bikerjp

You were in Frisco and didn't do Vail Pass? Pretty much bike trail the whole way until you get close to Vail and then it's still nice road with little traffic. According to Strava, the climb out of Vail is a Cat 1 (https://app.strava.com/segments/669236). It's a long slog. Did you happen to ride Swan Mountain? It was recently re-paved with a bike lane going up and there is a nice bike trail going down the other side into Dillon.

Ron Harry

Hmm...how about technique? Just yesterday, I discovered I could make it up a 14% grade by 'tacking' back and forth across the road. That was only possible of course on a 'no traffic' road. But it was something I had not read much about. Half way up the 3/4 mile incline, I was about to give up...and then the zigzag allowed me to continue on...eventually on to the crest. Would that be considered cheating? Heartbeat maxed out at 100%. Fun.

AlbertaBeef

I've been riding for 33 years now, except for a 6 year layoff due to spinal problems - and I find ALL hills kick my butt. That's the joy of being 230lbs.

I can climb 14/15% grades on my Cannondale with 39x25... but do NOT like to... If it's a short hill, sure... but if it's long hills or lots of them I prefer my Nishiki with 34x28 or my MTB with 22x32 ... 22x32 is a ridiculously low gear - I've never, ever used it. In fact, I can't remember the last time I was in my smallest chainring on my MTB... I find I don't even need the 32x32 middle-chainring/largest-cog that it's got very often.

njkayaker

This technique works by reducing the grade you are riding up.

david58

I have found that for me, climbing is about patience. If I am on a long climb (8-10 miles, 8%+), I find that if I just relax and pedal and don't worry about my speed, I'll make it up the hill. Now, I can go slow - reeeal slow - but I have managed to get up the climb. I have surrendered in preparation for a ride next weekend that has a ton of climbing, and had an 11-34 cassette put on the bike. So far, the 30 and 34 cogs are mostly of psychological benefit - I know if I have to I can bail out. And on a long ride, I need to save as much in my legs as I can. But again, just sitting up and pedaling a comfortable rpm seems to be the key for me. Your mileage my vary, however.

ColinL

No, this was a family vacation: me, wife, her folks, her sister. We did a lot of hiking and biking and got rained on every day except one.

I could have went off alone one day, but I didn't. It was fun anyway. When I go back, I'll definitely look for tips here and in the Colorado regional forum to scout out the best routes and MTB trails. We brought 4 road bikes and a hybrid-- no room for my MTB, and no one else of our group would ride any singletrack, anyway.

baiskeli

This.

an 8% climb is going to be hard for me even with a 50/34 and 28 cassette for this very reason.

baiskeli

My best was a 10.3 MPH average for 1952 ft, 10.6 miles long. I was actively keeping my heart rate down and I think most of the climb was 3% but there is a steep 7%-9% section near the top that caught me by surprise. The 3%, I could do all day, the 7-9%, no matter my gearing, I would have a hard time (I had a 50/34 and 11-28 cassette).

https://app.strava.com/rides/12243697

There is definitely a lot of technique. I do hill repeats almost every week (most times 6 or so repeats), sometimes the route below
https://app.strava.com/rides/13142182

I found that when I followed the wheel of someone I know who is a good climber (and the hill is steep enough that there is no benefit to drafting), I did better. One of the bad things I was doing was trying to kill it on the steepest portions and then being in the red and unable to go fast on the flatter sections. When I followed him, on the steep section I was like "ok, he is going kind of slow" and then noticed that he would gear up on the flatter sections. By nature I'm a jackrabbit (short bursts of power, recover). Works great on short steep rollers, doesn't work well on long sustained climbs.

I'm a mediocre climber, but that is an improvement from where I was at the beginning of the season before I incorporated hill repeats into my workout. I looked at my stats for July and I have about 533 Miles of riding with 20,443ft of climbing (which for me is a lot)

bikerjp

Both of the rides I mentioned are road rides or paved bike trail. Although there are apparently a lot more mtb trails in the area. I've never done any mtb riding there.

svtmike

My secret weapon for really steep grades is a triple with a mountain cassette/derailleur (I normally run 11-28 with it). A 12-36 with the triple will get me up anything I have found in the Midwest (12% - 18% in some of the Wisconsin Driftless rides) while maintaining a threshold power output and comfortable-enough cadence.

I've seen really big guys crawling along some really steep climbs at 2-3 mph and a cadence of 20-30. I just can't pedal that slowly.

banerjek

Holy smokes. That would get you some seriously low gears.

