It is an awesome ride that rewards every step of carrying 😀

I also love this ride. The descents off Blacksail, Styhead and Warnscale are excellent. Miss out the road climb on Honister by pushing up the footpath at the bottom and I think there might be a permissive Bridleway. I can’t get all the way up the quarry zigzags though, Warnscale has some real techy bits on it he most annoying bit though are the unrideable chicken heads after Styhead just when you think it is all downhill.

Get yet self to the mountains of Yorkshire, I bet you can easily do 5000ft plus of climbing on quality rideable fun trails in less than 40 miles.

I’d bloody well hope so, that much you can do in Surrey without difficulty!

i don’t think you can really compare riding in the surrey hills with riding in mountains.

i’m from essex. used to appreciate what i had, but it doesn’t come near living with mountains on the door step. as njee, i didn’t see the point when i saw people pushing their bikes back up when you could take another route and ride up. but here, getting to the good bits can involve some carrying, but that makes it part of the fun. by doing so you reach the really good bits!

as someone said, think of it as being in the hills/hillwalking but with your bike. 🙂

there are so many fantastic trails locally to where i am now that cannot be reached without a bit of shouldering. i never had that problem in essex.

5260 feet of climb Saturday in the peak in 29.7 miles

Non of which was hike-a-bike! Only spent 14 minutes off the bike according to garmin and that was only to take photos / fettle with new suspension

I don’t get this obsession with staying arse on saddle in a do or die fashion. To access many of the best steep big downhill descents you need to push sections. You are still out a big bike ride getting as fit as you like. Why avoid some mega tech lines just because you can’t cycle up to them? It’s all good fun!

2 weeks ago we did 5000ft over 21 miles at innerleithen and that included some pushing but also some amazing downhills 🙂

We’re all different I guess, I don’t want to go for a walk with a bike, I don’t like walking, I want to go for a bike ride. I also don’t enjoy really technical descents. As I said though, I can see the appeal, particularly in the Lakes etc where the views must be rather good.

I can only manage to cycle to the half way house on snowdon. I then carry/push my bike to the top. I do it every year and its the best 20 mins downhill run of the year (for me)

Sometimes a bit of hiker bike with your mates is a good laugh and different to your normal slog.

The best thrills are the ones you hike for – on skis or a bike.

5000ft in 40 miles, wowsers. I suggest you give mid-Wales a go, 6200ft in 24 miles is pretty run of the mill

I forgot to mention, I did a few miles uphill myself too.
started with honister pass, mid ride was lonscale/latrigg terrace (on my tourer) and finished the day off with whinlatter back over to buttermere.

top day, and more miles than the sweary boys too……….. 😆

Any keilder 100 people ? (Elevation Gain5347 m Kielder 100 09/03/2011) it was certainly the biggest day out hight gain for me.

One thing I’ve noticed since getting my first computer is that elevation gain and ‘climbing’ are two very different things, well down here anyway. i.e more gain on a 50 mile flat route than a 60+ mile hilly route?

elevation gain and ‘climbing’ are two very different things

Yes, the Grand Raid Cristalp is 80 miles in the Swiss Alps, and it only just manages to top 5000m of ascent, so that Kielder figure is impressive for the Borders…

I’m sure most of the best descents in the lakes are at the end of a good carry, personally I don’t see the point in riding round dull stuff for weeks on end but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Would rather ride The Lakes than ever bother with Keilder again.Mind numbing Sitka and fire road would have used the cross bike if it had been allowed.

That sort of climb per mile average in the Surrey hills sounds like a good Sunday challenge. Could you use the north downs too and just go down blind terror, back up onto ranmore and repeat?

ton – Member
I forgot to mention, I did a few miles uphill myself too.
started with honister pass, …

This you? 🙂

I resemble that remark epicycle……. 😆