Or use disks. That's one of the reasons we got disks on the new tandem, though I still alternate front/rear to allow the disks themselves to cool.
It's been interesting to see how people limit their speeds. I do if I'm unsure of the road but if it's a nice, visible road with no cross traffic I tend to let it roll. We've hit 50+ on the tandem a couple of time (on Tour de Blast we actually used the disk as a light drag because there were state patrolmen around and they were rumored to ticket cyclists breaking 55mph - which would be insanely easy coming down from Johnson ridge on a tandem!) Cindy has been fine with it, in fact I sometimes keep it slower than she would like since I have a better idea of the handling/stopping abilities of the big bike. -Ken On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 11:28 PM, Bill M. <bmenn...@comcast.net> wrote: > On a truly long and steep descent, trying to come down too slowly has its > own peril - overheated rims and blown tires. Letting the bike roll out some > allows some energy to be dissipated by the wind, sparing the brakes for when > they are really needed. It can be a fine line between over-braking and > under-braking. At some point wisdom would have you stop to let the rims > cool. > > Bill > Stockton, CA > > > On Friday, July 13, 2012 7:53:40 AM UTC-7, Michael Hechmer wrote: >> >> I'm not a particularly anxious person, although I do get anxious when >> someone compliments my courage! I regularly downhill at 40+ mph and have >> hit 50 on good pavement and reasonably straight mountain descents without >> too much anxiety, but one hill this year has me spooked. >> >> One of my favorite routes is a 23 mile ride with 1400 feet of climbing >> that is equally divided among lightly traveled & good dirt roads, mostly >> descent chip & seal town roads, and a third of moderately traveled state >> roads. It provides beautiful pastoral scenery, a good view of the whole of >> the Mt. Mansfield ridge line, and a stretch along the Lamoille River, >> including the impressive Fairfax Falls. In the past I have always ridden it >> counter clockwise, which includes a beast of a 3K climb, including a K of >> 20%+ grade right in the middle. This year I reversed direction and have >> been riding it clockwise on my Rambouillet, with a very nice set of Grand >> Bois Cerf tires. The first time down it I discovered the pavement on the >> steepest section was not in good condition, no pot holes or heaves, just >> lots of broken chip and seal. The bumping was quite dramatic and I felt >> like one good hole could toss me over the handle bars. Garmin was showing >> 47.5 when I lightly squeezed the rear brake. Fortunately the Paul's Racers >> have excellent modulation and I safely slowed enough to feel OK. >> >> But when I got to the bottom I asked myself why I chickened out, since I >> was just fine, and thought that the next time I would lay off the brakes. >> But this hasn't happened. Instead each time I have gone down it, I have >> gone slower and slower. Today I took out my Trek, which has 32 mm TServes >> to see if I would feel more comfortable at higher speeds with the softer >> tire. But when I got to the top of the hill I realized I had no real taste >> for the experiment. I went down at 25, until I could see the good pavement >> at the bottom and then I let it roll out to 39. >> >> So I ask myself, is this wisdom, or just yielding to irrational anxiety. >> >> Michael >> Westford, VT > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/CcFxE2NTBTgJ. > > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
