Your Tuck Position

[Boeing]

what is your best descending tuck position?

 

[pedaling squares]

My 'best' is probably far more Schleck than Hushovd. I'm a butt-back descender with hands on the drops. I've never felt all that comfortable riding on the top tube with my hands inches apart. Maybe if I raced for money, but when I try it I always think that failing to see one rock will cost me about 24 teeth.

 

[Martin318is]

Same - the back on seat and lie flat with hands on drops is more streamlined and stable for me than the sit on toptube and pull hands in position. I guess it depends a lot on body style etc anyway. If a larger rider tries to tuck in like shleck I think there is too much leg and arm to make it work well.

 

[oldborn]

On aero bars I see lot of those guys try to kill themselves.
On drops of course, here roads are bad so riding on top tube is crazy for me. I tried that on 1 km or longer parts without corners, but it is not for me even alu bike is better to do so than carbon. Everything more than 65 km is scarry for me.
I remember Magnus Bäckstedt talking on eurosport about his max speed, 120km/h

I can say that I admire those guys doing descent with skinny tyres with over 80, 90km/h.

 

[simo1733]

I go for bum on the saddle chin on the stem and hands in the ctr of the bars.

 

[Parera]

I only do the alpine tuck/top tube hump on one road in the area, because there's no homes or traffic. Everywhere else, *** back, hands in the drops. I've nearly crashed into cars, dogs, people, cows, horses, vultures, squirrels, bears, sheep, you name it. Really, it's cool to completely let it go on a fast descent, but on the other hand I actually like being able to ride regularly. Why risk a long hospital stay, surgeries, and months (even years) of painful physical therapy (or worse, permament disability/death) because you wanted to act like Thor Hushovd and eek out that extra few kph's? People tend to forget the guys on TV have closed roads to take those insane lines, us common folk have to deal with the riffraff.

 

[Martin318is]

I used to manically push to go past 95kph any chance I got. These days (10 years, a marriage and two kids later) I am stragely finding I tend to only consider it in racing situations and even then only if I have a chance of winning. That said, I happily enjoy cruising at 70-80kph on good downhills...

 

[scullster46]

Normally I do the hands in the drops, bum back position.

However the fastest position i can get in is sitting on the top tube, whilst still pedaling. I can do that on long, straight descents, and it helps me keep up with those with more weight than me

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Fastest I ever went was 76 km/h on the Nieuwe Kwaremont descent.first went tuck aero by sitting on the top tube, hands against eachother on the bars. And then when I got down, I started sprinting frantically, made me go another 3 kmhs faster

 

[RedheadDane]

Well... my bike isn't exactly a racing bike. And living in a flatish country I don't really descend that much.
I just... ya know... lean forward... I stay on the saddle because I'm not crazy! And having a woman's bike I don't think I could get up again if I sat on the tube...

 

[Parrulo]

i usually go nibali(hands and chin on the center of the handle bar and *** on the saddle) style as i can stay on that position well and even do some corners in it. i have tried sitting on the top tube twice and both times i almost fell because i don't feel very comfortable in that position. i also ride on places where there isn't a lot of traffic(if any) so i do risk it a lot sometimes, but only on roads i know very well

 

[Boeing]

i usually go nibali(hands and chin on the center of the handle bar and *** on the saddle) style as i can stay on that position well and even do some corners in it. i have tried sitting on the top tube twice and both times i almost fell because i don't feel very comfortable in that position. i also ride on places where there isn't a lot of traffic(if any) so i do risk it a lot sometimes, but only on roads i know very well

"going Nibali" should be added to the glossary of terms on CN

nice

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

"Going Nibali" is good but before him it was "going Il Falco". I drop like a stone off mountain tops, in the drops when it gets curvy, tops when straightish, head low as I can get it and still feel comfy. Fastest I've ever recorded going downhill was just over 100km/h, 63mph, and it wasn't in Colorado, the Coulee Region of Western Wisconsin. Haven't done Vail pass yet, could possibly break my record there.

 

[Boeing]

"Going Nibali" is good but before him it was "going Il Falco". I drop like a stone off mountain tops, in the drops when it gets curvy, tops when straightish, head low as I can get it and still feel comfy. Fastest I've ever recorded going downhill was just over 100km/h, 63mph, and it wasn't in Colorado, the Coulee Region of Western Wisconsin. Haven't done Vail pass yet, could possibly break my record there.

I haven't attempted that speed since the mortgage and student loans

 

[marathon marke]

"Going Nibali" is good but before him it was "going Il Falco". I drop like a stone off mountain tops, in the drops when it gets curvy, tops when straightish, head low as I can get it and still feel comfy. Fastest I've ever recorded going downhill was just over 100km/h, 63mph, and it wasn't in Colorado, the Coulee Region of Western Wisconsin. Haven't done Vail pass yet, could possibly break my record there.

RDV, do you remember what road you might have done that on? Was it a fairly straight/open shot? It's been awhile since I've been in the area with a bike, but maybe...

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

RDV, do you remember what road you might have done that on? Was it a fairly straight/open shot? It's been awhile since I've been in the area with a bike, but maybe...

Oh my gosh, so many roads in the Coulee Region to hit these speeds. The most concentrated area of these crazy descents are just East of Durand, Co Rd BB, Albany Rd just North of Mondovi is where I hit that top speed. South of Durand there's also Co Rd I which will put your heart in your throat, aptly named Big Hill Rd that dumps into Pepin. So many, take your pick out there, I really miss riding that area.

Albany Rd starts out curvy at the top, but after so many attempts you'll know what you can get away with to carry your speed to the bottom as it straightens out.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

not mine, but this:

 

[marathon marke]

Thank you, sir. I used to ride some of the area back in the '80s (doing centuries and doubles), but frankly cannot remember much what roads I would find by accident. I'm hoping to spend a bit more time in the driftless region next spring/summer, so this will give me something to consider. Thanks again!

Oh my gosh, so many roads in the Coulee Region to hit these speeds. The most concentrated area of these crazy descents are just East of Durand, Co Rd BB, Albany Rd just North of Mondovi is where I hit that top speed. South of Durand there's also Co Rd I which will put your heart in your throat, aptly named Big Hill Rd that dumps into Pepin. So many, take your pick out there, I really miss riding that area.

Albany Rd starts out curvy at the top, but after so many attempts you'll know what you can get away with to carry your speed to the bottom as it straightens out.