The Strava thread, DH road bikes?
Discussion
Has it been deleted, I can't find it?
anyway when I got KOM for Streatley hill descent I was told GPS error on here as I didn't have the garmin in 1 sec recording, and after zooming it I agree, it lost me at the bottom anyway did it yesterday 1st time since, maybe 5th time ever down it and held up by 4 cars I overtook and still top 50/2000 riders 9000 attempts and I was on the brakes most of the way, got 32 sec, my KOM was 26 sec. I think no problem to go faster than 26 with a full clear run, my goal this summer sub 25, I think it can be done easily with no cars in the way, if I had a signer so could cut corners may be faster.
So any road descents in your area where silly speeds are only stopped by rolling Road blocks?
anyway when I got KOM for Streatley hill descent I was told GPS error on here as I didn't have the garmin in 1 sec recording, and after zooming it I agree, it lost me at the bottom anyway did it yesterday 1st time since, maybe 5th time ever down it and held up by 4 cars I overtook and still top 50/2000 riders 9000 attempts and I was on the brakes most of the way, got 32 sec, my KOM was 26 sec. I think no problem to go faster than 26 with a full clear run, my goal this summer sub 25, I think it can be done easily with no cars in the way, if I had a signer so could cut corners may be faster.
So any road descents in your area where silly speeds are only stopped by rolling Road blocks?
t that lots of threads are vanishing. SteveSteveson said:
Whats the point? KoMs should be about who is the fittest and pushes the hardest, not who is willing to take the most risk.
Descents are the only chance some of us have to get near the top of the leaderboard...although I think there was a suit brought against Strava by the family of a guy who was killed while supposedly chasing a downhill KoM.To address your point, however, descending is as much a part of the cycling skillset as climbing - it's not just a matter of willingness to take risk.
IroningMan said:
SteveSteveson said:
Whats the point? KoMs should be about who is the fittest and pushes the hardest, not who is willing to take the most risk.
Descents are the only chance some of us have to get near the top of the leaderboard...although I think there was a suit brought against Strava by the family of a guy who was killed while supposedly chasing a downhill KoM.To address your point, however, descending is as much a part of the cycling skillset as climbing - it's not just a matter of willingness to take risk.
SteveSteveson said:
Whats the point? KoMs should be about who is the fittest and pushes the hardest, not who is willing to take the most risk.
That sort of thing is only normally spouted by those with the bike handling skills of a turnip. Going fast down hill has nothing to do with risk all to do with bike handling skills, if it was just risk then you'd crash on the 1st corner and the only road bike crash I have ever had was in a crit on Porthcawl seafront in the rain 25 years ago.This is my local one, I've had occasional issues being blocked by cars but it's normally a problem with spinning out my 50-11 and/or not carrying enough speed off the corner into the segment.
https://www.strava.com/segments/6667895
New bike with a 52-11 means I think I've got a chance though, so will have another try at taking it soon, or at least beating my colleague who is p6, three seconds quicker than me.
https://www.strava.com/segments/6667895
New bike with a 52-11 means I think I've got a chance though, so will have another try at taking it soon, or at least beating my colleague who is p6, three seconds quicker than me.
Makes mental note to drag the heavy 1990s steel road bike out of the garage and lob it (and it's 53 x 11) off the top of some local hills where my modern carbon bike with it's 50/34 compact is the limiting factor.
And...
Hills don't ride themselves you know. You can't just coast to a downhill KOM. It's still about pedaling, and also about picking lines through corners and over crappy surfaces that not only allow you to maintain (and increase) speed, but deliver you safely, in one piece, to the bottom. That's a typical skinny climber comment. If he who is fittest and pushes hardest uphill was such a good allrounder, then he'd be the KOM down the other side too. If he isn't, then at least one aspect of his cycling skillset needs work...
And...
SteveSteveson said:
Whats the point? KoMs should be about who is the fittest and pushes the hardest, not who is willing to take the most risk.
...?Hills don't ride themselves you know. You can't just coast to a downhill KOM. It's still about pedaling, and also about picking lines through corners and over crappy surfaces that not only allow you to maintain (and increase) speed, but deliver you safely, in one piece, to the bottom. That's a typical skinny climber comment. If he who is fittest and pushes hardest uphill was such a good allrounder, then he'd be the KOM down the other side too. If he isn't, then at least one aspect of his cycling skillset needs work...
