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So, all this talk of 100 milers...
I've had a look at the OS map for the Land's End 100 route, and there are a few single chevron climbs, at least 1 double chevron climb...
IIRC doesn't this equate to 1:4 and 1:3? 😯
Haven't tested my limits on the road bike. Managed the steep road climb behind Llanberis station, on the mtb, with the granny...
I know of one double chevron climb not far from my commute home route (Gwaelod y Garth, behind the pub).. Might give that a try - again mtb will go up there ok
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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kinda snap, we did Chamonix to Hyeres in 4 days this summer, about 9000m climbing in all but nothing too steep as you sayCycled 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
😆 😆
You forgot.... or pseudo 1st cat racers.
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!
Where is that 45% climb?
There's a lane near Cardiff that has no chevrons but it's so steep that when I did it I couldn't stop because I didn't know how to without falling over and tumbling down it. Took all my strength to just keep the wheels turning.. and that was on a triple! I thought the chain was going to snap.
This is one of my faves on the map though:
I've ridden down it, there's a sharp left hander at the bottom. I was riding an early 90s MTB with full panniers and cantis, not even V brakes!
There's a lane near Cardiff that has no chevrons but it's so steep that when I did it I couldn't stop because I didn't know how to without falling over and tumbling down it.
Whereabouts moly - can't b too far from me. Sounds like a challenge!
Warton, it's the Malga Palazzo mentioned above.
I'd agree on Hardknott. It's not so much the steepness but the length, it just goes on and on and on. Much longer than the struggle which is really just two short, sharp climbs.
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8293/7858294546_1c6e4dc961_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/53067724@N00/7858294546/ ]30 percent[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/53067724@N00/ ]Jon Wyatt[/url], on Flickr
Millock in Cornwall near Bude, average of 30%. Not ridden it but walked up it with a carbon walking aid. Looks like someone put tarmac on a wall for a laugh.
Rkk01 - I'm really not sure, I was lost at the time, but I think it's this http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=326317&y=190620&z=115&sv=326317,190620&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=631&ax=326317&ay=190620&lm=0
Doesn't look like much but it was pretty short so I don't think it shows up in the contours.
There are loads of them around though:
From Maentwrog thogh the village of Ffestiniog to the top of the Tarmac road at Manod Quarry is quite a climb see a photo here.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2441060
Winnats is quite steep near the end. Lane in front of our house is approximately 20%, but very short. Started trying to ride up it in a harder gear each time I ride home from work, which is a recipe for pain and a broken chain.
Oh yeah.. I once rode up Lon Pobty in Bangor on an old road bike with 39/19. That was ludicrous, probably the slowest I have ever travelled on a bike. I had to zig zag over the whole road and I was going at a walking pace of someone who's just had an operation. Did it though 🙂
The first bit of the Buttress in Hebden is stoopid steep, and cobbled and slippy! I've tried hardknott once before and just remember looking at it and thinking (whimpering) that's a wall. I'm doing the Fred Whitton route a week on Friday....I'm wearing comfortable walking/cycling shoes
I once rode up Lon Pobty in Bangor on an old road bike with 39/19
That was my commute home for 2 years
dangerous as can be in the wet with the leaves in Autumn , not much fun in the snow and the students never looked before crossing the road.
Worst I've done is the Bola del Mundo, and it's "only" 19% max, although it's ramp after ramp after ramp for 3km. No idea how you'd get up anything steeper!
That was my commute home for 2 years
I bet you didn't use 39/19 though 🙂
Part of the Ryals (Northumberland) are supposed to be 30%. I enjoyed over taking 'proper' roadies using the granny ring of my mtb chainset on my kaffenback.
Regarding The Struggle and Hardknott from a recent ride on Garmin The Struggle 3 miles 1323 ft climb 9% avg,Hardknott 1.6 miles and 1030 ft climb 13% avg, Both killers in their own rights!!!
That was my commute home for 2 years
no fun when you aint warmed up, did you live in caerhun ?
Would not try that with a 19 rear sprocket, its the triple for me these days, twiddle away.......
Found it - Garmin profile at the lunch stop on Martin's 10 laps of Winnats mission. 55 miles in, 1/2 way there. The little flat in the bottom is Edale/Hope/Castleton.
