Descent Fear

First off you have to enjoy
First off you have to enjoy it or else why bother. The exhilarating feeling of the wind in your hair, getting into an aerodynamic position, regulating speed by gently squeezing the brakes and keeping it all together to see how fast you can go.
Going fast in or on anything is about getting it right and testing the limit of your self/machine/environment. Inevitably when the limit is reached one either needs to slow down or risk crashing.

No one in their right mind would advocate belting down a stretch of road at full tilt that you’ve never been down before. There could be nasty surprises – gravely corners, wet patches, unexpected bends, Random Badgers crossing but when you get to know a stretch you will learn when you can put the power down and when to back off. Build up to it and then it will be much more enjoyable.

Sadly I don’t think one can expect to regularly a bike without the occasional crash. I used to ride a lot more off road and one of the best bits of advice I’ve ever read (in MBUK in about 1990 probably) is that when you feel that you are going to crash RELAX your booty. This might sound stupid but it has really worked for me. You are much more likely to break something if you are all tense at that moment when you’ve passed the wobbly-tummy-feeling point of no return.

Respect other road users, check your bike’s mechanics, wear a helmet and have a laugh. The only way to sensibly test the limits is to keep practising. But if you don’t enjoy it sack it off, there’s loads of stuff to do in the world so why do something you don’t like.

Hope that helps 🙂

Must be Mad wrote:The

Must be Mad wrote:

The important thing is to go at the speed you are confident and happy with, and let the others race themselves to A&E if they wish.

That said if you want to improve your descending, then keep practicing them , and let your confidence build naturally – try to find some straight descents, and get used to handling the bike at higher speeds.

one of the key skill for descending for me is remembering to look further down the road, and see obsticals when they are further away.

That’s excellent advice. It sounds like the OP may be fairly new to being back on a bike. Skills, experience and therefore confidence increase *hugely* the more hours you spend on a bike. It will just build naturally.

Caution always trumps recklessness anyway. Do not be tempted to take risks that you are not comfortable with. Basic physics … the faster you go the less time you will have to react when something unexpected happens and the greater the impact forces will be. Speed really does kill.

One of my main concerns when descending is cars emerging from side roads (or turning right, across my path, into one). It seems to me that many motorists simply have no concept of a cyclist approaching at 40mph+ and assume it is safe for them to proceed.

The other issue that can catch you out is a car turning left on to your road, say 200-300 yards in front of you. You maintain your speed in the assumption that it will accelerate away … when suddenly the brake lights come on … and it indicates right (late if at all) … because it is turning into another side road. I hate staggered junctions at the bottom of a hill!

I’m not a great descender
I’m not a great descender either. Around this time of year I finally overcome the fear brought on by the terrible winter roads though, and descend with joy. Hope that lasts until my alpine visit in a month.

My advice – relax. It’s really hard, but you have to hold the drops lightly. Any tighter and your bike reacts like a twitching beast.

I changed the stock wheels
I changed the stock wheels (alexrims) on my bike to shimano r501’s (not the best wheels by a long way!) and the braking effect increased dramatically with the same brakes and blocks. Obviously just a much better braking surface. This of course gives you confidence to lay off the brakes until you need them and you know how quickly you can slow down.

Here’s a page that has a very
Here’s a page that has a very detailed discussion of descending technique, which I’ve found very helpful. I particularly like the emphasis on observation and thinking all the time – it’s much more than just a physical skill:
http://www.flammerouge.je/factsheets/descend.htm

It sounds like you may be nervous about speed as much as cornering. If you can find suitable roads or paths near you, you may be able to get practice at both of these aspects separately. For example, here in Edinburgh, the road going round Arthur’s Seat towards Holyrood Palace is a long gentle descent without any sharp bends that’s often almost traffic-free. It’s not at all steep, but long enough that you can build up a pretty high speed. It then flattens out for quite a bit before a little roundabout, so it’s ideal for practising braking from speed. Conversely, across the city, one of the cycling/walking paths ends with a little access path that’s a few tight switchbacks down to road level. (It’s fun to imagine for 30 seconds that you’re going down Alpe d’Huez or similar. 😉 ) OK, it’s much narrower than a road and you have to go very slowly, but that’s sort-of the point; you can focus on cornering techniques without worrying about getting run over or tumbling down a mountainside if you get it wrong. If you can find similar stretches near to you, you may be able to practise in a safer environment to build a bit more confidence before putting it all together on your usual descents.

I am a crap descender, I am
I am a crap descender, I am getting better but still crap.

Only advice, first if you have any queries about a component you will worry about it and begin to focus on what may go wrong.

Second practice, it takes time but just get used to riding downhill, never push too far, crashing is not good if you have confidence issues to begin with.

Try and think what concerns you? I find roads with junctions more of an issue than open roads, it is the what is round the corner issue.

Other things, your build, I am guessing light riders can get blown around more passing farm gates ( I am guessing because I am not a heavy rider and never have been), I have only been blown off once on the mtb. ( I am quite tall and light)