going down hill

[IronHorse213]

I know this is going to sound very lame but I have a question.

But first I have to brag - just a little! I went out Saturday for only my fourth ride of the season (and first in about 5 years) and I rode almost 15 miles!!!! I'm really proud of that! the farthest I've ever riden in one ride was 30 miles and that was 20 years ago (when I was just a baby...). I found the entrance to the west side (NYC) greenway in my neighborhood and rode it down to 145th St. and River Bank Park. The scenery along the edge of the Hudson was beautiful!

any way, here's the question. (btw I grew up on flat lands) how does one handle a steep downhill - assuming that is that one can overcome one's fear of speed? There is a very steep downhill section, and it's short and curves into a blind left turn, of course, connecting the upper path to the main path and I can't imagine taking it on my bike, though several riders passed me walking down. I just don't feel I can control that steep a hill.... any training tips?

'calla

[Veronica]

This is what I do on steep hills - don't know if it's good technique or not - but I brake enough so that I feel comfortable and then release them a bit. The speed goes up some and I brake again. I try to always brake before the turn and have my inside foot up.

Good Luck!

Veronica

[IronHorse213]

Hey thanks for your reply - I'll keep working on it!

'calla

[Asa]

And keep your head up, and look where you want to go! Oh, and say "WEEEEEEEE!" all the way down

[TwoTiredGal]

I think the suggestion to look where you want to go is one of the most important for successfully negotiating downhills. Most people I know have to learn that the hard way and through conscious effort. In other words, they (and I) looked at the tree they wanted to avoid and then BLAM!... hit it! But if you make a conscious effort to consistently look where you want to go, it will become second nature to do so. Nowadays I rarely look at what I want to avoid and it works... the times I do look, I usually do run into it!

That's why it's important to look a little ways ahead rather than right at your front wheel. From further away you can scan what's ahead, recognize what you want to avoid and then choose your best line and take it.

I hope that helps you as it did me when I finally "got it!"

[IronHorse213]

thanks, I'll keep that looking where I want to go in mind!

anyone got anything on contoling one's speed?

c

[MM_QFC!]

Hey Iron Horse -
Not a lame question at all and my first response is: you're a New Yorker, dammit, you can do anything you put your mind to!!! (that's the native NYer in me shouting coast to coast to ya).
Anyway, looking where you want to go is terrific advice...you'd do well to adopt that practice no matter what you're doing on the bike...it helps in tight turns and when you're trying to thread your way through all the flotsam and potholes, cracks etc on roads...just glance ahead 10-20 feet and your peripheral vision will spot all the stuff to avoid...your eyes will guide you and your bike to where you're going...
With downhill braking, I've found that if your hands are in the drops (instead of on the hoods) it's easier to squeeze and control your brake levers...you want to apply firm, yet gentle pressure...feathering them, so that you don't have to grab hard and risk an endo performance. I'm sure that by now you've gotten down a few hills successfully, so let us know how it's going!

[KTeach]

Try feathering your brakes as you go downhill, that is compress and release the brakes gently and continuously. If you want to slow down more sit more upright so you are less aeordynamic.
I found downhills very scary on my hybrid bike and I think it was due to the quality of the brakes. When I got a new road bike (which has much better components than the hybrid) I found the braking to be SO much better that I wasn't scared anymore. I'm going to have my bike shop check the brakes on the hybrid and see if I can upgrade.
By the way ... Do you belong to the NY Cycle Club? The people who volunteer to lead rides are very knowledgeable and helpful and could help you out too.

[IronHorse213]

hey - thanks again for all the suggestions! and, well, I may be a NYer but I'm getting back into it and am used to cycling on flat lands! I am aware of NYCC and will plan on pluggin into their pool of riders! thanks, it's so nice to have a cyber-group to lean on!

'calla

[annie]

One more suggestion......... if you need to apply the brakes strongly, slide your butt way back on your saddle, partly hanging off the back end. Might feel funny, but what it does is let you use the front brake (which is the brake with the most stopping power) without doing an endo. Mountain biking, on a really steep downhill, you might have your butt completely off the saddle and behind it to keep traction whilst applying that front brake to control speed. Practice on not-so-steep downhills till you get a feel for how far back you need to be to balance the force of using those front brakes to really stop.

Annie
-Get on your bikes and ride!-

[AquaTeraTrainer]

Originally posted by TwoTiredGal
I think the suggestion to look where you want to go is one of the most important for successfully negotiating downhills. Most people I know have to learn that the hard way and through conscious effort. In other words, they (and I) looked at the tree they wanted to avoid and then BLAM!... hit it!

This is my first post here and I'm quite new to cycling (and the whole cardio thing--I'm a bodybuilder). My husband used to teach motorcycle safety courses and always tells me to look where you want to go. But, somehow, when I'm on the road riding with him, I see road-kill EVERYWHERE and guess where my tires go? Yep! You got it! I think I run over every piece of road-kill out there! It's horrible and really makes me sick. But, I just keep looking at it despite the warnings. Shame on me. ICK!

[hibiscus09]

I'm pretty new (had my bike a month) & went for a 25 mile ride today for the first time at going that distance. Anyway, I took a course that had a lot of rolling hills. At one point, I looked at my speedometer and it said 26.2mph as I was coming down a hill. That made me start applying the brakes. LOL I'm trying to be less of a chicken but I do find myself lightly applying the brakes several times if I'm going downhill that fast.

[DoubleLori]

I've broken the 55mph speed limit a few times on a bike coming down major mountain passes. It is soooooo fun! The gyroscopic effect of your bike wheels will tend to keep you upright and your momentum will make you sail over potholes, so I really have no fear. Speed is your friend when bumping over small obstacles. You only live once so enjoy it!

Sure there is always some remote chance that something could run out in front of you and cause you to crash, but you're more likely to die falling down in your bathtub (THAT happened to my next door neighbor).