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That has the be the ultimate hill rep session!
The Abergwesyn Mountain Road, three climbs in either direction ramping up to 25%, no rest at all as its up down all the way along it. - http://binged.it/QjIaBa
Wish the tour of Britain went back there! -
[url= http://goo.gl/maps/8Ydtx ]Steep![/url]
This required an instant detour off the main road when driving past in the van.
Steep!This required an instant detour off the main road when driving past in the van.
hah!
it's rare that a steep hill looks like anything in streetview.. that one looks insane.
I [i]think[/i] this is the nastiest climb in Scotland, possible reaches about 25% near the bottom towards Polloch. Its a dead end too so you have to climb over the pass and descend just to reclimb it.
a sportive but without the arrows to direct you ,bum wiping support or the huge cost of entering
But what about those of us who can afford the shocking 30 pound entry fee and enjoy the company of more than 10 old men on the road, are we still allowed to enjoy sportives? 😉
a sportive but without the arrows to direct you ,bum wiping support or the huge cost of entering
My last one was about £15 so worth it for the gels, sweets, arrows etc. At no point did I need my arse wiped.
And yes it was a race 🙂
[url= https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Vigo,+United+Kingdom&hl=en&ll=51.324176,0.342937&spn=0.000054,0.033689&sll=51.077025,-3.867187&sspn=0.016825,0.033689&oq=Vigo&hnear=Vigo,+Kent,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.324146,0.343101&panoid=qdnyabxsi5-2HfR3LD1ikQ&cbp=12,316.42,,0,19.05 ]Short but nasty[/url]
Only 1.5km with an average of 9% but it ramps up to 26% for about 100 metres. First ever attempt made me vomit & that was on a triple. 😳
Couple of weekends ago I did 14km of 5% (in the shade) and 9km of 7% (in direct sun at 30 degrees with some 10-14% bits thrown in). I'd rather do the longer climb than the shorter one particularly as I got 16km of descending after the longer climb.
When the tour de Luxembourg comes through here they do a TT around the city centre. There's a cobbled climb that averages 15.4% but gets to about 23% in places. Pro riders do it in about a 1:10 to 1:30 and they look like they're in agony despite the fact it's only 400m long. I've never had the urge to try it.
A local climb, Muro de Aia, goes up to 33% on my garmin, the last 100m over 30%. I can just about make it on 53x25, but would be walking if it was wet.
David Arroyo pushing up the same hill on the Tour of the Basque Country '10, but that's 140km into the stage at 40km/h.
I can just about make it on 53x25, but would be walking if it was wet.
53...? You running a single?
molgrips - that ride over Cefn Onn looks like a struggle. Wrong side of the Taff for me really, never seem to get onto the ridge above Cardiff...
[url= http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=311476&y=183902&z=115&sv=311476,183902&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=632&ax=311476&ay=183902&lm=0 ]Went home this way last night[/url]
Was doable on 39/25
I'm busy working my way through the '100 Greatest Climbs' for charity. I'm 20 climbs in with 7 in South Wales to tackle this weekend. I've decided that any gradient that goes over 20% is not my friend, even with a triple fitted to my bike.
One of the worst climbs so far was Crowcombe in Somerset; it's just relentless.
uff! Knees cringing at the very thought, I meant 39x25 😆
7 in South Wales to tackle this weekend
C'mon then - which ones... the S Wales contingent [i]need to know [/i] 😉
For FoD fans try Vention lane out of Lydbrook.
One of the worst climbs so far was Crowcombe in Somerset; it's just relentless.
For its whole 500m or so in length 😛
The Abergwesyn Mountain Road, three climbs in either direction ramping up to 25%, no rest at all as its up down all the way along it. - http://binged.it/QjIaBa
Did that on a sportive a couple of years ago, steepest thing I've ever done. The hill after the staircase part was the closest I've ever come to getting off and walking up a tarmac road.
Wrong side of the Taff for me really, never seem to get onto the ridge above Cardiff...
You should. Lots of good off-road over here!
One of the worst climbs so far was Crowcombe in Somerset; it's just relentless
You can't use the word 'relentless' unless you are talking about the Alps or greater. Nothing in the UK deserves it.
