Tuesday Night Ride Club (TNRC)

Let's have some descending tips:

General

• relax
  
• grip the bars where you feel most secure/in control - firm, but not tense
  
• brake by pumping the lever, instead of holding it constantly 'on' i.e. scrub speed in 10 to 20 metre bursts
  
• progressive braking: don't grab at the lever, but gradually increase pressure if needed (even emergency stops involve progressive braking over a very short period of time)
  
• brake before corners, not in them (but if you misjudge and really have to brake in the corner, use an extremely light touch on the lever)
  
• try to use a 'racing line' i.e. don't enter the corner right on the inside, and start your turn later to cut across the apex
  
• keep your centre of gravity low, and to the rear; arse back, elbows bent and low
  
• relax
  
  

Group

• let the line of riders string out more than on the flat
  
• if passing, try to do it on the straight, and decisively, with enough time to brake before a corner if necessary
  
• if having to pass on/near a bend, tell the rider you're coming past, and say 'on your right' or 'keep left' or something similar
  
• if you've lost contact on a descent, try to make up ground as the descent flattens out: the quicker you get back on someone's wheel, the quicker you can recover in their slipstream
  
• pass on any messages (shout loudly) about people stopping for junctions, patches of gravel, other hazards
  
  

Fixed

• you might need to scoot back in the saddle whilst spinning quickly, to maintain a rearward weight balance (practise this on the flat from time to time)
  
• if the high cadence feels too much, trying progressively pushing it (a bit like the braking thing), by 'sprinting into the spin' for a few seconds, then relaxing - you get a sort of adaptation; but if you reach your cadence threshold, start using the front brake in bursts to regain control/comfort
  
• a more scissor-kick pedalling style (rather than up-down, you go forwards-backwards) works for some people in high cadence situations
  
• pedalstrike is very unlikely, but best try to keep the bike fairly upright in corners, and steer by moving your shoulders to the inside
  
  

Geared

• your front brake still does most of the work
  
• be wary of grabbing too much rear brake in corners; it's worth setting the cable tension looser than the front brake to avoid this
  
• steer with your hips; unlike the fixeurs, you've got loads of body manoeuvrability, and can move your arse (subtly) to the inside whilst coasting - it's much more stable than the shoulders thing you have to do with fixed (and much more fun)
  
• use your 'air brake' on shallower descents: sitting up to catch the wind can work better than your rear brake
  
  

Traffic

Never tailgate a motorised vehicle downhill. Their brakes are waaaaaaay better than ours, and they might have to slam them on for all kinds of reasons.

That's probably most of it.