Northern California - gearing for Diablo?

Hey all - I'm looking to climb Diablo for the first time and was wondering what gearing you all use. I live in SF but most of these hills are pretty short. I'm 26 and reasonably fit - I do about 20-30 miles a day. My gearing right now is 53/39 front with a 12-23 cassette in the rear, and I can climb twin peaks with no problem but I don't know how Diablo compares. Am I in for a world of pain? Should I go with a compact crank and/or a different cassette? Thanks! Alex

If you routinely ride the steep SF hills with those gears, you should be fine. I personally have a 50/34 and 12-27, but I like to spin and have bailout gears.

Most of Diablo is not very steep until the very end. The last 4.5 miles average about 7% and the very last stretch (100-200 meters?) is super steep (probably 15% if I had to guess). Have fun.

If you routinely ride the steep SF hills with those gears, you should be fine. I personally have a 50/34 and 12-27, but I like to spin and have bailout gears.

Most of Diablo is not very steep until the very end. The last 4.5 miles average about 7% and the very last stretch (100-200 meters?) is super steep (probably 15% if I had to guess). Have fun.

Same gearing here, and I definitely use it all for Diablo.

I'm 26 and reasonably fit - I do about 20-30 miles a day. My gearing right now is 53/39 front with a 12-23 cassette in the rear.

Then you'll probably be climbing in the big ring :rolleyes:. J/K... I switch off between a 53/39 with a 12-25 cassette and a triple with a 12-23 cassette. With the double, I'll usually be in the 21 in back with the bailout option to the 25. With the triple, if using the granny gear, I'll use whatever in the back suits my mood that day with the confidence I'll never run out of gears. If you're going up in the next few days, watch the temps. Start early and bring plenty of liquids.

Do you do a lot of extended climbing outside of the city in the Marin Headlands or Mt. Tam?

I did the Mt. Diablo Challenge last year with a 39/25 small gear. I made it up, but this year I'm going with a 27. Just sayin'.

Then you'll probably be climbing in the big ring :rolleyes:. J/K... I switch off between a 53/39 with a 12-25 cassette and a triple with a 12-23 cassette. With the double, I'll usually be in the 21 in back with the bailout option to the 25. With the triple, if using the granny gear, I'll use whatever in the back suits my mood that day with the confidence I'll never run out of gears. If you're going up in the next few days, watch the temps. Start early and bring plenty of liquids.

Good info, thanks. I'm going this Saturday, around 7:30.

Do you do a lot of extended climbing outside of the city in the Marin Headlands or Mt. Tam?

Nothing like this. Haven't tried Tam yet; that's what I'd like to try first, but a couple of friends are gonna try Diablo this Saturday, so they invited me along. One of them is pretty green so I won't be alone in my suffering.

If you're used to steep and short hills, the biggest challenge may be just to not over-do it early. Most of Diablo really isn't steep, but you get 10+ miles of it. Then you get the steep, short part at the end. :)

It's real easy to think the climb will be a piece of cake after the first couple of miles - but if you try to do the entire climb in an anaerobic zone it could get ugly. You'll see lots of people stopping to recover at the junction (more or less the halfway point) - I try not to unless I need to fill my water bottles.

I wouldn't worry about gearing the first time - I'm not a great climber and I can get up to the junction in my middle chain ring (yes, I have a triple) without too much trouble. After that I tend to bail out to the small ring, but probably would be fine in the middle all the way to the wall. Just try to save something for the end.

JB

I did 3 Diablo climbs in a row while training for the Death Ride. That day I had 39-27 as my lowest gear. It was ok the first and sencond climb... but the 3rd was killing me at the "wall". I ended up ordering a 50-34 the next day.

I'm signed up for the Challenge again this year. Not sure if I will run the 11-23 or the 12-27. Probably the 12-27 since I am anaerobic from the start. I don't know if I will ever break the 60 minute mark :mad:

I've ridden Diablo about 800 times. (not always to Summit though)

When I was 32: 42-24 (still had my criterium bike)
When I was 35: 39-25 (STI upgrade to 8-speed)
When I turned 44: 39-27 (biggest cog I could get for my new bike)

Any 5-spd tranny will get you up the hill easy... oh wait, you mean on bike...

I have a buddy that swapped out his RD and cassette for a mtb XTR RD and big cassette!!

Although you are probably in better shape then he and I so I'd try at least a 12-26 or 27 cassette. Can't hurt although it's probably too late to mail order one from PBK.

Good luck!

Last section is going to be hard with 39:23, careful with your knees.

39/23 will be tough for sure unless you are crazy fast.

Thanks for the input guys! I'm not slow, but i'm not crazy fast either. I'm going to shop around locally tomorrow for a cassette and if I can't find one, well, I'll give it a try anyways. Worst case, I can turn around and try another day.

