No I'm not molgrips – see the quotes above from others who do.

I challenge you to do Carn More Ban without stopping or using granny ring. Even fit young lads struggle a bit. Over 2000 ft in about 2.5 miles

I once walked every climb in an XC race and still finished above mid place.

me and a mate stopped for a smoke during a race at newham many years ago. still didnt come last…

>If you walk I see it as defeat<

Really? Conversely, perhaps you're not challanging yourself enough if you can ride everything you tackle 😉

Heatherbash – you done the Ben Alder circuit? its on my list but the big climb from benalder cottage puts me off. I doubt anyone could ride that. 🙂

I'll do it one day tho

I used to run 2×9. Does using the 29t inner count as using the granny ring? 🙂

When you drop it on the granny ring then you should walk and hold your head in shame.

Get rid of the granny ride, MTFU and hurt yourself.

The next time you will be stronger.

My first post was a bit of a wind up.

Efficiency, depends on lots of factors out on the trail,the person and the bike. I can ride 99% of things in the UK on a 44-32 front and 32-11 on the back, got rid of my granny when i fitted the chainset. Live in Rivvy and no problem, unless its a mega bog fest. Raced the Whinlatter, Mary Townland, Brownbacks, Lee Quarry and Wiggle 6 hour enduro etc., never got off and pushed. Its a personal challenge thing for me.

Saying that i do a lot of cycling so have the "skillz to pay the billz" 😛 and also a decent level of fitness.

Sometimes if your wrecked, dropping it into the granny is a good way of spinning and recovering, flushing all the cr4p out of your muscles rather than getting off and pushing.

Horses for courses, if your out for a lesuirely ride or potter do what you feel is best for you, more importantly enjoy it and dont stay in and watch cr4p tv EVEN if its raining, you wont melt. 😆

if it was a case of spinning up a climb then I would agree. this is beyond spinning up it and i would be very suprised/impressed if you could ride this in 32:32

Horses for courses, if your out for a lesuirely ride or potter do what you feel is best for you, more importantly enjoy it and dont stay in and watch cr4p tv EVEN if its raining, you wont melt.

Agree!
Dont really see how it matter if you get off and push, its better then being inside doing nothing.

I enjoy a good climb but theres a point when you've had enough or its just not worth it for the sake for not finishing rides. Of course this depend abit on what bike your riding too, I have a big heavy thing, if I was on a light hardtrail i'd most likely get up everything I have tried to so far.

Its all about getting out and having fun.

>If you walk I see it as defeat<

Really? Conversely, perhaps you're not challanging yourself enough if you can ride everything you tackle

Absolutely spot on

I can ride 99% of things in the UK on a 44-32 front and 32-11

Should perhaps correct that to read "99% of things in England". As TJ, HB etc said you won't do Carn Ban Mor, Torridon, Bein a'Bhuird and loads of classic Scottish routes with that

Edit – also agree that the challenge of pushing/carrying a bike to the top of something that can't (by me at least) be ridden is peculiarly satisfying in itself

Yup – and more… two of us once did a personal reinactment of 'death on Corrour' ;-(

The pitch immediately above the cottage is a b1tch / rideable by no man. In fact I'd question whether the Bealach Beith is worth the effort anyway. The lochside is a good option in the dry – requires an airy push / carry for the first bit. Perhaps that's rose tinted spectacles 😉

I see trying to ride everything as missing the point. When we started riding mountain bikes (as opposed to riding bikes off road) it was all about getting to interesting places. I can't pretend to be an old timer by a long shot, my first mountain bike ride wasn't until 1983, but the all round experience is what it was about, not trying to ride every little thing. Steep ish gravel where the little ring is needed is best walked. You can look around, watch whats going on and generally appreciated the countryside. Its not there for thrashing through. Chill out you riders.

>I can ride 99% of things in the UK on a 44-32 front and 32-11 on the back<

Walks away sniggering…

Steep ish gravel where the little ring is needed is best walked

Not to me. If I want to walk, I'll go for a walk 🙂 I'll take my hills as I like 'em. We all ride for different reasons.

Its not there for thrashing through

Yes it is 🙂

I once walked every climb in an XC race and still finished above mid place. how would you see those that rode the whole thing but finished behind me?

lol, maybe they were roadies?

If you walk I see it as defeat I once walked every climb in an XC race and still finished above mid place. how would you see those that rode the whole thing but finished behind me? that rode the whole thing but finished behind me?[/i]

I couldn't care less, as I said, it's a personal thing, a challenge to myself, I have walked up stuff though of course and its a motivator to ride it next time

As a kid, I remember often being far more obsessed with climbing stuff than downhilling… bastard technical climbs are still one of the most satisfying things about riding.

What Follow Me needs is a nice long, slo-mo uphill section. 😈

What Follow Me needs is a nice long, slo-mo uphill section

Watch it backwards in slowmo?

Watch it backwards in slowmo?

😀

I even rode over this in the Dolomites without "dabbing" 😉

ah.. the Dolomiten… i'll be there next week.

i rode a trail in the Brenta range the other week. 600m up, 600m down. it took me just as long to ride down as it did going up. the trail was so blokced and technical it would have been quicker to walk/carry the bike down. but it wouldn't have been as much fun….

another nice tech climb is Pfitscher Joch behind Mayerhofen. almost made it last week. had to jump off twice. one guy in the group was a right goat. he dabbed twice. very impressive.