Going Downhill

[ACG]

How do you get over your fright of going hill. Going up hill is the best. Do you just keep squeezing the brakes? I'm addicted to the hills. So I gotta figure this out.

[caligurl]

ohmigosh... i was the BIGGEST chicken of downhills when i first started! hubby started me out climbing right away... which was fine.. but i didn't want to go fast going down!

the first time i went all the way to the top of our local climb... i rode the breaks the entire way down! my wheels were so hot! hubby then decided no more climbing til i would lay off the breaks! (my hands were so sore too!)

anyways.. what i finally did was on my own.. i would climb a little way up the hill.. then come down... no breaks! i practiced and would go a little further eat day/time... finally i went all the way to the top and could come down without riding the breaks! (keep in mind our local hill is a straight one!)

within 3 weeks actually graduated to climbing, then descending oak glen (a popular hill in socal!) and a week or so later i did GMR!

so you can do it.. just do it in baby steps at your own pace!

[Irulan]

For me, correct technique was the key to getting out of the fear place.
the proper position for descending is butt out of the saddle, feet at 3/9, eyes looking ahead. As the trail steepens, you can move backwards to keep the CG low. Braking, one finger on the brakes. Modulate: use gentle pressure or feathering, do not grab or skid.

[spazzdog]

And then there's the road descent... it goes something like this:


whooooooooooo-hooooooooo, lean, whoooooo-hooooo, lean again....

spazz (who loves speed)

[LBTC]

Funny

I'm pretty brave and reasonably fast descending on my mountain bike, but on my road bike I'm a complete weenie! yikes!! Especially if there is wide open space beside me (cliff, steep hill, etc) I wish I understood why so I could get over it. I mean, what's worse? A little pavement? or rocks and trees and dirt and....well, you know what I mean. So I ride the brakes down roads, and feather the brakes lightly on the trails....

yup. I'm a walking (riding) contradiction.

Namaste,
~T~

[spazzdog]

I have a traffic circle (rotary, round-about) just down the road and sometimes when I'm coming home (slight downhill) I'll go shooting into the rotary (yes I look for cars) and do a couple laps just to get that lean at a good speed (usually about 24 mph at entry).

With light traffic, it's a blast... you should see the expressions on drivers faces as I pass them or stay even with them. Yee-hah!

spazz

[Veronica]

I found this...

Fillmore ...* It climbs 190 feet over a 700 yard run for an average grade of 10% and a max of 18%.* Believe me it’s much worse than it sounds.* The last two blocks are so steep the sidewalks have steps cut into them.* ...Taylor Street is almost as steep, but a shorter climb (2 blocks as opposed to Fillmore’s four).* It has a max grade of only 16%.*



I guess I'll have to eat my earlier words. Can I have a cookie with that?

V.
Source

[Adventure Girl]

More googling...

The Steepest Streets in the City
1. Filbert between Leavenworth and Hyde (31.5% grade)
2. 22nd Street between Church and Vicksburg (31.5% grade)
3. Jones between Union and Filbert (29% grade)
4. Duboce between Buena Vista and Alpine (27.9% grade)
5. Jones between Green and Union (26% grade)
6. Webster between Vallejo and Broadway 26% grade)
7. Duboce between Alpine and Divisadero (25% grade)
8. Jones between Pine and California (24.8 grade)
9. Fillmore between Vallejo and Broadway (24% grade)
(Source: San Francisco Almanac)

[Veronica]

Okay AG - now find us some pictures of these beasties.

V.

[spazzdog]

and you pedal up these "little" hills.

I'm imagining one of those in New England after the first ice storm:

And welcome to OLN's coverage of the New England "Human Bowling Ball Championships".


Look at the speed Spazz is getting off that 2nd step.... ooooh!

That's gonna leave a mark!

[xeney]

I hope it is not inappropriate to say that this is about the most interesting and helpful thread I have ever seen on any bike forum ever. Hills scare me but you all just made it all make sense, and you even used math and physics. Brilliant and practical.