Just found this video in the Pathe archives. It's hill climb footage of the 1920's but shows the steepness and length well. First vid I've seen that really does that - has anyone got any shots/vids of anyone doing the descent?
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=17166
OMG.
It doesn't look like that now. I used to live (and my parents still do) just down the road. We used to walk our dog through there as a kid, as well as the bottom part being on our school cross country run.
I can't remember the last time it is was used for hill climbing but it's a long time ago, I must have been about 12 (that's 28 years ago 😯 )
I ride past the top every now and again when I take my bike visiting the folks, often thought about riding down it but the top part is REALLY steep and covered in slippy cobble stone 😮
Did you live nearby Rich?
We do a ride called the Post Hill Hustle every now and again that goes by that. We've only had about 4 or 5 riders with the balls to brains ratio to go down it 😉
Yeah, I lived very close to Wickes - on Swinnow Lane. I've gone down it 4 or 5 times - sh1t meself every. single. time. 😉
You've got to tell yourself that the skidding will stop eventually. Even the front wheel skids whilst your back wheel floats in the air...
It's weird, I've ridden some pretty gnarly stuff in my time, Morzine, Verbier, Les Arcs, Moab etc but a straight cobbled hill 5 mins from my parents house gives me the heebie-jeebies! I think I'll pass thanks.
it is very steep, never seen anyone try to ride down it.
ymbc races used to be help there, in the olden days.
nice little ride spot.
the old film is ace , I'm over that way on sunday morning with some mates. I've never had the balls to ride down it but have seen it done.I never knew before having a look on a search but there was an Italian POW camp there during WW2.
I live at the other side of Pudsey but still take a run over via Keeper lane & Black Carr woods – lived and ridden in the area for near enough 20 year – used to ‘train’ for Downhilling back in the mid 90s round post hill – but only ever tried to ride down that a hand full of times – only ever managed to get about ½ way down before a sudden and painful stop
Apparently the used to test tanks up & down the hill
IIRC it's called 'Post Hill' because the racing was organised by the Yorkshire Post and they paid for it to be surfaced or whatever. Not sure about the tanks and POW camp but it sounds good though.
Maybe we should get a STW Post Hill Challenge organised? Or at least a ride for (ex)Post Hill locals?
The land was bought by the Yorkshire Post so was named after them. The top bit's surfacing is weird as that Pathe film seems to show it being much more dusty/loose than it is now. There was an a POW camp for Italians somewhere at the top plus an anti aircraft gun emplacement in the farmland (I think you can see it from the top track).
breakneckspeed - you've just got to have faith that your speed will drop off once you get past the really steep bit. TBH I found it *much* harder with disc brakes than V's or canti's. Saddle well down, balls getting intimate with nobblies. I would love it if someone did a vid of their back wheel going down it - I bet there's bugger all contact with the floor for about 40yds or so 8)
I've fallen twice going down it - both ended up in trees with arms ripped open... 🙄
Rich – not tried it for years – last bike I tried it with was my proflex 757 in full DH mode – always tended to find it slide of to the left and fall off a bit of a drop at the edge before heading into the trees – now as a ‘mature. rider I think I’d rather try and ride up the thing then ride down
always sat at the top and chickened out... now I realise is supposed to be ridden from the bottom!!
The left hand side exerts a stronger pull than fridge suck 😉
Used to live up the road from there (On the road that leads down to the Troydale end). Surrey Hills now, the riding is good, but it reminds me how lucky I was to live there...
Seen it done by the crazy of our group but it is steep - needs a dry summers night (or day) imo so that cobbles arent too slippy. Never doen it myself but I have "the urge"...
I rode it, on a yeti fro (rigid, of course), about 20 years or so ago. Would I do it now? Not a f*****g prayer! 😉
Any of you guys know of Dave Laverick - used to own Maverick cycles up on Leeds/Bradford Road opposite Pudsey nick? I used to go riding with that lot, but lost touch with Dave when he sold(?) the shop. Anybody know what he's up to these days?
I fell down it on my Cinder Cone in about 94/95 ish...got about 30 metres on my wheels before it all went wrong...didn't stop for a while once I was down, sliding on my left thigh with my bike between my legs while trying to grip the cobbles with my fingers!