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Pedal down a steep hill?
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 2010-08-30 1:11 PM |
Member  308 |  Subject: Pedal down a steep hill?Curious to see what people do when going down a hill at a fast speed. I have been doing most of my riding at Central Park so going down a hill isn't much of an issue. I decided to do 9W after hearing about it (which is a great ride for long rides) and there were some pretty steep hills. I was easily hitting above 30 mph. Honestly for me, I feel it is too fast for me. I even came out of the aero position as I had this feeling I was going to flip over or something. What is the best approach to take these downhills? 1. Just stay aero and glide down (also giving your legs a rest)? 2. Aero and also pedal to try and increase you speed? 3. Stay aero, but also keep one hand on the brake to slow your speed abit? Doing HIM Syracuse so was curious what the best approach would be, in particular miles 49+ looks steep on the elevation map. |
| 2010-08-30 1:18 PM in reply to: #3071590 |
Veteran 270  Burlington | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? Good advice here on when and how hard to pedal |
| 2010-08-30 1:19 PM in reply to: #3071590 |
Extreme Veteran 404 Long Beach, CA | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? Hills equal free speed. I say hammer away. (using common sense for yourself and the safety of others of course) |
| 2010-08-30 1:22 PM in reply to: #3071605 |
Sensei Sin City | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? I pedal until I run out of gears and spin out. |
| 2010-08-30 1:23 PM in reply to: #3071590 |
Member 161 | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? Not an expert myself, but I've read somewhere that it is important to keep your legs moving at least a little bit. Especially if there was a tough climb before the downhill, your legs can seize up or cramp if you don't do at least a little pedaling . |
| 2010-08-30 1:26 PM in reply to: #3071617 |
| Veteran 191 | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? Kido - 2010-08-30 1:22 PM I pedal until I run out of gears and spin out. My coach has me do the same.. He showed me (via a powerfile) how much time is lost just coasting down a hill. A real eye opener. |
| 2010-08-30 1:33 PM in reply to: #3071590 |
Champion 7136  Knoxville area | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? when you spin out in your top gear, leave your feet at 3/9 o clock and... depending on your fear factor, clamp those knees and get lower in the front (if possible) |
| 2010-08-30 1:51 PM in reply to: #3071590 |
Master 1286 Mt Pleasant, SC | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? Hello I set a new speed for record for myself this weekend. 43.3 MPH downhill. Not pedaling. Just hang on and stay the positive thoughts. This is one area when Clydesdale may kick everyones butt. Kevin |
| 2010-08-30 1:54 PM in reply to: #3071644 |
Veteran 268 | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? Leegoocrap - 2010-08-30 2:33 PM when you spin out in your top gear, leave your feet at 3/9 o clock and... depending on your fear factor, clamp those knees and get lower in the front (if possible) X2..... Pour it on. Its not like your HR will go up from the pedaling. Free speed!! |
| 2010-08-30 1:55 PM in reply to: #3071590 |
| Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? In a race...yeah...hammer away. On a training ride, when riding on a road with a 35 mph speed limit and cross traffic...not so much. |
| 2010-08-30 2:02 PM in reply to: #3071699 |
Champion 7595 Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? mwhitely - 2010-08-30 2:54 PM Leegoocrap - 2010-08-30 2:33 PM when you spin out in your top gear, leave your feet at 3/9 o clock and... depending on your fear factor, clamp those knees and get lower in the front (if possible) X2..... Pour it on. Its not like your HR will go up from the pedaling. Free speed!! Pedal hard enough and it will. Your heart doesn't know whether you're going up or down. (There's a hill around here where I've been trying for a while to top 50mph going down. My HR spikes every time because I am going flat out all the way.) But yeah, pedal down the hills. |
| 2010-08-30 2:15 PM in reply to: #3071590 |
Member 308 | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? Thanks for the response. It's not so much the energy thing, more of the fear issue. When I am going down clipped in, all I can think is "wow...I am going fast...if I fall this is going to hurt!" I just have to hit these type of hills more often to get use to it. |
| 2010-08-30 2:25 PM in reply to: #3071590 |
Champion 10668 Tacoma, Washington | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? Depends on how long that downhill is... For shorter hills, keep just as much effort into the pedals. For medium hills, spin out then coast. For long hills, spin out, then alternate coasting with moving the pedals to keep the blood flow going (you'll thank me at the bottom). As for aero vs not, at some point it doesn't matter. I find that I am about as fast keeping my body low and hands on the bullhorns as if I were riding a road bike once I get to where I'm spun out. Use your body like a drag 'chute to control your speed. |
| 2010-08-30 2:30 PM in reply to: #3071754 |
Expert 3126 Boise, ID | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? Izlude - 2010-08-30 1:15 PM Thanks for the response. It's not so much the energy thing, more of the fear issue. When I am going down clipped in, all I can think is "wow...I am going fast...if I fall this is going to hurt!" I just have to hit these type of hills more often to get use to it. Don't think about falling. Just look straight out, keep an eye out for obstacles and relax. As long as you don't hit any obstacles there is no reason for you to fall down. |
| 2010-08-30 2:34 PM in reply to: #3071590 |
Pro 5892 , New Hampshire | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? You'll get more comfortable the more you decend. I used to be the biggest chicken on the plant downhill (still careful though), but as you get more relaxed, the faster you go and the better you feel about it. And yes, 9W is a great ride, but I wouldn't call any of it steep... |
| 2010-08-30 6:40 PM in reply to: #3071590 |
Veteran 930 Morgan Hill, California | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? For me, it depends on how steep, but if I can, I keep pedaling. For whatever reason, I feel more relaxed and stable if I'm pedaling. If its really steep, I just hold on for dear life, but if I can, I keep pedaling. |
| 2010-08-31 8:18 AM in reply to: #3071590 |
| Extreme Veteran 1030 West Windsor, NJ | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? I usually pedal away, but mostly in the drops. Remember, the faster you go, the further out you need to look. It will smooth out the ride and line and allow you to avoid things. Most people are focused wayyyyyy to close to their front wheel and even if something did jump out or you saw a pothole, you wouldnt be able to do anything about it. At 30 mph you are covering almost 45 feet per second. Think about that next time you are out there  |
| 2010-08-31 8:51 AM in reply to: #3071590 |
| Regular 190 | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? I used to be just a "coaster" and now I am a "hammerer." I am obsessed with speed and pacing and started doing the math in my head one day regarding my average speed going up the hill, and then the average speed going dowwn the hill, I realized that if I kept my cadence in my sweet spot 85-87 my HR would recover at the same speed and depending on how steep the hill was, I could gain a few mph's. Those "extra" mph's make a huge difference when riding on the rollers of southern Indiana. One trick I have learned though, since I am going faster, I really don't care to look at the computer while going own the hill, need to maintain all my focus on tight aero position, and eyes forward looking for road debris. I never want to go down on the asphalt at 40mph in spandex! |
| 2010-08-31 9:01 AM in reply to: #3071605 |
Extreme Veteran 398 Denver | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? undertheradar - 2010-08-30 2:19 PM Hills equal free speed. I say hammer away. (using common sense for yourself and the safety of others of course) I'm with you. I love speed and try to hammer down hills as fast as I can....in excess of 40 mph. not the safest thing to do but it sure is fun |
| 2010-08-31 9:10 AM in reply to: #3071590 |
Expert 1215 Austin, TX | Subject: RE: Pedal down a steep hill? Make sure to look way out in front of you, not right in front of your wheel. By looking right in front of your wheel all you are doing is looking at what you are about to hit. By looking further up the road, you give youself a chance to go around obstacles. |
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