Has anyone got over their fear of going downhill?

If worried by descending
If worried by descending better watch the Giro stage today on short descents !

Try going somewhere like
Try going somewhere like Andalucia. Virtually every ride in the interior of 20+ miles involves a ‘hill’ of some sorts. When over there I can do several loops of say 60 miles with 10,000 feet of climbing with the corresponding descents and see maybe 3-5 cars per ride.
The Tarmac is often slick black silky smooth stuff. Those 2 factors really help.
Apart from being stunning it’s great practice and well worth the few hundred quid for the week.
There’s no point over here, the descents aren’t long enough, the roads are s###e and there’s a car on every other corner. I ride occasionally in the Peak District and it’s a nightmare. If there’s any hint of that dewy greasy road surface then I’m on the go slow..

Following someone going
Following someone going downhill faster than you and stick to their line and be safe based on the fact that if they were to die you can see what to avoid 😀

So a fantastic solution is to
So a fantastic solution is to go to the alps and ride down a mountain or two!

Loads of great advice here – genuinely the above worked for me and I now love descending.

Stay relaxed and a top tip is if you find your shoulders tensing (death wobble) then touch your bent knee to the top tube it will help enormously. Wobbles are all in the mind if you stay relaxed and off the brakes a bike will not wobble.

Also ride to what you can see, and as far as drag braking (gentle scrubbing) goes do NOT do it. Let the bike go free as far as you can see then brake as hard and as long as you dare to enter a corner – for sight line reasons.
The reason I say this is that if you do go and descend something like Alpe d’Huez then you will get very hot rims from braking so you want to only do it when you need to and then as short time as possible, tube blowouts from overheating are a very real risk – annoying at best and cna cause serious injury if it decides to go at the front and at speed.

Finally, remember slow in – fast out as far as corners are concerned safer and ultimately quicker!

Have fun – Oh and I used to be so scared that speed wobbles were always the order of the day – no more!!

Most cyclists have fears
Most cyclists have fears about descending. By admitting to your fear you’ve taken the biggest step to dealing with it. So here goes,

1) Descend at YOUR pace not anyone else’s.
2) Dominate and command your lane so you don’t get squeezed at the wrong time.
3) Get down in the drops. It lowers your centre of gravity and gives you better bike control.
4) Braking. Always do any braking with the bike upright and travelling in a straight line.Try to regard your back brake for speed control and your front brake for stopping. ‘Cover’ your front brake but try not to use it. Locking up the back wheel is a lot easier to deal with than locking the front (A locked front often leads to you eating Tarmac). One last thing on braking. You will be amazed how effective just sitting up and using your body as an air brake is.
5) Practice makes perfect and builds confidence. The more you do it the better you will become. Fear is a good thing provided you are managing it rather than it managing you.
6) Have fun!

One final piece of advise that I should have put in a lot earlier. Learn to read the road as far ahead as possible. Look at the way hedges shape, telegraph poles, buildings, road markings (particularly the style of centre-line), etc. For instance a single street standard in a rural area will often be placed at a junction.

I hope you find this useful.

ianrobo wrote:gently keep

ianrobo wrote:

gently keep braking downhill to take the worse of the speed off

This.

And matching your speed to visibility and road conditions, and keeping CoG low. It comes with time.

That said, I’m no fan of belting downhill like the clappers either!

Hi Charlie
I was the same,
Hi Charlie

I was the same, but now I quite enjoy descending. I’m not the fastest, but faster than many. You’re better off slow and safe than fast and reckless.

You have to get comfortable with descending & improve at your own pace.

A riding skills course helped my cornering, which subsequently helped my descending. Get on the drops for better grip of the bars, lower centre of gravity and better access & power for braking. Bodyweight through the “outside leg” (pedal), and your inside bar. Get your speed right before you reach the corner. Practice on smooth clear flat roads. When you’ve got it, you can start trying it on gentle downhill bends.

Observation. There’s a tendency to look immediately in front of your front wheel. Occasionally look further ahead to see where the road is going. Hedge or tree lines can give you an indication. The map on your Garmin can be handy, if you have one. You’ll know what’s coming up, and can then look ahead at the road surface, and what other hazards you need to account for.

Are you confident in your bike? A reasonably modern bike will be stiff, which helps, as will reasonable quality wheels. I use 25mm tyres of a good quality, and good quality brake blocks. All these things help my confidence when descending.

Practice, but within your own limits. Smooth sweeping descents, reasonably quiet – and repeat. Repetition helps learning, and you’ll gradually relax each time and reinforce what you’re learning as you go along.

I think the main thing is to practice, and learn at your own pace. Enjoy improving! Good luck :o)