hit 30. Try so hard.
>>967337
Sounds terrifying actually.
if I were to go down steep hills often on a bike I would get a drogue chute instead of wearing out the brakes by having to ride the brakes all the way down the hill
>>968211
I grew up racing bmx which really is just a 2 minute sprint with jumps. I had a bike shop sponsor and trained for that type of riding for years and years. Back in those days I bet with the right gearing I could probably break 30 on a bmx... now though I am trying to work on endurance and recovery skills. I think my best for a flat sprint is right around 35 but I am pretty well done for a few minutes right after that kind of effort.
>>968211
did you give a power shout when trying to break the 29.9 barrier
>>967756
>he delivered
>>967254
>Freewheel
>Steel frame
>no brakes
>The bike CANNOT stop
>>967793
after about 45 the air feels kinda...soupy?
>>967118
Hahaha do not do this. You will not have a face, but only after crashing misearly and breaking your neck.
>>967162
Spot on.
/thread
Superscared
And corners
>>968557
DON' WAN' TAH
>>967254
...plus he's braking with the back wheel.
That ALONE shows how retarded he is.
Back brakes of any kind are ineffective.