Edited by yellowjack on Friday 1st April 12:06
Sometimes it is just about risk - I haven't ridden in Bath for a while but I'm surprised this one hasn't been flagged.
IroningMan said:
Sometimes it is just about risk - I haven't ridden in Bath for a while but I'm surprised this one hasn't been flagged.
Getting on for 10,000 attempts by more than 1,000 riders though. And that's only Strava users, many times more people will ride it without GPS. How many serious crashes have killed or injured riders on that segment due to excess speed or taking too many risks?I flagged one myself near home. It was a totally stupid segment, requiring a right turn crossing 3 lanes of NSL traffic, and a roundabout. There was simply no point to it, not the start of the segment anyways. The hill is still a focus of several segments, but all of them now start after the roundabout. Strava users need to use some basic sense when it comes to creating segments, and begin them after junctions and end them before junctions. Most times, when segments include risky junctions, traffic lights, or roundabouts, it seems to me that the segment creator is effectively trying to exclude sensible riders from joining in. Same as when folk create a segment that starts in a cul-de-sac, outside their own house. Either make it private, or start it in a sensible place, out on the main road, where it picks up folk who are naturally passing through.
yellowjack said:
IroningMan said:
Sometimes it is just about risk - I haven't ridden in Bath for a while but I'm surprised this one hasn't been flagged.
Getting on for 10,000 attempts by more than 1,000 riders though. And that's only Strava users, many times more people will ride it without GPS. How many serious crashes have killed or injured riders on that segment due to excess speed or taking too many risks?I flagged one myself near home. It was a totally stupid segment, requiring a right turn crossing 3 lanes of NSL traffic, and a roundabout. There was simply no point to it, not the start of the segment anyways. The hill is still a focus of several segments, but all of them now start after the roundabout. Strava users need to use some basic sense when it comes to creating segments, and begin them after junctions and end them before junctions. Most times, when segments include risky junctions, traffic lights, or roundabouts, it seems to me that the segment creator is effectively trying to exclude sensible riders from joining in. Same as when folk create a segment that starts in a cul-de-sac, outside their own house. Either make it private, or start it in a sensible place, out on the main road, where it picks up folk who are naturally passing through.
I have real mixed feelings about this topic. I used to be a speed demon, am probably still the quickest downhill of anyone I ride with regularly, but last year I made a tiny error of judgement on my line going into a corner at 50 mph. This was a beautiful left hander in a dip, so a steep downhill into it and a bit of a climb coming out; it's after Princetown on Dartmoor.
I missed the apex by less than a metre, ended up on the wrong side of the road (it's well sighted so oncoming traffic wasn't a problem) went onto the grass verge, bounced back on to the road and then at that point I thought I had saved it only to have a tank slapper and smear myself all over the road, probably still doing around 30 mph. I ended up lying across the crank with the pedal sticking into my chest.
Damage to the bike was miraculously limited to grinding down the stem -
But my knee took the brunt -
It still looks pretty grim now, 9 months later.
So, I can understand Strava and other sites being nervous about DH threads. I understand the thrill, and you can rationalise it to yourself that there is a lot of skill involved. But as with a lot of accidents, it doesn't take much for things to go wrong, and if you are trying to do 50 mph on your bike, you're just asking for trouble. If you're concerned that cars may be costing you a KOM, seriously, think about what you are doing.
I missed the apex by less than a metre, ended up on the wrong side of the road (it's well sighted so oncoming traffic wasn't a problem) went onto the grass verge, bounced back on to the road and then at that point I thought I had saved it only to have a tank slapper and smear myself all over the road, probably still doing around 30 mph. I ended up lying across the crank with the pedal sticking into my chest.
Damage to the bike was miraculously limited to grinding down the stem -
But my knee took the brunt -
It still looks pretty grim now, 9 months later.So, I can understand Strava and other sites being nervous about DH threads. I understand the thrill, and you can rationalise it to yourself that there is a lot of skill involved. But as with a lot of accidents, it doesn't take much for things to go wrong, and if you are trying to do 50 mph on your bike, you're just asking for trouble. If you're concerned that cars may be costing you a KOM, seriously, think about what you are doing.
It was the Dartmoor Classic in June last year, dry, not hot but shorts and short sleeve weather. It was the kind of corner I used to dream about! That pic was a few days later, there was some iodine in the dressings I was using so it looked a bit yellow too. It's now a messed up purple colour, rough as hell and tender if I whack it.
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