However, rather than going with a super heavy and wide cassette, seems like an MTB crankset with a 22T inner ring would be the ticket. That would allow you to run low gears with tighter ratios. Your big ring would be smaller, but spinning that out would require the aid of a decent hill (in which case aero is more important than pedal power anyway).

richard_dupp

Got one ride near the house that is 2 miles at 10-13% with kickups to 16%. 50/34 and 13-25 seem to be pretty good for me, the rest of the ride is more moderate with 6-8% grades 2-3 miles long. I have 50/42/32 with a 12-28 on one bike and I find 32/28 difficult to maintain stability. Feels like I am about to fall over. Anybody else have this?

banerjek

Sounds like a technique issue. Even a 1 to 1 ratio (i.e. 32/32) should give you 7mph at 90 rpm, almost 5mph at 60 rpm. Even at lower speeds, you shouldn't have a problem.

svtmike

That would work too, but at a bit higher cost for a HollowTech II crankset unless I went ultra-cheap and put in a square taper BB too (and messing with FD adjustment because the chainline is different). RD/Cassette was a simple swap (along with a longer chain) and I just keep them on the shelf when I don't need them. The shifting is nowhere near as good as the Ultegra shifting with my normal cassette and derailleur.

If I went smaller crank, my buddies wouldn't be able to set me up for "My what a big sprocket you have" comments from the Fredettes on the course.

Dan333SP

I can empathize with the OP. I'm a flatlander for the most part, but brought my bike on a recent trip to West Virginia. I rode up this climb-
https://app.strava.com/segments/667203
My lowest gear is the 39/28 combo, which was a real struggle on that road which has a few sections of 15-20% and averages 9.5% for almost 3 miles. I "discovered" the zigzagging method mentioned earlier in the thread, and I also discovered the importance of pacing on a climb. Unlike the flats, if you go too hard too early, you can't slow down to catch your breath, you are at max effort almost the entire time. Although it was a rude awakening, it really made me wish I lived closer to some mountains so I could improve my climbing!

richard_dupp

Physiological, had some medical work done that affects balance, I was just wondering how much to attribute to the procedure and how much to attribute to my lack of abilities. I imagine the latter is the bigger culprit. I just need to HTFU.

berner

I grew up in the New Paltz area and love the views of the Wallkill Valley from the lookout at the top of the mountain on Rt. 44/55. I was last there July 4 to see family. I saw many cyclists which is not surprising because there are many fine, quiet back roads at the foot of the mountain. Next trip back I'll bring the bike. For those visiting the area: https://www.roberts-1.com/bikehudson/...unty/index.htm

Paul Barnard

Colorado is a mountain bike mecca. Crested Butte may be the best place in the state to ride an MTB. There are trails everywhere. I just came back from CO and much like you I rode my first real hill...Independence Pass. I was slow, but steady and made it with a little energy left in the tank. It's actually a comparatively easy climb. It is about 3000 feet of climbing in 18 miles. An average grade of 3.5% and the last 4 miles are closer to 7. I did some seriously steep climbs on my MTB that thankfully weren't too long. The ride from Crested Butte to Schofield Pass was demanding in spots. Next summer I'll be better prepared and equipped.

FXjohn

how do you measure the grade of hill you climb?

surgeonstone

Don't forget the average 30 mph doing that 20% grade.

Paul Barnard

I use mapmyride.com It's a really easy program to use.

FXjohn

hey baiskeli, come back to P&R man. you're missed

The Smokester

If possible, try relaxing your upper body and arms. Have an easy grip on the bars. Put your center (of gravity) directly over the axle of the cranks. Act like you are going to stand up yet without moving off the seat. (Maybe get some help to make sure your seat height and fore-aft position are correct.) Make smooth, even, steady pedal strokes, wiping your feet as you go through the bottom of the stroke. Relax and rest the leg on the upstroke.

Learn the words to "The Song of the Volga Boatman".

Savagewolf

I learned that after going to clipless pedals and cleats. Coasting some while going up on the steep hills meant me slowing down and having to stop. Being inexperienced with clipless pedals and trying to start uphill wasn't very fun. I quickly learned to pedal all the way up the hills and coast on the top and downhill.

Another thing I've noticed with inexperience cyclists (such as my wife) is they tend to stop pedaling/start coasting when they see a hill. They dread the future pain and stop their momentum, making the climb even harder for themselves.

Mithrandir

I have found that spinning also helps with this. I was doing 2 days of 30 minute spins each week and noticed an improvement in how long I remained pedaling on my bike. I'd increase the length of the spin sessions but they're so damn boring, I'd rather be outside.

I am thinking of building myself a fixie next year, which should also help get me out of the mindset of coasting.