[Closed] What's steep on a road bike...?

I stand corrected...

>> = steeper than 20% 1:5

> = between 14% and 20% 1:7 to 1:5

arse - a quick gander at the map shows that the climb from Ponty up through the Graig isn't even ">" and that's a bitch on the road bike 🙁

Might stop at the Gwaelod pub to collect my thoughts....

20% is pretty steep on a road bike. A short sharp burst of it is fine as you can stand up and stomp on the pedals but a sustained climb of that steepness is hard going.

If you plug these into mapmyride, it'll work out a Grade for you. Can be handy for comparing planned routes with hills you know.

I'd say over 15% for anything more than 100 yards or so is pretty damn steep.

I think the steepest road climb in England is reckoned to be rosedale chimney which tops out at 33%, although the average for the whole climb (just under a mile) is about 12%.
I've not ridden it but have done mow cop which is similar length and average grade but maximum is "only" 25%. doable by a not particularly fit 42 yr old with lowest gear 34/27... just.

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Pretty steep, though I'd much prefer to ride up it than down.

[quote=stuartie_c ]
Pretty steep, though I'd much prefer to ride up it than down.
Horrible as a descent - and they sent the TofB that way last year.

Ah yes, gearing... Ive recently attached a new cassette - now have the ability to change down - all the way to 39:25

anything under 1in 6 for me is steep,but length is critical, there are a few 1 in 4 climbs round here(n wales)-- whether on a road with triple or mtb they are going to be tough for most people.

Its not so much the steep as how long is it steep for. Theres a climb just up the road that is 17%, for about half a mile, that is a bugger.
Its not 10% for bit and then 17% its just 17%. You just turn the corner and swear.
Some of the grand tour climbs aren't "that" steep (and yes some are) but 14Km of 8% might just get the legs burning:-)

The Bealach na Ba in Scotland is only 6.8% average, but I'd still consider it "steep" on account of it's length and overall height gained.

http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?qryMountainID=3943

How do you work out the gradient ? Im trying to compare a hill locally to me to what you guys are mentioning so I can get my head around the difference.

My steep hill: 1.05 m @ 165 ft climb

18% or 1/6 is steep on a 39/25. After a few of those, I'll be looking for a bigger cog. By contrast, the hard way up Le Tourmalet is 7.5% and only 10% at the top. It's long (26km), but not particularly steep.

Caveat: I'm from Devon, home of short sharp shock hill treatment, but live in the flat fields of Windsor now.

[quote=ska-49 ]How do you work out the gradient ? Im trying to compare a hill locally to me to what you guys are mentioning so I can get my head around the difference.
My steep hill: 1.15 m @ 165 ft climb
See if you can find it here.. http://www.climbbybike.com/

I did a loop in the lammermuirs yesterday that has Redstone Rigg at 17% and to be honest I only just made It without getting off. Also the mtb climb at Castlelaw in the Pentlands has a small section at 23% but is only maybe 100 yards long.
Im not a great climber at all and can only make steep climbs by picturing 100 yards ahead and focusing on making it then repeating till I get to the top. I'd love a crack at a big French or Italian climb but only with a compact triple and the promise of a decent bar at the summit.

[quote=stanfree ]I did a loop in the lammermuirs yesterday that has Redstone Rigg at 17% and to be honest I only just made It without getting off. Also the mtb climb at Castlelaw in the Pentlands has a small section at 23% but is only maybe 100 yards long.
Redstone Rigg
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Oh - and that section at Castlelaw is easiest with 4" tyres 🙂

The hardest I've tried is Hardknott Pass, it goes way beyond brutal

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Hardknot +1 plus The Struggle on Kirkstone when part of a triathlon!

I try and avoid this at all costs... as it's on my regular training ride 😕
Especially on 38/25........
http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?col=bwlch-y-groes&qryMountainID=8243

I used to think Winnats is pretty steep. Double chevron, 20% in places.

A guy from work did 10 laps, 110 miles, in a day (no dabs between cattle grids) for charity. I joined him for 2 and that was enough. Mental!

According to climb by bike the mam nic way up from barber booth is easier than winnats... not sure I'd agree?

This is a bit sneaky:

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I think the first 4 and a 1/4 miles of the CRC @ Ruthin was 13250ft, most of that was tarmac or once had been.
Oh how we laughed:=)

Today it has a smooth tarmac surface, has gentle bends and its verges are wooded. It starts with a gradual slope and is 1 in 6 at the half way mark. The road then eases off before getting even steeper at 1 in 4 for a short section just before the summit

Kop Hill in the chilterns - 25% not bad for the southern softies, I've had more than 50mph downhill from it on a flat bar road bike & hope to take my dad's old bike on the hill climb event there one year

Broken road surface of Hardnott pass on the Fred Whitton after 100 miles in the rain had me walking even with a triple - this climb is the only thing I’ve ever had to walk up with the road bike. Mow cop is easy in comparison.

I'm not sure but I don't think Moel Famau (even up the old clwyd gate) is above 10,000ft.
At least it was'nt when I did it yesterday 😯

hmm. My climb was 23.39% according to that website. Rather happy with that!

Cycled from Lake Geneva to the Cote d'Azur in the summer (Raid Alpine route).

Most of the climbs were very long but never very steep. e.g. Col de la Bonnette is 23 kms and gains around 1600m of height, an average of about 7%. Climbs like this take a long time but they are never particularly hard (last km at 15% was a bit of a bastard though).

Gradients above 8-9% start to get hard if they go on for any distance and once you get into double figures, the heart-rate rises rapidly and the lactic acid builds quickly.

I'm guessing this experience is fairly universal - if you're fitter you just get to the top more quickly but in just as much pain.

Got my eye on this baby for next summer...

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Cycled from Lake Geneva to the Cote d'Azur in the summer

^ 20% to 45% 😯

/\ HOLY COW 😯

The Dartmoor Devil Audax in a few weeks includes a few killer climbs .To those who dont know thats similar to a sportive but without the arrows to direct you ,bum wiping support or the huge cost of entering

a sportive but without the arrows to direct you ,bum wiping support or the huge cost of entering

I did forget them didn`t I ? sorry

a sportive but without the arrows to direct you ,bum wiping support or the huge cost of entering

So a bit like going for a ride on your own then

..... yes just like going for a ride on your own but with more tea/cake and with some really nice people.

Buy tea and cake instead of paying 25 quid to enter .Lately we have been driving 30 miles or so then riding to explore new areas its cheaper than entering the latest sportive to go up Cheddar Gorge

Cycling Malga Palazzo - Besenello - Via Scanuppia

Man alive, fingers crossed I don't get drunk & think that's a good nut to crack

 

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Ouch!

I've never looked at percentages ever until seeing this post. A quick look shows my hills vary from 17% to 25%. And strangely the one with the worst reputation is only 17%.
My gearing the same as my mates is 39/25 or 39/23 bottom. I confess that I asked my mate in the High Peak if that would be okay for a road ride in that area.

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Cobbled. Wet. Brutal.

Well, commute home included the Gwaelod pub climb. It's a double chevron on the map, with a steep switchback - not sure how long and what gradient on the ground. Was certainly a grind on 39/25, but I now know that I can ge the bike up that sort of gradient!