You can also zig zag the hard sections ;)

Yeah, I haven't tried it yet with the 27, but I have a feeling I won't even use the 27 until the last section. And then it will all be worth it. That last 200m is CRUEL.

I've climbed Diablo a number of times. Like one of the earlier posters 3x in training for the Death Ride, gives you >10,000 feet in 61 miles. When I was planning to purchase a new bike I wasn't sure if a compact double was right for me so I put a 39T middle ring on my Trek triple with a 12-27 cassette and rode everything I usually ride including Diablo in the middle ring and 39-27 is good for the whole mountain. Until I got to the last section before the upper parking lot then I cheated and dropped to the 30T. Now I have a compact double with a 11-28 SRAM OG-1070 cassette and that works for me.

jw

Well, I made it up this morning with no problems. 45 miles total. Thanks guys! I ended up getting a 13-26 cassette and that did just fine. About halfway up the Wall I felt my calves about to cramp up so I walked the rest of the way. I also beat my friends to the top by ten minutes. The descent was awesome! Those switchbacks really make you pay attention. Was anybody else up there? I was the guy on the red steel Colnago with a red Talbot's jersey.

In the real old days (1977 or so) I did it 42-26. I think I stood the whole way and then almost died at the wall.
Now that I'm older and closer to sane I have a compact with 34-27. I'm really glad I have it when I get to end. My knees are happier too.

Well, I made it up this morning with no problems. 45 miles total. Thanks guys! I ended up getting a 13-26 cassette and that did just fine. About halfway up the Wall I felt my calves about to cramp up so I walked the rest of the way. I also beat my friends to the top by ten minutes. The descent was awesome! Those switchbacks really make you pay attention. Was anybody else up there? I was the guy on the red steel Colnago with a red Talbot's jersey.

I'm sorry to call you on this, but don't those two statements contradict each other?

The wall at the top is where you need the low gearing. I have a triple with a 12-25 and the one time that I did Diablo I was in the 30-25 and standing and cramping at the end, but I made it. I had just turned 57. I'll never do it again cuz I hated riding my brakes on the descent.

Well, I made it up this morning with no problems....... About halfway up the Wall I felt my calves about to cramp up so I walked the rest of the way.

Sorry - if you walked the last bit, it doesn't count. Looks like you'll have to do it all over again.



:D

I'm sorry to call you on this, but don't those two statements contradict each other?

The wall at the top is where you need the low gearing. I have a triple with a 12-25 and the one time that I did Diablo I was in the 30-25 and standing and cramping at the end, but I made it. I had just turned 57. I'll never do it again cuz I hated riding my brakes on the descent.

you sound like one of my college professors :D

in hindsight i suppose i could have rested at the foot of the wall and then gotten the jump on it, but that didn't strike me as fair. i have definitely climbed steeper hills here, but not after 10 miles of climbing like that. i'll definitely conquer it next time.

I have a buddy that swapped out his RD and cassette for a mtb XTR RD and big cassette!!

That's about my setup as well. SRAM 11-32 cassette, XT derailleur, 9-speed STI shifters. They work together better than you'd think.

Since I'm such a worthless slow-arse when climbing alone, that 39x32 gear gets a lot of use. ;)

I was up there on Saturday as well. I was going almost 100% and it took me 1:29 from the Athenian School (including 10 minutes of stops). Somehow I forgot my Camelbak, so I made it the whole way with no water (except from the fountain at the entrance booth and the ranger station). Doh! (I did eat a Hammergel that my buddy gave me.)

I was in my lowest gear (34 x 27) almost the entire time after the ranger station. I honestly do not think I would have been able to finish with a standard double (39 x 23 or even 39 x 27).

I looked at the results from the challenge and my time (1:29) is WEAK! I thought I was a decent climber (and I can't blame the equipment, as I'm sure my bike is well above average and lighter than most), but I would have been in the SLOWEST 10% or so in the race. Wow. I had no idea how much I suck!

I looked at the results from the challenge and my time (1:29) is WEAK! I thought I was a decent climber (and I can't blame the equipment, as I'm sure my bike is well above average and lighter than most), but I would have been in the SLOWEST 10% or so in the race. Wow. I had no idea how much I suck!

You would have done better in the race though. It gets you more motivated.

I was up there on Saturday as well.

Did you see all the dragonflies near the bend with the trail access?

Bottom 10% of Challenge riders is still top 10% of the GenPop as far as fitness - you suck not.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/DiabloScottsBikeBlog/SKePAbVcfAI/AAAAAAAADTU/aSSmLJCZ7CM/s800/P8160020.JPG

Did you see all the dragonflies near the bend with the trail access?

Bottom 10% of Challenge riders is still top 10% of the GenPop as far as fitness - you suck not.



Thanks. Hopefully you are right. I didn't see the dragonflies. Maybe there was too much sweat in my eyes! :twitchy: