Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.contango
11-25-11, 01:57 PM
So a few months back I was on a group ride with some friends. The ride took in a big hill, so big in fact that I had to get off and walk on my Rockhopper. I was the only one out of the four of us that didn't make the top, which was irritating.
Today I was riding the same route with one of the friends although this time I was on the tricross. As the hill progressed I changed down a gear, then another, then another, then dropped to the granny ring, then kept changing down. But this time I had a piece of information I didn't have before. My new GPS shows me the grade. When I was down to the granny gear and struggling to maintain 5mph the gradient had increased from 5% at the bottom to 23%.
So that would explain a few things... and when I made it to the top it immediately qualified as the biggest and steepest hill I ever conquered!
Today I was riding the same route with one of the friends although this time I was on the tricross. As the hill progressed I changed down a gear, then another, then another, then dropped to the granny ring, then kept changing down. But this time I had a piece of information I didn't have before. My new GPS shows me the grade. When I was down to the granny gear and struggling to maintain 5mph the gradient had increased from 5% at the bottom to 23%.
So that would explain a few things... and when I made it to the top it immediately qualified as the biggest and steepest hill I ever conquered!